Fungal diversity and community structure on <i>Phragmites australis</i> (poaceae) along a salinity gradient in the scheldt estuary (belgium)

We examined fungal communities on stems and leaf sheaths of common reed (Phragmites australis) in four tidal marshes along a salinity gradient (mesohaline to freshwater) in the Scheldt estuary (Belgium) by direct observation. One hundred and fourteen taxa, the highest number of taxa ever recorded during a survey of phragmiticolous fungi, were found, with 56 taxa (49%) in the ascomycetes, 6 taxa (5%) in the basidiomycetes and 52 taxa (46%) of anamorphic fungi, the latter comprising 30 (26%) coelomycetes and 22 (19%) hyphomycetes. Fungal diversity in tidal marshes compared is lower than that in non-tidal reed marshes. Species distribution on reed litter, investigated by multivariate analysis, was strongly correlated with flooding frequency and salinity. Influences of salinity on the fungal community are discussed and tested by a culture experiment. Taxa were divided into three basic distributional types: taxa present only in the saline-brackish water zone, species present only in the freshwater zone, and a group of eurytopic species found over the entire salinity gradient sampled. Indicator species for each group were determined. In two sites, mesolialine brackish and freshwater, the vertical distribution of mycota was analysed. Higher similarities between the same vertical zones, especially in middle and apical parts of the culms, indicated that terrestrial fungi (no direct contact with tidal exchange water) were less influenced by site-specific characteristics. However, in both sites, a few common indicator species for standing Phragmites culms could be identified. Flooding height (and frequency) is demonstrated to influence vertical species distribution. Generally rather complicated interactions and a narrow niche differentiation among species are revealed for the phragmiticolous fungal community

The decomposition of reed leaves in the Scheldt-estuary: spotlight on the Fungi

The poster presents preliminary results on a decomposition-study of reed leaves (Phragmites australis) in one site (PQ 206, near ‘Schor van Doel’). In a brackish reed stand leaves make about 25 % of the above-ground reed biomass, being an important organic pool in the Scheldt-ecosystem and a potential substrate for phragmiticolous fungi. Fungal species composition and fungal biomass (and also some abiotic factors, not presented here) were followed during decomposition in litterbags on the sediment of a reed belt. Fungal biomass was measured using ergosterol quantification. During the survey 40 fungal taxa were found to colonize the leaves from standing green - to standing dead - to litterleaf-stage. Succession and vertical preference of fungal species is demonstrated during growth and decomposition. Leaves, although abscised from the culms, have an important standing dead decomposition with high fungal diversity and biomass (599 µg ergosterol/ g leave, n = 10 corresponding with ! 0.12 g fungus/ g leave) just before abscission. Leaves were almost totally fragmented after a 10 month incubation on the sediment. With fungal crop ranging from 142 µg ergo/ g leave to 346 µg ergo/ g leave showing a steep decline in fungal crop after leaf abscission, a gradual recovery followed by a final decline towards the final stage. Despite the fact that a serious amount of fungal biomass is developed, less species seem to be adapted to colonize the litter leaves

Enhancing Developing Country Access to Eco-Innovation: The Case of Technology Transfer and Climate Change in a Post-2012 Policy Framework

The deployment of eco-innovations in developing countries is a key driver of their contribution to efficiently addressing global environmental challenges. It is also a key driver of markets for eco-innovation and sustainable economic development. This report explores the barriers developing countries face in accessing markets for eco-innovation. It outlines the key considerations policy needs to address to overcome these barriers and discusses the extent to which selected existing policy mechanisms and organisation have achieved this. The key finding of the report is that the majority of existing policy mechanisms fails to recognise the critical importance of developing indigenous eco-innovation capabilities amongst developing country firms. Indigenous eco-innovation capabilities are essential to facilitating both the diffusion of existing ecoinnovations within developing countries and sustainable economic development based on the adoption, adaption and development of environmentally sound technologies that fit with the bespoke conditions faced by developing countries. Building up eco-innovation capabilities in developing countries requires a shift away from the current focus on large project based approaches which emphasise the transfer of the hardware aspects of clean technologies, towards approaches that emphasise flows of codified knowledge (know-how and know-why) and tacit knowledge. Policy also needs to be improved to better respond to the context-specific technological and cultural requirements which vary inter- and intra-nationally

Three mechanisms of hydrogen-induced dislocation pinning in tungsten

The high-flux deuterium plasma impinging on a divertor degrades the long-termthermo-mechanical performance of its tungsten plasma-facing components. A prime actor inthis is hydrogen embrittlement, a degradation phenomenon that involves the interactions between hydrogen and dislocations, the primary carriers of plasticity. Measuring such nanoscaleinteractions is still very challenging, which limits our understanding. Here, we demonstrate anexperimental approach that combines thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) andnanoindentation, allowing to investigate the effect of hydrogen on the dislocation mobility in tungsten. Dislocation mobility was found to be reduced after deuterium injection, which ismanifested as a ‘pop-in’ in the indentation stress-strain curve, with an average activation stressfor dislocation mobility that was more than doubled. All experimental results can be confidentlyexplained, in conjunction with experimental and numerical literature findings, by the simultaneous activation of three mechanisms responsible for dislocation pinning: (i) hydrogentrapping at pre-existing dislocations, (ii) hydrogen-induced vacancies, and (iii) stabilization ofvacancies by hydrogen, contributing respectively 38%, 52%, and 34% to the extra activationstress. These mechanisms are considered to be essential for the proper understanding and modeling of hydrogen embrittlement in tungsten

The phage therapy paradigm: prêt-à-porter or sur-mesure?

The present opinion is the result of discussions on the future of phage therapy (personalized or large-scale uniform therapy?) during the first International Congress on Viruses of Microbes, held at the Institut Pasteur in Paris on June 21–25, 2010

Potential release of aluminum and other metals by food-grade aluminum foil used for skin allograft cryo preservation

Since 1991, the skin bank of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital uses food-grade aluminum foil as a primary support for storing cryo preserved human donor skin (511 donors). The possible release of heavy metals into the cryo preservation media (30% (v/v) glycerol in physiological water) and the possible impact this release could have on the quality of the cryo preserved donor skin was evaluated. Aluminum was the principal detection target. Possible contaminants of the aluminum foil as such (arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead) were also investigated. The evaluation was set up after a Belgian Competent Authority inspection remark. Aluminum was detected at a concentration of 1.4 mg/l, arsenic and lead were not detected, while cadmium and chromium were detected in trace element quantities. An histological analysis revealed no differences between cryo preserved and fresh donor skin. No adverse reactions in patients, related to the presence of aluminum or heavy metal traces, were reported since the introduction of the cryo preserved donor skin in our burn wound centre

Evaluation of a microbiological screening and acceptance procedure for cryopreserved skin allografts based on 14 day cultures

Viable donor skin is still considered the gold standard for the temporary covering of burns. Since 1985, the Brussels military skin bank supplies cryopreserved viable cadaveric skin for therapeutic use. Unfortunately, viable skin can not be sterilised, which increases the risk of disease transmission. On the other hand, every effort should be made to ensure that the largest possible part of the donated skin is processed into high-performance grafts. Cryopreserved skin allografts that fail bacterial or fungal screening are reworked into ‘sterile’ non-viable glycerolised skin allografts. The transposition of the European Human Cell and Tissue Directives into Belgian Law has prompted us to install a pragmatic microbiological screening and acceptance procedure, which is based on 14 day enrichment broth cultures of finished product samples and treats the complex issues of ‘acceptable bioburden’ and ‘absence of objectionable organisms’. In this paper we evaluate this procedure applied on 148 skin donations. An incubation time of 14 days allowed for the detection of an additional 16.9% (25/148) of contaminated skin compared to our classic 3 day incubation protocol and consequently increased the share of non-viable glycerolised skin with 8.4%. Importantly, 24% of these slow-growing microorganisms were considered to be potentially pathogenic. In addition, we raise the issue of ‘representative sampling’ of heterogeneously contaminated skin. In summary, we feel that our present microbiological testing and acceptance procedure assures adequate patient safety and skin availability. The question remains, however, whether the supposed increased safety of our skin grafts outweighs the reduced overall clinical performance and the increase in work load and costs