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Abstract: Bacteria Klebsiella oxytoca (DSM 29614) secret a specific exopolysaccharide (EPS) in the presence of Fe(III)-citrate, as sole carbon and energy source, and produces after 7 days an iron gel precipitate (Fe-EPS) [1]. In the presence of palladium or other metal species, the culture of K. oxytoca can produce other mono or bimetal species (Pd-EPS, FePd-EPS) [2]. These bio-materials may be used as green biogenerated catalysts or for other biotechnological purposes. In this work we present the analysis of the morphology and the chemical state of the metals in mono and bi-metallic (Fe-EPS, Pd-EPS, FePd-EPS) complexes, by a combination of micro X-ray fluorescence, X-ray absorption spectroscopy methods (XANES and EXAFS), and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that iron in monometallic Fe-EPS and bimetalic FePd-EPS is in the mineralized form of iron oxides/hydroxides, predominantly in the form of Fe3+, with a small amount of Fe2+ in the structure, as a mixture of different nano-crystalline iron oxides and hydroxides. Palladium on the other hand is found as Pd(0) in the form of metallic nanoparticles with fcc structure in both, bi-metallic (FePd-EPS) and mono-metallic (Pd-EPS) species. In bi-metallic species Pd and Fe nanoparticles agglomerate in larger clusters, but they remain spatially separated. Access to the SR facilities at ESRF (beamline ID21, project LS-2225), DESY (beamline C) Hamburg (project I-20110511 EC) and ELETTRA (beamline XAFS, project 20115112) is acknowledged.
Keywords: Klebsiella oxytoca, Fe, Pd, XANES, EXAFS, exopolysaccharide, FePd-EPS
Published in RUNG: 28.06.2016; Views: 5612; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: This abstract is based on project contributions from partners in, Lithuania, Slovenia, Finland and the UK. The members from partner countries are as follows: - Slovenia, University of Nova Gorica, Dr. P.Purg - Lithuania, Vilnius Business College, Dr. D. Rimkuniiene - Finland, University of Turku, V.Hautala - UK, Staffordshire University, L.Drumm There is no lack of evidence that Europe places a high importance on entrepreneurial education: “Europe needs more entrepreneurs, more innovation and more high-growth SMEs. This is why it is necessary to stimulate the entrepreneurial mindsets of young people. The important role of education in promoting more entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours is now widely recognised.” [1]. “The European Commission is committed to promoting education for entrepreneurship at all levels” [2]. This paper introduces the key interim findings of the IDEATE project[3] which aims to provide a new approach to including entrepreneurial education into Higher Education programmes through the development and delivery of a trans-national, interdisciplinary module delivered through intensive learning mobilities (workshops). This paper is written halfway through the IDEATE project, after two student mobilities, involving 16 students from 4 Universities. The students were from varying study programmes including Law, ICT, Creative arts and Bio-medicine. The paper reflects on the practical stages of the module development, and compares experiences from the 4 EU Universities[4], including the validation process, the selection of students, the development of a common syllabus and common assessment, as well as the acceptance of the module as part of the learning plan of each student. It will not include the student experience in detail as this will be analysed after the second (2016) cohort, and will be the subject of another publication. Instead it focuses on the potential benefits, enablers and barriers to HEIs working with this new pedagogic approach, and constructs some lessons learned for those managing HE provision.
Keywords: inter-disciplinary education, pedagogy, innovative curricula, entrepreneurial education.
Published in RUNG: 24.06.2016; Views: 4992; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: Based on both quantitative and qualitative findings after two course runs in 2015 and 2016, the article will evaluate key aspects of the IDEATE.me entrepreneurship workshop model – as serious play. In the IDEATE course university students from four different countries and disciplines respond together to a contemporary challenge of global social significance, eventually presenting a full product or service prototype. As a media-technology supported ecosystem, the blendedlearning pedagogy offers space for particular gamification strategies, such as social and narrative suspense, win-win oriented competition, conceptual way-finding, new-territory mapping etc. Seeking balance between own disciplinary autonomy and exploring new roles, the students of IDEATE play along to navigate intercultural and interdisciplinary environments, permeated by new electronic media – but still relying on body-in-space. Addressing teachers and university managers, the entrepreneurial pedagogy of IDEATE will unfold on the background of the "eculog" paradigm (M. Giesecke), suggesting a timely understanding of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration.
Keywords: entrepreneurship, pedagogy, new media, media ecology, eculog
Published in RUNG: 24.06.2016; Views: 4676; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: In spin models, that are applied to describe the conformational transitions in polymers, the number of spin orientations, that correspond to the disordered conformation, can be estimated using fundamental definitions of Statistical Physics. For instance, when considering alpha-helix to coil transition in polypeptides, the role of generalized coordinates is played by pairs of torsional angle, and the repeating unit populates different regions of that 2D contour map, depending on conformation. By scanning over all possible torsional angles, that do not violate the obvious limitations due to the excluded volume, the so-called Ramachandran map can be plotted, which is actually the phase space visualization for the helix-coil transition problem. The region of phase space, corresponding to the ordered, helical conformations, is much more limited, than the one, corresponding to all other (allowed) conformations. We can calculate the areas of these regions as Γhelix and Γcoil , and construct the ratio Q = Γcoil . Naturally, it can be interpreted as log(Q) = Scoil − Shelix = ΔS, the entropic cost of helix with respect to coil. To illustrate the importance of the entropic price of ordered conformation we report our recent results, that allowed to explain the peculiarity of phase diagrams of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) out of larger Q-values, as compared to globular counterparts. In particular, it has been shown, that due to larger Q, the phase diagram of IDP is shifted towards higher temperatures.
Keywords: IDP, protein folding, phase diagram
Published in RUNG: 23.06.2016; Views: 4680; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: High energy gamma-rays are one of the most promising tools to constrain or reveal the nature of dark matter. During the almost eight years of the Fermi satellite mission, the data from its Large Area Telescope (LAT) were used to set constraints on the dark matter cross section to various particle channels which now cut well into the theoretically motivated region of the parameter space. In this talk I will describe methods used to search for evidence of dark matter with the LAT, and review the status of the searches. Special attention will be given to the latest indications of the origin of the unaccounted gamma-ray excess at few GeV in the Fermi-LAT data in the region around the Galactic Center, which steered lots of attention as it was shown to be consistent with putative signals of WIMP dark matter particles. Finally I will discuss projections of the expected sensitivities with continued LAT data taking.
Keywords: dark matter, Fermi LAT experiment
Published in RUNG: 21.06.2016; Views: 4798; Downloads: 0
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