Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Fabian Falkenberg, Leonie Voss, Michael Bott, Johannes Bongaerts, Petra Siegert
Summary: The aim of this study was to characterize four new subtilisins from halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms. The proteases showed activity over a wide pH range and exhibited high stability towards SDS and high concentrations of NaCl. These enzymes demonstrate potential for future biotechnological applications.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Furkan Orhan
Summary: In this study, fourteen bacterial strains were obtained from salt contaminated soils and identified as five different genera. These bacteria were found to promote plant growth under salt stress conditions, with Oceanobacillus picturae and Staphylococcus succinus showing potential in ameliorating salt stress on wheat. The use of halophilic and halotolerant bacteria can enhance the productivity of salt sensitive plants in saline soils.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mayada K. Kansour, Dina M. Al-Mailem
Summary: Hyper-saline evaporitic sandflats known as Sabkhas in the Gulf states are prone to oil contamination. Bioaugmentation using indigenous microorganisms can help ameliorate oil pollution in Sabkha environments. This study conducted a cross-bioaugmentation process using enriched inocula of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria to assess oil bioremediation in artificially oil-contaminated soils from two Sabkha locations in Kuwait. The researchers found that bioaugmentation significantly enhanced oil degradation at only one location, and the dominant strain in the enriched inocula failed to colonize the bioaugmented soils. The study also revealed the oil biodegradation potential of sixteen hydrocarbonoclastic isolates under different salinity conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nai-Tzu Chen, Ngok-Song Cheong, Chuan-Yao Lin, Chun-Chieh Tseng, Huey-Jen Su
Summary: The study found that long-range transport increases levels of influenza A virus and bacteria in the ambient air of Northern Taiwan, particularly at the CF area. During and 2 days (at least) after LRT, people should avoid outdoor activities, especially in the case of FP.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Souhila Kerbab, Allaoua Silini, Ali Chenari Bouket, Hafsa Cherif-Silini, Manal Eshelli, Nour El Houda Rabhi, Lassaad Belbahri
Summary: This study isolated bacterial strains from saline areas to enhance the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and wheat under salt stress conditions. Inoculating the plants with a combination of different bacterial strains showed better growth results.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Teruya Maki, Jun Noda, Kozo Morimoto, Kazuma Aoki, Yasunori Kurosaki, Zhongwei Huang, Bin Chen, Atsushi Matsuki, Hiroki Miyata, Satoshi Mitarai
Summary: The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) caused by Mycobacterium species is increasing globally. This study suggests that the distribution of NTM-PD may be influenced by the westerly wind at high altitudes in East Asia. By analyzing aerosol samples collected from snow cover at high elevation on Mt. Tateyama, it was found that the relative abundance of Mycobacterium sequences was higher in the aerosol samples from Asian continental cities and Japanese cities compared to desert areas. This indicates that anthropogenic pollution in East Asia may carry potential Mycobacterium species, which can cause NTM-PD and impact public health.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Optics
Yongkai Wang, Zhongwei Huang, Tian Zhou, Jianrong Bi, Jinsen Shi
Summary: Bioaerosols play a significant role in climate change and ecological environment variation. In this study, a lidar system was used to investigate the characteristics of atmospheric bioaerosols near dust sources in northwest China. The findings show that the lidar system is capable of detecting the strong fluorescence signal emitted by dust aerosols, enhancing the ability of laser remote sensing for real-time detection of bioaerosols in the atmosphere.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elham Lashani, Hamid Moghimi, Raymond J. Turner, Mohammad Ali Amoozegar
Summary: Selenium oxyanions are released into environments from various activities and are present in wastewater in many locations worldwide. Excessive amounts of selenium have negative impacts on living organisms. Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms were used for selenium oxyanion remediation in wastewater containing salt. Factors such as aeration, carbon sources, competitive electron acceptors, and reductase inhibitors were investigated for their effects on SeO32- removal. The study also explored the remediation of SeO32- in agricultural effluents containing NO3-. The results showed that aerobic conditions with succinate as a carbon source were most effective for SeO32- removal. Certain ions, such as WO42- and TeO32-, decreased the removal percentage, while SO42- and PO43- had minimal interference. NO3- had an adverse effect on SeO32- biotransformation. Consortia of halophilic/halotolerant bacteria and yeasts were able to reduce SeO32- in synthetic agricultural wastewater by 45-53% within 120 hours. This study suggests that these consortia could be used for the bioremediation of selenium-contaminated drainage water.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caihong Xu, Hui Chen, Zhe Liu, Guodong Sui, Dan Li, Haidong Kan, Zhuohui Zhao, Wei Hu, Jianmin Chen
Summary: This study used qPCR and high-throughput sequencing to analyze the microbial dynamics of ambient PM2.5 filters under constant conditions. It found that polluted PM2.5 had faster decay rates, higher bacterial diversity and lower fungal community compared to non-polluted PM2.5, with saprotroph fungi making up a large portion of the population. The research also revealed stable community structures and different metabolic survival strategies of airborne microorganisms in ideal and stable conditions.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Forough Tajiki, Hossein Mohammad Asgari, Isaac Zamani, Farshid Ghanbari
Summary: This study assessed the impact of two dust sources on the concentration and diversity of airborne fungi, as well as the contribution of dust sources to airborne fungi. The results showed that dust from Hor al-Azim and Shadegan contributed significantly to the ambient fungal community in the study area.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Furkan Orhan, Abdullah Demirci, Sedat Bozari
Summary: This study evaluated the plant growth promoting activities of 15 halophilic/halotolerant bacteria and found that four bacterial strains could enhance wheat growth under salt stress. The ACC deaminase activity of Chromohalobacter sp. and the growth enhancement potential of Oceanobacillus sp. were reported for the first time.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Javier Perez-Inocencio, Gabriel Iturriaga, Cesar L. Aguirre-Mancilla, Juan Gabriel Ramirez-Pimentel, Maria Soledad Vasquez-Murrieta, Dioselina alvarez-Bernal
Summary: This study analyzed the halophilic and halotolerant bacteria in the root soil of Sesuvium verrucosum and found that these bacteria have the ability to promote plant growth in extreme salinity conditions. They can solubilize phosphorus and zinc, capture sodium, and tolerate high levels of salt stress.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jinxiu Wang, Yang Liu, Yecheng Ma, Xinyue Wang, Binglin Zhang, Gaosen Zhang, Ali Bahadur, Tuo Chen, Guangxiu Liu, Wei Zhang, Yidan Zhao
Summary: Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms have unique structures, physiologies, and genomes that enable them to survive in high salt environments. They play crucial roles in plant stress tolerance, organic pollutant degradation, cultural heritage conservation, and resistance gene spread.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Piotr Cheluszka, Iwona Beata Pasmionka, Janina Gospodarek, Frederico Marcio Correa Vieira
Summary: The environment of underground hard coal mines provides optimal conditions for the growth of microorganisms, including pathogens, due to high humidity, temperature, organic substances, and high dust content. This research aimed to determine the quantity and diversity of air microorganisms in underground mining excavations. Microbiological tests were conducted to identify potential pathogens and analyze their spread. The findings highlight the presence of numerous microorganisms, including pathogenic ones, which can pose risks to human health. The results are valuable for improving ventilation systems in mining excavations.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Pierre Amato, Frederic Mathonat, Leslie Nunez Lopez, Raphaelle Peguilhan, Zeina Bourhane, Florent Rossi, Jonathan Vyskocil, Muriel Joly, Barbara Ervens
Summary: The atmosphere is a part of the Earth's microbiome and the abundance, viability, and diversity of microorganisms in the air are influenced by various factors including environmental variables and microbial properties. However, the aeromicrobiome is poorly understood and difficult to predict due to the heterogeneity of airborne microorganisms and their properties. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge and suggests future research directions to improve our understanding of the atmosphere as a biome.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Tatsuhiro Mori, Yutaka Kondo, Sho Ohata, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Kaori Fukuda, Yoshimi Ogawa-Tsukagawa, Nobuhiro Moteki, Atsushi Yoshida, Makoto Koike, P. R. Sinha, Naga Oshima, Hitoshi Matsui, Yutaka Tobo, Masanori Yabuki, Wenche Aas
Summary: The study shows that black carbon aerosols deposited in Arctic snow affect the absorption of solar radiation and snowmelt, with the concentration of black carbon in the atmosphere and snow playing a key role, influenced by wet deposition. Measurements conducted in Ny-angstrom lesund, Svalbard from 2012 to 2019 indicated seasonal variations in black carbon concentrations. Comparisons with observations in Barrow, Alaska revealed similarities in near-surface black carbon concentrations but differences in wet deposition and concentrations in hydrometeors, with implications for understanding black carbon dynamics in the Arctic.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
J. T. Pasquier, R. O. David, G. Freitas, R. Gierens, Y. Gramlich, S. Haslett, G. Li, B. Schaefer, K. Siegel, J. Wieder, K. Adachi, F. Belosi, T. Carlsen, S. Decesari, K. Ebell, S. Gilardoni, M. Gysel-Beer, J. Henneberger, J. Inoue, Z. A. Kanji, M. Koike, Y. Kondo, R. Krejci, U. Lohmann, M. Maturilli, M. Mazzolla, R. Modini, C. Mohr, G. Motos, A. Nenes, A. Nicosia, S. Ohata, M. Paglione, S. Park, R. E. Pileci, F. Ramelli, M. Rinaldi, C. Ritter, K. Sato, T. Storelvmo, Y. Tobo, R. Traversi, A. Viola, P. Zieger
Summary: The Arctic is warming at a rate more than twice the global average. However, the interactions among clouds, aerosols, and radiative fluxes in the Arctic are still poorly understood. To address these uncertainties, the Ny-angstrom lesund Aerosol Cloud Experiment (NASCENT) study was conducted. This study aims to elucidate the life cycle of aerosols in the Arctic and determine how they modulate cloud properties.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Reo Shibaki, Makiko Kakikawa
Summary: It has been found that a 60 Hz magnetic field can enhance the activity of certain drugs (such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, and daunorubicin) in human uterine sarcoma cells, particularly in cells that overexpress a membrane protein called MDR1. However, the activity of etoposide, another drug, was not affected by the magnetic field. This suggests that the magnetic field may enhance drug uptake into cells by influencing drug influx transporters.
ELECTROMAGNETIC BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Teruya Maki, Jun Noda, Kozo Morimoto, Kazuma Aoki, Yasunori Kurosaki, Zhongwei Huang, Bin Chen, Atsushi Matsuki, Hiroki Miyata, Satoshi Mitarai
Summary: The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) caused by Mycobacterium species is increasing globally. This study suggests that the distribution of NTM-PD may be influenced by the westerly wind at high altitudes in East Asia. By analyzing aerosol samples collected from snow cover at high elevation on Mt. Tateyama, it was found that the relative abundance of Mycobacterium sequences was higher in the aerosol samples from Asian continental cities and Japanese cities compared to desert areas. This indicates that anthropogenic pollution in East Asia may carry potential Mycobacterium species, which can cause NTM-PD and impact public health.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Takaya Murakami, Ryoichi Wakata, Aya Mamorita, Asami S. Mashio, Kuo Hong Wong, Satoshi Chinaka, Hiroshi Hasegawa
Summary: This article describes a direct analytical method for biodegradable chelating agents using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The method offers the advantages of quickness, sensitivity, and requires no complicated pretreatment steps, making it suitable for practical analysis of chelating agents in environmental water samples.
ANALYTICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Teruya Maki, Kentaro Hosaka, Kevin C. Lee, Yasuhiro Kawabata, Mizuo Kajino, Maoto Uto, Kazuyuki Kita, Yasuhito Igarashi
Summary: Airborne microorganisms from forested areas play a role in cloud formation through ice nucleation. However, the vertical transportation of these microorganisms is not well understood. In this study, aerosols were collected at different heights over the forest during three seasons and analyzed to understand the distribution and composition of airborne microbial communities. The results showed that microbial particles had higher concentrations in the forest zone compared to the area above the canopy during summer and fall, indicating efficient vertical mixing in winter. High-throughput DNA sequencing revealed the presence of terrestrial and phyllospheric species associated with the degradation of plant litters in the airborne microbial communities.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaofei Dong, Bin Chen, Akihiro Yamazaki, Guangyu Shi, Ning Tang
Summary: Atmospheric aerosols play a significant role in climate and environment, making the study of aerosol optical properties crucial for understanding climate change and atmospheric conditions. The variations in Beijing's aerosol optical properties were examined based on SKYNET data from March 2016 to December 2019. Higher values of AOD and AE during summer suggest the need to focus on fine particle pollution during this season. Comparisons between SKYNET and AERONET data show consistent monthly variations in aerosol optical depth. The identification of different aerosol modes provides insights into their optical and radiative properties, highlighting the dominance of weakly absorbing aerosols in Beijing's radiation transport. The combination of CALIPSO and SKYNET data further validates the scientific relevance of the findings. The use of the random forest algorithm effectively interpolates missing AOD500nm observations, as confirmed by the fitting with MODIS. This research is of great significance in understanding the impacts of aerosols on climate and the environment and reducing uncertainties in the Earth's radiation budget. It also provides scientific support for pollution prevention and control measures.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kei Kawai, Hitoshi Matsui, Yutaka Tobo
Summary: Recent observations have shown that dust emitted within the Arctic has a high ice nucleating ability, especially in the temperature range of -20°C to -5°C. This study incorporates an observation-based ice-nucleation parameterization into a global aerosol-climate model to better understand the impacts of Arctic dust on ice nucleating particles (INPs) and radiative balance in the Arctic. The results highlight the importance of using an ice-nucleation parameterization suitable for Arctic dust to accurately simulate INPs and their effects on aerosol-cloud interactions in the Arctic.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Takuma Miyakawa, Fumikazu Taketani, Yutaka Tobo, Kazuhiko Matsumoto, Momoka Yoshizue, Masayuki Takigawa, Yugo Kanaya
Summary: The characteristics and role of aerosol particles in cloud formation were investigated over the Southern Ocean in the late austral summer. Bimodal aerosol particle size distributions were mostly observed, and the relative abundances of the two modes varied with changes in the marine boundary layer structure. The concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CNAcc) were underestimated by the sea-spray source function, indicating the significance of nonsea-spray sources. The concentrations of ice nucleating particles (N-INPs) were low, consistent with recent observations.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Shafiqur Rahman, Ismail M. M. Rahman, Hiroshi Hasegawa
Summary: This study comprehensively analyzes and evaluates geogenic arsenic contamination in excavated soils worldwide, and provides an overview of management and mitigation methods. The study found that arsenic levels in excavated soils exceed regulatory limits, posing a threat to the environment and human health. While there are numerous arsenic remediation techniques, specific measures are required for geogenic arsenic contamination in excavated soils. Furthermore, the suitability and effectiveness of most conventional and advanced remediation techniques need further exploration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gabriel Pereira Freitas, Kouji Adachi, Franz Conen, Dominic Heslin-Rees, Radovan Krejci, Yutaka Tobo, Karl Espen Yttri, Paul Zieger
Summary: In this study, single-particle fluorescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate PBAP at an Arctic mountain site. The results showed that PBAP concentrations were highest in summer and were strongly correlated with air temperature, surface albedo, surface vegetation, and PBAP tracers. PBAP also showed a clear correlation with high-temperature ice nucleating particles.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shengbin Ni, Shafiqur Rahman, Shuto Kasai, Shoji Yoshioka, Kuo H. Wong, Asami S. Mashio, Hiroshi Hasegawa
Summary: Lead contamination in shooting range soils poses a threat to ecosystems and human health. Chelator-assisted washing using biodegradable chelators such as EDDS, GLDA, and HIDS has shown promise as a viable treatment option. FeCl3 and CaO can be used as post-treatment to immobilize residual lead. This study provides a practical remediation strategy for extracting lead from soil and reducing leaching potential.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Foni B. Biswas, Masaru Endo, Shafiqur Rahman, Ismail M. M. Rahman, Keisuke Nakakubo, Asami S. Mashio, Tsuyoshi Taniguchi, Tatsuya Nishimura, Katsuhiro Maeda, Hiroshi Hasegawa
Summary: In this study, rhodium (Rh) was efficiently extracted and recovered from acidic waste effluents using dithiocarbamate-modified cellulose (DMC) as a biosorbent. The optimized parameters for Rh-III extractability of DMC were determined, and the sorption capacity of DMC was found to be substantially higher than previous studies. The applicability of DMC in capturing Rh-III from a real sample was demonstrated, and the sorbed Rh-III was successfully recovered in its elemental form (Rh-0) through incineration of Rh-III-loaded DMC.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kouji Adachi, Yutaka Tobo, Naga Oshima, Atsushi Yoshida, Sho Ohata, Radovan Krejci, Andreas Massling, Henrik Skov, Makoto Koike
Summary: The Arctic region is warming at an accelerated rate compared to the rest of the world, making it crucial to understand the factors driving climate change in this area. This study examines the characteristics of submicron-sized aerosol particles collected at two high Arctic sites during the spring of 2018. The findings reveal that sulfate and sea salt particles are the dominant compounds in these aerosols, with sea salt particles becoming more prevalent when low-pressure systems pass by the research stations. The study also indicates that the aerosol particles at the two Arctic sites had similar compositions, except for the sea salt fractions. Overall, this research provides insights into the composition and mixing state of aerosol particles during the Arctic spring, contributing to a better understanding of their impact on the Arctic climate.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kouji Adachi, Yutaka Tobo, Makoto Koike, Gabriel Freitas, Paul Zieger, Radovan Krejci
Summary: The Arctic region is sensitive to climate change and this study investigates the properties of aerosol particles in order to understand their impact on the Arctic climate system. The study found that the composition of aerosol particles varied with season, with sulfate dominating in summer and sea salt increasing in winter. Additionally, cloud residual samples collected at temperatures below 0 degrees C had more sea salt and mineral dust particles, suggesting their influence on cloud particle formation in Arctic mixed-phase clouds.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
