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Methane-oxidizing microorganisms perform an important role in reducing emissions of the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere. To date, known bacterial methanotrophs belong to the Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and NC10 phyla. Within the Proteobacteria phylum, they can be divided into type Ia, type Ib, and type II methanotrophs. Type Ia and type II are well represented by isolates. Contrastingly, the vast majority of type Ib methanotrophs have not been able to be cultivated so far. Here, we compared the distributions of type Ib lineages in different environments. Whereas the cultivated type Ib methanotrophs (Methylococcus and Methylocaldum) are found in landfill and upland soils, lineages that are not represented by isolates are mostly dominant in freshwater environments, such as paddy fields and lake sediments. Thus, we observed a clear niche differentiation within type Ib methanotrophs. Our subsequent isolation attempts resulted in obtaining a pure culture of a novel type Ib methanotroph, tentatively named "Methylotetracoccus oryzae" C50C1. Strain C50C1 was further characterized to be an obligate methanotroph, containing C16:1ω9c as the major membrane phospholipid fatty acid, which has not been found in other methanotrophs. Genome analysis of strain C50C1 showed the presence of two pmoCAB operon copies and XoxF5-type methanol dehydrogenase in addition to MxaFI. The genome also contained genes involved in nitrogen and sulfur cycling, but it remains to be demonstrated if and how these help this type Ib methanotroph to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions in freshwater ecosystems., BT/Environmental Biotechnology

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Synthese von Ferrocenyloxy- (FcO-; Fc = Fe(η5-C5H4)(η5-C5H5)) substituierten Silanen, Stannoxanen, Titanocen- und Zirkonocen-Komplexen. Weiterhin wurden Titanocen-Komplexe mit Ferrocenyl-sulfanyl- (FcS-) und Ferrocenylselanyl- (FcSe-) Liganden dargestellt. Das elektrochemische Verhalten dieser Verbindungen wurde mittels Cyclovoltammetrie, Square-Wave-Voltammetrie und in situ UV/Vis-NIR-Spektroskopie untersucht. Das drucklose Niedertemperaturfügen von Kupferwerkstoffen und das Generieren dünner MgO- und ZnO-Schichten auf Si-Substraten mittels CVD und Spin-Coating-Prozesse stellen zwei weitere Kernthemen dieser Arbeit dar. Das Niedertemperaturfügen umfasst die Synthese von Ag(I)-Carboxylaten wie [AgO2CCR2OC(O)OMe] (R = H, Me) und deren Verwendung als Basis-Komponenten in der Entwicklung von Fügepasten. Zur Erzeugung von MgO- und ZnO-Schichten wurden Metall-Dialkoholate des Typs [M(OCHMeCH2NMeCH2)2] (M = Mg, Zn) synthetisiert und mit MOCVD- und/oder Spin-Coating-Techniken abgeschieden.

In light of rising sea levels and increased storm surge hazards, detailed information on relative sea-level (RSL) histories and local controlling mechanisms is required to support future projections and to better prepare for future coastal-protection challenges. This study contributes to deciphering Holocene RSL changes at the German North Sea coast in high resolution by developing a transfer function for RSL change. Recent associations of Foraminifera and Ostracoda from low intertidal to supratidal settings of the barrier island of Spiekeroog in combination with environmental parameters (granulomeny, C/N, total organic carbon, salinity) were investigated and quantified in elevation steps of 15 cm in order to generate a first transfer function (TF) of Holocene RSL change. In a future step, the TF can be applied to the stratigraphic record. Our data show a clear vertical zonation of foraminifer and ostracod taxa between the middle salt marsh and the tidal flat with very few individuals in the sand flat area, suggesting removal by the tidal current or poor preservation. Multivariate statistics identify the elevation, corresponding to the inundation frequency, as main driving factor. The smallest vertical error (49 cm) is associated with an entirely new approach of combining Foraminifera and Ostracoda for a TF. Advantages of the TF over classical RSL indicators such as basal and intercalated peats - beside the relatively narrow indicative meaning - include the possible application to a wide range of intertidal facies and that the resulting RSL curve does not depend on compaction-prone peats.

Throughout human history, communication and trade have been key to society. Because maritime trade facilitated the rapid transportation of passengers and freight at relatively low cost, harbours became hubs for traffic, trade and exchange. This general statement holds true for the Pergamenian kingdom, which ruled wide parts of today's western Turkey during Hellenistic times. Its harbour, located at the city of Elaia on the eastern Aegean shore, was used extensively for commercial and military purposes. This study reconstructs the coastal evolution in and around the ancient harbour of Elaia and compares the observed environmental modifications with archaeological and historical findings. We use micropalaeontological, sedimentological and geochemical proxies to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental dynamics and evolution of the ancient harbour. The geoarchaeological results confirm the archaeological and historical evidence for Elaia's primacy during Hellenistic and early Roman times, and the city's gradual decline during the late Roman period. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that Elaia holds a unique position as a harbour city during ancient times in the eastern Aegean region, because it was not greatly influenced by the high sediment supply associated with river deltas. Consequently, no dredging of the harbour basins is documented, creating exceptional geo-bioarchives for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.

The synthesis of complexes [M(OCHMeCH2NMeCH2)2] (5, M = Mg; 7, M = Zn) is described. Treatment of MeHNCH2CH2NMeH (1) with 2-methyloxirane (2) gave diol (HOCHMeCH2NMeCH2)2 (3), which upon reaction with equimolar amounts of MR2 (4, M = Mg, R = Bu; 6, M = Zn, R = Et) gave 5 and 7. The thermal behavior and vapor pressure of 5 and 7 were investigated to show whether they are suited as CVD (= chemical vapor deposition) and/or spin-coating precursors for MgO or ZnO layer formation. Thermogravimetric (TG) studies revealed that 5 and 7 decompose between 80–530 °C forming MgO and ZnO as evidenced by PXRD studies. In addition, TG-MS-coupled experiments were carried out with 7 proving that decomposition occurs by M–O, C–O, C–N and C–C bond cleavages, as evidenced from the detection of fragments such as CH4N+, C2H4N+, C2H5N+, CH2O+, C2H2O+ and C2H3O+. The vapor pressure of 7 was measured at 10.4 mbar at 160 °C, while 5 is non-volatile. The layers obtained by CVD are dense and conformal with a somewhat granulated surface morphology as evidenced by SEM studies. In addition, spin–coating experiments using 5 and 7 as precursors were applied. The corresponding MO layer thicknesses are between 7–140 nm (CVD) or 80 nm and 65 nm (5, 7; spin-coating). EDX and XPS measurements confirm the formation of MgO and ZnO films, however, containing 12–24 mol% (CVD) or 5–9 mol% (spin-coating) carbon. GIXRD studies verify the crystalline character of the deposited layers obtained by CVD and the spin-coating processes.

Throughout mankind's history, the need to secure and protect the home settlement was an essential one. This holds especially true for the city of Ainos (modern Enez) in Turkish Thrace. Due to its continuous settlement history since the 7th/6th century BC, several different types of city walls were builtsometimes even on top of each otherseveral of which have been preserved over time. To decipher the construction style, the course and the age of a buried city wall segment in the southern part of the former city, a geoscientific multi-proxy approach including magnetic gradiometer (MG) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) measurements in combination with granulometrical, sedimentological and microfaunistical investigations on sediment cores was applied. We were able to (1) present reasonable arguments for its Hellenistic age; (2) reveal the course of this wall segment and extrapolate it further north into a less studied area; and (3) demonstrate that in this near-coastal area, the former swampy terrain had been consolidated for constructing the wall. Our multi-proxy approach serves as a valuable example for investigating buried structures in archaeological contexts, avoiding a less-economical, time-consuming, or even forbidden excavation.