Soil Microbiome in Conditions of Oil Pollution of Subarctic Ecosystems.

The present study aimed to investigate the recovery of soil quality and the bacterial and fungal communities following various recultivation methods in areas contaminated with oil. Oil spills are known to have severe impacts on ecosystems; thus, the restoration of contaminated soils has become a significant challenge nowadays. The study was conducted in the forest-tundra zone of the European North-East, where 39 soil samples from five oil-contaminated sites and reference sites were subjected to metagenomic analyses. The contaminated sites were treated with different biopreparations, and the recovery of soil quality and microbial communities were analyzed. The analysis of bacteria and fungi communities was carried out using 16S rDNA and ITS metabarcoding. It was found that 68% of bacterial OTUs and 64% of fungal OTUs were unique to the reference plot and not registered in any of the recultivated plots. However, the species diversity of recultivated sites was similar, with 50-80% of bacterial OTUs and 44-60% of fungal OTUs being common to all sites. New data obtained through soil metabarcoding confirm our earlier conclusions about the effectiveness of using biopreparations with indigenous oil-oxidizing micro-organisms also with mineral fertilizers, and herbaceous plant seeds for soil remediation. It is possible that the characteristics of microbial communities will be informative in the bioindication of soils reclaimed after oil pollution.

Complete Genome of Sinorhizobium meliloti AK76, a Symbiont of Wild Diploid Medicago lupulina from the Mugodgary Mountain Region.

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a symbiotic bacterial species forming nitrogen-fixing nodules on roots of annual and perennial Medicago spp. We report the full genome sequence of S. meliloti strain AK76, an effective symbiont of the wild diploid plant Medicago lupulina grown in the Mugodgary Mountain region, Kazakhstan.

Surface- and Structural-Dependent Reactivity of Titanium Oxide Nanostructures with 2-Chloroethyl Ethyl Sulfide under Ambient Conditions.

Robust materials capable of heterogeneous reactivity are valuable for addressing toxic chemical clean up. Synthetic manipulations for generating titanium oxide nanomaterials have been utilized to alter both photochemical (1000 nm > λ > 400 nm) and chemical heterogeneous reactivity with 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES). Synthesizing TiO2 nanomaterials in the presence of long-chain alkylphosphonic acids enhanced the visible light-driven oxidation of the thioether sulfur of 2-CEES. Photooxidation reaction rates of 99 and 168 µmol/g/h (quantum yields of 5.07 × 10-4 and 8.58 × 10-4 molecules/photon, respectively) were observed for samples made with two different alkylphosphonic acids (C14H29PO3H2 and C9H19PO3H2, respectively). These observations are correlated with (i) generation of new surface defects/states (i.e., oxygen vacancies) as a result of TiO2 grafting by alkylphosphonic acid that may serve as reaction active sites, (ii) better light absorption by assemblies of nanorods and nanowires in comparison to individual nanorods, (iii) surface area differences, and (iv) the exclusion of OH groups due to the surface functionalization with alkylphosphonic acids via Ti-O-P bonds on the TiO2. Alternatively, nanowire-form H2Ti2O5·H2O was produced and found to be capable of highly efficient hydrolysis of the carbon-chlorine (C-Cl) bond of 2-CEES in the dark with a reaction rate of 279.2 µmol/g/h due to the high surface area and chemical nature of the titanate structure.

Autographivirinae Bacteriophage Arno 160 Infects Pectobacterium carotovorum via Depolymerization of the Bacterial O-Polysaccharide.

Phytopathogenic bacteria belonging to the Pectobacterium and Dickeya genera (soft-rot Pectobacteriaceae) are in the focus of agriculture-related microbiology because of their diversity, their substantial negative impact on the production of potatoes and vegetables, and the prospects of bacteriophage applications for disease control. Because of numerous amendments in the taxonomy of P. carotovorum, there are still a few studied sequenced strains among this species. The present work reports on the isolation and characterization of the phage infectious to the type strain of P. carotovorum. The phage Arno 160 is a lytic Podovirus representing a potential new genus of the subfamily Autographivirinae. It recognizes O-polysaccahride of the host strain and depolymerizes it in the process of infection using a rhamnosidase hydrolytic mechanism. Despite the narrow host range of this phage, it is suitable for phage control application.

Draft Genome Sequence of Sinorhizobium meliloti AK555.

The inoculation of legume seeds with Sinorhizobium bacteria significantly improves pasture production. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of symbiotically efficient and salt-tolerant Sinorhizobium meliloti inoculant strain AK555, which substantially increases biomass yield of a number of Medicago sativa subsp. varia varieties, such as "Agniya," "Vega 87," and "Selena."

Draft Genome Sequence of Sinorhizobium meliloti Strain CXM1-105.

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a Gram-negative bacterium which fixes atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with Medicago spp. We report the draft genome sequence of S. meliloti strain CXM1-105, associated with nodules of Medicago sativa subsp. varia (Martyn) Arcang.

Draft Genome Sequence of Sinorhizobium meliloti Strain AK170.

Root nodule bacteria of Sinorhizobium meliloti species live in a symbiotic relationship with alfalfa plants. We report here the draft genome sequence of S. meliloti strain AK170, recovered from nodules of Medicago orthoceras (Kar. & Kir.) growing in an area impacted by salinization.

Draft Genome Sequence of Thermaerobacter sp. Strain PB12/4term, a Thermophilic Facultative Anaerobic Bacterium from Bottom Sediments of Lake Baikal, Russia.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Thermaerobacter sp. strain PB12/4term, a thermophilic facultative anaerobic bacterium from the bottom sediments of Lake Baikal, Russia, associated with the discharge zone of gas-bearing fluids.

Complete Genome Sequence of a Western Siberian Lymantria dispar Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Isolate.

A novel strain of Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV-27) was isolated from dead larvae of a Western Siberian (WS) population of gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar L.). We report the complete genome sequence of this strain, comprising 164,108 bp and double-stranded circular DNA encoding 162 predicted open reading frames.

Products of SO2 adsorption on fuel cell electrocatalysts by combination of sulfur K-edge XANES and electrochemistry.

Electrochemical adsorption of SO(2) on platinum is complicated by the change in sulfur oxidation state with potential. Here, we attempt to identify SO(2) adsorption products on catalyst coated membranes (CCMs) at different electrode potentials using a combination of in situ sulfur K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. CCMs employed platinum nanoparticles supported on Vulcan carbon (Pt/VC). SO(2) was adsorbed from a SO(2)/N(2) gas mixture while holding the Pt/VC-electrode potential at 0.1, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 V vs a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Sulfur adatoms (S(0)) are identified as the SO(2) adsorption products at 0.1 V, while mixtures of S(0), SO(2), and sulfate/bisulfate ((bi)sulfate) ions are suggested as SO(2) adsorption products at 0.5 and 0.7 V. At 0.9 V, SO(2) is completely oxidized to (bi)sulfate ions. The identity of adsorbed SO(2) species on Pt/VC catalysts at different electrode potentials is confirmed by modeling of XANES spectra using FEFF8 and a linear combination of experimental spectra from sulfur standards. Results on SO(2) speciation gained from XANES are used to compare platinum-sulfur electronic interactions for Pt(3)Co/VC versus Pt/VC catalysts in order to understand the difference between the two catalysts in terms of SO(2) contamination.

Experimental methods for quantifying the activity of platinum electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.

A tutorial is provided for methods to accurately and reproducibly determine the activity of Pt-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells and other applications. The impact of various experimental parameters on electrocatalyst activity is demonstrated, and explicit experimental procedures and measurement protocols are given for comparison of electrocatalyst activity to fuel cell standards. (To listen to a podcast about this article, please go to the Analytical Chemistry multimedia page at pubs.acs.org/page/ancham/audio/index.html.).