Self-Paced Reaching after Stroke: A Quantitative Assessment of Longitudinal and Directional Sensitivity Using the H-Man Planar Robot for Upper Limb Neurorehabilitation

Hussain A, Budhota A, Hughes CML, et al. Self-Paced Reaching after Stroke: A Quantitative Assessment of Longitudinal and Directional Sensitivity Using the H-Man Planar Robot for Upper Limb Neurorehabilitation. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2016;10:477

Microbial and Chemical Characterization of Underwater Fresh Water Springs in the Dead Sea

Due to its extreme salinity and high Mg concentration the Dead Sea is characterized by a very low density of cells most of which are Archaea. We discovered several underwater fresh to brackish water springs in the Dead Sea harboring dense microbial communities. We provide the first characterization of these communities, discuss their possible origin, hydrochemical environment, energetic resources and the putative biogeochemical pathways they are mediating. Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and community fingerprinting methods showed that the spring community originates from the Dead Sea sediments and not from the aquifer. Furthermore, it suggested that there is a dense Archaeal community in the shoreline pore water of the lake. Sequences of bacterial sulfate reducers, nitrifiers iron oxidizers and iron reducers were identified as well. Analysis of white and green biofilms suggested that sulfide oxidation through chemolitotrophy and phototrophy is highly significant. Hyperspectral analysis showed a tight association between abundant green sulfur bacteria and cyanobacteria in the green biofilms. Together, our findings show that the Dead Sea floor harbors diverse microbial communities, part of which is not known from other hypersaline environments. Analysis of the water’s chemistry shows evidence of microbial activity along the path and suggests that the springs supply nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter to the microbial communities in the Dead Sea. The underwater springs are a newly recognized water source for the Dead Sea. Their input of microorganisms and nutrients needs to be considered in the assessment of possible impact of dilution events of the lake surface waters, such as those that will occur in the future due to the intended establishment of the Red Sea−Dead Sea water conduit

STUDIES IN THE BACTERIAL LEACHING OF NICKEL ORES

The applicability of bacterial leach technique in the extraction of nickel from naturally occurring nickel minerals and from sulfide and silicate nickel ores has been investigated. The nickel minerals gerstorffite, niccolite, and pentlandite could be leached with Thiobacillus thiooxidans whereas silicate nickel ores seemed to be inefficient to leaching with Thiobacillus. Within 100 days less than 1 % of the nickel was extracted from silicate ores. Sulfide nickel ores have been leached with Th. ferrooxidans and Th. thiooxidans. In air-lift-percolators within 100 days 17 % of the nickel were extracted using pure cultures of Th. thiooxidans, but only 5.6 % were recovered after leaching with Th. ferrooxidans. Within 30 days 38 %, 66 %,and 70 % of the nickel were extracted from ground material (Harzburger Gabbro) by submerged fermentation in shaking Erlenmeyer flasks adding pure cultures of Th. thiooxidans, Th. ferrooxidans and a mixed culture of both strains, respectively, to the culture medium

Untersuchungen zur mikrobiellen Sicherung von Erzbergbaualtlasten. Teilvorhaben 3: Cyanidabbau und Biosorption von Schwermetallen in Abwaessern aus Erzbergbau- und Aufbereitungsbetrieben Abschlussbericht

1. Cyanide degradation: Of the cyanide- and thiocyanate-degrading bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas spec. were the most effective. 2. Biosorption: Of the isolates suited for biosorption of heavy metals, 597-A (non-identifiable) and 597-A2 (Aspergillus fumigatis) had the biggest potential. The sorption capacity of the fungi for metals varied with the C source used for their growth: apple juice > molasses > glucose. The fungi are not cyanide-sensitive and can even degrade cyanide. Living biomass had better metal sorption efficiencies than dead mycelium. The biosorption rates in waste water were usually higher than in broth. Depending on the metal composition and concentrations and on the exposure time and volume of the mycelia, up to 85 % of the initial concentration was removed from the liquid phase. The capacity of different biomasses for the sorption of metal mixtures was between 65 and 80 mg/g of dry matter depending on the experimental conditions, with peak rates up to 100 mg/g1. Cyanidabbau: Von den zum Abbau von Cyaniden und Thiocyanat befaehigten Bakterien erwiesen sich Burkholderia cepacia und Pseudomonas spec. als am besten geeignet. 2. Biosorption: Von den zur Biosorption von Schwermetallen befaehigten Isolaten wiesen 597-A1 (nicht identifizierbar) und 597-A2 (Aspergillus fumigatus) das groesste Potential auf. Die Sorptionsleistung der Pilze fuer Metalle war abhaengig von der C-Quelle, die zur Anzucht verwendet wurde: Apfelsaft>Melasse>Glucose. Die Pilze sind unempfindlich gegenueber Cyanid und sogar zu dessen Abbau in der Lage. Lebende Biomasse sorbierte mehr Metalle als abgetoetetes Pilzmyzel. Die in Abwaessern ermittelten Biosorptionsraten waren meist hoeher als die in Medium erzielten Raten. Je nach Zusammensetzung und Konzentration der Metalle sowie Einwirkdauer und Menge des eingesetzten Pilzmyzels wurden bis zu 85% des Ausgangsgehaltes aus der Fluessigphase entfernt. Die Kapazitaet verschiedener Biomassen fuer die Sorption von Metallgemischen lag je nach Versuchsansatz bei bis zu 100 mg Metall/g Trockengewicht, meist jedoch zwischen 65-80 mg/g TG. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: F00B491 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany); Umweltbundesamt, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman