Talaromyces amestolkiae uses organic phosphate sources for the treatment of uranium-contaminated water.

Fungi have received particular attention in regards to alternatives for bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated locales. Enzymes produced by filamentous fungi, such as phosphatases, can precipitate heavy metal ions in contaminated environments, forming metal phosphates (insoluble). Thus, this research aimed to analyze fungi for uranium biomineralization capacity. For this, Gongronella butleri, Penicillium piscarium, Rhodotorula sinensis and Talaromyces amestolkiae were evaluated. Phytate and glycerol 2-phosphate were used as the phosphate sources in the culture media at pH 3.5 and 5.5, with and without uranium ions. After 4 weeks of fungal growth, evaluated fungi were able to produce high concentrations of phosphates in the media. T. amestolkiae was the best phosphate producer, using phytate as an organic source. During fungal growth, there was no change in pH level of the culture medium. After 3 weeks of T. amestolkiae growth in medium supplemented with phytate, there was a reduction between 20 and 30% of uranium concentrations, with high precipitation of uranium and phosphate on the fungal biomass. The fungi analyzed in this research can use the phytic acid present in the medium and produce high concentrations of phosphate; which, in the environment, can assist in the heavy metal biomineralization processes, even in acidic environments. Such metabolic capabilities of fungi can be useful in decontaminating uranium-contaminated environments.

Impact of silver nanoparticles size on SERS for detection and identification of filamentous fungi.

Using the proper size of nanoparticles as an active substrate, Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can provide a reliable technique for detecting and identifying fungi, including Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticilliodes, and Aspergillus parasiticus that have been associated to biodeterioration and biodegradation of cultural heritage materials. In this research spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of average size of 10, 30 and 60 nm were synthesized using the wet chemical method with good yield and their size and shape distributions were examined using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The protocol for fungi sample preparation proved to be critical for producing high-quality and reproducible SERS spectra. We found that the effect of AgNPs on SERS signal enhancement is size dependent under the same experimental conditions; the SERS intensity of fungal strains using 60 nm achieved up to 2.3x105 enhancement, about twice as intense as those produced with 30 nm, and 10 nm produced a minor broad weak peak barely discernible around 1400 cm-1, similar to the NR spectra profile in the 550-1700 cm-1 spectral region, and the SERS signals using 60 nm showed high reproducibility, with less than 20% variance. Furthermore, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to statistically classify the SERS spectrum into four separate clusters with 99 percent variability so that the four fungal strains could be clearly detected and identified. The SERS technique, in combination with the PCA developed in this study, provides a simple, rapid, accurate, and cost-effective analytical tool for detecting and identifying filamentous fungal strains.

A correlation analysis of Light Microscopy and X-ray MicroCT imaging methods applied to archaeological plant remains' morphological attributes visualization.

In this work, several attributes of the internal morphology of drupaceous fruits found in the archaeological site Monte Castelo (Rondonia, Brazil) are analyzed by means of two different imaging methods. The aim is to explore similarities and differences in the visualization and analytical properties of the images obtained via High Resolution Light Microscopy and X-ray micro-computed tomography (X-ray MicroCT) methods. Both provide data about the three-layered pericarp (exo-, meso- and endocarp) of the studied exemplars, defined by cell differentiation, vascularisation, cellular contents, presence of sclerenchyma cells and secretory cavities. However, it is possible to identify a series of differences between the information that can be obtained through each of the methods. These variations are related to the definition of contours and fine details of some characteristics, their spatial distribution, size attributes, optical properties and material preservation. The results obtained from both imaging methods are complementary, contributing to a more exhaustive morphological study of the plant remains. X-ray MicroCT in phase-contrast mode represents a suitable non-destructive analytic technique when sample preservation is required.

Bioremediation of water contaminated with uranium using Penicillium piscarium.

Penicillium piscarium can be indicated as promising in the treatment of sites contaminated with uranium. Thus, this research aimed to analyze the P. piscarium dead biomass in uranium biosorption. This fungus was previously isolated from a highly contaminated uranium mine located in Brazil. Biosorption tests were carried out at pH 3.5 and 5.5 in solutions contaminated with concentrations of 1 to 100 mg/L of uranium nitrate. Our results showed that the dead biomass of P. piscarium was able to remove between 93.2 and 97.5% uranium from solutions at pH 3.5, at the end of the experiment, the pH of the solution increased to values above 5.6. Regarding the experiments carried out in solutions with pH 5.5, the dead biomass of the fungus was also able to remove between 38 and 92% uranium from the solution, at the end of the experiment, the pH of the solution increased to levels above 6.5. The analysis of electron microscopy, Energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence demonstrated the high concentration of uranium precipitated on the surface of the fungal biomass. These results were impressive and demonstrate that the dead biomass of P. piscarium can be an important alternative to conventional processes for treating water contaminated with heavy metals, and we hope that these ecofriendly, inexpensive, and effective technologies be encouraged for the safe discharge of water from industrial activities.

Portable X-ray fluorescence system to measure Th and U concentrations.

This study reports the results obtained in the analysis of waste material samples generated by the industries of phosphate fertilizers, in particular, the use of specific filters in a portable X-ray fluorescence system, a simple equipment allowing the characterization, identification and quantification of low concentrations of Th and U (ppm). The industrial byproduct is classified as a Technologically-Enhanced, Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Material - TENORM, and therefore requires monitoring for its radio-toxic activity due to the presence of radioactive thorium and uranium families. From the results obtained, it is concluded that this technique is able to determine the contents of these elements to concentrations of tens of ppm in measurements of about 300 s, and a small sample amount (∼0.1 g).

Deciphering pyritization-kerogenization gradient for fish soft-tissue preservation.

Soft-tissue preservation provides palaeobiological information that is otherwise lost during fossilization. In Brazil, the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation contains fish with integument, muscles, connective tissues, and eyes that are still preserved. Our study revealed that soft-tissues were pyritized or kerogenized in different microfacies, which yielded distinct preservation fidelities. Indeed, new data provided the first record of pyritized vertebrate muscles and eyes. We propose that the different taphonomic pathways were controlled by distinct sedimentation rates in two different microfacies. Through this process, carcasses deposited in each of these microfacies underwent different residence times in sulphate-reduction and methanogenesis zones, thus yielding pyritized or kerogenized soft-tissues, and a similar process has previously been suggested in studies of a late Ediacaran lagerstätte.

Deciphering the preservation of fossil insects: a case study from the Crato Member, Early Cretaceous of Brazil.

Exceptionally well-preserved three-dimensional insects with fine details and even labile tissues are ubiquitous in the Crato Member Konservat Lagerstätte (northeastern Brazil). Here we investigate the preservational pathways which yielded such specimens. We employed high resolution techniques (EDXRF, SR-SXS, SEM, EDS, micro Raman, and PIXE) to understand their fossilisation on mineralogical and geochemical grounds. Pseudomorphs of framboidal pyrite, the dominant fossil microfabric, display size variation when comparing cuticle with inner areas or soft tissues, which we interpret as the result of the balance between ion diffusion rates and nucleation rates of pyrite through the originally decaying carcasses. Furthermore, the mineral fabrics are associated with structures that can be the remains of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Geochemical data also point to a concentration of Fe, Zn, and Cu in the fossils in comparison to the embedding rock. Therefore, we consider that biofilms of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) had a central role in insect decay and mineralisation. Therefore, we shed light on exceptional preservation of fossils by pyritisation in a Cretaceous limestone lacustrine palaeoenvironment.

Surface interactions of a W-DLC-coated biomedical AISI 316L stainless steel in physiological solution.

The corrosion stability of a W-DLC coated surgical AISI 316L stainless steel in Hanks' solution has been evaluated. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) measurements were performed to evaluate the incorporation of potentially bioactive elements from the physiological solution. The film structure was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The wear behavior was assessed using the sphere-on-disc geometry. The in vitro biocompatibility of the W-DLC film was evaluated by cytotoxicity tests. The corrosion resistance of the stainless steel substrate decreased in the presence of the PVD layer. EIS measurements suggest that this behavior was closely related to the corrosion attack through the coating pores. PIXE measurements revealed the presence of Ca and P in the W-DLC film after immersion in Hanks' solution. This result shows that the PIXE technique can be applied to identify and evaluate the incorporation of bioactive elements by W-DLC films. The film showed good wear resistance and biocompatibility.

Root uptake and reduction of hexavalent chromium by aquatic macrophytes as assessed by high-resolution X-ray emission.

Aquatic macrophytes Salvinia auriculata, Pistia stratiotes and Eichhornia crassipes were chosen to investigate the Cr(VI) reduced by root-based biosorption in a chromium uptake experiment, using a high-resolution XRF technique. These plants were grown in hydroponics medium supplied with non-toxic Cr concentrations during a 27-day metal uptake experiment. The high-resolution Cr-Kbeta fluorescence spectra for dried root tissues and Cr reference material (100% Cr, Cr(2)O(3), and CrO(3)) were measured using an XRF spectrometer. For all species of aquatic plant treated with Cr(VI), the energy of the Cr-Kbeta(2,5) line was shifted around 8 eV below the same spectral line identified for the Cr(VI) reference, but it was also near to the line identified for the Cr(III) reference. Moreover, there was a lack of the strong Cr-Kbeta'' line assigned to the Cr(VI) reference material within the Cr(VI)-treated plant spectra, suggesting the reduction of Cr(VI) for other less toxic oxidation states of Cr. As all Cr-Kbeta spectra of root tissue species were compared, the peak energies and lineshape patterns of the Cr-Kbeta(2,5) line are coincident for the same aquatic plant species, when they were treated with Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Based on the experimental evidence, the Cr(VI) reduction process has happened during metal biosorption by these plants.

Correlation between heavy metal ions (copper, zinc, lead) concentrations and root length of Allium cepa L. in polluted river water

The present work was performed using the common onion (Allium cepa L.) as a bioindicator of toxicity of heavy metals in river water. The test waters were collected at two sampling sites: at the beginning and the end of the Toledo River. The bulbs of A. cepa L. were grown in test water with nine concentration levels of copper, zinc and lead from 0.1 to 50 ppm. In the laboratory, the influence of these test liquids on the root growth was examined during five days. For test liquids containing below 0.03-ppm dissolved Cu the root growth was reduced by 40 percent However, the same reduction occurred for 1-ppm dissolved Zn. For dissolved Pb, results reveal toxicity above 0.1 and 0.6 ppm at the beginning and the end of the Toledo river water, respectively.