Profiling Signal Transduction in Global Marine Biofilms

Microbes use signal transduction systems in the processes of swarming motility, antibiotic resistance, virulence, conjugal plasmid transfer, and biofilm formation. However, the signal transduction systems in natural marine biofilms have hardly been profiled. Here we analyzed signal transduction genes in 101 marine biofilm and 91 seawater microbial metagenomes. The abundance of almost all signal transduction-related genes in biofilm microbial communities was significantly higher than that in seawater microbial communities, regardless of substrate types, locations, and durations for biofilm development. In addition, the dominant source microbes of signal transduction genes in marine biofilms were different from those in seawater samples. Co-occurrence network analysis on signal communication between microbes in marine biofilms and seawater microbial communities revealed potential inter-phyla interactions between microorganisms from marine biofilms and seawater. Moreover, phylogenetic tree construction and protein identity comparison displayed that proteins related to signal transductions from Red Sea biofilms were highly similar to those from Red Sea seawater microbial communities, revealing a possible biological basis of interspecies interactions between surface-associated and free-living microbial communities in a local marine environment. Our study revealed the special profile and enrichment of signal transduction systems in marine biofilms and suggested that marine biofilms participate in intercellular interactions of the local ecosystem where they were seeded.

Procesos artísticos participativos y colaborativos en los distritos culturales de Burdeos y Nantes

This paper analyses the burgeoning impulse, in the main cultural districts of Bordeaux and Nantes, of participative and collaborative art practices. Such adjectives are not synonymous but, true enough, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate these two categories of relational art; moreover, co-working spaces could literally be considered another kind of collaboration process. All in all, beyond terminology matters, the aim of this essay is to point out the flourishing of combined official and community-based initiatives. A model of arts-led urban revitalisation seeking greater involvement of the local ecosystem shaping a “cultural district”, as alternative to the paradigm of the singular institutional trigger worldly identified with the Guggenheim-Bilbao. Nowadays there are many counter-examples in Bilbao and in French cities on the Bay of Biscay. Este artículo analiza el prolífico impulso en los principales distritos culturales de Burdeos y Nantes del arte participativo y colaborativo. Tales adjetivos no son sinónimos, pero es cierto que a veces es difícil diferenciar estas dos categorías de arte relacional; por otro lado, los espacios de co-working podrían ser designados, al pie de la letra, como otro tipo de proceso de co-laboración. Con todo, más allá de la terminología, lo que pretende esta reflexión es constatar el florecimiento de iniciativas oficiales y de base comunitaria combinadas. Un modelo de revitalización urbana a través de las artes con mayor involucración del ecosistema local formando un “distrito cultural”, como alternativa frente al paradigma del singular detonante institucional mundialmente identificado con el Guggenheim-Bilbao. Hoy día no faltan los contraejemplos bilbaínos y en ciudades francesas del golfo de Vizcaya.

A report of Siwalik forest around Letang Raja-Rani wetland, Morang, eastern Nepal

Species composition, phytosociological status and soil characteristics of Siwalik forest occurring around Raja-Rani wetland, Letang municipality, eastern Nepal was studied. A total of 47 tree species belonging to 40 genera and 26 families were reported. Dominant and co-dominant trees were Shorea robusta (IVI=133.4) and Schima wallichii (IVI=70.6), respectively. In the forest total tree density, basal cover area, seedling density, fallen dead density and dead standing density were 378.4 trees ha-1, 163.7 m2 ha-1, 105250 individual ha-1, 4 trees ha-1 and 1.6 trees ha-1, respectively. Irregular girth class distribution and high stump density (136.8 tree ha-1) denote disturbance. Soil physicochemical characteristics were: acidic soil (pH 4.8), moisture (12.5%), water holding capacity (50.05%), bulk density (1.17 g cm-3), porosity (0.55%), humus (8.6%), organic carbon (0.52%), nitrogen (0.1%), phosphorus (33 kg ha-1), and potassium (300 kg ha-1). Regulating human encroachment to ensure natural regeneration of species to maintain the viability of the Letang Raja-Rani wetland site and integrity of the local ecosystem is strongly recommended.

Conditions for Development of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Tourism in the Border Area of the European Union: The Example of the Tri-Border Area of Poland–Belarus–Ukraine

The aim of this work is to study the conditions for developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem of regional tourism at the external border of the European Union, in Poland, and its contact points with two non-Union countries (Belarus, Ukraine). The research used a literature review, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the conditions for the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, interviews with local ecosystem actors and the author’s own observations. The eastern border of Poland (formerly with the USSR) created a barrier to the socio-economic development of adjacent regions. Their peripheral nature has allowed preserving their precious nature value and multicultural heritage. Currently, this preservation constitutes grounds for sustainably developing the region’s tourism. The primary actors of the tourism-based entrepreneurial ecosystem are local governments, public institutions, non-governmental organisations and entrepreneurs. An impetus for activities thereof was granted by Poland’s accession to the EU and its access to Union funds, which has reinforced tourism infrastructure by contributing to the establishment of new tourism enterprises. Furthermore, the development of tourism in the region could also be favoured by the close neighbourhood of as many as two other countries; however, and unfortunately, the border is still a barrier. Apart from the lack of infrastructure allowing borders crossings, political instability in neighbouring countries—made explicitly visible at the border with Belarus in 2021—threatens border-driven tourism by restricting tourism entrepreneurship, especially in those activities based on the access to the border.

Energy Profiling of a High-Altitude Kyrgyz Community: Challenges and Motivations to Preserve Floodplain Ecosystems Based on Household Survey

The floodplain areas along the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan are essential as they hold the riparian (local) ecosystems because they provide firewood, pastureland, and areas for recreation and protection against erosion. Due to limited access to adequate, reliable, and sustainable energy services, the rural population usually derived their energy needs from multiple natural energy resources (i.e., firewood, charcoal, agricultural residues, animal dung, and wood branches). This is considered a common and predominant practice in rural Kyrgyzstan. This situation leads to a negative impact on local ecosystem services. In addition to that, the reliance on solid fuels contributes to indoor and outdoor air pollution, which is partially threatening the local ecosystem services. By contrast, the employment of renewable-based energy supply systems would substantially reduce the burden on the environment, which is mainly untapped. To integrate renewable energies, it is important to understand the energy behavior of floodplain communities. In that response, the presented article is the first attempt to capture the energy identity of the floodplain community of Kyrgyzstan based on a quantitative energy-based (on-site) household survey. Furthermore, the present research article synthesizes the driving factors that have a (direct or indirect) impact on the energy and local ecosystem services. In addition, the present article proposes a brief pathway for the sustainable energy transition. The article records the recommendation to integrate renewable energies to preserve the local ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan.

THE PRICE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE COST OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF SOILS

According to the latest data of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre on the normative monetary valuation of farmland in the regions of Ukraine, the results of calculations of the minimum and maximum initial price of agricultural land in Ukraine are given, as well as the average cost per hectare, which is almost one and a half times higher than their approximate starting value, announced with the opening of the domestic land market. The classification of factors of change of the price of hectare of agricultural land structured in three groups is proposed and accordingly specified: i) general factors of formation of the price of agricultural lands; ii) factors of price increase; iii) factors reducing the price of agricultural land. For the first time, such a factor in the formation of the price of agricultural land as the amount of income from the consumption of ecosystem services is presented and revealed. The importance of this factor is proved by the results of monetary assessment of the contribution of two types of ecosystem services of agricultural soils of local ecosystem assets of the Mykolayiv Oblast: regulatory services for soil carbon retention provided by the soils of lands of natural growth of agricultural crops, and providing services for the supply of crops provided by the soils of agricultural lands.. The results of hypothetical extrapolation of the value of the contribution of the providing ecosystem service for crop supply, which produced by chernozem soils of agricultural lands of the ecosystem assets of the territorial community of Semenivka village of Mykolayiv Oblast to the size of the initial value of agricultural lands of the regional ecosystem assets of the Mykolayiv Oblast are given. As a result, a much more expensive, but more realistic indicative price per hectare of land for the region is obtained, taking into account the amount of income from the use of such an ecosystem service of chernozem soil. It is concluded that there is a strong potential for growth of agricultural prices in the regions of Ukraine, as well as the actual unpreparedness of the starting price positions of the land market in Ukraine, primarily due to inconsistency of the current initial land price with objective socio-economic realities.

Validation of the altimetry-based water levels from Sentinel-3A and B in the Inner Niger Delta

The comprehension of water level fluctuations and the sustainability of the Inner Niger River Delta (IND) is a major concern for the scientific community, but also for the local population. Located in the centre of Mali, the heart of the Sahel, the delta is characterised by a floodable area of more than 32 000 km2 during the rainy season, which contributes very strongly to the vitality of local ecosystem, and is consequently classified as a Ramsar site under the international Convention for Wetlands. In addition, the Delta acts as an environmental and socio-economic development barometer for the entire sub-region. Nowadays, we can observe an increasing fragility of the delta due to climate change, desertification and human activities, and justifies the need for permanent monitoring. The present study is based on the recent successes of radar altimetry, originally designed to monitor the dynamics topography of the ocean, and now very frequently used to retrieve inland water levels, of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Previous studies evaluated the performances of several radar altimetry missions including Low Resolution Mode (LRM) (Topex-Poseidon, Jason-1/2/3, ERS-2, ENVISAT, and SARAL, and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Sentinel-3A missions for water level retrievals over 1992–2017. More than 50 times series of water levels were build at the crossing between water bodies and Sentinel-3A and 3B over 2016–2020. Twenty-four comparisons between in-situ and altimetry-based time-series of water levels were achieved over the IND. RMSE generally lower than 0.7 m and r higher than 0.9 were obtained.

Pendekatan Situasi Pro-Inovasi untuk Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat pada Pasar Desa di Kabupaten Majalengka

<p class="Abstract"><em><span lang="EN-GB">This article is written based on research and community service (PPM) activities by University (PT) to encourage innovation in rural areas. University is an institution that is tasked with producing world-class knowledge, while still having a role to contribute to local problems in Indonesian society, including encouraging innovation in rural areas. The case of research and community service chosen was the revitalization and development of the Village Market in Majalengka, where local village heads, known as Kuwu, built networks to develop the village's resources to respond to economic growth in this area triggered by Kertajati International Airport. With a pro-innovation situation approach, PPM is designed at the same time to produce design work that is beneficial to society and scientific knowledge extraction. With the framework of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), knowledge extraction is carried out by tracing the relationships that occur at each stage of PPM, to find out whether there is an expansion of the actor-network at the end of the activity. There are three important findings in the investigation of the perpetrator's network. First, there is a local ecosystem, namely the Kuwu forum, which can trigger various innovative ideas involving parties outside the village. Second, some mediators play a role in bridging the "university world" with the "village world". Third, expansion of the innovation network after activities occurs if they have internal factors, namely solidity of key innovators in the village, and external factors, namely networks owned by researchers that can be used by innovators in the village to develop existing potentials. For a pro-innovation situation to occur, a "design thinking" approach needs to be done in designing PPM activities as well as part of problem-solving and scientific knowledge production.</span></em></p>

Parachromis managunesis (Günther, 1867): Keberadaan Ikan Predator Asing di Pulau Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat

The entry of foreign predatory fish into Indonesian open waters had the potential as a disease vector, predation, and damaging food webs that would have a systemic impact on the local ecosystem. In this study, we report the presence of the foreign predatory fish Jaguar cichlid Parachromis managuensis (Günther, 1867) from Central America in the Lingsar River, West Lombok Regency. This record is the first time for this species in Lombok, where previously this fish was found in Java. A description of the morphological characters of the captured specimens is provided in the discussion.