TY - JOUR A1 - Schulze-Makuch, D. A1 - Lipus, D. A1 - Arens, F. L. A1 - Baque, M. A1 - Bornemann, T. L. V. A1 - de Vera, J. P. A1 - Flury, M. A1 - Froesler, J. A1 - Heinz, J. A1 - Hwang, Y. A1 - Kounaves, S. P. A1 - Mangelsdorf, K. A1 - Meckenstock, R. U. A1 - Pannekens, M. A1 - Probst, A. J. A1 - Saenz, J. S. A1 - Schirmack, J. A1 - Schloter, M. A1 - Schmitt-Kopplin, P. A1 - Schneider, Beate A1 - Uhl, J. A1 - Vestergaard, G. A1 - Valenzuela, B. A1 - Zamorano, P. A1 - Wagner, D. T1 - Microbial hotspots in lithic microhabitats inferred from DNA fractionation and metagenomics in the Atacama Desert N2 - The existence of microbial activity hotspots in temperate regions of Earth is driven by soil heterogeneities, especially the temporal and spatial availability of nutrients. Here we investigate whether microbial activity hotspots also exist in lithic microhabitats in one of the most arid regions of the world, the Atacama Desert in Chile. While previous studies evaluated the total DNA fraction to elucidate the microbial communities, we here for the first time use a DNA separation approach on lithic microhabitats, together with metagenomics and other analysis methods (i.e., ATP, PLFA, and metabolite analysis) to specifically gain insights on the living and potentially active microbial community. Our results show that hypolith colonized rocks are microbial hotspots in the desert environment. In contrast, our data do not support such a conclusion for gypsum crust and salt rock environments, because only limited microbial activity could be observed. The hypolith community is dominated by phototrophs, mostly Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi, at both study sites. The gypsum crusts are dominated by methylotrophs and heterotrophic phototrophs, mostly Chloroflexi, and the salt rocks (halite nodules) by phototrophic and halotolerant endoliths, mostly Cyanobacteria and Archaea. The major environmental constraints in the organic-poor arid and hyperarid Atacama Desert are water availability and UV irradiation, allowing phototrophs and other extremophiles to play a key role in desert ecology. KW - Desert ecology KW - Extremophile KW - Hyperarid PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527959 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9051038 SN - 2076-2607 VL - 9 IS - 5 SP - 1038 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-52795 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - James, G. L. A1 - Latif, M. T. A1 - Isa, M. N. M. A1 - Bakar, M. F. A. A1 - Yusuf, N. Y. M. A1 - Broughton, William A1 - Murad, A. M. A1 - Abu Bakar, F. D. T1 - Metagenomic datasets of air samples collected during episodes of severe smoke-haze in Malaysia N2 - Transboundary emissions of smoke-haze from land and forest fires have recurred annually during the dry period (June to October, over the past few decades) in South East Asia. Hazardous air quality has been recorded in Malaysia during these episodes. Agricultural practices such as slash-and-burn of biomass and peat fires particularly in Sumatera and Kalimantan, Indonesia, have been implicated as the major causes of the haze. Past findings have shown that a diversity of microbes can thrive in air including in smoke-haze polluted air. In this study, metagenomic data were generated to reveal the diversity of microorganisms in air during days with and without haze. Air samples were collected during non-haze (2013A01) and two haze (2013A04 and 2013A05) periods in the month of June 2013. DNA was extracted from the samples, subjected to Multiple Displacement Amplification and whole genome sequencing (Next Generation Sequencing) using the HiSeq 2000 Platform. Extensive bio-informatic analyses of the raw sequence data then followed. Raw reads from these six air samples were deposited in the NCBI SRA databases under Bioproject PRJNA662021 with accession numbers SRX9087478, SRX9087479 and SRX9087480. KW - Forest fires KW - Haze Samples KW - NGS KW - Multiple Displacement Amplification PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528973 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.107124 SN - 2352-3409 VL - 36 SP - 107124 PB - Elsevier Inc. CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands AN - OPUS4-52897 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Keshmiri, Hamid A1 - Armin, F. A1 - Elsayad, K. A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Moreno, M. T1 - Leaky and waveguide modes in biperiodic holograms N2 - This study details a theoretical analysis of leaky and waveguide modes in biperiodic all-dielectric holograms. By tuning diffraction orders and subsequently confining local density of optical states at two distinct resonance wavelengths, we present a new class of highly sensitive refractive index biosensing platforms that are capable of resolving 35.5 to 41.3 nm/RIU of spectral shift for two separate biological analytes. KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Photonics KW - Diffractive gratings PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527632 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89971-1 SN - 2045-2322 (online) VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - 10991 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-52763 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kjaervik, Marit A1 - Ramstedt, M. A1 - Schwibbert, Karin A1 - Dietrich, P. M A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Comparative Study of NAP-XPS and Cryo-XPS for the Investigation of Surface Chemistry of the Bacterial Cell-Envelope N2 - Bacteria generally interact with the environment via processes involving their cell-envelope. Thus, techniques that may shed light on their surface chemistry are attractive tools for providing an understanding of bacterial interactions. One of these tools is Al Kα-excited photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with its estimated information depth of <10 nm. XPS-analyses of bacteria have been performed for several decades on freeze-dried specimens in order to be compatible with the vacuum in the analysis chamber of the spectrometer. A limitation of these studies has been that the freeze-drying method may collapse cell structure as well as introduce surface contaminants. However, recent developments in XPS allow for analysis of biological samples at near ambient pressure (NAP-XPS) or as frozen hydrated specimens (cryo-XPS) in vacuum. In this work, we have analyzed bacterial samples from a reference strain of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens using both techniques. We compare the results obtained and, in general, observe good agreement between the two techniques. Furthermore, we discuss advantages and disadvantages with the two analysis approaches and the output data they provide. XPS reference data from the bacterial strain are provided, and we propose that planktonic cells of this strain (DSM 50090) are used as a reference material for surface chemical analysis of bacterial systems. KW - P. Fluorescens KW - Cryo XPS KW - NAP-XPS KW - DSM 5009 PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525640 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.666161 VL - 9 SP - Article 666161 PB - Frontiers CY - Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52564 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schoknecht, Ute A1 - Mathies, Helena A1 - Lisec, Jan T1 - Leaching and transformation of film preservatives in paints induced by combined exposure to ultraviolet radiation and water contact under controlled laboratory conditions N2 - Stormwater from urban areas can transport biocidally active substances and related transformation products from buildings into the environment. The occurrence of these substances in urban runoff depends on the availability of water, and on ultraviolet radiation exposure that causes photolytic reactions. In a systematic laboratory study, painted test specimens were exposed to either ultraviolet radiation, water contact, or a combination of both. Leaching of the biocidally active substances carbendazim, diuron, octylisothiazolinone, terbutryn, and selected transformation products of terbutryn and diuron were observed under various exposure conditions. Remaining concentrations of these substances in the paint were quantified. It was demonstrated that the distribution of active substances and transformation products in eluates and in the coatings themselves differs with exposure conditions. Strategies for environmental monitoring of biocide emissions need to consider the most relevant transformation products. However, environmental concentrations of biocidally active substances and transformation products depend on earlier exposure conditions. As a consequence, monitoring data cannot describe emission processes and predict expected leaching of biocidally active substances from buildings if the data are collected only occasionally. KW - Substance release KW - Construction products KW - Biocides KW - Transformation KW - UV radiation KW - Water contact PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532114 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/w13172390 SN - 2073-4441 VL - 13 IS - 17 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-53211 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wittmar, J. A1 - Ohle, Corina A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Brand, I. T1 - Effect of Ectoine on the Conformation and Hybridization of dsDNA in Monolayer Films: A Spectroelectrochemical Study N2 - Lack of long-time stability of dsDNA-based supramolecular assemblies is an important issue that hinders their applications. In this work, 20 base pairs long dsDNA fragments [(dCdG)20 65%] composed of 65% dCdG and 35% dAdT nucleotides were tethered via a thiol to the surface of a gold electrode. The selfassembled (dCdG)20 -65% monolayer was immersed in solutions containing ectoine, a compatible solute. Electrochemical results showed that these monolayers were stable for one month. In situ IR spectroscopy indicated that ectoine interacts weakly with the phosphate-ribose backbone, dehydrating the phosphate groups and stabilizing the A-DNA conformation. This structural reorganization led to a reorientation of nucleic acid base pairs and a local disruption of the double-helix structure. However, the conformation and orientation of the dsDNA fragment was stable in the KW - Ectoine KW - dsDAN monolayer KW - A-DNA conformation PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-533346 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.202100816 SN - 2196-0216 VL - 8 IS - 20 SP - 3844 EP - 3854 PB - Wiley-VCH GmbH AN - OPUS4-53334 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hobmeier, K. A1 - Cantone, M. A1 - Nguyen, Q. A. A1 - Pflüger-Grau, K. A1 - Kremling, A. A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Pfeiffer, F. A1 - Marin-Sanguino, A. T1 - Adaptation to varying salinity in Halomonas elongata: Much more than ectoine accumulation N2 - The halophilic γ-proteobacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 2581T thrives at salt concentrations well above 10 % NaCl (1.7 M NaCl). A well-known osmoregulatory mechanism is the accumulation of the compatible solute ectoine within the cell in response to osmotic stress. While ectoine accumulation is central to osmoregulation and promotes resistance to high salinity in halophilic bacteria, ectoine has this effect only to a much lesser extent in non-halophiles. We carried out transcriptome analysis of H. elongata grown on two different carbon sources (acetate or glucose), and low (0.17 M NaCl), medium (1 M), and high salinity (2 M) to identify additional mechanisms for adaptation to high saline environments. To avoid a methodological bias, the transcripts were evaluated by applying two methods, DESeq2 and Transcripts Per Million (TPM). The differentially transcribed genes in response to the available carbon sources and salt stress were then compared to the transcriptome profile of Chromohalobacter salexigens, a closely related moderate halophilic bacterium. Transcriptome profiling supports the notion that glucose is degraded via the cytoplasmic Entner-Doudoroff pathway, whereas the Embden-Meyerhoff-Parnas pathway is employed for gluconeogenesis. The machinery of oxidative phosphorylation in H. elongata and C. salexigens differs greatly from that of non-halophilic organisms, and electron flow can occur from quinone to oxygen along four alternative routes. Two of these pathways via cytochrome bo' and cytochrome bd quinol oxidases seem to be upregulated in salt stressed cells. Among the most highly regulated genes in H. elongata and C. salexigens are those encoding chemotaxis and motility proteins, with genes for chemotaxis and flagellar assembly severely downregulated at low salt concentrations. We also compared transcripts at low and high-salt stress (low growth rate) with transcripts at optimal salt concentration and found that the majority of regulated genes were down-regulated in stressed cells, including many genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, while ribosome synthesis was up-regulated, which is in contrast to what is known from non-halophiles at slow growth. Finally, comparing the acidity of the cytoplasmic proteomes of non-halophiles, extreme halophiles and moderate halophiles suggests adaptation to an increased cytoplasmic ion concentration of H. elongata. Taken together, these results lead us to propose a model for salt tolerance in H. elongata where ion accumulation plays a greater role in salt tolerance than previously assumed. KW - Ectoine KW - Osmoadaptation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545608 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.846677 SN - 1664-302X VL - 13 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-54560 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hobmeier, K. A1 - Oppermann, M. A1 - Stasinski, N. A1 - Kremling, A. A1 - Pflüger-Grau, K. A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Marin Sanguino, A. T1 - Metabolic engineering of Halomonas elongata: Ectoine secretion is increased by demand and supply driven approaches N2 - The application of naturally-derived biomolecules in everyday products, replacing conventional synthetic manufacturing, is an ever-increasing market. An example of this is the compatible solute ectoine, which is contained in a plethora of treatment formulations for medicinal products and cosmetics. As of today, ectoine is produced in a scale of tons each year by the natural producer Halomonas elongata. In this work, we explore two complementary approaches to obtain genetically improved producer strains for ectoine production. We explore the effect of increased precursor supply (oxaloacetate) on ectoine production, as well as an implementation of increased ectoine demand through the overexpression of a transporter. Both approaches were implemented on an already genetically modified ectoine-excreting strain H. elongata KB2.13 (ΔteaABC ΔdoeA) and both led to new strains with higher ectoine excretion. The supply driven approach led to a 45% increase in ectoine titers in two different strains. This increase was attributed to the removal of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), which allowed the conversion of 17.9% of the glucose substrate to ectoine. For the demand driven approach, we investigated the potential of the TeaBC transmembrane proteins from the ectoine-specific Tripartite ATP-Independent Periplasmic (TRAP) transporter as export channels to improve ectoine excretion. In the absence of the substrate-binding protein TeaA, an overexpression of both subunits TeaBC facilitated a three-fold increased excretion rate of ectoine. Individually, the large subunit TeaC showed an approximately five times higher extracellular ectoine concentration per dry weight compared to TeaBC shortly after its expression was induced. However, the detrimental effect on growth and ectoine titer at the end of the process hints toward a negative impact of TeaC overexpression on membrane integrity and possibly leads to cell lysis. By using either strategy, the ectoine synthesis and excretion in H. elongata could be boosted drastically. The inherent complementary nature of these approaches point at a coordinated implementation of both as a promising strategy for future projects in Metabolic Engineering. Moreover, a wide variation of intracelllular ectoine levels was observed between the strains, which points at a major disruption of mechanisms responsible for ectoine regulation in strain KB2.13. KW - Osmoadaptation KW - Metabolic engineering PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-555644 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.968983 SN - 1664-302X VL - 13 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-55564 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gentzmann, Marie A1 - Paul, Andrea A1 - Serrano, Juan A1 - Adam, Christian T1 - Understanding scandium leaching from bauxite residues of different geological backgrounds using statistical design of experiments N2 - The leaching behavior of scandium (Sc) from bauxite residues can differ significantly when residues of different geological backgrounds are compared. The mineralogy of the source rock and the physicochemical environment during bauxitization affect the association of Sc in the bauxite i.e., how Sc is distributed amongst different mineral phases and whether it is incorporated in and/or adsorbed onto those phases. The Sc association in the bauxite is in turn crucial for the resulting Sc association in the bauxite residue. In this study systematic leaching experiments were performed on three different bauxite residues using a statistical design of experiments approach. The three bauxite residues compared originated from processing of lateritic and karstic bauxites from Germany, Hungary, and Russia. The recovery of Sc and Fe was determined by ICP-OES measurements. Mineralogical changes were analyzed by X-ray-diffraction and subsequent Rietveld refinement. The effects of various parameters including temperature, acid type, acid concentration, liquid-to-solid ratio and residence time were studied. A response surface model was calculated for the selected case of citric acid leaching of Hungarian bauxite residue. The investigations showed that the type of bauxite residue has a strong influence. The easily leachable fraction of Sc can vary considerably between the types, reaching ~20–25% in German Bauxite residue and ~50% in Russian bauxite residue. Mineralogical investigations revealed that a major part of this fraction was released from secondary phases such as cancrinite and katoite formed during Bayer processing of the bauxite. The effect of temperature on Sc and Fe recovery is strong especially when citric acid is used. Based on the exponential relationship between temperature and Fe-recovery it was found to be particularly important for the selectivity of Sc over Fe. Optimization of the model for a maximum Sc recovery combined with a minimum Fe recovery yielded results of ~28% Sc recovery at <2% Fe recovery at a temperature of 60 ◦C, a citric acid normality of 1.8, and a liquid-to-solid ratio of 16 ml/g. Our study has shown that detailed knowledge about the Sc association and distribution in bauxite and bauxite residue is key to an efficient and selective leaching of Sc from bauxite residues. KW - Bauxite residue KW - Scandium KW - Leaching KW - Design of experiments KW - Red mud PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2022.107041 SN - 0375-6742 VL - 2022 IS - 240 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-55531 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yao, J. A1 - Jiang, T. A1 - Ji, Y. A1 - An-Stepec, Biwen Annie A1 - Koerdt, Andrea A1 - Cai, Z. A1 - Dong, C. A1 - Ge, Y. A1 - Qi, Z. T1 - Water-Fueled Autocatalytic Bactericidal Pathway based on e-Fenton-Like Reactions Triggered by Galvanic Corrosion and Extracellular Electron Transfer N2 - Water is generally considered to be an undesirable substance in fuel system, which may lead to microbial contamination. The antibacterial strategies that can turn water into things of value with high disinfection efficacy have been urgently needed for fuel system. Here, we reveal a water-fueled autocatalytic bactericidal pathway comprised by bi-metal micro-electrode system, which can spontaneously produce reactive oxygen species (mainly H2O2 and O2•–) by the electron Fenton-like reaction in water medium without external energy., The respiratory chain component of bacteria and the galvanic corrosion on the coated metals were two electron sources in the system. The specific model of Ag-Ru water-fueled autocatalytic (WFA) microelectrode particles presents extremely high disinfection efficiency (>99.9999%) in less than one hour for three aerobic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis) in LB media and high disinfection efficiency for the anaerobic bacteria (Desulfovibrio alaskensis) in Postgate E media without natural light irradiation. Overall, the novel WFA Ag-Ru antibacterial material explored in this study has a high potential for sterilizing applications in fuel system and this work provides the potential for the development of non-chemical and water-based antibacterial materials, such as WFA Ag-Ru antibacterial coating on stainless steel. KW - Fenton-like reaction KW - Reactive oxygen species KW - Disinfection Fuel KW - Silver KW - Ruthenium KW - MIC PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-555186 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129730 SN - 0304-3894 VL - 440 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-55518 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schneider, Beate A1 - Pfeiffer, F. A1 - Dyall-Smith, M. A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg T1 - Genome Sequence of Cupriavidus campinensis Strain G5, a Member of a Bacterial Consortium Capable of Polyethylene Degradation N2 - Nine different bacterial isolates were recovered from landfills. Each isolate was obtained in pure culture. As a consortium, the bacteria degrade polyethylene. The complete genome sequence of strain G5 was determined by PacBio sequencing. Using the TYGS for taxonomic classification, strain G5 was assigned to the species Cupriavidus campinensis. KW - Polyethylene KW - Cupriavidus campinensis KW - Plastic degradation KW - Genome sequence PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-557897 DO - https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00553-22 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - ASM AN - OPUS4-55789 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nehring, Grzegorz A1 - Gordon, Nehemia A1 - Rabin, Ira T1 - Distinguishing between seemingly identical inks using scanning μXRF and heat maps N2 - This study will present a new approach to distinguishing writing inks that have the same elemental compositions and visual appearances. The approach is based on displaying the intensity of elemental distributions as heat maps that represent data recorded with a scanning μX-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The heat maps present the data so as to facilitate digitally identifying and distinguishing between inks used to produce, correct, and reink two medieval Torah scrolls. As ritual objects, Torah scrolls had to be written in accordance with exacting standards that evolved over time. This requirement led to successive stages of modifications, sometimes over centuries. Both vitriolic and non-vitriolic inks used to modify Torah scrolls can be visually identical to each other. Furthermore, different non-vitriolic inks usually have an identical elemental composition. The solid material analysis evidence and its presentation as heat maps made it possible to discriminate between original and altered portions of text that in some cases would have been impossible. Our interdisciplinary work brought together conservation, material science, paleog-raphy, and philology to enable the identification of complex stratigraphy in multiple stages of production, correction, and reinking. ©2 0 2 2 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. KW - Spectroscopy KW - Scanning micro-X-ray fluorescence KW - Vitriolic iron-gall inks KW - Non-vitriolic iron-gall inks KW - Heat maps KW - Torah scrolls KW - Scribal corrections PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-557271 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2022.07.007 SN - 1296-2074 VL - 57 SP - 142 EP - 148 PB - Elsevier Masson SAS AN - OPUS4-55727 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sichler, Theresa Constanze A1 - Adam, Christian A1 - Barjenbruch, M. A1 - Montag, D. A1 - Mauch, Tatjana A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Ehm, J.H. T1 - Variation of the element composition of municipal sewage sludges in the context of new regulations on phosphorus recovery in Germany N2 - Phosphorus (P) recovery is obligatory for all sewage sludges with more than 20 g P/kg dry matter (DM) from 2029 in Germany. Nine wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were chosen to investigate variations of phosphorus contents and other parameters in sewage sludge over the year. Monthly sewage sludge samples from each WWTP were analyzed for phosphorus and other matrix elements (C, N, H, Ca, Fe, Al, etc.), for several trace elements (As, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn) and loss of ignition. Among the nine WWTPs, there are four which have phosphorus contents both above and below the recovery limit of 20 g/kg DM along the year. Considering the average phosphorus content over the year, only one of them is below the limit. Compared to other matrix elements and parameters, phosphorus fuctuations are low with an average of 7% over all nine WWTPs. In total, only hydrogen and carbon are more constant in the sludge. In several WWTPs with chemical phosphorus elimination, phosphorus fuctuations showed similar courses like iron and/or aluminum. WWTPs with chamber flter presses rather showed dilution efects of calcium dosage. As result of this study, monthly phosphorus measurement is highly recommended to determine whether a WWTP is below the 20 g/kg DM limit. KW - Sewage sludge KW - Phosphorus recovery KW - Wastewater KW - Phosphorus elimination PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-557499 DO - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-022-00658-4 SN - 2190-4707 VL - 34 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Springer Nature CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-55749 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nehring, Grzegorz A1 - Girard, Solène A1 - Rabin, Ira T1 - Conservation and Technical Evaluation of an Early Medieval Papyrus Codex N2 - In 2005, a team of Polish archaeologists discovered three Coptic codices, two on papyrus and one on parchment, in the rubbish dump of a hermitage at Sheik Abd el-Gurna, Egypt. While the parchment codex and the remains of the bindings of the papyrus ones have been conserved, the text blocks of the papyrus codices were opened and disassembled and after being disinfected remained untouched for nearly 15 years, until the current project started. Currently, all three books are stored in the collection of the Coptic Museum in Cairo. Our team undertook the conservation of and archaeometric research on the papyrus codices. The first of the books contains the Canons of Pseudo-Basil, while the second is an Encomium of St. Pisenthios. Both codices have been palaeographically dated to the seventh-eighth centuries CE. In this paper, we describe our project and present the results of the work carried out on the Canons of Pseudo-Basil. Our work involved photography in transmitted light, measurements of the thickness of the papyrus leaves, and digital microscopy under three-light illumination. These measurements allowed us to determine the types of the inks and characterize the papyrus writing substrate. For conservation, we used a novel method developed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin that comprises suspending papyrus folios on a translucent, extremely thin Japanese paper inside glass frames without the use of adhesives.In 2005, a team of Polish archaeologists discovered three Coptic codices, two on papyrus and one on parchment, in the rubbish dump of a hermitage at Sheik Abd el-Gurna, Egypt. While the parchment codex and the remains of the bindings of the papyrus ones have been conserved, the text blocks of the papyrus codices were opened and disassembled and after being disinfected remained untouched for nearly 15 years, until the current project started. Currently, all three books are stored in the collection of the Coptic Museum in Cairo. Our team undertook the conservation of and archaeometric research on the papyrus codices. The first of the books contains the Canons of Pseudo-Basil, while the second is an Encomium of St. Pisenthios. Both codices have been palaeographically dated to the seventh-eighth centuries CE. In this paper, we describe our project and present the results of the work carried out on the Canons of Pseudo-Basil. Our work involved photography in transmitted light, measurements of the thickness of the papyrus leaves, and digital microscopy under three-light illumination. These measurements allowed us to determine the types of the inks and characterize the papyrus writing substrate. For conservation, we used a novel method developed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin that comprises suspending papyrus folios on a translucent, extremely thin Japanese paper inside glass frames without the use of adhesives. KW - Papyrus KW - Codex KW - Conservation KW - Iron gall ink KW - Coptic PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570998 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2023.2183554 SN - 0039-3630 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-57099 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neuhold, S. A1 - Algermissen, D. A1 - Drissen, P. A1 - Adamczyk, Burkart A1 - Presoly, P. A1 - Sedlazeck, K. P. A1 - Schenk, J. A1 - Raith, J. G. A1 - Pomberger, R. A1 - Vollprecht, D. T1 - Tailoring the FeO/SiO2 Ratio in Electric Arc Furnace Slags to Minimize the Leaching of Vanadium and Chromium N2 - Based on recently published research on leaching control mechanisms in electric arc furnace (EAF) slags, it is assumed that a FeO/SiO2 ratio of around one leads to low leached V and Cr concentrations. This ratio influences the mineral phase composition of the slag toward higher amounts of spinel and a lower solubility of calcium silicate phases by suppressing the formation of magnesiowuestite and highly soluble calcium silicate phases. To evaluate this hypothesis, laboratory and scaled up tests in an EAF pilot plant were performed on slag samples characterized by elevated V and Cr leaching and a high FeO/SiO2 ratio. Prior to the melting experiments, the optimum FeO/SiO2 ratio was calculated via FactSageTM. In the melting experiments, the ratio was adjusted by adding quartz sand, which also decreased the basicity (CaO/SiO2) of the slag. As a reference, remelting experiments without quartz sand addition were conducted and additionally, the influence of the cooling rate of the slag was examined. The remelted (without quartz sand) and the remelted modified slags (with quartz sand) were analyzed chemically and mineralogically and the leaching behavior was investigated. The modification of the slags yielded a minimized release of V and Cr, supporting the hypothesis that the FeO/SiO2 ratio influences the mineralogy and the leaching behavior. KW - Electric arc furnace (EAF) slags KW - FactSageTM calculations KW - Leaching control mechanisms KW - Melting experiments PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-571517 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/app10072549 VL - 10 IS - 7 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-57151 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Machado Ferreira de Araujo, F. A1 - Duarte-Ruiz, D. A1 - Saßnick, H.-D. A1 - Gentzmann, Marie C. A1 - Huthwelker, T. A1 - Cocchi, C. T1 - Electronic Structure and Core Spectroscopy of Scandium Fluoride Polymorphs N2 - Microscopic knowledge of the structural, energetic, and electronic properties of scandium fluoride is still incomplete despite the relevance of this material as an intermediate for the manufacturing of Al−Sc alloys. In a work based on first-principles calculations and X-ray spectroscopy, we assess the stability and electronic structure of six computationally predicted ScF3 polymorphs, two of which correspond to experimentally resolved single-crystal phases. In the theoretical analysis based on density functional theory (DFT), we identify similarities among the polymorphs based on their formation energies, chargedensity distribution, and electronic properties (band gaps and density of states). We find striking analogies between the results obtained for the ow- and high-temperature phases of the material, indirectly confirming that the transition occurring between them mainly consists of a rigid rotation of the lattice. With this knowledge, we examine the X-ray absorption spectra from the Sc and F K-edge contrasting firstprinciples results obtained from the solution of the Bethe−Salpeter equation on top of all-electron DFT with high-energy-resolution fluorescence detection measurements. Analysis of the computational results sheds light on the electronic origin of the absorption maxima and provides information on the prominent excitonic effects that characterize all spectra. A comparison with measurements confirms that the sample is mainly composed of the high- and low-temperature polymorphs of ScF3. However, some fine details in the experimental results suggest that the probed powder sample may contain defects and/or residual traces of metastable polymorphs. KW - Scandium KW - X-ray spectroscopy PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570727 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c04357 SN - 0020-1669 VL - 62 IS - 10 SP - 4238 EP - 4247 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington DC AN - OPUS4-57072 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hufsky, F. A1 - Ibrahim, B. A1 - Beer, M. A1 - Deng, L. A1 - Le Mercier, P. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Palmarini, M. A1 - Thiel, V. A1 - Marz, M. T1 - Virologists—Heroes need weapons N2 - Virologists. You might know a couple of them, but unless you are a virologist yourself, the probability that you have collaborated with one in the past is low. The community is relatively small, but they pack a heavy punch and are expected to play a leading role in the research into pathogens that lies ahead. You may ask why we think virologists are our future. Suffice it to say that it is not just because they have invented technologies that belong to the space age, including use of viruses as vehicles to shuttle genes into cells[1], organic nanoparticles with specific tools attached to their surfaces to get inside target cells[2], and using genetically modified viruses as therapies to fight against cancer[3]. Did you know that virologists currently only know of about 3,200 viral species but that more than 320,000 mammal-associated viruses[4] are thought to await discovery? Just think about the viruses hidden in the Arctic ice[5] or in the insects and other animals from once cut-off regions in the world, which now face ever-increasing human exposure[6]. But a heroic (as well as an apocalyptic) role for virologists may also be on the horizon, as the adoption of phage therapy may, in the future, be used to control harmful bacteria when antibiotics fail KW - Virology KW - Bioinformatics PY - 2018 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-442402 DO - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1006771 SN - 1553-7366 SN - 1553-7374 VL - 14 IS - 2 SP - Article e1006771, 1 EP - 3 PB - Public Library of Science CY - Lawrence, Kan. AN - OPUS4-44240 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martin-Sanchez, Pedro Maria A1 - Gebhardt, Christopher A1 - Toepel, Jörg A1 - Barry, J. A1 - Munzke, N. A1 - Günster, Jens A1 - Gorbushina, Anna T1 - Monitoring microbial soiling in photovoltaic systems: A qPCR-based approach N2 - Soiling of photovoltaic (PV) systems compromises their performance causing a significant power loss and demanding periodical cleaning actions. This phenomenon raises great concerns in the solar energy field, thus leading to notable research efforts over the last decades. Soiling is caused by a dual action of dust deposition and biofouling. However, surprisingly, the microbiological contribution to PV soiling is often overlooked or underestimated. In this study, a variety of qPCR-based methods have been developed to quantify the microbial load of fungi, bacteria and phototrophs on PV panels. These protocols were evaluated by comparison with culturedependent methods, and were implemented with real solar plants for two years. The results show that the developed molecular methods are highly sensitive and reliable to monitor the microbial component of the soiling. Fungal biomass was clearly dominant in all analysed PV modules, while bacteria and phototrophs showed much lower abundance. Light microscopy and qPCR results revealed that melanised microcolonial fungi and phototrophs are the main biofilm-forming microorganisms on the studied solar panels. In particular, the fungal qPCR protocol is proposed as a useful tool for monitoring of PV soiling, and investigating the microbial contribution to specific soiling cases. KW - Solar panels KW - PV modules KW - Real-time qPCR KW - Bacteria KW - Fungi KW - Phototrophs PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2017.12.008 SN - 0964-8305 VL - 129 SP - 13 EP - 22 PB - Elsevier Science AN - OPUS4-43892 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nilsson, R. H. A1 - Taylor, A. F. S. A1 - Adams, R. I. A1 - Baschien, C. A1 - Bengtsson-Palme, J. A1 - Cangren, P. A1 - Coleine, C. A1 - Iršėnaitė, R. A1 - Martin-Sanchez, Pedro Maria A1 - Meyer, W. A1 - Oh, S.-Y. A1 - Sampaio, J. P. A1 - Seifert, K. A. A1 - Sklenář, F. A1 - Stubbe, D. A1 - Suh, S.-O. A1 - Summerbell, R. A1 - Svantesson, S. A1 - Unterseher, M. A1 - Visagie, C. M. A1 - Weiss, M. A1 - Woudenberg, J. HC. A1 - Wurzbacher, C. A1 - Van den Wyngaert, S. A1 - Yilmaz, N. A1 - Yurkov, A. A1 - Kõljalg, U. A1 - Abarenkov, K. A1 - Daniel, H.-M. A1 - Glassman, S. I. A1 - Hirooka, H. A1 - Irinyi, L. T1 - Taxonomic annotation of public fungal ITS sequences from the built environment – a report from an April 10–11, 2017 workshop (Aberdeen, UK) N2 - Recent DNA-based studies have shown that the built environment is surprisingly rich in fungi. These indoor fungi – whether transient visitors or more persistent residents – may hold clues to the rising levels of human allergies and other medical and building-related health problems observed globally. The taxo¬nomic identity of these fungi is crucial in such pursuits. Molecular identification of the built mycobiome is no trivial undertaking, however, given the large number of unidentified, misidentified, and technically compromised fungal sequences in public sequence databases. In addition, the sequence metadata required to make informed taxonomic decisions – such as country and host/substrate of collection – are often lacking even from reference and ex-type sequences. Here we report on a taxonomic annotation workshop (April 10–11, 2017) organized at the James Hutton Institute/University of Aberdeen (UK) to facilitate reproducible studies of the built mycobiome. The 32 participants went through public fungal ITS bar¬code sequences related to the built mycobiome for taxonomic and nomenclatural correctness, technical quality, and metadata availability. A total of 19,508 changes – including 4,783 name changes, 14,121 metadata annotations, and the removal of 99 technically compromised sequences – were implemented in the UNITE database for molecular identification of fungi (https://unite.ut.ee/) and shared with a range of other databases and downstream resources. Among the genera that saw the largest number of changes were Penicillium, Talaromyces, Cladosporium, Acremonium, and Alternaria, all of them of significant importance in both culture-based and culture-independent surveys of the built environment. KW - Indoor mycobiome KW - Built environment KW - Molecular identification KW - Fungi KW - Taxonomy KW - Systematics KW - Sequence annotation KW - Metadata KW - Open data PY - 2018 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-438949 DO - https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.28.20887 SN - 1314-4049 SN - 1314-4057 VL - 28 SP - 65 EP - 82 PB - Pensoft Publishers CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-43894 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Zimmermann, M. A1 - Escrig, S. A1 - Lavik, G. A1 - Kuypers, M.M.M. A1 - Meibom, A. A1 - Ackermann, M. T1 - Substrate and electron donor limitation induce phenotypic heterogeneity in different metabolic activities in a green sulphur bacterium N2 - Populations of genetically identical cells can display marked variation in phenotypic traits; such variation is termed phenotypic heterogeneity. Here, we investigate the effect of substrate and electron donor limitation on phenotypic heterogeneity in N2 and CO2 fixation in the green sulphur bacterium Chlorobium phaeobacteroides. We grew populations in chemostats and batch cultures and used stable isotope labelling combined with nanometer‐scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to quantify phenotypic heterogeneity. Experiments in H2S (i.e. electron donor) limited chemostats show that varying levels of NH4+ limitation induce heterogeneity in N2 fixation. Comparison of phenotypic heterogeneity between chemostats and batch (unlimited for H2S) populations indicates that electron donor limitation drives heterogeneity in N2 and CO2 fixation. Our results demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity in a certain metabolic activity can be driven by different modes of limitation and that heterogeneity can emerge in different metabolic processes upon the same mode of limitation. In conclusion, our data suggest that limitation is a general driver of phenotypic heterogeneity in microbial populations. KW - NanoSIMS KW - Phenotypic heterogeneity PY - 2018 UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1758-2229.12616 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12616 SN - 1758-2229 VL - 10 IS - 2 SP - 179 EP - 183 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd AN - OPUS4-44596 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -