Measurement and Characterization of Microbial Biomass

The surface of concrete in drinking water reservoirs is frequently covered with a mineral coating. Since the beginning of the 1980's, there has been an increasing number of reports of brown spots within which the coating matrix was weakened. The diameter of the spots ranged from a few millimetres up to 10-20 centimetres. Cleaning measures resulted in removal of the spot material revealing that shallow pits had formed in the coating. The deeper underlying concrete body was usually unaffected. Although the removed material was shown to contain a substantial microbial biomass, there was no indication of an elevated microbial contamination in the actual drinking water as detectable by the German standard drinking water testing method. The microbial biomass from the damaged sites of six reservoirs was quantified using ester-linked phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). Population densities were shown to range between 5 × 107 and 5 × 108 cells g−1 in samples collected from non-chlorinated reservoirs and 106 cells g−1 in samples from a chlorinated one (assuming 0.5 fM PLFA equivalent per cell). The recovery of PLFA indicated that physiologically active populations were present in all of the spots sampled and an analysis of the PLFA proriles revealed that the microbial community contained a large percentage of gram negative aerobic heterotrophs. Differences were found between the PLFA patterns of samples from different reservoirs. The fact that a consistent PLFA profile was not recovered from each spot sampled indicates the absence of a single dominant organism. Methyl cellulose (MC) was identified as a possible nutrient source based on the successful growth of bacterial strains isolated from the damaged areas on hydrolyzed coating material. How MC may becomes bioavailable in the reservoirs remains still unclear.

Download Full-text

Morphological Characterization of Mycobacteriophage R1

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100051281 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 254-255

Author(s):

B. L. Soloff ◽

T. A. Rado

Keyword(s):

Carbon Source ◽

Stationary Phase ◽

Growth Phase ◽

Minimal Medium ◽

Morphological Characterization ◽

Logarithmic Growth Phase ◽

Complete Lysis ◽

Lysogenic Culture ◽

Logarithmic Growth

Mycobacteriophage R1 was originally isolated from a lysogenic culture of M. butyricum. The virus was propagated on a leucine-requiring derivative of M. smegmatis, 607 leu−, isolated by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis of typestrain ATCC 607. Growth was accomplished in a minimal medium containing glycerol and glucose as carbon source and enriched by the addition of 80 μg/ ml L-leucine. Bacteria in early logarithmic growth phase were infected with virus at a multiplicity of 5, and incubated with aeration for 8 hours. The partially lysed suspension was diluted 1:10 in growth medium and incubated for a further 8 hours. This permitted stationary phase cells to re-enter logarithmic growth and resulted in complete lysis of the culture.

Download Full-text

AEM analysis of crystallization in Ti-based amorphous alloys

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100075142 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 270-271

Author(s):

A.R. Pelton ◽

A.F. Marshall ◽

Y.S. Lee

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Properties ◽

Amorphous Alloys ◽

Amorphous Materials ◽

Isothermal Annealing ◽

Amorphous Matrix ◽

Nucleation And Growth ◽

Current Interest ◽

Amorphous Films ◽

Electrical And Magnetic Properties

Amorphous materials are of current interest due to their desirable mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties. Furthermore, crystallizing amorphous alloys provides an avenue for discerning sequential and competitive phases thus allowing access to otherwise inaccessible crystalline structures. Previous studies have shown the benefits of using AEM to determine crystal structures and compositions of partially crystallized alloys. The present paper will discuss the AEM characterization of crystallized Cu-Ti and Ni-Ti amorphous films.Cu60Ti40: The amorphous alloy Cu60Ti40, when continuously heated, forms a simple intermediate, macrocrystalline phase which then transforms to the ordered, equilibrium Cu3Ti2 phase. However, contrary to what one would expect from kinetic considerations, isothermal annealing below the isochronal crystallization temperature results in direct nucleation and growth of Cu3Ti2 from the amorphous matrix.

Download Full-text

Characterization of Coherent, Ordered Precipitates in Nickel-Base Alloys

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100071168 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 144-145

Author(s):

B. H. Kear ◽

J. M. Oblak

Keyword(s):

Stable Phase ◽

Nickel Base Superalloy ◽

Alloy 718 ◽

Commercial Alloy ◽

Precipitate Morphology ◽

Continuous Precipitation ◽

Nickel Base ◽

Base Superalloy ◽

Strengthening Precipitate

A nickel-base superalloy is essentially a Ni/Cr solid solution hardened by additions of Al (Ti, Nb, etc.) to precipitate a coherent, ordered phase. In most commercial alloy systems, e.g. B-1900, IN-100 and Mar-M200, the stable precipitate is Ni3 (Al,Ti) γ′, with an LI2structure. In A lloy 901 the normal precipitate is metastable Nis Ti3 γ′ ; the stable phase is a hexagonal Do2 4 structure. In Alloy 718 the strengthening precipitate is metastable γ″, which has a body-centered tetragonal D022 structure.Precipitate MorphologyIn most systems the ordered γ′ phase forms by a continuous precipitation re-action, which gives rise to a uniform intragranular dispersion of precipitate particles. For zero γ/γ′ misfit, the γ′ precipitates assume a spheroidal.

Download Full-text