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- Adam, Birgit, et al.
(författare)
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N2-fixation, ammonium release and N-transfer to the microbial and classical food web within a plankton community
- 2016
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Ingår i: The ISME Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1751-7362 .- 1751-7370. ; 10:2, s. 450-459
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated the role of N2-fixation by the colony-forming cyanobacterium, Aphanizomenon spp., for the plankton community and N-budget of the N-limited Baltic Sea during summer by using stable isotope tracers combined with novel secondary ion mass spectrometry, conventional mass spectrometry and nutrient analysis. When incubated with 15N2, Aphanizomenon spp. showed a strong 15N-enrichment implying substantial 15N2-fixation. Intriguingly, Aphanizomenon did not assimilate tracers of 15NH4+ from the surrounding water. These findings are in line with model calculations that confirmed a negligible N-source by diffusion-limited NH4+ fluxes to Aphanizomenon colonies at low bulk concentrations (<250 nm) as compared with N2-fixation within colonies. No N2-fixation was detected in autotrophic microorganisms <5 mum, which relied on NH4+ uptake from the surrounding water. Aphanizomenon released about 50% of its newly fixed N2 as NH4+. However, NH4+ did not accumulate in the water but was transferred to heterotrophic and autotrophic microorganisms as well as to diatoms (Chaetoceros sp.) and copepods with a turnover time of ~5 h. We provide direct quantitative evidence that colony-forming Aphanizomenon releases about half of its recently fixed N2 as NH4+, which is transferred to the prokaryotic and eukaryotic plankton forming the basis of the food web in the plankton community. Transfer of newly fixed nitrogen to diatoms and copepods furthermore implies a fast export to shallow sediments via fast-sinking fecal pellets and aggregates. Hence, N2-fixing colony-forming cyanobacteria can have profound impact on ecosystem productivity and biogeochemical processes at shorter time scales (hours to days) than previously thought.
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- Ranebo, Ylva, et al.
(författare)
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Improved isotopic SIMS measurements of uranium particles for nuclear safeguard purposes
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1364-5544 .- 0267-9477. ; 24:3, s. 277-287
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The isotopic analysis of particles containing sub-pg to pg levels of uranium, released from nuclear material handling, has been proven as an efficient tool for international safeguard purposes. Precise and accurate measurement of both enrichment and the minor isotopes is, however, a challenging analytical task due to the low levels of material. One of the mainstay techniques for particle measurement is Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), this study evaluates the analytical benefit of an alternative in the form of large geometry SIMS (LG-SIMS), which combines high transmission with high mass resolution. We report here that LG-SIMS instruments provide a significantly better measurement quality than the small geometry SIMS as almost all isobaric background interferences are removed at a high useful ion yield. Useful yield measurements, performed on uranium oxide particles with calibrated uranium content, showed an overall useful yield of 1.2% for the LG-SIMS at a mass resolution of 3000. These improvements were then demonstrated by comparing results from actual nuclear inspection samples measured on both instruments. Additional benefits include an increased ability to detect particles of interest in a dust matrix while simultaneously reducing the time of sample analysis. An evaluation on the performance of LG-SIMS compared to Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) is also presented. This evaluation shows that LG-SIMS has an advantage due to its high ion yield but with a limitation in the detection limit of U-236 at higher enrichments due to the necessity for a hydrogen correction.
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- Schorn, Sina, et al.
(författare)
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Persistent activity of aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria in anoxic lake waters due to metabolic versatility
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lacustrine methane emissions are strongly mitigated by aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) that are typically most active at the oxic-anoxic interface. Although oxygen is required by the MOB for the first step of methane oxidation, their occurrence in anoxic lake waters has raised the possibility that they are capable of oxidizing methane further anaerobically. Here, we investigate the activity and growth of MOB in Lake Zug, a permanently stratified freshwater lake. The rates of anaerobic methane oxidation in the anoxic hypolimnion reached up to 0.2 mu M d-1. Single-cell nanoSIMS measurements, together with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses, linked the measured rates to MOB of the order Methylococcales. Interestingly, their methane assimilation activity was similar under hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Our data suggest that these MOB use fermentation-based methanotrophy as well as denitrification under anoxic conditions, thus offering an explanation for their widespread presence in anoxic habitats such as stratified water columns. Thus, the methane sink capacity of anoxic basins may have been underestimated by not accounting for the anaerobic MOB activity. The occurrence of aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria in anoxic environments is puzzling, as oxygen is thought to be required for methane oxidation. Here, Schorn et al. show that the methane assimilation activity of these bacteria is similar under hypoxic and anoxic conditions in a stratified lake, and the bacteria use fermentation-based methanotrophy as well as denitrification under anoxic conditions.
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- Smith, H. J., et al.
(författare)
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Microbial formation of labile organic carbon in Antarctic glacial environments
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature Geoscience. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 10:5, s. 356-359
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Roughly six petagrams of organic carbon are stored within ice worldwide. This organic carbon is thought to be of old age and highly bioavailable. Along with storage of ancient and new atmospherically deposited organic carbon, microorganisms may contribute substantially to the glacial organic carbon pool. Models of glacial microbial carbon cycling vary from net respiration to net carbon fixation. Supraglacial streams have not been considered in models although they are amongst the largest ecosystems on most glaciers and are inhabited by diverse microbial communities. Here we investigate the biogeochemical sequence of organic carbon production and uptake in an Antarctic supraglacial stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys using nanometre-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, stable isotope analysis and incubation experiments. We find that heterotrophic production relies on highly labile organic carbon freshly derived from photosynthetic bacteria rather than legacy organic carbon. Exudates from primary production were utilized by heterotrophs within 24 h, and supported bacterial growth demands. The tight coupling of microbially released organic carbon and rapid uptake by heterotrophs suggests a dynamic local carbon cycle. Moreover, as temperatures increase there is the potential for positive feedback between glacial melt and microbial transformations of organic carbon.
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- Solanki, AK, et al.
(författare)
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Cobalt containing glass fibres and their synergistic effect on the HIF-1 pathway for wound healing applications
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-4185. ; 11, s. 1125060-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction and Methods: Chronic wounds are a major healthcare problem, but their healing may be improved by developing biomaterials which can stimulate angiogenesis, e.g. by activating the Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) pathway. Here, novel glass fibres were produced by laser spinning. The hypothesis was that silicate glass fibres that deliver cobalt ions will activate the HIF pathway and promote the expression of angiogenic genes. The glass composition was designed to biodegrade and release ions, but not form a hydroxyapatite layer in body fluid.Results and Discussion: Dissolution studies demonstrated that hydroxyapatite did not form. When keratinocyte cells were exposed to conditioned media from the cobalt-containing glass fibres, significantly higher amounts of HIF-1α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) were measured compared to when the cells were exposed to media with equivalent amounts of cobalt chloride. This was attributed to a synergistic effect of the combination of cobalt and other therapeutic ions released from the glass. The effect was also much greater than the sum of HIF-1α and VEGF expression when the cells were cultured with cobalt ions and with dissolution products from the Co-free glass, and was proven to not be due to a rise in pH. The ability of the glass fibres to activate the HIF-1 pathway and promote VEGF expression shows the potential for their use in chronic wound dressings.
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