We report on investigations of gas metal arc welding plasma operated in pure argon and in a mixture of argon and CO 2 at a dc current of 326 A. The spatially resolved electron densities and temperatures were directly obtained by measuring the Stark widths of the Ar I 695.5 nm and Fe I 538.3 nm spectral lines. Our experimental results show a reduction of the plasma conductivity and transfer from spray arc to globular arc operation with increasing CO 2 concentration. Although the electron density n e increases while approaching the core of the plasma in the spray-arc mode, a drop in the electron temperature T e is observed. Moreover, the maximum T e that we measure is about 13 000 K. Our experimental results differ from the Haidar model where T e is always maximum on the arc axis and its values exceed 20 000 K. These discrepancies can be explained as a result of underestimation of the amount of metal vapours in the plasma core and of the assumption of local thermal equilibrium plasma in the model.

Metagenomics approaches and recent improvements in the next‐generation sequencing methods, have become a method of choice in establishing a microbial population structure. Many commercial soil DNA extraction kits are available and due to their efficiency they are replacing traditional extraction protocols. However, differences in the physicochemical properties of soil samples require optimization of DNA extraction techniques for each sample separately. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency, quality, and diversity of genetic material extracted with the use of commonly used kits. The comparative analysis of microbial community composition, displayed differences in microbial community structure depending on which kit was used. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in recovery of the genetic material for 24 out of 32 analyzed phyla, and the most pronounced differences were seen for Actinobacteria. Also, diversity indexes and reproducibility of DNA extraction with the use of a given kit, varied among the tested methods. As the extraction protocol may influence the apparent structure of a microbial population, at the beginning of each project many extraction kits should be tested in order to choose one that would yield the most representative results and present the closest view to the actual structure of microbial population.

The plasma column in the metal inert gas welding process is investigated by optical emission spectroscopy and high-speed imaging. The concentration and repartition of iron vapours are measured and correlated to the plasma and electrode geometric configuration. Plasma temperatures and electron densities were also measured for each studied position in the plasma. The temperatures are calculated using two different methods, allowing validation of the local thermodynamic equilibrium state of the plasma. The results show a maximum temperature of 12500 K on the arc upper part, away from the arc axis. The iron concentration reaches a maximum of 0.3% close to the anode and strongly decreases along both the vertical and the radial directions. The plasma thermophysical properties, calculated from this plasma composition, are then discussed regarding the metal transfer mode.

Insects’ exoskeleton, gut, hemocoel, and cells are colonized by various microorganisms that often play important roles in their host life. Moreover, insects are frequently infected by vertically transmitted symbionts that can manipulate their reproduction. The aims of this study were the characterization of bacterial communities of four developmental stages of the fungivorous species Hoplothrips carpathicus (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), verification of the presence of Wolbachia, in silico prediction of metabolic potentials of the microorganisms, and sequencing its mitochondrial COI barcode. Taxonomy-based analysis indicated that the bacterial community of H. carpathicus contained 21 bacterial phyla. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacterioidetes and Firmicutes, and the most abundant classes were Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, with different proportions in the total share. For pupa and imago (adult) the most abundant genus was Wolbachia, which comprised 69.95% and 56.11% of total bacterial population respectively. Moreover, similarity analysis of bacterial communities showed that changes in microbiome composition are congruent with the successive stages of H. carpathicus development. PICRUSt analysis predicted that each bacterial community should be rich in genes involved in membrane transport, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, replication and repair processes.

Composition of the applied shielding gas has a strong influence on physical properties of the plasma and parameters of the welding process. In particular, increase of the percentage of carbon dioxide in argon results in an increase of the transition current value while changing from the globular to spray mode of metal transfer during the welding process. In order to explain this phenomenon, the MIG/MAG welding arc plasma was investigated for different mixtures of argon and carbon dioxide in the shielding gas. Applying a fast camera, recording distribution of spectral lines of the plasma components, we noticed some phenomena not described yet in the literature. Especially, there is a limit in the percentage of relative concentration CO2/Ar beyond which the arc shape is significantly modified.