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Submitted by angelasalaza on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 15:05

From the equation, we can interpret that this line is a linear function through its equation bynegative 2 over 3 xplus4 following through the basic equation mx+b. Our representsnegative 2 over 3 x the slope and is the measured steepness of a line between the original point Y which is  4 units vertically. If we had a different equation asy equals 3 over 9 x minus 6 we can also graph it as a linear function because it follows our mx+b format. We would first find our Y axis and follow the units down from 0 to negative 6. Negative 6 is our Y intercept, there are two ways we can graph this equation we can either move up three units vertically and move 9 units horizontally OR reduce our given fraction m(x) and y-intercept since they all share a common factor of 3. So our new equation can begin again asy equals 1 third x minus 2  like our previous statement this equation follows the mx+B rule 2 units down from the original negative two units we graph our second point 1 unit up and 3 units across creating a new slope. 

Ecology Essay #3 Draft Part 2

Submitted by sbrownstein on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 12:51

One way that plant life can be conserved strictly through ecology is that nature maintains a diverse, healthy environment. By maintaining a balanced environment, plants will obtain the nutrients and elements needed to complete their full life cycle and provide their benefits efficiently. Even in times of a natural disaster, plants will continue to produce the nutrients needed to sustain the environment. One way in which ecology cannot conserve plant life on it’s own is when human impact kills off populations of plants. Due to resource demand and growing architecture, forests are being destroyed. This wipes out hundreds of plant species at a time. Knowing all of the benefits plants have to nature, their absence affects multiple factors of the environment. Plants play an extremely important role in the balance of nature and it is important that we conserve their presence.

 

draft

Submitted by amdicicco on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 10:46

Introductory Statistics is a course that all UMass biology majors must take, but many students do not remember much from it. I took Introductory Statistics at my old school about three years ago. Thinking back, I do not remember a lot. In the class I took we were given formula sheets so a lot of the formulas we used were not necessary to remember. In addition, I remember almost everything we did was just punching things into a calculator. Some things I remember looking at were baseball stats and probability. For example, we spent some time looking at the Monte Hall problem. I also remember looking at distributions. We learned about the empirical rule and how statistics fit into it. For the empirical rule I remember 68.26% of data falls within 1 standard deviation, 95.44% in 2 standard deviations, and 99.73% in 3 standard deviations. Although I am a biology major, math has never been a really fun or interesting subject for me. 

reading 16 draft

Submitted by msalvucci on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 21:35

The concept of memory is still a highly researched subject for many scientists. It is often wondered how humans can use their memory to draw details from the past. A common misconception states that memories are like playing a video back in one’s head; memories are mostly broken pieces of information stringed together. Researchers found that it is easy to skew memory or make humans remember a memory incorrectly. When asking a witness if they remember something on a scene, using the phrase “the object” versus “a object” is more likely to make them remember something that did not technically happen. For this reason, it is thought that memories are theoretical ideas that can be persuaded one way or another. These questions contain presumptions. A presumption is a way of thinking about the situation that makes the question understandable. This idea explains that the way a question is worded when asking to recall a memory is very influential in persuading an answer one way or another. The integration of new information into a memory is a tactic that can affect ethics and law. For example, prosecutors may ask questions worded a certain way that will force the witness to recall the memory incorrectly. The new information added to a memory may not be true. 

draft

Submitted by curbano on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 20:30

The pencil used in the replicated version is different from the pencil I used in my multi-panel figure. I noticed that the pencil in the replicated figure is a completely different pencil and it is facing a different direction than the original. My partner used a mechanical pencil while I used a ticonderoga pencil. This is most likely due to the fact that my partner did not have a ticonderoga pencil to use. Additionally, the tip of the pencil is pointed towards the radiator in my original figure while it is pointed away from radiator in the replicate. This could be because the person who replicated the photo estimated 15 degrees differently than I did.

 

Post-Translational Modification

Submitted by bthoole on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 20:13

A protein can continually react in the cell unless the cell receives a signal to stop. Then the cell is able to hinder the performance of the protein until it is needed again, thus avoiding having to waste the energy in destroying the protein when not in use and then transcribing and translating a new protein. Post-translational modifications affect an already made protein and are able to regulate that proteins function. Types of post-translational modifications include ubiquitination, phosphorylation and acetylation. Different modifications cause different results in different proteins, but the end result is a modification of the proteins original function. Post-translational modifications are not only for stopping a proteins actions, but also can also cause conformational changes and lead to active states. Nucleotide bonding and hydrolysis can work together in proteins to counterbalance each other. For instance, in the Ras protein, hydrolysis causes the bound GTP to lose a phosphate group and causes Ras to enter an inactive state. Nucleotide bonding acts to replace the now GDP with GTP when the protein needs to be active again. Regulating proteins is essential to making sure the cell runs properly and efficiently. Post-translational modifications are one of the ways this is accomplished.

Summary Discussion Draft

Submitted by jmalloldiaz on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 19:45

Evidence for V1 in true nav. -> map info

V1: magnetosensory (long distance) + olfaction (?) at local scale?

RY -> ZV: magnetic parameter differences (intensity, inclination, and declination)

The results support the hypothesis that V1-sectioned birds would behave as if they had not been displaced and thus use vector navigation, while the sham-sectioned birds would use true navigation and readjust their orientation towards their final destination to compensate for their relocation. This experiment gives evidence for the role of V1 in providing magnetic-related map information to the avian brain during navigation. It is possible that V1 may be involved in olfaction as well, but olfactory cues are reliable on a local scale, whereas magnetic cues can be useful over large distances with changing magnetic parameters. That is the reason why the birds were displaced 1,000 km east from Rybachy (intensity 50,688 nT, inclination 70.3°, declination 5.6°) to Zvenigorod (52,175 nT, inclination 71.2°, declinnation 10.1°), where all the geomagnetic parameters differ.

Ecology Short Essay #3 Draft Part 1

Submitted by sbrownstein on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 17:28

Personally, I believe that the most important aspect of the biological world that should be conserved is vegetation and plant life. Plant life sustains all of nature. Plants are a source of food, create oxygen, regulate the water cycle, are the backbone of all habitats, store carbon and maintain that help maintain the climate, and can be used to make medicines. Vegetation plays a large role in almost every aspect of nature. Without plant life, there would be a scarce amount of food for many other organisms. Without oxygen, organisms that depend on oxygen intake would not be able to survive. Without a regulated water cycle, water would not be as distributed along the land and would not be as present in the atmosphere due to the lack of transpiration. Without plants, the habitat would be barren and would lack food and shelter to many populations. Without plants storing carbon, there would be copious amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Without medicines, organisms (especially humans) would die off due to the lack of protection from diseases.

Draft Post

Submitted by jnduggan on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 08:46

The appearance of the actual photos in the multipanel scientific figure was due to the different conditions on those days.  On the day that the pictures from the original figure were taken, it had not rained in several days and was very sunny outside resulting in the bright complexion and dry stones.  On the day that the replica photos were taken, it had rained earlier and the sky was still dark.

The difference in the appearance of the photos was also due to the two photographers holding the camera in a different way.  The angle of the two close up pictures is different; it appears that the replica picture was taken straight on, while the original picture was taken from an angle to the left of the spider web.

 

discussion redo p2

Submitted by cdkelly on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 01:13

The background and scenery of part A and part B of the replicate figure had differences that resulted from the methods as well as differences that could not be controlled. The moisture and shadow position differences between the original and the replicate were due to the weather differences and the alloted time for replication. My methods stated the weather and time of day the photos were taken. In addition, the vehicle seen in the background of part B in the replicate was due to the same reason. On the other hand, the lack of the pipe extending from the electrical box in part A of the original was a result of methods omissions. I did not put enough detail into the way that the camera was held above the web in part A and used the word horizontal to describe the camera's orientation relative to the web. The pipe visible in the original figure is a result of the camera being at a slight angle; and its absence in the replicate is due to the camera angle being more horizontal. Furthermore, I mentioned that photo for part B was taken next to the second pillar of the bike rack structure. However, I did not mention that a portion of the structure itself was present in the original image. This explains why the structure was not seen in the replicate.

The map depicted in part C of both figures showed different levels of detail. In the original figure, the map was more zoomed relative to the replicate. The resultant extra buildings and map markings on the replicate arose because I did not describe the landmarks surrounding the Student Union in my methods section. I stated that the Student Union was at the center of the map image, but did not provide further information beyond that. Therefore, the person who replicated my figure had to approximate. In addition, the replicate lacked the scale marking and the logo seen in the bottom corners of part C of the original. These markings were not mentioned once in the methods. Thus, it is not surprising that they were not featured in the replication because the person could not have know about them in the first place. The lack of cropping instructions in the methods was another reason for this omission.

In conclusion, the replicate figure was similar in many regards to the original, but exclusions from the methods section made certain components vague for the reader tasked with replication. These exclusions led to all of the discussed differences between the two figures aside from the weather. This project emphasized the importance of paying attention to details when creating a methods section so that the replication process can proceed as intended in the original work.

 

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