VOLN27B: A New Head-Tailed Halovirus Isolated from an Underground Salt Crystal and Infecting Halorubrum

A novel halovirus, VOLN27B, was isolated from a drill core sample taken at a depth of approximately 430 m, from a layer formed during the Cretaceous period (Anhui, China). VOLN27B infects the halophilic archaeon Halorubrum sp. LN27 and has a head-tailed morphotype with a contractile tail, typical of myoviruses. The average head diameter is 64 ± 2.0 nm, and uncontracted tails are 15 ± 1.0 × 65 ± 2.0 nm. The latent period is about 10 h. The maturing time of VOLN27B in cells of Halorubrum sp. LN27 was nearly 8 h. The adsorption time of VOLN27B on cells of Halorubrum sp. LN27 was less than 1 min. Virus particles are unstable at pH values less than 5 or when the NaCl concentration is below 12% ( w / v ). VOLN27B and Halorubrum sp. LN27 were recovered from the same hypersaline environment and provide a new virus-host system in haloarchaea.

Effect of ZnO on Properties of Gels for Heritage Objects Conservation

One of the current research objectives is the development of new films for the conservation of glass heritage objects. The value of historical glass objects is given by the technology and raw materials used in production as well as their transparency and color. Their colors are correlated with oxide composition rich in transitional metals, which decrease resistance of corrosive agents from the atmosphere. In this paper, SiO2-ZnO gels have been designed to protect historical glass objects. The sol–gel method used to obtain gels is a powerful tool for functionalizing different materials. An important functionalization is the antibacterial activity. By applying a gel, the coated material is able to decrease the growth of bacteria. After deposition, some gels must be strengthened by heat treatment. The effect of ZnO content (10 mol% and 20 mol%) on the properties of the studied gels was investigated by Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and antibacterial tests. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and the halotolerant bacterium, Virgibacillus halodenitrificans, isolated from a salt crystal from Unirea mine, Slănic Prahova, Romania, were used. The gel Gel 2 (SiO2-ZnO (20 mol%)) showed the best properties.

Effect of interface-active proteins on the salt crystal size in waterborne hybrid materials

Aqueous processes yielding hybrid or composite materials are widespread in natural environments and their control is fundamental for a multiplicity of living organisms. Their design and in vitro engineering require knowledge about the spatiotemporal evolution of the interactions between the involved liquid and solid phases and, especially, the interphases governing the development of adhesion during solidification. The present study illustrates the effects of distinct proteins on the precipitation of sodium chloride encompassing the size, shape and distribution of halite crystals formed during the drying of droplets containing equally concentrated saline protein solutions. The precipitates obtained from aqueous sodium chloride formulations buffered with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) contained either bovine serum albumin (BSA), fibrinogen or collagen and were characterized with respect to their structure and composition using optical and electron microscopy as well as x-ray analysis. The acquired findings highlight that depending on the protein type present during droplet drying the halite deposits predominantly exhibit cubic or polycrystalline dendritic structures. Based on the phenomenological findings, it is suggested that the formation of the interphase between the growing salt phase and the highly viscous saline aqueous jelly phase containing protein governs not only the material transport in the liquid but also the material exchange between the solid and liquid phases.

Thermal Performance Analysis of a Newly Designed Circular Firewood Boiling Salt Stove

Different biomass stoves are introduced and distributed among people living in rural and urban areas, especially in developing countries. For salt crystal production in Thailand’s rural north-eastern area, open fire stoves are used in domestic and small productive activities. Their thermal efficiency is very low for converting heat into utilization energy. A new stove with a circular configuration was designed and constructed to consider its thermal efficiency and economics, which were compared with those from a traditional and an improved traditional stove. The obtained thermal efficiency of the newly designed stove was 14.77% higher than that of the improved stove and 81.45% higher than that of the traditional stove. For the same initial saline volume, the final amounts of salt crystals and salt flowers obtained from the newly designed stove was higher compared with those obtained from the improved stove and the traditional stove, respectively, resulting in a 69.25% shorter payback period.

Efficient Infrared Emission of Colloidal PbSe Nanoplatelets by Lateral Size Control

Colloidal two-dimensional (2D) lead chalcogenide nanoplatelets (NPLs) represent highly interesting materials for near- and short wave-infrared applications including innovative glass fiber optics exhibiting negligible attenuation. In this work, we demonstrate a direct synthesis route for 2D PbSe NPLs with cubic rock salt crystal structure at low reaction temperatures of 0 °C and room temperature. A lateral size tuning of the PbSe NPLs by controlling the temper-ature and by adding small amounts of octylamine to the reaction leads to excitonic absorption features in the range of 800 – 1000 nm (1.6 – 1.3 eV) and narrow photoluminescence (PL) seamlessly covering the broadband infrared spec-tral window of 900 – 1450 nm (1.4 – 0.9 eV). The PL quantum yield of the as-synthesized PbSe NPLs is more than doubled by a postsynthetic treatment with CdCl2 (e.g. from 14.7 % to 37.4 % for NPLs emitting at 980 nm with a FWHM of 214 meV). An analysis of the slightly asymmetric PL line shape of the PbSe NPLs and their characterization by ultrafast transient absorption and time-resolved PL spectroscopy reveal a surface trap related PL contribution which is successfully reduced by the CdCl2 treatment from 40 % to 15 %. Our results open up new pathways for a direct synthesis and straightforward incorporation of colloidal PbSe NPLs as efficient infrared emitters at technologi-cally relevant telecommunication wavelengths.

Pembuatan dan Karakterisasi Rochelle Salt Crystal

Rochelle Salt is the first synthesis Crystal made by Pierre Siegnette La Rocchelle in France. Rochelle Salt have several characteriztion one of them is piezoelectric effect where the crystal can change the kinetic energy to electrical energy instead this is the one of rewenable source altenative energy. Rochelle Salt can be made with tartar cream and washing soda reacted with distilled water as a solvent. The solution is reacted until there is no more reaction or supersaturation condition. Wait the solution for 2 days until the crystal seed appears. The crystal growth using the method of growing crystal in solution for 1 month until the crystal bigger enough for research to find the piezoelectric effect. Based on the result that have been obtained, Rochelle Salt have piezoelectric effect. Crystal hit using with wooden hitter and metal hitter, the voltage is increase when the crystal is hit by hitter. The piezoelectric also disappear along with time.