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Paper des Monats
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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.
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.
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.
The evolutionary success of termites has been driven largely by a complex communication system operated by a rich set of exocrine glands. As many as 20 different exocrine organs are known in termites. While some of these organs are relatively well known, only anecdotal observations exist for others. One of the exocrine organs that has received negligible attention so far is the labral gland. In this study, we examined the structure and ultrastructure of the Labrum in soldiers of 28 termite species. We confirm that the labral gland is present in all termite species, and comprises two secretory regions located on the ventral side of the labrum and the dorso-apical part of the hypopharynx. The Labrum of Neoisoptera has a hyaline tip, which was secondarily lost in Nasutitermitinae, Microcerotermes and species with snapping soldiers. The epithelium of the gland generally consists of class 1 secretory cells, with an addition of class 3 secretory cells in some species. A common feature of the secretory cells is the abundance of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, an organelle known to produce lipidic and often volatile secretions. Our observations suggest that the labral gland is involved in communication rather than defence as previously suggested. Our study is the first to provide a comprehensive picture of the structure of the labral gland in soldiers across all Termite taxa.
Construction products are in contact with water (e.g., rain, seepage water) during their service lifetime and may release potentially harmful compounds by leaching processes. Monitoring studies showed that compounds attributed to construction products are found in storm water and the receiving bodies of water and that the release of biocides in urban areas can be comparable to the input of pesticides from agricultural uses. Therefore, a prospective risk assessment of such products is necessary. Laboratory leaching tests have been developed by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 351 and are ready to use. One major task in the future will be the evaluation of the leaching test results, as concentrations found in laboratory experiments are not directly comparable to the field situations. Another Task will be the selection of compounds to be considered for construction products, which are often a complex mixture and contain additives, pigments, stabilization agents, etc. The formulations of the products may serve as a starting point, but total content is a poor predictor for leachability, and analysis of the eluates is necessary. In some cases, nontargeted approaches might be required to identify compounds in the eluates. In the identification process, plausibility checks referring to available information should be included. Ecotoxicological tests are a complementary method to test eluates, and the combined effects of all compounds—including Degradation products—are included. A bio test battery has been applied in a round robin test and was published in a guidance document. Published studies on the ecotoxicity of construction products show the tests’ suitability to distinguish between products with small and larger effects on the environment.
Three fluorescent molecular rotors of 4-dimethylamino-4-nitrostilbene (4-DNS) were investigated for their potential use as viscosity probes to indicate the content of kerosene in diesel/kerosene blends, a wide-spread activity to adulterate fuel. In solvents with low viscosity, the dyes rapidly deactivate via a so-called twisted intramolecular charge transfer state, efficiently quenching the fluorescence. Measurements of diesel/kerosene blends revealed a good linear correlation between the decrease in fluorescence and the increase of the fraction of the less viscous kerosene in diesel/kerosene blends. Immobilization of the hydroxy derivative 4-DNS-OH in cellulose paper yielded test strips that preserve the fluorescent indicator's behavior. Combination of the strips with a reader based on a smartphone and a controlling app allowed to create a simple field test. The method can reliably detect the presence of kerosene in diesel from 7 to 100%, outperforming present standard methods for diesel adulteration.
Time-resolved flow cytometry represents an alternative to commonly applied spectral or intensity multiplexing in bioanalytics. At present, the vast majority of the reports on this topic focuses on phase-domain techniques and specific applications. In this report, we present a flow cytometry platform with time-resolved detection based on a compact setup and straightforward time-Domain measurements utilizing lifetime-encoded beads with lifetimes in the nanosecond range. We provide general assessment of time-domain flow cytometry and discuss the concept of this platform to address achievable resolution limits, data analysis, and requirements on suitable encoding dyes. Experimental data are complemented by numerical calculations on photon count numbers and impact of noise and measurement time on the obtained lifetime values.
Test methods for efficacy assessment of antimicrobial coatings are not modelled on a hospital environment, and instead use high humidity (>90%) high temperature (37 ◦C), and no airflow. Therefore, an inoculum will not dry, resulting in an antimicrobial surface exhibiting prolonged antimicrobial activity, as moisture is critical to activity. Liquids will dry quicker in a hospital ward, resulting in a reduced antimicrobial efficacy compared to the existing test, rendering the test results artificially favourable to the antimicrobial claim of the product. This study aimed to assess how hospital room environmental conditions can affect the drying time of an inoculum, and to use this data to inform test parameters for antimicrobial efficacy testing based on the hospital ward. The drying time of different droplet sizes, in a range of environmental conditions likely found in a hospital ward, were recorded (n = 630), and used to create a model to inform users of the experimental conditions required to provide a drying time similar to what can be expected in the hospital
ward. Drying time data demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) variance when humidity, temperature, and airflow were assessed. A mathematical model was created to select environmental conditions for in vitro antimicrobial efficacy testing. Drying time in different environmental conditions demonstrates that experimental set-ups affect the amount of time an inoculum stays wet, which in turn may affect the efficacy of an antimicrobial surface. This should be an important consideration for hospitals and other potential users, whilst future tests predict efficacy in the intended end-use environment.
Territories of rock-inhabiting fungi: Survival on and alteration of solid air-exposed surfaces
(2018)
Subaerial biofilms that are omnipresent at the interface between all solid substrates and the atmosphere are composed of a unique and widespread group of ascomycetes called rock-inhabiting fungi or microcolonial fungi (MCF), typically in communities with other microorganisms. While subaerial biofilms in toto have important roles in mineral weathering and biodeterioration of materials, methodological approaches to subaerial biofilm communities are diverse and frequently focussed on MCF. Here, we review the historical development of the research methods applied in the field and consider perspectives to increase our understanding of the biofilm-induced changes of solid substrate surfaces.
Microbial activity and functioning in soils are strongly limited by carbon (C) availability, of which a great proportion is released by living roots. Rhizodeposition and especially root exudates stimulate microbial activity and growth, and may shift the stoichiometric balance between C, N, and P. Thereby, exudates heighten microbial nutrient demand and acquisition of N and P from organic matter, leading to an increase in enzyme production. Aim of this study was to determine environmental controls of extracellular enzyme production, and hence on potential enzyme activities (Vmax) and substrate affinities (Km). To determine the controlling factors, we worked on four spatial scales from the microscale (i.e. rhizosphere) through the mesoscale (i.e. soil depth) and landscape scale (relief positions), and finally to the continental scale (1200 km transect within the Coastal Cordillera of Chile). Kinetics of seven hydrolyzing enzymes of the C, N, and P cycles (cellobiohydrolase, β‑glucosidase, β‑xylosidase, β‑N‑acetylglucosaminidase, leucine‑aminopeptidase, tyrosine‑aminopeptidase, and acid phosphatase) were related to soil texture, C and N contents, pH, and soil moisture via redundancy analysis (RDA). Potential activities of C, N, and P acquiring enzymes increased up to 7-times on the continental scale with rising humidity of sites and C and N contents, while substrate affinities simultaneously declined. On the landscape scale, neither Vmax nor Km of any enzyme differed between north and south slopes. From top- to subsoil (down to 120 cm depth) potential activities decreased (strongest of aminopeptidases under humid temperate conditions with up to 90%). Substrate affinities, however, increased with soil depth only for N and P acquiring enzymes. Affinities of cellobiohydrolase and β‑xylosidase, on the contrary, were 1.5- to 3-times higher in top- than in subsoil. Potential activities of N and P acquiring enzymes and β‑glucosidase increased form bulk to roots. Simultaneously, substrate affinities of N and P acquiring enzymes declined, whereas affinities of β‑glucosidase increased. These trends of activities and affinities in the rhizosphere were significant only for acid phosphatase. The RDA displayed a strong relation of potential activities of C and P acquiring enzymes and β‑N‑acetylglucosaminidase to C and N contents in soil as well as to the silt and clay contents. Aminopeptidase activity was mainly dependent on soil moisture and pH. We conclude that substrate availability for microorganisms mainly determined enzyme activity patterns on the continental scale by the humidity gradient. Patterns on the meso- and microscale are primarily controlled by nutrient limitation, which is induced by a shift of the stoichiometric balance due to input of easily available C by roots in the rhizosphere.