User talk:Tylertam/sandbox

Assignment 1

The article, Peptidoglycan on Wikipedia is written in a concise and easily understandable manner. However, many changes can be made to improve the quality of the article. First, the lead is not representative of the topics discussed. It over emphases peptidoglycan structure and does not mention biosynthesis or inhibition, two topics largely discussed in the body of the article.

Most of the references used in the article come from neutral and reliable sources, such as a medical microbiology textbook and academic articles from reputable journals like Nature. However, the first reference is a secondary source. The wiki page has retrieved information from a website, Pharmaxchange. This blog type website cites the information was retrieved from two microbiology textbooks. It should be considered a poor source because they cannot guarantee accurate information, as said in their disclaimer. Additionally, the wiki article exhibits close paraphrasing with the reference material in lines 2-4 of the lead. This segment should be rewritten to avoid plagiarism and include a more reputable source.

The article is missing relevant information in the final section on inhibition. Lysozyme is only briefly mentioned in one sentence. This section only includes lysozyme' involvement in breaking glycosidic bonds of peptidoglycan. It would be beneficial to readers to mention breaking of glycosidic bonds exerts antibacterial effects by causing cell lysis. Furthermore, readers may enhance their understanding go the location of peptidoglycan in the cell wall if the article explained gram-negative cells are less susceptible to the effects of lysozyme than gram-positive. .

Assignment 2

It is of utmost importance the article Cyanobacteria on Wikipedia is well written and has an appropriate ecology section because of its importance to human health and earths current conditions. Certain cyanobacteria species produce toxins that cause gastrointestinal discomfort, hepatotoxicosis and other health problems. Combined with their ability to produce blooms and contaminate water supplies, cyanobacteria pose a serious health hazard to humans. Despite the negative effects cyanobacteria pose to human health, it is widely accepted they were the first photosynthetic organisms and are responsible for the oxygenation of earth, which has allowed for evolution of life as we know it today.

Currently, most studies on cyanobacteria focus on aquatic cyanobacteria. However, their distribution is much more extensive. Cyanobacteria can also be found in soil and rock desert microhabitats. The ecology section of the cyanobacteria Wikipedia article only briefly mentions they can be found in land environments. While the article does go into sufficient detail regarding aquatic cyanobacteria, it fails to further elaborate on the ecology of terrestrial cyanobacteria. It would be notable to mention information regarding terrestrial cyanobacterias' ability to form topsoil in desert crusts and help establish populations of bacteria, lichen and moss. There is also no mention of cyanobacteria capability to stabilize soil using sheath material and increase soil nutrient availability. Previous authors may not have included information regarding terrestrial cyanobacteria because cyanobacteria are exponentially more abundant in aquatic environments.

Additionally, cyanobacteria blooms are discussed in the portion of the ecology section on aquatic cyanobacteria. However, more elaboration into the dynamics of blooms is needed to improve this section. Including points such as factors that favour the formation of cyanobacteria blooms. For example, increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming favours cyanobacteria growth.

The remainder of the ecology section limits its discussion on toxicity to saying it is harmful if consumed. Authors likely did not elaborate further because additional information regarding toxicity belongs in the health risks section. However, a stronger connection should be made because of the serious health hazards to humans.

Tylertam (talk) 05:04, 28 September 2017 (UTC)

Tyler Tam's Peer Review
I am most impressed by the structure and writing style of the edited text. Besides the phrase “less turbulent diffusivity” – which I suggest changing for clearer language suitable to non-experts – the writing is exceptionally concise. The structure shows a clear flow of ideas in a systematic order; each paragraph describes a different general ecological attribute of cyanobacteria, and then proceeds to provide examples. I really like how the edited content adds greater balance by including a paragraph about the ecological importance of terrestrial cyanobacteria, recognizing how the original article only addressed their aquatic counterparts. Additionally, this paragraph is a notable instance of the article’s logical structure as it first introduces the general idea of terrestrial cyanobacteria, then includes Microcoleus vaginatus as an example and its ecological significance in soil stability. One major suggestion is to include more content on the adverse effects of blooms. The article explains the optimal conditions for bloom growth adequately, but does not elaborate greatly on their ecological consequences. In the referenced article by Johnk et al. (2008), one of its major themes is how blooms can result in large-scale death of fish and other marine life. Further elaboration on this point would help reflect all the perspectives in the published literature, as well as provide greater context into the actual ecological consequences of blooms beyond affecting drinking water and recreational pools. Lastly, I noticed a similar issue with the referenced paper by Anderson et al. (1982). The Wikipedia article cites this paper when describing cyanobacteria’s role in soil stability. Though briefly mentioning the topic in its introduction, the main focus of the paper does not address cyanobacteria nearly enough. I recommend using a more recent and relevant paper, perhaps one by Mager and Thomas (2011) that focuses specifically on cyanobacterial soil crusts.

Tyleryan (talk) 07:10, 9 November 2017 (UTC)