scholarly journals Characterization of Root-Associated Methanotrophs from Three Freshwater Macrophytes: Pontederia cordata, Sparganium eurycarpum, and Sagittaria latifolia

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 1099-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Calhoun ◽  
G. M. King

ABSTRACT Root-associated methanotrophic bacteria were enriched from three common aquatic macrophytes: Pontederia cordata,Sparganium eurycarpum, and Sagittaria latifolia. At least seven distinct taxa belonging to groups I and II were identified and presumptively assigned to the generaMethylosinus, Methylocystis,Methylomonas, and Methylococcus. Four of these strains appeared to be novel on the basis of partial 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. The root-methanotroph association did not appear to be highly specific, since multiple methanotrophs were isolated from each of the three plant species. Group II methanotrophs were isolated most frequently; though less common, group I isolates accounted for three of the seven distinct methanotrophs. ApparentKm values for methane uptake by representative cultures ranged from 3 to >17 μM; for five of the eight cultures examined, apparent Km values agreed well with apparent Km estimates for plant roots, suggesting that these strains may be representative of those active in situ.

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (24) ◽  
pp. 8635-8647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man-Young Jung ◽  
Soo-Je Park ◽  
Deullae Min ◽  
Jin-Seog Kim ◽  
W. Irene C. Rijpstra ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSoil nitrification is an important process for agricultural productivity and environmental pollution. Though one cultivated representative of ammonia-oxidizingArchaeafrom soil has been described, additional representatives warrant characterization. We describe an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon (strain MY1) in a highly enriched culture derived from agricultural soil. Fluorescencein situhybridization microscopy showed that, after 2 years of enrichment, the culture was composed of >90% archaeal cells. Clone libraries of both 16S rRNA and archaealamoAgenes featured a single sequence each. No bacterialamoAgenes could be detected by PCR. A [13C]bicarbonate assimilation assay showed stoichiometric incorporation of13C intoArchaea-specific glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers. Strain MY1 falls phylogenetically within crenarchaeal group I.1a; sequence comparisons to “CandidatusNitrosopumilus maritimus” revealed 96.9% 16S rRNA and 89.2%amoAgene similarities. Completed growth assays showed strain MY1 to be chemoautotrophic, mesophilic (optimum at 25°C), neutrophilic (optimum at pH 6.5 to 7.0), and nonhalophilic (optimum at 0.2 to 0.4% salinity). Kinetic respirometry assays showed that strain MY1's affinities for ammonia and oxygen were much higher than those of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The yield of the greenhouse gas N2O in the strain MY1 culture was lower but comparable to that of soil AOB. We propose that this new soil ammonia-oxidizing archaeon be designated “CandidatusNitrosoarchaeum koreensis.”


Author(s):  
R. E. Herfert

Studies of the nature of a surface, either metallic or nonmetallic, in the past, have been limited to the instrumentation available for these measurements. In the past, optical microscopy, replica transmission electron microscopy, electron or X-ray diffraction and optical or X-ray spectroscopy have provided the means of surface characterization. Actually, some of these techniques are not purely surface; the depth of penetration may be a few thousands of an inch. Within the last five years, instrumentation has been made available which now makes it practical for use to study the outer few 100A of layers and characterize it completely from a chemical, physical, and crystallographic standpoint. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides a means of viewing the surface of a material in situ to magnifications as high as 250,000X.


Author(s):  
J. I. Bennetch

In a recent study of the superplastic forming (SPF) behavior of certain Al-Li-X alloys, the relative misorientation between adjacent (sub)grains proved to be an important parameter. It is well established that the most accurate way to determine misorientation across boundaries is by Kikuchi line analysis. However, the SPF study required the characterization of a large number of (sub)grains in each sample to be statistically meaningful, a very time-consuming task even for comparatively rapid Kikuchi analytical techniques.In order to circumvent this problem, an alternate, even more rapid in-situ Kikuchi technique was devised, eliminating the need for the developing of negatives and any subsequent measurements on photographic plates. All that is required is a double tilt low backlash goniometer capable of tilting ± 45° in one axis and ± 30° in the other axis. The procedure is as follows. While viewing the microscope screen, one merely tilts the specimen until a standard recognizable reference Kikuchi pattern is centered, making sure, at the same time, that the focused electron beam remains on the (sub)grain in question.


Author(s):  
J. Liu ◽  
M. Pan ◽  
G. E. Spinnler

Small metal particles have peculiar chemical and physical properties as compared to bulk materials. They are especially important in catalysis since metal particles are common constituents of supported catalysts. The structural characterization of small particles is of primary importance for the understanding of structure-catalytic activity relationships. The shape and size of metal particles larger than approximately 5 nm in diameter can be determined by several imaging techniques. It is difficult, however, to deduce the shape of smaller metal particles. Coherent electron nanodiffraction (CEND) patterns from nano particles contain information about the particle size, shape, structure and defects etc. As part of an on-going program of STEM characterization of supported catalysts we report some preliminary results of CEND study of Ag nano particles, deposited in situ in a UHV STEM instrument, and compare the experimental results with full dynamical simulations in order to extract information about the shape of Ag nano particles.


Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 325-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Calvo ◽  
LM Pastor ◽  
S Bonet ◽  
E Pinart ◽  
M Ventura

Lectin histochemistry was used to perform in situ characterization of the glycoconjugates present in boar testis and epididymis. Thirteen horseradish peroxidase- or digoxigenin-labelled lectins were used in samples obtained from healthy fertile boars. The acrosomes of the spermatids were stained intensely by lectins with affinity for galactose and N-acetyl-galactosamine residues, these being soybean, peanut and Ricinus communis agglutinins. Sertoli cells were stained selectively by Maackia ammurensis agglutinin. The lamina propria of seminiferous tubules showed the most intense staining with fucose-binding lectins. The Golgi area and the apical part of the principal cells of the epididymis were stained intensely with many lectins and their distribution was similar in the three zones of the epididymis. On the basis of lectin affinity, both testis and epididymis appear to have N- and O-linked glycoconjugates. Spermatozoa from different epididymal regions showed different expression of terminal galactose and N-acetyl-galactosamine. Sialic acid (specifically alpha2,3 neuraminic-5 acid) was probably incorporated into spermatozoa along the extratesticular ducts. These findings indicate that the development and maturation of boar spermatozoa are accompanied by changes in glycoconjugates. As some lectins stain cellular or extracellular compartments specifically, these lectins could be useful markers in histopathological evaluation of diseases of boar testis and epididymis.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devon Jakob ◽  
Le Wang ◽  
Haomin Wang ◽  
Xiaoji Xu

<p>In situ measurements of the chemical compositions and mechanical properties of kerogen help understand the formation, transformation, and utilization of organic matter in the oil shale at the nanoscale. However, the optical diffraction limit prevents attainment of nanoscale resolution using conventional spectroscopy and microscopy. Here, we utilize peak force infrared (PFIR) microscopy for multimodal characterization of kerogen in oil shale. The PFIR provides correlative infrared imaging, mechanical mapping, and broadband infrared spectroscopy capability with 6 nm spatial resolution. We observed nanoscale heterogeneity in the chemical composition, aromaticity, and maturity of the kerogens from oil shales from Eagle Ford shale play in Texas. The kerogen aromaticity positively correlates with the local mechanical moduli of the surrounding inorganic matrix, manifesting the Le Chatelier’s principle. In situ spectro-mechanical characterization of oil shale will yield valuable insight for geochemical and geomechanical modeling on the origin and transformation of kerogen in the oil shale.</p>


1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Arulanandan ◽  
Y. Dafalias ◽  
L. R. Herrmann ◽  
A. Anandarajah ◽  
N. Meegoda

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