The objectives of this 14 days experiment were to investigate the effect of spaceflight on the growth of Ulocladium chartarum, to study the viability of the aerial and submerged mycelium and to put in evidence changes at the cellular level. U. chartarum was chosen for the spaceflight experiment because it is well known to be involved in biodeterioration of organic and inorganic substrates cover...

Geomicrobiology addresses the roles of microorganisms in geological and geochemical processes, and geomycology is a part of this topic focusing on the fungi. Geoactive roles of fungi include organic and inorganic transformations important in nutrient and element cycling, rock and mineral bioweathering, mycogenic biomineral formation, and metal-fungal interactions. Lichens and mycorrhizas are si...

The heterogeneous complexity of sludges and wastewaters has created gross uncertainty and deviations in predictions of suitable models for their measurement. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the current paradigms and ideologies are wrought with problems and limitations suggesting the need to move to a more consolidated analytical objective evaluation. Rapid development...

The natural durability of wood to mold fungi was tested under laboratory conditions with locally sourced Citharexylum spinosum and Morus alba woods. The mold fungi were Penicillium selerotigenum, Paecilomyces variotii, and Aspergillus niger. Changes in surface elemental composition were evaluated with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and the biodeterioration of wood surfaces by scanni...

Concern with rock decay started early in the history of the mankind. However, the last two centuries yielded a large wealth of information on the manifold aspects of rock decay and rock protection related to the physical cultural heritage. The most important branches of scientific endeavour in this field were air pollution related studies and the increasing awareness of biodeterioration. In thi...

The historical and cultural heritage of Qingxing palace and Lingyin and Kaihua temple, located in Hangzhou of China, include a large number of exquisite Buddhist statues and ancient stone sculptures which date back to the Northern Song (960-1219 A.D.) and Qing dynasties (1636-1912 A.D.) and are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient stone sculpting techniques. They were added to ...

Abstract Archaeological sites and structures suffer from several factors of deterioration. The present survey focuses on the biodeterioration by plants, which is not less important than rest deterioration factors; moreover, in many cases, it leads to their occurrence. Despite importance plants our lives aesthetic appearance around stone monuments, they pose a threat survival. Therefore, necessa...