tag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:/all?page=34Journal of Brief Ideas: Ideas from the last week2015-07-19T06:50:51Ztag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1932015-07-19T06:50:51Z2023-12-29T11:26:09ZConsidering Amazonian microbial diversityhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20735Diverse ecological communities of Amazonia play a crucial role in the maintenance of the biosphere. However, little is known about the microbial ecology of Amazonia. During an analysis of litter from an Amazonian wetland we discovered a new species of testate (‘shell-forming’) amoeba (TA) we have named Arcella peruviana ([Reczuga et al., 2015]( http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0932473915000036)). Probably many more new species of microbe remain undiscovered in Amazonia. TA occupy top positions in the microbial food web and have a wide range of feeding preferences including bacteria, algae, fungi and other protozoa. Owing to this connection with abundance and community structure in the lower trophic levels, TA are highly important in terms of soil nutrient and carbon cycling. It has recently been discovered that deforestation leads to net loss of diversity of soil bacteria, which may also inhibit the recovery of tropical forest ([Rodrigues et al., 2012](http://www.pnas.org/content/110/3/988)). This would impact the higher microbial trophic levels – including TA. Soil microbes represent the largest component of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and are important in terms of ecosystem functioning. Microbial biodiversity should not be ignored when considering the impacts of human activities and climate change in Amazonia. Swindles, Graemetag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1912015-07-15T14:05:09Z2015-07-21T06:00:28ZDeveloped microbial communities in biofilm mode: the key for reinstating degraded ecosystemshttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20739In conventional scientific approaches, degraded ecosystems (e.g. conventional agroecosystems due to tillage and high doses of chemical inputs) are attempted to be revived mainly through nutrients, organic matter and water management. However, they do not provide a complete answer to the issue of sustainability of the ecosystems. It is now reported that sustainability of the ecosystems is an outcome of chemical signaling in the food web, in which microbes have got the central role to play (Seneviratne, 2015). Now, it is also known that developed microbial communities in biofilm mode and their exudates contribute more than their monoculture microbes in reinstating sustainability of the degraded ecosystems through increased biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
The same concept can be applied to human body ecosystem. It is reported that the intake of antimicrobials like antibiotics is harmful to the human health. Sometimes, people use Probiotics after intake of antibiotics. They are mixtures of beneficial gut bacteria, but not in biofilm mode. Thus, in future medicines, developed microbial communities in biofilm mode and their exudates should be adopted for treating ailments. Then, they would help increase native biodiversity of gut bacteria, thus resulting in enhanced functioning of human body ecosystem for a healthy life.
Seneviratne, Gaminitag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1882015-07-07T18:54:50Z2015-08-14T15:48:18ZExo-planets around Red Dwarf Stars: Reasons to look for Co-orbiting Same-Size Planetshttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19643Same-size planets that orbit one-another around a common centre of mass would answer a lot of problems associated with Red-Dwarf stars, such as: tidal locking (because same size planets would tidally lock to each-other, thus blocking tidal locking of either one to the star); requirement of geo-thermal heating from gravity (because orbiting a common centre of mass translates to at least 2 frequencies of gravitational change, tidal effects on one another, and on each by the star); differentiation of Neptune-like detections from rocky (because the different densities should be analytically available in the case of co-orbiting same-size planets); etc
While it is reasonable to expect instances of this system to be very rare, that has to be balanced by the plausible distinctiveness of the signature such systems may leave in terms of gravitational 'wobble' on the star and/or the scope for simulation modelling. In the case of the former, wobbles on the star could feasibly have several cycles for each one orbit of the co-orbiting system. It could even be possible that some instances of apparently high orbital frequencies of 'hot-jupiter' gas giants around other stars, may be smaller mass co-orbiting planets at greater distance. in the case of simulation modelling, a rich diversity of possibilities may be revealed, in that systems of this kind would plausibly only need to enter the habitable-zone once per cycle for each of the two planets.
It's obviously possible and likely this idea is already in play. Apologies in that case. Hibbs, Christag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1872015-07-07T08:44:34Z2015-07-09T06:00:38ZSupercritical Exoplanetary Atmospheres as Potential Habitats for Extraterrestrial Aeroplanktonhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19667An increasingly familiar class of exoplanets amongst those being continually discovered is the "Super-Earth" ([Valencia+2007](http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/656/1/545/)), with a mass intermediate between Earth and Neptune. These have been found inside habitable zones ([Udry+2007](http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2007/27/aa7612-07/aa7612-07.html)) and likely have dense atmospheres ([Lopez+2014](http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/792/1/1), [Lammer+2012](http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/430/2/1247)). With sufficient atmospheric pressure and temperature, these atmospheres are likely to enter a supercritical fluid phase with properties intermediate between gas and liquid. Supercritical fluid phases are typically considered for gas giant interiors ([Trachenko+2014](http://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.89.032126)) or water oceans ([Elkins-Tanton+2008](http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/685/2/1237)), though any gas or liquid can form such a phase. For example, an Earth-like atmospheric composition will enter a supercritical phase at T > 132.6 K and p > 37.21 atm. This pressure is significantly lower than the ≳300 atm ([Koschinsky+2008](http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/36/8/615)) experienced by life on the abyssal plain of Earth's oceans ([Rona+1986](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v321/n6065/abs/321033a0.html)). It is therefore possible for Earth-like life to tolerate the pressure-temperature conditions of a supercritical atmosphere.
In Earth's atmosphere, microbes have been found airborne as "aeroplankton" ([Sharma+2007](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2007.00373.x/abstract)) and living microbes have been found at high altitudes ([Sattler+2002](http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=894204)), prompting planetary atmospheres to be considered as astrobiological targets ([Smith2013](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ast.2013.1074)). A denser atmosphere can support a greater number density of suspended particles, raising the possibility of aeroplankton ecologies in the dense supercritical atmospheres of Super-Earths.Hammonds, Marktag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1862015-07-07T06:04:32Z2015-07-10T06:00:34ZSharing standards before sharing resources? The case of research biobankshttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19837In biobank research, one of the main obstacles for full applicability of Open Access to biomedical resources is the researchers’ reluctance to make immediately and freely available these materials before having adequately exploited their potential. To analyse this issue from a wider perspective, we need to consider the role of research biobanks as main repositories in which human biological samples are stored, with or without accompanying them with genetic or clinical data (Haga and Beskow 2008). If withholding of biobanks’ resources drastically reduces their full value, their wide sharing is not simple to put into practice. The first and most complex barrier hindering Open Access is the lack of common standards, guidelines and legal frameworks due to socio-cultural differences of countries where biobanks operate (see Capocasa et al 2015 https://peerj.com/preprints/1212/). Developing harmonised standards is a challenge that primarily needs to foster international norms for donors’ privacy, intellectual property and patentability.Capocasa, MarcoD'Abramo, FlavioRufo, FabrizioAnagnostou, PaoloDestro Bisol, Giovannitag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1842015-07-01T11:56:43Z2015-07-20T09:49:11ZCoiling attached with UV source and gas inlet for ballast water treatment: An effective physical method for ballast water treatmenthttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19204Ships carry giant volume of ballast water required to sink in Sea. The loading and unloading of ballast water causes negative impact on marine environment. The discharged ballast water typically contains both macroscopic and microscopic plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and viruses. It is mandatory to treat ballast water by eco-friendly means. Biofouling of large macroscopic animals and their invasion is difficult to control. Microbial biofouling can be effectively controlled using physicochemical, physical enhancement and residual control method. Physical measures include UV irradiation, UV + TiO2, deoxygenation, gas injection, ultrasonic treatment, and cavitation. These methods are carried out by using pipes having UV tubes and gas inlet. Because of high speed of pumping water in and out, pathogenic microorganisms either exposed for less time to UV light or the dissolution rate of gas is very less. This problem can be overcome by the use of coiling with UV tubes and gas inlet system and borosilicate UV tubes submerged in the ballast tanks. It increases the exposure of pathogenic microorganisms to UV light and gas for longer period of time. This method is effective in reduction of pathogenic province and may be used as alternative method for the ballast water treatment.Rekadwad, BhagwanKhobragade, Chandrahastag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1832015-06-30T10:13:12Z2015-07-29T16:22:28ZDinitrogen fixing moderately halo-alkaliphilic microorganisms as a crop productivity enhancerhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19156Electrical conductivity of Sea water and saline soil is above 4 dS/m (Cox et al., 1970; Sehgal, 1980). The high pH and high salinity reduced metabolic rates of dinitrogen (N2) fixing bacteria which lowered or stopped N2 fixation activity. This indicates that native beneficial microorganisms inhabiting soil either under stress or inhibited. The moderately halo-alkaliphilic microorganisms such as Bacillus (Zehran et al., 2007), Nostoc, Microcystis, Oscillatoria, Anabaena, Synechococcus (Zhang and Feng, 2008), Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus PAL5 (Boniolo et al., 2009), Pseudomonas, Halorhodospira, Ectothiorhodospira, Bradyrhizobium, Agrobacterium, Amorphomonas Azohydromonas, Azospirillum, Ideonella (Yousuf et al., 2014) and Melilotus officinalis having the best growth and proliferation rate and have inherent ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen at varying pH (7-11), moderate salt (5-20%) concentration and electrical conductivity (1.7 and 20 dS/m) (Bruning et al., 2015). These microorganisms have potential applications in agriculture and help to conserve soil texture. Additionally, these microorganisms, improve disease resistance capacity of crop plants. Thus, these promising species can be used for sustainable agriculture in temperate regions and have great importance in the improvement of agriculture yields.Rekadwad, BhagwanKhobragade, Chandrahastag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1822015-06-29T15:47:44Z2015-06-30T06:00:27ZAntibiotic resistant bacterial diversity from terrestrial hot spring, Unkeshwar (Nanded), Maharashtra, Indiahttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19113Total 46 diverse thermophilic bacterial strains were isolated from terrestrial hot springs located at Unkeshwar (Longitude 78o 25’ East and Latitude 19o 85’ North). Bacterial strains showed optimum growth at temperatures ranges from 45-65 oC and pH ranges from 7.0-8.0. All strains were tested for antibiotic resistance. Out of 46 (100%) isolates, 19 (41%) isolates showed resistance towards polymyxin B (300 µg per disc). 11 (24%) isolates showed resistance towards bacitracin (10 µg per disc). Four (9%) isolates showed resistance towards ciprofloxacin HCl (5 µg per disc). Two (4%) isolates showed resistance towards tetracycline (30 µg per disc). Representative bacteria analyzed by using morphological and biochemical techniques were affiliated to Firmicutes (60%), γ-proteobacteria (15%), actinobacteria (13%), β-proteobacteria (7%), and α-proteobacteria (5%). This diverse study generated baseline information on diversity of industrially important bacterial communities present in the studied Unkeshwar hot spring.
Rekadwad, Bhagwantag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1812015-06-26T22:42:15Z2015-06-29T06:00:46ZSource populations in the context of dispersal modellinghttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19097In conservation ecology, missing source populations are often considered the main bottleneck for the successful (re-)colonisation of (restored) habitats ([e.g. Kail et al. 2015](http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0130228)). In theoretical ecology and population biology, sources as opposed to sinks are defined as good quality habitats with a positive net difference between immigrating and emigrating individuals (demographic surplus, [Dias 1996] (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(96)10037-9)). This definition differs from source populations used for dispersal modelling ([e.g. Radinger et al. 2014](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2013.06.002)) that typically builds on initial starting (source) populations for e.g. diffusion processes. Here, each site with at least one specimen present that might possibly emigrate can be considered as a potential source population. The presence of species and, hence, the location of initial starting (source) populations for dispersal and (re-)colonization can be either based on (i) sampling data or on (ii) species distribution models (empirical models of species presence based on explanatory environmental variables) ([Kail et al. 2015]( http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0130228)). However, while the first probably underestimates the number of sources since only a limited number of sites is typically sampled, the latter is probably overestimating the number of sources as suitable habitat might not be directly translated into species presence. Hence, future research should focus on appropriate methods to identify / locate source populations that can be used in dispersal modelling.Radinger, Johannestag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/1752015-06-13T16:09:10Z2015-08-05T00:42:27ZResearch on experts as a resource (rather than a tool) in mathematics educationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18555The underlying assumption of the expert-novice paradigm is that findings on experts in a particular field (e.g., mathematicians, expert teachers, gifted students) can be applied for advancing novices in the same field (usually "regular" students and teachers). The paradigm blossomed over the ‘70ties and ‘80ties, when mathematics education research was concerned with mathematicians' problem-solving approaches. However, the recurrent attempts to employ these approaches to novices did not result in a significant improvement of their performance. In particular, while experts' behaviors appeared to be teachable to novices, students and teachers struggle with selecting the potentially productive approaches, employing them and avoiding errors. Accordingly, the paradigm faded in the recent years.
I suggest that research on experts provides insights on the nature of expertise in a particular field, rather than tools for its advancement among novices. Developing these tools is a research process of its own that can be approached with the design-based methodology. In this research process, the findings on experts serve as an intellectual resource of ideas. These ideas should take into account the necessary adaptations of findings on experts to the practices of the novices. In addition, our expectations from novices' performance should be refined and moderated. Kontorovich, Igor'