An acidophilic bacterial-archaeal-fungal ecosystem linked to formation of ferruginous crusts and stalactites.

The presence of specialized microbial associations between populations of chemoautotrophic bacteria and archaea with ascomycetous fungi was observed inside stalactite-shaped mineral formations in a highly acidic cave environment. Metagenomic, chemical and electron microscopy analyses were used to investigate the relevance of these microbial ecosystems in the formation of stalactites. Ferric hydroxide produced by acidophilic bacteria and archaea was shown to be deposited onto fungal hyphae, resulting in complex mineralized stalactite-shaped structures. Thus, both archaeal-bacterial and fungal members of the ecosystem were shown to play an active role in the formation of stalactites

Exploitation of experimental design methods and mathematical modeling for improving fermentative biohydrogen production processes

Abstract Considering the non-renewable nature of today's energy sources, alternative solutions need to be introduced to successfully fulfill the world's energy demands in the future. Biohydrogen production processes coupled to the treatment of different organic wastes might satisfy the requirements of a renewable and environmentally friendly energy carrier. A major drawback of this bioprocess is the low hydrogen production yield, thus, the optimization of the fermentation conditions is imperative for achieving a hydrogen-based economy. The most widely used optimization strategies refer to the design of experimental methods, by which certain factors are selected and deliberately varied in order to obtain the desired effects. In addition, the optimization process can be further improved through mathematical modeling and simulations. Some kinetic models have been proposed to describe the progress of substrate degradation and microbial growth coupled with hydrogen production and some soluble metabolite formation in a batch fermentationbased hydrogen production process. This review attempts to summarize the experimental design methods as well as the kinetic models and simulations that were used to investigate the effects of various factors on fermentative hydrogen production processes and to discuss the advantages and limitations of these optimization approaches

Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks and tissues collected from wild birds in Romania

Abstract. Anaplasma phagocytophilum are potentially emerging tick-borne pathogen, whereas many issues about ecology, reservoir host specificity, are still unclear. The material analyzed in this study was collected along 5 years (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) of fieldwork from 88 locations, from 32 out of 42 counties of Romania. A total of 3,794 birds belonging to 125 species were assessed, made up by 879 carcasses and 2,915 alive birds. A total of 278 birds belonging to 37 species were found infested with ticks (9.53%), with individual prevalence ranging from 0 to 50%. Anaplasma spp. were detected in 8 cases (1.7%) of 459 analyzed ticks collected from two specimens of Rook one Robin, one Blackbird and one Chaffinch. The ticks found to carry Anaplasma spp., were Haemaphysalis concinna (1 larvae), I. arboricola (4 larvae), and I. ricinus (2 larvae and 2 nymphs). Tissue samples resulted in the detection of Anaplasma spp. from heart of one Robin and one Song Thrush, with a relative prevalence of 1.66%. The low prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in bird-fed ticks corresponds to previous investigations, suggesting that birds have a reduced reservoir competence for human granulocytic anaplasmosis agents

The effect of mofettes and natural carbonated mineral water on accelerating bone healing in a femoral defect model in rats

(1) Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the effecs of mofettes and carbonated mineral water baths on bone healing using a rat femoral defect model; (2) Methods: A 2mm diameter unicortical defect in the left femoral diaphysis in 40 Wistar Rats was surgically creat-ed. Furthermore, the subjects were divided into 4 treatment-groups: control, mofette therapy, mofette therapy and carbonated mineral water bath, and carbonated mineral water bath. At the end of the 2-week treatment and at 4 and 6 weeks, the animals were evaluated through Mi-cro-CT analysis of the bone defect and histological analysis of bone tissue and skin; (3) Results: The processes of bone consolidation and repair are not completed at 6 weeks in all groups. However, comparing the proliferated bone tissue in the created orifice and the degree of thick-ening of the femoral wall, it can be affirmed that at 6 weeks, the best results are present in Group 4, treated with carbonated mineral water baths, followed by the combination of mofettes and carbonated water. (4) The use of these treatments could open a new possibility for shorten-ing the healing time in patients with bone defects, as it is non-invasive and accessible

Coendangered hard-ticks: threatened or threatening?

The overwhelming majority of animal conservation projects are focused on vertebrates, despite most of the species on Earth being invertebrates. Estimates state that about half of all named species of invertebrates are parasitic in at least one stage of their development. The dilemma of viewing parasites as biodiversity or pest has been discussed by several authors. However, ticks were omitted. The latest taxonomic synopses of non-fossil Ixodidae consider valid 700 species. Though, how many of them are still extant is almost impossible to tell, as many of them are known only from type specimens in museums and were never collected since their original description. Moreover, many hosts are endangered and as part of conservation efforts of threatened vertebrates, a common practice is the removal of, and treatment for external parasites, with devastating impact on tick populations. There are several known cases when the host became extinct with subsequent coextinction of their ectoparasites. For our synoptic approach we have used the IUCN status of the host in order to evaluate the status of specifically associated hard-ticks. As a result, we propose a number of 63 coendangered and one extinct hard-tick species. On the other side of the coin, the most important issue regarding tick-host associations is vectorial transmission of microbial pathogens (i.e. viruses, bacteria, protozoans). Tick-borne diseases of threatened vertebrates are sometimes fatal to their hosts. Mortality associated with pathogens acquired from ticks has been documented in several cases, mostly after translocations. Are ticks a real threat to their coendangered host and should they be eliminated? Up to date, there are no reliable proofs that ticks listed by us as coendangered are competent vectors for pathogens of endangered animals

Relationships between microbial populations and mineralizations of speleothems in the oravita ancient gold mine (Romania) : the problem of transformation of sulphur and iron

The walls of the old mine Kiesberg (Oravita, S-W Romania) of auriferous sulphides are supplied by rain water that percolate from the surface. Various microbial associations live on these walls. The life of these consortia is based on the sulphide oxidation ; this oxydation leads to the precipitation of oxidized mineral compounds (iron hydroxides, jarosite, amorphic aluminium compounds) that are accumulated in large quantities at the living cell exterior. In order to understand how these micro-ecosystems work and induce the genesis of the mineral deposit, a microbial inventory has been done (classic techniques and genetic methods), and the evolution of the microorganism population has been followed in parallel with the solution chemistry. The temporal and spatial relationships between the minerals and the organisms have been established with the help of macroscopic and microscopic observations by using electron microscopy (TEM ; SEM ; CRYO- SEM).Les parois de l'ancienne mine d'or de Kiesberg (Oravita, SO Roumanie), alimentées par les eaux météoriques qui percolent par les microfissures, sont colonisées par des consortiums microbiens diversifiés. Leur fonctionnement repose sur la chimiolithoautotrophie, impliquant l'oxidation de minéraux, essentiellement des sulfures abondants dans la roche, d'ou la formation de différents composés minéraux (hydroxydes de fer, jarosite, composés alumineux amorphes) qui se déposent à l'extérieur des cellules vivantes et forment des accumulations de divers types. Comprendre le fonctionnement de ces microécosystèmes et la génèse des dépôts minéraux induits nécessitait un inventaire microbiologique (techniques classiques et méthode génétique), le suivi au cours du temps des populations des microorganismes en parallèle avec la chimie des solutions, et l'établissement des rapports spatiaux et temporels entre minéraux et organismes, nécessitant des observations macroscopiques et microscopiques par l'utilisation de la microscopie électronique (MET, MEB-EDS, CRYO-MEB)

Using Wavelets in Economics. An Application on the Analysis of Wage-Price Relation

In the last decades, more and more approaches of economic issues have used mathematical tools, and among the most recent ones, spectral and wavelet methods are to be distinguished. If in the case of spectral analysis the approaches and results are sufficiently clear, while the use of wavelet decomposition, especially in the analysis of time series, is not fully valorized. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize how these methods are useful for time series analysis. After theoretical considerations on Fourier transforms versus wavelet transforms, we have presented the methodology we have used and the results obtained by using wavelets in the analysis of wage-price relation, based on some empirical data. The data we have used is concerning the Romanian economy - the inflation and the average nominal wage denominated in US dollars, between January 1991 and May 2016, highlighting that the relation between nominal salary and prices can be revealed more accurately by use of wavelets