We demonstrate that band-structure effects suppress bremsstrahlung of neutrino pairs by electrons in the crusts of neutron stars at temperatures of the order of 5×109K and below. Taking this into account, together with the fact that recent work indicates that the masses of neutron star crusts are considerably smaller than previously estimated, we find neutrino pair bremsstrahlung to be much les...

Biological soil crusts are diverse assemblages of bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, and mosses that cover much of arid land soils. The objective of this study was to quantify protozoa associated with biological soil crusts and test the response of protozoa to increased temperature and precipitation as is predicted by some global climate models. Protozoa were more abundant when ass...

We compared the community structures of cyanobacteria in four biological desert crusts from Utah's Colorado Plateau developing on different substrata. We analyzed natural samples, cultures, and cyanobacterial filaments or colonies retrieved by micromanipulation from field samples using microscopy, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. While microscopic analy...

This paper describes some biodegradation processes originating from the activity of microorganisms in the black crusts of historic buildings. The crusts are mainly composed of gypsum, carbonaceous particles, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The slowly dissolving gypsum from black crusts represents a continuous source of sulphur for microbial growth. The sulphate-bonding capacity of the she...

Manganese stains, crusts, and nodules are widely distributed on the insular slopes of the Hawaiian ridge. The thickness of the manganese crusts depends on depth of water, water circulation, and the age and lithology of the substrate, and varies from absent to stains off the island of Hawaii to a maximum of 5 cm in the vicinity of Midway. Scanning electron microscope studies indicate that the in...

1. Desertification negatively impacts a large proportion of the global human population and > 30% of the terrestrial land surface. Better methods are needed to detect areas that are at risk of desertification and to ameliorate desertified areas. Biological soil crusts are an important soil lichen-moss-microbial community that can be used toward these goals, as (i) bioindicators of desertificati...

Dew formation was investigated in three developmental stages of biological soil crusts (BSC), which were collected along a catena of an inland dune and in the initial substrate. The Penman equation, which was developed for saturated surfaces, was modified for unsaturated surfaces and used for prediction of dewfall rates. The levels of surface saturation required for this approach were predicted...

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) account for a substantial portion of primary production in dryland ecosystems. They successionally mature to deliver a suite of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water retention and nutrient cycling, and climate regulation. Biocrust assemblages are extremely well adapted to survive desiccation and to rapidly take advantage of the periodic preci...

Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRF or T-RFLP) analysis and 16S rDNA sequence analysis from clone libraries were used to examine cyanobacterial diversity in three types of predominant soil crusts in an arid grassland. Total DNA was extracted from cyanobacteria-, lichen-, or moss-dominated crusts that represent different successional stages in crust development, and which cont...