Recent Publications

2015

 

Georgios Pyrgiotakis, Archana Vasanthakumar, Ya Gao, Mary Eleftheriadou, Eduardo Toledo, Alice DeAraujo, Jim McDevitt, Tae Won Han, Gediminas Mainelis, Ralph Mitchell, Phillip Demokritou Inactivation of foodborne microorganisms on stainless steel surfaces and tomatoes using Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS). Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es505868a Publication Date (Web): February 19, 2015

 

Vasanthakumar, A., A. DeAraujo, J. Mazurek, M. Schilling & R. Mitchell. Pyomelanin production in Penicillium chrysogenum is stimulated by L-Tyrosine. In press Microbiology, PDF available online Jan 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000030

 

Villa, F., A. Vasanthakumar, R. Mitchell, & F. Cappitelli. RNA-based molecular survey of biodiversity and biogeochemical processes of limestone tombstone microbiota in response to atmospheric sulfur pollution. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2015 Jan;60 (1):92-102. doi: 10.1111/lam.12345. Epub 2014 Nov 21.

 

2013

 

Vasanthakumar, A., A. DeAraujo, J. Mazurek, M. Schilling & R. Mitchell. 2013. Microbiological survey for analysis of the brown spots on the walls of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation. 79: 56-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2013.01.014

 

Nick R. Konkol, Archana Vasanthakumar, Alice DeAraujo, and Ralph Mitchell. 2013. A Non-fluidic Fluorometric Assay for the Detection of Fungi on Cultural Heritage Materials. Annals of Microbiology 63: 965-970. DOI 10.1007/s13213-012-0550-4 Published online 2012.

 

2012

 

Nick R. Konkol, Christopher J. McNamara, Kristen Bearce-Lee, Hitoshi Kunoh, Ralph Mitchell. 2012. Novel method of micronutrient application increases radish (Raphanus sativus) and Shirona (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) biomass. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 35: 471-479

 

Konkol, Nick R., Christopher J. McNamara, Ethel Hellman and Ralph Mitchell 2012. “Early Detection of fungal biomass on library materials ” Journal of Cultural Heritage 13(2):115-119. DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2010.05.002

 

2011

 

Nick R. Konkol; Brenda Bernier; Elena Bulat; Ralph Mitchell. 2011. Characterization of Filamentous Accretions On Daguerreotype Surfaces. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. Volume 50: 149-159.

 

2010

 

Chongzheng, Na, Christopher J. McNamara, Nick R. Konkol, Kristen A. Bearce, Ralph Mitchell and Scot T. Martin  “The Use of force-volume microscopy to examine bacterial attachment to titanium surfaces.”  Annals of Microbiology 60: 495-502

 

2009

 

Konkol, Nick, Christopher J. McNamara, and Ralph Mitchell. 2009. “ Fluorometric Detection and Estimation of Fungal Biomass on Cultural Heritage Materials. ” Journal of Microbiological Methods 80: 178-182.

 

Konkol, Nick, Chris McNamara, Joe Sembrat, Mark Rabinowitz and Ralph Mitchell 2008  “Enzymatic Decolorization of Bacterial Pigments from Culturally Significant Marble”.  Journal of Cultural Heritage 10: 362-366

 

McNamara, Christopher J., Kristen Bearce Lee, Matthew A. Russell, Larry E. Murphy and Ralph Mitchell ”Analysis of Bacterial Community Composition in Concretions Formed on the USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, HI”.  Journal of Cultural Heritage 10: 232-236

 

Gleason, Paul,  “Rx for the Books”  Harvard Magazine  January - February 2009 issue

 

 

2008

 

Bina Venkataraman  2008.  “Microbes Eating Away at Pieces of History”.  The New York Times  June 24, 2008.

 

Konkol, Nick R., Christopher J. McNamara, Robert A. Blanchette, Eric May and Ralph Mitchell  2008 “Microbes Can Damage but Also Help Restore Artifacts”.  Microbe  December 2008

 

Nick R. Konkol, Christopher J. McNamara, Robert Blanchette, Eric May and Ralph Mitchell.  Sticks and Stones: Microbial Deterioration of Culturally Significant Wood and Stone Artifacts and the Potential for Bioremediation.  Microbe. December 2008

 

McNamara, C.J., C. Anastasiou, V. O’Flaherty, and R. Mitchell.  2008. Microbial remediation of olive mill wastewater.  International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation 61:127-134.

 

2007

 

Tarnowski, A., X. Zhang, C. McNamara, S. Martin, and R. Mitchell. 2007. Biodeterioration and performance of anti-graffiti coatings on sandstone and marble. The Journal of the Canadian Association for Conservation 32:3-16.

 

2006

 

McNamara, C.J., T.D. Perry, K. Bearce, G. Hernandez-Duque, and R. Mitchell. 2006. Epilithic and endolithic bacterial communities in limestone from a Maya archaeological site. Microbial Ecology 51:51-64.

 

McNamara, C.J., K. Bearce, T.D. Perry IV, and R. Mitchell. 2006. Microbial biofilms inside historic stone. In: R. Fort, M. Alvarez de Buergo, M. Gomez-Heras and C. Vazquez-Calvo (Editors), Proceedings of the International Conference on Heritage, Weathering and Conservation, HWC-2006, 21-24 June 2006, Madrid, Spain. Taylor and Francis, London.

 

2005

 

McNamara, C.J., T.D. Perry, R. Leard, J. Dante, and R. Mitchell. 2005. Microbial corrosion of aluminum alloy 2024 in aircraft fuel tanks. Biofouling 21:257-265.

 

Perry, T.D., V. Klepac-Ceraj, X.V. Zhang, C.J. McNamara, M.F. Polz, S.T. Martin, N. Berke, and R. Mitchell. 2005. Binding of harvested bacterial exopolymers to the surface of calcite. Environmental Science and Technology 39:8770-8775.

 

McNamara, C.J. and R. Mitchell.  2005. Microbial deterioration of historic stone.  Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 8:445-451.

 

McNamara, C.J., T.D. Perry IV, K. Bearce, G. Hernandez-Duque, and R. Mitchell. 2005. Measurement of limestone biodeterioration using the Ca²⁺ binding fluorochrome Rhod-5N. Journal of Microbiological Methods 61:245-250.

 

Perry, T.D., C.J. McNamara, and R. Mitchell. 2005. Biodeterioration of stone. In: Scientific Examination of Art: Modern Techniques in Conservation and Analysis. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., pp 72-84.

 

2004

 

McNamara, C.J., M. Breuker, M. Helms, T.D. Perry, and R. Mitchell. 2004. Biodeterioration of Incralac used for the protection of bronze monuments. Journal of Cultural Heritage 5:361-364.

 

Perry, T.D., O.W. Duckworth, C.J. McNamara, S.T. Martin, and R. Mitchell. 2004. Effects of the biologically produced polymer alginic acid on macroscopic and microscopic calcite dissolution rates. Environmental Science and Technology 38:3040-3046.

 

Perry, T.D., O.W. Duckworth, C.J. McNamara, S.T. Martin, M. Breuker, and R. Mitchell. 2004. Biologically produced polymers affect calcite dissolution. In: Proceedings of the 11^th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction. R.B. Wanty and R.R. Seal (eds.). Saratoga Springs, NY.

 

Tarnowski, A., C. McNamara, K. Bearce, and R. Mitchell. 2004. Sticky microbes and dust on objects in historic houses.  Objects Specialty Group Postprints for the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works 11:11-28.

 

2003

 

Breuker, M., C. McNamara, L. Young, T. Perry, A. Young, and R. Mitchell. 2003. Fungal growth on synthetic cloth from Apollo spacesuits. Annals of Microbiology 53:47-54.

 

McNamara, C.J., T.D. Perry, M. Zinn, M. Breuker, G. Hernandez-Duque, and R. Mitchell. 2003. Microbial processes in the deterioration of Mayan archaeological buildings in southern Mexico. In: Art, Biology, and Conservation: Biodeterioration of Works of Art. R.J. Koestler, V.H. Koestler, A.E. Charola, and F.E. Nieto-Fernandez (eds.). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

 

Perry, T.D., C.J. McNamara, R. Mitchell, and G. Hernandez-Duque. 2003. An investigation of bacterial dissolution of Maya limestone: biodiversity and functional analysis. In: Molecular Biology and Cultural Heritage. C. Saiz-Jimenez (ed.). Swets and Zeitlinger, Lisse.

 

McNamara, C.J., T.D. Perry, N. Wolf, R. Mitchell, R. Leard, and J. Dante. 2003. Corrosion of aluminum alloy 2024 by jet fuel degrading microorganisms. Corrosion 2003, Paper No. 03568, NACE International, Houston, TX.

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences / Laboratory of Applied Microbiology