Electrostatic interactions in the adhesion of an ion-penetrable and ion-impenetrable bacterial strain to glass

Deposition to glass of Streptococcus salivarius HB-C12 and Staphylococcus epidermidis 3399 in a parallel plate flow chamber has been studied as a function of ionic strength. Electrophoretic mobility measurements revealed that S. epidermidis 3399 possesses a thick ion-penetrable layer, probably associated with its encapsulation, while S. salivarius HB-C12 has an ion-impenetrable surface. Streaming potential measurements indicated that also the glass surface was covered with a relatively thin, ion-penetrable layer. Theoretical initial deposition rates of both strains to glass were obtained by numerically solving the convective-diffusion equation, while accounting for the ion-penetrability of the interacting surfaces. Experimentally, the initial deposition rate of the ion-penetrable strain S. epidermidis 3399 was found to be higher and less dependent on ionic strength than of the ion-impenetrable S. salivarius HB-C12, in accordance with theoretical expectations. Agreement between theoretical and experimental deposition rates could be obtained when glass was considered ion-penetrable when interacting with the ion-penetrable organism S. epidermidis 3399, while glass behaved as an ion-impenetrable surface when interacting with the ion-impenetrable S. salivarius HB-C12. Probably, interaction with an ion-impenetrable strain drives the diffuse double layer charges into the limited volume of the thin ion-penetrable layer on the glass, readily filling it up and making it appear ion-impenetrable. During interaction of glass with another ion-penetrable surface, as of S. epidermidis 3399, diffuse double layer charges move into both ion-penetrable surfaces, resulting in a much lower mobile charge density in the ion-penetrable layer on the glass which consequently continues to behave as ion-penetrable.     

Lack of effect of an externally applied electric field on bacterial adhesion to glass

Deposition to glass of Streptococcus salivarius HB-C12 and Staphylococcus epidermidis 3399 in a parallel plate flow chamber in the absence and presence of an externally applied electric field has been studied experimentally. No effect on bacterial adhesion, including initial deposition rates, numbers of adhering bacteria after 4 h, spatial distributions of adhering bacteria and air bubble induced detachment, was found. A theoretical analysis shows that electric fields applied over a 150 μm thin glass substratum do not have a sufficiently strong effect on its surface potential to influence bacterial adhesion.     

Identification of a novel series of alkylitaconic acids in wood cultures of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

A novel series of long-chain unsaturated dicarboxylic acids consisting of a long aliphatic chain attached to the C-3 position of itaconic acid has been identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry during in vitro decay of eucalypt wood by the white-rot basidiomycete Ceriporiopsis subvermispora. The major compounds were identified as tetradecyl-, 7-hexadecenyl- and hexadecylitaconic acids by their mass fragmentation patterns. Other members of the same compound series, identified as dodecanyl-, tridecanyl-, tetradecenyl-, pentadecanyl-, octadecenyl- and octadecanylitaconic acids, were present in very minor amounts or traces. Whereas hexadecenylitaconic acid has already been reported in cultures of C. subvermispora, to our knowledge this is the first report of the presence of the other alkylitaconic acids in fungal cultures. These new alkylitaconic-type metabolites may constitute a source for peroxidizable lipids involved in lignin degradation during wood decay by C. subvermispora and other white-rot basidiomycetes.     

Quenching of giant hysteresis effects in La(1-z)Y(z)Hx switchable mirrors

Hydrogen atoms adsorbed on TiO2(110)-(1x1) surfaces have been characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) combined with electron stimulated desorption (ESD) technique. Certain amounts of H atoms are unexpectedly found on the TiO2 surfaces annealed at 900 K. Two forms of adsorption were discriminated in STM images from the different sensitivity to ESD and tentatively assigned to hydroxyl-type (O-H) and hydride-type (Ti-H) species.     

Microcapsules from self-assembled colloidal particles using aqueous phase-separated polymer solutions

We report a new way of producing microcapsules consisting of a shell of aggregated colloids (also referred to as colloidosomes) using aqueous phase-separated polymer solutions (water-in-water emulsions) as a template. The extremely low interfacial tension of the template allows the production of reversible colloidosomes that spontaneously disintegrate depending on environmental conditions, making them ideal for controlled release purposes. Also, colloidosomes can have an elongated shape such that they may be used as microfluidic membranes or artificial arteries. Because the method described here does not use any organic solvents, it enables the use of sensitive materials such as cells and proteins.