title: Bringing Antarctica to the lab: a polar desert environmental chamber to study the response of Antarctic microbial communities to climate change

authors: Monteiro, Maria R.

abstract: Polar deserts contain unique and sensitive communities responsive to climate-associated habitat changes. However, unlike temperate desert ecosystems, characterizing and predicting the responses of polar ecosystems to environmental change remains a significant challenge due to logistical constraints. Here we aim to demonstrate the use of a custom-designed Polar Desert Environmental Chamber (PDEC) to perform off-continent experimental ecological research. We did so by characterizing the structure and composition of arid edaphic bacterial communities collected from the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a simulated wetting event. The results were discussed in light of previous field observations. Rapid structural and compositional changes were observed during wetting and re-drying treatments. Those were driven by changes in the relative abundance of coexisting taxa, which fluctuated asynchronously over time in response to the treatments. While selection was the main ecological factor influencing communities during dry conditions or the initial wetting, with prolonged exposure to wetness, neutral processes began to drive community assembly. Ultimately, these observations reflect different adaptative responses from microbial taxa to water stress, which can be argued as beneficial to increasing resilience in polar deserts. Our findings demonstrate that experiments conducted in PDEC provide valuable contextual data on community response to environmental change and can accelerate our ability to assess biological thresholds to change within polar desert ecosystems. We advocate that, with careful consideration of key emulated environmental attributes, laboratory-based Antarctic research can complement fieldwork to achieve a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the ecology of Antarctica’s ice-free regions.

text: Bringing Antarctica to the lab: a polar desert environmental chamber to study the response of Antarctic microbial communities to climate change Polar deserts contain unique and sensitive communities responsive to climate-associated habitat changes. However, unlike temperate desert ecosystems, characterizing and predicting the responses of polar ecosystems to environmental change remains a significant challenge due to logistical constraints. Here we aim to demonstrate the use of a custom-designed Polar Desert Environmental Chamber (PDEC) to perform off-continent experimental ecological research. We did so by characterizing the structure and composition of arid edaphic bacterial communities collected from the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a simulated wetting event. The results were discussed in light of previous field observations. Rapid structural and compositional changes were observed during wetting and re-drying treatments. Those were driven by changes in the relative abundance of coexisting taxa, which fluctuated asynchronously over time in response to the treatments. While selection was the main ecological factor influencing communities during dry conditions or the initial wetting, with prolonged exposure to wetness, neutral processes began to drive community assembly. Ultimately, these observations reflect different adaptative responses from microbial taxa to water stress, which can be argued as beneficial to increasing resilience in polar deserts. Our findings demonstrate that experiments conducted in PDEC provide valuable contextual data on community response to environmental change and can accelerate our ability to assess biological thresholds to change within polar desert ecosystems. We advocate that, with careful consideration of key emulated environmental attributes, laboratory-based Antarctic research can complement fieldwork to achieve a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the ecology of Antarctica’s ice-free regions.

year: 2023-05-01

title: Cross-Needle Analog Meter to Monitor Charge
Time for Lithium-Ion Single Cell

authors: Scott, Jonathan B.

abstract: This manuscript describes a novel cross-needle analogmeter whose scale reads out voltage, current, and time remaining to reach full charge. The design is inspired by cross-needle Standing Wave Ratio(SWR) meters that read forward and reverse power. Voltage is displayed on an offset-zero linear scale, and current on a logarithmic scale from 1 mA to 10 A. Thisleads to a wide range of perceptible charge times and pleasantcharge-time contour lines. The prototype is implemented on a single PCB using a cheap PIC micro controller. It is scaled formonitoring a single 18650 lithium cell charged by a small solarpanel. The Novel contribution of this paper is the use of a crossneedleanalog meter with a third scale to measure time remaining to fully charge a Lithium-Ion single cell battery.

text: Cross-Needle Analog Meter to Monitor Charge
Time for Lithium-Ion Single Cell This manuscript describes a novel cross-needle analogmeter whose scale reads out voltage, current, and time remaining to reach full charge. The design is inspired by cross-needle Standing Wave Ratio(SWR) meters that read forward and reverse power. Voltage is displayed on an offset-zero linear scale, and current on a logarithmic scale from 1 mA to 10 A. Thisleads to a wide range of perceptible charge times and pleasantcharge-time contour lines. The prototype is implemented on a single PCB using a cheap PIC micro controller. It is scaled formonitoring a single 18650 lithium cell charged by a small solarpanel. The Novel contribution of this paper is the use of a crossneedleanalog meter with a third scale to measure time remaining to fully charge a Lithium-Ion single cell battery.

year: 2017

title: Mā Te Wai - Ka Piki Ake Te Hauora

authors: Rollo, Te Manaaroha Pirihira

abstract: This paper researched traditional Māori forms of music therapy focusing on waiata¹ and taonga pūoro² . Linking cultures: collaborative partnerships in music therapy and related disciplines is the main objective of this research. In support, this paper examined past and current Māori practices that aim to heal and promote ‘well-being’ amongst people, thus resulting in linking the Māori culture and therapeutic values and practices in contemporary New Zealand

text: Mā Te Wai - Ka Piki Ake Te Hauora This paper researched traditional Māori forms of music therapy focusing on waiata¹ and taonga pūoro² . Linking cultures: collaborative partnerships in music therapy and related disciplines is the main objective of this research. In support, this paper examined past and current Māori practices that aim to heal and promote ‘well-being’ amongst people, thus resulting in linking the Māori culture and therapeutic values and practices in contemporary New Zealand

year: 2013-11-23