TY - JOUR A1 - Turaliyeva, M. A1 - Yeshibaev, A. A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Elibayeva, G. A1 - Sydykova, A. A1 - Uspabayeva, A. A1 - Dosybayeva, G. A1 - Zhylysbayeva, A. A1 - Lakhanova, K. T1 - Molecular-genetic identification of emerged novel invasive pathogens of Asiatic Elm Ulmus pumila L JF - Life science journal N2 - The dwarf elm Ulmus pumila L. (Ulmaceae) is one of indigenous species of flora in Kazakhstan and forms a basis of dendroflora in virtually all settlements of the region. In the past decade, multiple outbreaks of previously unknown diseases of the small-leaved elm have been registered. In our study, by the molecular-genetic analysis it was found that the pathogens responsible for the outbreaks are microfungi belonging to the genus Fusarium – F. solani and F. oxysporum. The nucleotide sequences (ITS regions) isolated from the diseased trees showed very high similarity with the GenBank control numbers EU625403.1 and FJ478128.1 (100.0 and 99.0 % respectively). Oncoming research will focus on the search of natural microbial antagonists of the discovered phytopathogens. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.7537/marslsj1105s14.33 SN - 1097-8135 VL - 11 IS - Spec. iss. 5s SP - 171 EP - 175 PB - Marsland Press CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Küppers, Tobias A1 - Steffen, Victoria A1 - Hellmuth, Hendrik A1 - O'Connell, Timothy A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Wiechert, Wolfgang T1 - Developing a new production host from a blueprint: Bacillus pumilus as an industrial enzyme producer JF - Microbial cell factories Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2859-13-46 SN - 1475-2859 (E-Journal) VL - 13 SP - Article No. 46 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fuest, Matthias A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Walter, Peter A1 - Plange, Niklas T1 - Monitoring intraocular pressure changes after intravitreal Ranibizumab injection using rebound tonometry JF - Ophthalmic and physiological optics Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/opo.12134 SN - 1475-1313 (E-Journal); 0275-5408 (Print) N1 - Special Issue: The Ageing Visual System VL - 34 IS - 4 SP - 438 EP - 444 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laack, Walter van T1 - Therefore Fermat is right JF - American journal of humanities and social sciences : AJHSS N2 - It was Fernat's idea to investigate how many numbers would fulfill the equation according to the Pythagorean Theorem if the exponent were increased to random, e.g. to a3 + b3 = c3. His question became therefore: are there two whole numbers the cubes of which add up to the volume of the cube of a third whole number? He posed this same question, of course, for all kinds of higher exponents, so that the equation could be generalized: is there an integral solution for the equation an + bn = cn, if the exponent n is higher than 2? Although in 1993, the English mathematician Andrew Wiles was able to produce an arithmetical proof for Fermat's famous theorem, I will show that there is a simple logical explanation which is also pragmatic and plausible and what is the result of a fundamental alternative idea how our world seems to be constructed. Y1 - 2014 SN - 2329-079X (E-Journal); 2329-0781 (Print) VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - 117 EP - 120 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pham, Phu Tinh A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - FEM-based shakedown analysis of hardening structures JF - Asia Pacific journal on computational engineering N2 - This paper develops a new finite element method (FEM)-based upper bound algorithm for limit and shakedown analysis of hardening structures by a direct plasticity method. The hardening model is a simple two-surface model of plasticity with a fixed bounding surface. The initial yield surface can translate inside the bounding surface, and it is bounded by one of the two equivalent conditions: (1) it always stays inside the bounding surface or (2) its centre cannot move outside the back-stress surface. The algorithm gives an effective tool to analyze the problems with a very high number of degree of freedom. Our numerical results are very close to the analytical solutions and numerical solutions in literature. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2196-1166-1-4 SN - 2196-1166 (E-Journal) IS - 1 SP - Article No. 4 PB - SpringerOpen CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Label-free sensing of biomolecules with field-effect devices for clinical applications JF - Electroanalysis N2 - Among the variety of transducer concepts proposed for label-free detection of biomolecules, the semiconductor field-effect device (FED) is one of the most attractive platforms. As medical techniques continue to progress towards diagnostic and therapies based on biomarkers, the ability of FEDs for a label-free, fast and real-time detection of multiple pathogenic and physiologically relevant molecules with high specificity and sensitivity offers very promising prospects for their application in point-of-care and personalized medicine for an early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The presented paper reviews recent advances and current trends in research and development of different FEDs for label-free, direct electrical detection of charged biomolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge. The authors are mainly focusing on the detection of the DNA hybridization event, antibody-antigen affinity reaction as well as clinically relevant biomolecules such as cardiac and cancer biomarkers. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elan.201400073 SN - 1521-4109 (E-Journal); 1040-0397 (Print) VL - 26 IS - 6 SP - 1197 EP - 1213 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wu, Chunsheng A1 - Bronder, Thomas A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Werner, Frederik A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Label-free electrical detection of DNA with a multi-spot LAPS: First step towards light-addressable DNA chips JF - Physica status solidi A : Applications and materials science N2 - A multi-spot (4 × 4 spots) light-addressable potentiometric sensor (MLAPS) consisting of an Al–p-Si–SiO2 structure has been applied for the label-free electrical detection of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) immobilization and hybridization by the intrinsic molecular charge for the first time. Single-stranded probe ssDNA molecules (20 bases) were covalently immobilized onto the silanized SiO2 gate surface. The unspecific adsorption of mismatch ssDNA on the MLAPS gate surface was blocked by bovine serum albumin molecules. To reduce the screening effect and to achieve a high sensor signal, the measurements were performed in a low ionic-strength solution. The photocurrent–voltage (I–V) curves were simultaneously recorded on all 16 spots after each surface functionalization step. Large shifts of I–V curves of 25 mV were registered after the DNA immobilization and hybridization event. In contrast, a small potential shift (∼5 mV) was observed in case of mismatch ssDNA, revealing good specificity of the sensor. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of the MLAPS as promising transducer platform for the multi-spot label-free electrical detection of DNA molecules by their intrinsic molecular charge. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330442 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1423 EP - 1428 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Takenaga, Shoko A1 - Biselli, Manfred A1 - Schnitzler, Thomas A1 - Öhlschläger, Peter A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Toward multi-analyte bioarray sensors: LAPS-based on-chip determination of a Michaelis–Menten-like kinetics for cell culturing JF - Physica status solidi A : Applications and materials science N2 - The metabolic activity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was observed using a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS). The dependency toward different glucose concentrations (17–200 mM) follows a Michaelis–Menten kinetics trajectory with Kₘ = 32.8 mM, and the obtained Kₘ value in this experiment was compared with that found in literature. In addition, the pH shift induced by glucose metabolism of tumor cells transfected with the HPV-16 genome (C3 cells) was successfully observed. These results indicate the possibility to determine the tumor cells metabolism with a LAPS-based measurement device. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330464 SN - 1521-396X (E); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1410 EP - 1415 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Guo, Yuanyuan A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Theoretical study and simulation of light-addressable potentiometric sensors JF - Physica status solidi (A) : applications and materials N2 - The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based potentiometric sensor using a light probe with an ability of detecting the concentration of biochemical species in a spatially resolved manner. As an important biomedical sensor, research has been conducted to improve its performance, for instance, to realize high-speed measurement. In this work, the idea of facilitating the device-level simulation, instead of using an equivalent-circuit model, is presented for detailed analysis and optimization of the performance of the LAPS. Both carrier distribution and photocurrent response have been simulated to provide new insight into both amplitude-mode and phase-mode operations of the LAPS. Various device parameters can be examined to effectively design and optimize the LAPS structures and setups for enhanced performance. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330354 SN - 0031-8965 VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1467 EP - 1472 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Kramer, F. A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bratov, A. A1 - Abramova, N. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Planar and 3D interdigitated electrodes for biosensing applications: The impact of a dielectric barrier on the sensor properties JF - Physica Status Solidi (A) - Applications and Materials Science N2 - Planar and three-dimensional (3D) interdigitated electrodes (IDE) with electrode digits separated by an insulating barrier of different heights were electrochemically characterized and compared in terms of their sensing properties. Due to the impact of the surface resistance, both types of IDE structures display a non-linear behavior in low-ionic strength solutions. The experimental data were fitted to an electrical equivalent circuit and interpreted taking into account the surface-charge-governed properties. The effect of a charged polyelectrolyte layer electrostatically assembled onto the sensor surface on the surface resistance in solutions with different KCl concentration is studied. In case of the same electrode footprint, 3D-IDEs show a larger cell constant and a higher sensitivity to molecular adsorption than that of planar IDEs. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of 3D-IDEs as a new transducer structure for a direct label-free sensing of charged molecules. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330416 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1357 EP - 1363 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Kerroumi, Iman A1 - Schusser, Sebastian A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Zander, Willi A1 - Schubert, Jürgen A1 - Buniatyan, Vahe V. A1 - Martirosyan, Norayr W. A1 - Wagner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Multiparameter sensor chip with Barium Strontium Titanate as multipurpose material JF - Electroanalysis N2 - It is well known that biochemical and biotechnological processes are strongly dependent and affected by a variety of physico-chemical parameters such as pH value, temperature, pressure and electrolyte conductivity. Therefore, these quantities have to be monitored or controlled in order to guarantee a stable process operation, optimization and high yield. In this work, a sensor chip for the multiparameter detection of three physico-chemical parameters such as electrolyte conductivity, pH and temperature is realized using barium strontium titanate (BST) as multipurpose material. The chip integrates a capacitively coupled four-electrode electrolyte-conductivity sensor, a capacitive field-effect pH sensor and a thin-film Pt-temperature sensor. Due to the multifunctional properties of BST, it is utilized as final outermost coating layer of the processed sensor chip and serves as passivation and protection layer as well as pH-sensitive transducer material at the same time. The results of testing of the individual sensors of the developed multiparameter sensor chip are presented. In addition, a quasi-simultaneous multiparameter characterization of the sensor chip in buffer solutions with different pH value and electrolyte conductivity is performed. To study the sensor behavior and the suitability of BST as multifunctional material under harsh environmental conditions, the sensor chip was exemplarily tested in a biogas digestate. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elan.201400076 SN - 1521-4109 (E-Journal); 1040-0397 (Print) VL - 26 IS - 5 SP - 980 EP - 987 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heine, A. A1 - Herrmann, G. A1 - Selmer, Thorsten A1 - Terwesten, F. A1 - Buckel, W. A1 - Reuter, K. T1 - High resolution crystal structure of clostridium propionicum β-Alanyl-CoA:Ammonia Lyase, a new member of the "Hot Dog Fold" protein superfamily JF - Proteins N2 - Clostridium propionicum is the only organism known to ferment β-alanine, a constituent of coenzyme A (CoA) and the phosphopantetheinyl prosthetic group of holo-acyl carrier protein. The first step in the fermentation is a CoA-transfer to β-alanine. Subsequently, the resulting β-alanyl-CoA is deaminated by the enzyme β-alanyl-CoA:ammonia lyase (Acl) to reversibly form ammonia and acrylyl-CoA. We have determined the crystal structure of Acl in its apo-form at a resolution of 0.97 Å as well as in complex with CoA at a resolution of 1.59 Å. The structures reveal that the enyzme belongs to a superfamily of proteins exhibiting a so called “hot dog fold” which is characterized by a five-stranded antiparallel β-sheet with a long α-helix packed against it. The functional unit of all “hot dog fold” proteins is a homodimer containing two equivalent substrate binding sites which are established by the dimer interface. In the case of Acl, three functional dimers combine to a homohexamer strongly resembling the homohexamer formed by YciA-like acyl-CoA thioesterases. Here, we propose an enzymatic mechanism based on the crystal structure of the Acl·CoA complex and molecular docking. Proteins 2014; 82:2041–2053. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/prot.24557 SN - 1097-0134 (E-Journal); 0887-3585 (Print) VL - 82 IS - 9 SP - 2041 EP - 2053 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oberländer, Jan A1 - Kirchner, Patrick A1 - Boyen, Hans-Gerd A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Detection of hydrogen peroxide vapor by use of manganese(IV) oxide as catalyst for calorimetric gas sensors JF - Physica status solidi A: Applications and materials science N2 - In this work, the catalyst manganese(IV) oxide (MnO2), of calorimetric gas sensors (to monitor the sterilization agent vaporized hydrogen peroxide) has been investigated in more detail. Chemical analyses by means of X-ray-induced photoelectron spectroscopy have been performed to unravel the surface chemistry prior and after exposure to hydrogen peroxide vapor at elevated temperature, as applied in the sterilization processes of beverage cartons. The surface characterization reveals a change in oxidation states of the metal oxide catalyst after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, a cleaning effect of the catalyst, which itself is attached to the sensor surface by means of a polymer interlayer, could be observed. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330359 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1372 EP - 1376 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Chaudhuri, S. A1 - Zander, W. A1 - Schubert, J. A1 - Begoyan, V. K. A1 - Buniatyan, V. V. A1 - Wagner, P. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Capacitively coupled electrolyte-conductivity sensor based on high-k material of barium strontium titanate JF - Sensors and actuators. B: Chemical Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2014.02.103 SN - 1873-3077 (E-Journal); 0925-4005 (Print) IS - 198 SP - 102 EP - 109 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Dickhoff, J. A1 - Keinz, Jan A1 - Anis, H. A. A1 - Parente, A. A1 - Hendrick, P. T1 - Experimental and numerical study of the micromix combustion principle applied for hydrogen and hydrogen-rich syngas as fuel with increased energy density for industrial gas turbine applications JF - Energy procedia N2 - The Dry Low NOx (DLN) Micromix combustion principle with increased energy density is adapted for the industrial gas turbine APU GTCP 36-300 using hydrogen and hydrogen-rich syngas with a composition of 90%-Vol. hydrogen (H₂) and 10%-Vol. carbon-monoxide (CO). Experimental and numerical studies of several combustor geometries for hydrogen and syngas show the successful advance of the DLN Micromix combustion from pure hydrogen to hydrogen-rich syngas. The impact of the different fuel properties on the combustion principle and aerodynamic flame stabilization design laws, flow field, flame structure and emission characteristics is investigated by numerical analysis using a hybrid Eddy Break Up combustion model and validated against experimental results. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.12.201 SN - 1876-6102 (E-Journal) IS - 61 SP - 1736 EP - 1739 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leinhos, Marcel A1 - Schusser, Sebastian A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Micromachined multi-parameter sensor chip for the control of polymer-degradation medium JF - Physica Status Solidi (A) : special issue on engineering and functional interfaces N2 - It is well known that the degradation environment can strongly influence the biodegradability and kinetics of biodegradation processes of polymers. Therefore, besides the monitoring of the degradation process, it is also necessary to control the medium in which the degradation takes place. In this work, a micromachined multi-parameter sensor chip for the control of the polymer-degradation medium has been developed. The chip combines a capacitive field-effect pH sensor, a four-electrode electrolyte-conductivity sensor and a thin-film Pt-temperature sensor. The results of characterization of individual sensors are presented. In addition, the multi-parameter sensor chip together with an impedimetric polymer-degradation sensor was simultaneously characterized in degradation solutions with different pH and electrolyte conductivity. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of the multi-parameter sensor chip for the control of the polymer-degradation medium. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330364 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1346 EP - 1351 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sawada, Kazuaki A1 - Nakazawa, Hirokazu A1 - Takenaga, Shoko A1 - Hizawa, Takeshi A1 - Futagawa, Masato A1 - Dasai, Fumihiro A1 - Sakurai, Takashi A1 - Okumura, Koichi A1 - Hattori, Toshiaki A1 - Ishida, Makoto T1 - Multimodal bioimage sensor JF - IEICE transactions on fundamentals of electronics, communidations and computer sciences N2 - To visualize the biochemical distribution two-dimensionally, we invented a solid-state-type ion image sensor that indicates the chemical activity of solutions and cells. The device, which consists of a CCD array covered with a functionalized membrane to detect charge accumulation, is highly sensitive to changes in the concentration and two-dimensional distribution of ions and biomaterials. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1587/transfun.E97.A.726 SN - 0916-8508 (Print) ; 1745-1337 (Online) VL - E97-A (2014) IS - 3 SP - 726 EP - 733 PB - IEICE CY - Tokyo ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arinkin, Vladimir A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Porst, Dariusz A1 - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül A1 - Artmann, Gerhard T1 - Phenotyping date palm varieties via leaflet cross-sectional imaging and artificial neural network application JF - BMC bioinformatics N2 - Background True date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are impressive trees and have served as an indispensable source of food for mankind in tropical and subtropical countries for centuries. The aim of this study is to differentiate date palm tree varieties by analysing leaflet cross sections with technical/optical methods and artificial neural networks (ANN). Results Fluorescence microscopy images of leaflet cross sections have been taken from a set of five date palm tree cultivars (Hewlat al Jouf, Khlas, Nabot Soltan, Shishi, Um Raheem). After features extraction from images, the obtained data have been fed in a multilayer perceptron ANN with backpropagation learning algorithm. Conclusions Overall, an accurate result in prediction and differentiation of date palm tree cultivars was achieved with average prediction in tenfold cross-validation is 89.1% and reached 100% in one of the best ANN. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-15-55 SN - 1471-2105 VL - 15 IS - 55 SP - 1 EP - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schroeter, Rebecca A1 - Hoffmann, Tamara A1 - Voigt, Birgit A1 - Meyer, Hanna A1 - Bleisteiner, Monika A1 - Muntel, Jan A1 - Jürgen, Britta A1 - Albrecht, Dirk A1 - Becher, Dörte A1 - Lalk, Michael A1 - Evers, Stefan A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Putzer, Harald A1 - Hecker, Michael A1 - Schweder, Thomas A1 - Bremer, Erhard T1 - Stress responses of the industrial workhorse Bacillus licheniformis to osmotic challenges JF - PLoS ONE N2 - The Gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium Bacillus licheniformis can be found widely in nature and it is exploited in industrial processes for the manufacturing of antibiotics, specialty chemicals, and enzymes. Both in its varied natural habitats and in industrial settings, B. licheniformis cells will be exposed to increases in the external osmolarity, conditions that trigger water efflux, impair turgor, cause the cessation of growth, and negatively affect the productivity of cell factories in biotechnological processes. We have taken here both systems-wide and targeted physiological approaches to unravel the core of the osmostress responses of B. licheniformis. Cells were suddenly subjected to an osmotic upshift of considerable magnitude (with 1 M NaCl), and their transcriptional profile was then recorded in a time-resolved fashion on a genome-wide scale. A bioinformatics cluster analysis was used to group the osmotically up-regulated genes into categories that are functionally associated with the synthesis and import of osmostress-relieving compounds (compatible solutes), the SigB-controlled general stress response, and genes whose functional annotation suggests that salt stress triggers secondary oxidative stress responses in B. licheniformis. The data set focusing on the transcriptional profile of B. licheniformis was enriched by proteomics aimed at identifying those proteins that were accumulated by the cells through increased biosynthesis in response to osmotic stress. Furthermore, these global approaches were augmented by a set of experiments that addressed the synthesis of the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and assessed the growth-enhancing effects of various osmoprotectants. Combined, our data provide a blueprint of the cellular adjustment processes of B. licheniformis to both sudden and sustained osmotic stress. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080956 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 11 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Ren-Qi A1 - Druckenmüller, Katharina A1 - Elbers, Gereon A1 - Guenther, Klaus A1 - Croué, Jean-Philippe T1 - Analysis of aquatic-phase natural organic matter by optimized LDI-MS method JF - Journal of mass spectrometry N2 - The composition and physiochemical properties of aquatic-phase natural organic matter (NOM) are most important problems for both environmental studies and water industry. Laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry facilitated successful examinations of NOM, as humic and fulvic acids in NOM are readily ionized by the nitrogen laser. In this study, hydrophobic NOMs (HPO NOMs) from river, reservoir and waste water were characterized by this technique. The effect of analytical variables like concentration, solvent composition and laser energy was investigated. The exact masses of small molecular NOM moieties in the range of 200–1200 m/z were determined in reflectron mode. In addition, spectra of post-source-decay experiments in this range showed that some compounds from different natural NOMs had the same fragmental ions. In the large mass range of 1200–15 000 Da, macromolecules and their aggregates were found in HPO NOMs from natural waters. Highly humic HPO exhibited mass peaks larger than 8000 Da. On the other hand, the waste water and reservoir water mainly had relatively smaller molecules of about 2000 Da. The LDI-MS measurements indicated that highly humic river waters were able to form large aggregates and membrane foulants, while the HPO NOMs from waste water and reservoir water were unlikely to form large aggregates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jms.3321 SN - 1096-9888 VL - 49 IS - 2 SP - 154 EP - 160 PB - Wiley CY - Bognor Regis ER -