User talk:Stbox4/sandbox

Chlorosome Article Critique

The most pressing concern I mean to raise regarding the Wikipedia article on Chlorosomes is the lack of reference material provided. Some sections of the article, like the Structure section and the alternative energy section, are devoid of citations. The Introduction provides an important overview of the purpose and distribution of these structures, but only provides one reference. Further issues arise as the citation link only brings you to a database of scientific articles, not the actual paper.

Plagiarism also seems to be a prevalent issue in this article, as the majority fails the most basic checks. Granted, some of the plagiarism is likely only showing up because other sites have plagiarised from Wikipedia giving a false positive. However, a significant portion seems to be taken directly from numerous scholarly articles.

While most of the article is relevant and succinct, parts of the Organization section read more like a Procedures or Methods page of a lab write-up than an article on Chlorosomes. The writer of this wiki page explains the procedures, step by step, that the referenced researcher took while discovering the organization of chlorosomes. This is useless to the average reader and may only confuse them. These procedures could be left in the originally cited papers, where they could be examined if necessary. Aside from these concerns, there does not appear to be bias present in this article at all. The talk page is somewhat stagnant with only one comment, unanswered, dating to 2008. Stbox4 (talk) 21:55, 15 September 2017 (UTC)

Reflection

Unsurprisingly, I have learned that even a seemingly immaculate article can have many issues if examined with only a modicum of vigor. When I first read this article I thought it was excellent, and it didn't confuse me at all. That was before I realized I read the article in the same way I and many others read them: skimming it. With that method, you miss the fact that much of the article isn't cited, or is actually written in a fairly confusing way. Kind of a wakeup call to stop putting so little effort into reading an article, whether it be from Wikipedia or anywhere else. Stbox4 (talk) 21:56, 15 September 2017 (UTC)

Assignment #2, Shewanella

There have been many papers and articles published recently which mention members of the Shewanella genus of bacteria, for a variety of reasons. Some have potential uses with regards to bioremediation, being able to precipitate radioactive isotopes such as uranium out of contaminated groundwater. This genus also contains bacteria who can respirate by reducing heavy metals via bacterial nanowires, membrane extensions that are saturated with cytochromes. These may help cause breakthroughs in the semiconductor and microbial fuel cell industries. Because of this, members of this genus are at the centre of research into their use as a microbial battery. These traits, as well as the fact that various species of the genus are materializing as pathogens, means that there is ample reason to have an in-depth Wikipedia page for the Shewanella genus.

The current page, however, is lacking. It consists of an introduction that mentions Shewanella’s general habitat and the use of one of its species as a model for electrogenesis and microbial fuel cells. The only other section in this article is a poorly titled “Diet” section making vague reference to the wide variety of electron acceptors used and mentioning the presence of bacterial nanowires in this genus. Furthermore, this article has a total of 4 referenced pages. Of those four, one is tertiary literature sensationally titled “Have We Found Alien Life”, and another is not actually used in the article. Quite simply, there is much work to do here.

The introduction is probably the least offensive of the two sections present, but it could be slightly expanded to include this genus’s basic features like Gram staining, presence or absence of motility mechanisms, and metabolic classification. The “Diet” section could be changed to be a more accurate “Metabolism” section, where the various respiratory pathways and electron donors the species use are discussed. Furthermore, an “Applications” section where some species potential as microbial fuel cells, bioremediation vectors, and the potential of the nanowires can be mentioned. Finally, an “Infection” section could be written, detailing the pathologies some members of this genus cause. Stbox4 (talk) 23:38, 26 September 2017 (UTC)

Assignment #3

Original- "Shewanella"

Diet

Shewanella species respire a variety of electrons acceptors in anoxic conditions, many of which are located extracellularly. The mechanism for extracellular electron transfer involves c-type cytochromes that span the inner and outer membranes and "bacterial nanowires".

References

Edits- "Shewanella"

Metabolism

Currently discovered Shewanella species are heterotrophic facultative anaerobes. In the absence of oxygen, members of this genus may use a variety of other electron acceptors for respiration. These include thiosulfate, sulfite, or elemental sulfur, as well as fumarate. Some members of this species, most notably Shewanella oneidensis, have the ability to respire extracellular insoluble manganese and iron oxides using bacterial nanowires. Some of the more unique modes of respiration are being studied for their potentially useful applications. The metal respiring capabilities can potentially be applied to bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater, as well as the creation of microbial fuel cells.

References

Stbox4 (talk) 06:19, 8 October 2017 (UTC)

Henry West's Peer Review

The article is well structured, as the new Metabolism section, which replaces the Diet section, is placed after the introduction. Describing Shewanella’s metabolism after introducing them makes sense as there are no other sections in the article. However, the last couple sentences change topic to discuss applications of Shewanella metabolism. One suggestion is to create a separate Applications subheading to better divide and organize the information, making it easier for the reader to follow.

The content provides a comprehensible description of Shewanella metabolism that's supported by literature, with relevant information about different electron acceptors and potential applications. The writing flows naturally by mentioning Shewanella are facultative anaerobes and then further discussing the anaerobic metabolism. Henry uses his own words to summarize the cited literature, avoiding plagiarism. He maintains a neutral tone and most statements are supported by research. For example, he uses the word “potentially” to avoid making conclusions about significance that may persuade readers. However, the writing is too concise and requires further explanation of the different electron acceptors and “modes” of respiration discussed in literature, like chelating agents and extracellular cytochrome c, to provide readers with a holistic and balanced perspective on Shewanella metabolism. The content heavily focuses on Shewanella oneidensis, which is appropriate as it’s the subject of most literature. It may not be representative of all Shewanella, so a suggestion is to make a distinction.

A variety of six sources from reliable published journals, like Applied and Environmental Microbiology, are referenced for the new content. There is balanced coverage of the literature in the Metabolism paragraph, as no single reference is preferentially cited. However, the fifth sentence is unsourced, while the fourth sentence contains unsourced information as the cited reference contains no mention of “bacterial nanowires.” To support these statements, they should be sourced to references.

Milena Kovacevic (talk) 05:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Assignment 5

Metabolism

Currently known Shewanella species are heterotrophic facultative anaerobes. In the absence of oxygen, members of this genus possess capabilities allowing the use of a variety of other electron acceptors for respiration. These include thiosulfate, sulfite, or elemental sulfur, as well as fumarate. Marine species have demonstrated an ability to use arsenic as an electron acceptor as well. Some members of this species, most notably Shewanella oneidensis, have the ability to respire through a wide range of metal species, including manganese, chromium, uranium, and iron. Reduction of iron and manganese through Shewanella respiration has been shown to involve extracellular electron transfer through the employment of bacterial nanowires, extensions of the outer membrane.

Applications

The discovery of some of the respiratory capabilities possessed by members of this genus has opened the door to possible applications for these bacteria. The metal-reducing capabilities can potentially be applied to bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater, with the reduced form of uranium produced being easier to remove from water than the more soluble uranium oxide. Scientists researching the creation of microbial fuel cells, designs that use bacteria to induce a current, have also made use of the metal reducing capabilities some species of Shewanella possess as a part of their metabolic repertoire.

References

Stbox4 (talk) 06:22, 20 November 2017 (UTC)