In the present study manganese oxidizing bacteria (MOB) were isolated and identified using molecular techniques (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and the electrochemical behaviour of these isolates on orthodontic wires was studied by employing polarization and impedance techniques. Staphylococcus aureus (EF516983), Bacillus pumilus (EF516984), Planococcus rifitioensis (EF516985), Lysinibacillus boroni...

Biogeosciences Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Abstract Nitrogen is the major limiting nutrient in cold environments, and its availability is strongly dependent on nitrification. However, microbial communities driving this process remain largely uncharacterized in al...

Soil is known to be heterogeneous for different activities at several spatial scales. Most studies have focused on macro- and meso-scales but micro-scales are rarely addressed. Hence, the spatial structure of NH(4)(+)- and NO(2)(-)-oxidizers and of various serotypes of the latter was studied along two transects of approximately 10 cm, with two micro-samples taken from each millimeter. The prese...

Nitrospira are a diverse group of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and among the environmentally most widespread nitrifiers. However, they remain scarcely studied and mostly uncultured. Based on genomic and experimental data from Nitrospira moscoviensis representing the ubiquitous Nitrospira lineage II, we identified ecophysiological traits that contribute to the ecological success of Nitrospira. Une...

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were successfully developed to monitor functional aoxB genes as markers of aerobic arsenite oxidizers. DGGE profiles showed a shift in the structure of the aoxB-carrying bacterial population, composed of members of the Alpha-, Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria, depending on arsenic (As) and E(h) levels in Upper Isl...

In propellant systems, fuels of choice continue to be hydrazine and its derivatives, even though they comprise a class of acutely carcinogenic and toxic substances which exhibit rather high vapor pressures and require expensive handling procedures and costly safety precautions. Only recently (2008), ionic liquids (salts with melting points less than 100 °C) with the dicyanamide anion were shown...

Hybrid rocket engines (HREs) offer a low-cost, reliable, and environmentally friendly solution for both launch in-space applications. propellants have been identified as green thanks to their use of non-toxic, non-carcinogenic oxidizers. Of particular relevance are storable oxidizers, namely high-concentration (≥90 wt.%) hydrogen peroxide (HP, H2O2) nitrous oxide (N2O). This work provides surve...

As a result of agricultural activities in regions adjacent to the northern boundary of the Florida Everglades, a nutrient gradient developed that resulted in physicochemical and ecological changes from the original system. Sulfate input from agricultural runoff and groundwater is present in soils of the Northern Everglades, and sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) may play an important role in bi...