Development of microsatellite and mating type markers for the pine needle pathogen Lecanosticta acicola

Lecanosticta acicola is an ascomycete that causes brown spot needle blight of pine species in many regions of the world. This pathogen is responsible for a major disease of Pinus palustris in the USA and is a quarantine organism in Europe. In order to study the genetic diversity and patterns of spread of L. acicola, eleven microsatellite markers and two mating type markers were developed. An enrichment protocol was used to isolate microsatellite-rich DNA regions and 18 primer pairs were designed to flank these regions, of which eleven were polymorphic. A total of 93 alleles were obtained across all loci from forty isolates of L. acicola from the USA with an allelic diversity range of 0.095 to 0.931 per locus. Cross-species amplification with some of the markers was obtained with L. gloeospora, L. guatemalensis and Dothistroma septosporum, but not with D. pini. Mating type (MAT) markers amplifying both idiomorphs were also developed to determine mating type distribution in populations. These markers were designed based on alignments of both idiomorphs of nine closely related plant pathogens and a protocol for multiplex PCR amplification of the MAT loci was optimised. The MAT markers are not species specific and also amplify the MAT loci in Dothistroma septosporum, D. pini, L. gloeospora and L. guatemalensis. Both types of genetic markers developed in this study will be valuable for future investigations of the population structure, genetic diversity and invasion history of L. acicola on a global scale.Financial support to Josef Janoušek from the AKTION Czech Republic – Austria (project 58p23), the Scholarship Foundation of the Republic of Austria (OeAD-GmbH, Austria),theHlavka Foundation (Czech Republic; for internship at Massey University, New Zealand) and the Intern Grant Agency of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology (Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic).The project was supported financially by COST CZ LD12031 (DIAROD), the FPS COST Action FP1102 (DIAROD) and the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7 2007–2013 (KBBE 2009–3) under grant agreement 245268 ISEFOR.http://link.springer.com/journal/13313hb201

Laser modification of graphene oxide layers

The effect of linearly polarized laser irradiation with various energy densities was successfully used for reduction of graphene oxide (GO). The ion beam analytical methods (RBS, ERDA) were used to follow the elemental composition which is expected as the consequence of GO reduction. The chemical composition analysis was accompanied by structural study showing changed functionalities in the irradiated GO foils using spectroscopy techniques including XPS, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The AFM was employed to identify the surface morphology and electric properties evolution were subsequently studied using standard two point method measurement. The used analytical methods report on reduction of irradiated graphene oxide on the surface and the decrease of surface resistivity as a growing function of the laser beam energy density

Phase equilibria in the Zn-Mn-O system

International audienceDifferent ratios of ZnO and MnCO3 were mixed and processed by ceramic route to investigate phase relations in the Zn-Mn-O system using differential thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. Except for Zn1-xMnxO we detected two different spinel phases in this system. FactSage program was used for the construction of the Zn-Mn-O phase diagram in air and oxygen atmosphere. To verify the composition in several parts of the diagram at the temperature of interest, a number of high-temperature annealings followed by quenching was performed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Phase equilibria in the Zn-Mn-O system

Different ratios of ZnO and MnCO3 were mixed and processed by ceramic route to investigate phase relations in the Zn-Mn-O system using differential thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. Except for Zn1-xMnxO we detected two different spinel phases in this system. FactSage program was used for the construction of the Zn-Mn-O phase diagram in air and oxygen atmosphere. To verify the composition in several parts of the diagram at the temperature of interest, a number of high-temperature annealings followed by quenching was performed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd