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In the fall semester of 2018 in my Writing in Biology Class, I conducted a project where the purpose was to take a picture of a spider web, it’s habitat, and a map of the area.  Then I had to write a methods section being precise enough so that someone else could attempt to replicate my image exactly. After my procedure was followed there were many differences in the original vs the replica.  In Figure A and B they are entirely different as the spider web and the tree itself were different, most likely because of the foul weather all that week. The panel itself was also different in the text used and the shape and size of each picture in the collage.  Figure C, the map, also differed as the replica was the entire map and the original was zoomed in around the area searched. These differences can be attributed to lack of precision in the methods section. The overall panels were very different in the way they were presented and edited.  

For the map, I googled “umass amherst campus map” on my iphone and clicked on the first link which brought me to a pdf of the campus, in the upper left hand corner it said “UMass Amherst General Location Campus Map September 2018”. I took a screenshot of this and then in my photos I edited this and cropped the image so that it showed only the Integrative Learning Center, the campus pond, the Fine Arts Center, Morrill Science Center and Wilder, University Club, Shade Tree Lab and Clark. I then clicked on the three little dots in a circle on the edit screen and chose the highlighter marker and made it red. I made a circle around Morrill 2 and made a dot near the back entrance where I took the pictures of the spider.

Once I had all the pictures I emailed them to myself and opened them in Inkscape. They all opened individually so I copied and pasted two of the images into one of the inkscapes so that this inkscape had all 3 images. The picture of the campus map was placed in the top left corner right next to the image of the doors to Morrill. Underneath those two I placed the picture of the spider web.

When taking the pictures for the figure panels I used 4 elements as controls. The time of day when the pictures were taken at 9:55 in the morning, the ucard was used for scale, the orientation of the ucard was vertical and backwards, and the location of the images was set. A time was given so that the pictures would have similar lighting. The ucard was used for scale because all students are UMass are issued a ucard, so whoever recreated the figure would have one. The orientation and the direction of the ucard was also a control so that the scale would be the same. The location of the figure panel images was also controlled and Morrill was used because this is a building all students in the class know since this is where class is held. Some variables that I identified that could not be controlled include weather, type of camera, platform used to create figure panel, and distance and angle of the photographer relative to the building. Weather is uncontrollable and different weather could affect the quality of the images. The type of camera is also an uncontrolled variable because a standard camera was not used. This also applies to the platform used to create the figure panel. The exact location of the person taking the images is also a variable because the positions were not marked.  

I observed a total of four main differences between my original multi-panel figure (Figure 1) and the replicated figure (Figure 2). I observed differences in the original photographs taken and the replicated photographs. First of all, it is difficult to see the spider web in the close up photograph of the spider web. In the replicated Panel A, I mostly see the pipe of the radiator rather than the web. I also observed that the color and positioning of the pencil used in the replicated photo is different from my original. The pencil I used was yellow while the replicated photograph has a red pencil. For the replicated Panel B, I noticed that the photograph did not include the same amount of the rug, doorway, or wall as my original Panel B. The replicated image included the ceiling in the Morril 4 hallway, but my original photo did not.

In addition to differences in the photographs, I found differences in the editing and formatting of the multi-panel figures. Panel A and Panel B look much narrower and taller than my original Panel A and Panel B. In the replicated figure, the letters A, B, and C are bigger than the boxes they are meant to fit in. The letters are also missing a period after them. The boxes for letters A and B appear to be in a different position than the boxes in the original multi-panel figure. Finally, I noticed that the sizing and placement of the black star varies between the two multi-panel figures.

There are a total of 11 differences visible when comparing panel A of the two figures. In Figure 1:A the lamp of the lightpost is on, shining light down onto the spiderweb. This light is absent in Figure 2:A. In Figure 1:A there is a ruler held to the left of the lightpost. This ruler is absent in Figure 2:A, however a student ID card is held beneath the spiderweb with a purple flower visible to the left in the background behind the lightpost. There is also a rockwall visible to the left of the lightpost in Figure 2:A. Less of the top jutting portion of the lightpost, which houses the lamp, is visible in Figure 1:A. This portion of the lightpost is wet in Figure 2:A. Figure 2:A also shows more of the sidewalk to the right of the lightpost, has the door to Morrill 1 visible in the background, and the brick wall of Morrill 1 visible to the left of the lightpost. Overall Figure 1:A is darker than Figure 2:A.

A total of 12 differences were observed between Panel B of the two figures. The lightpost present in Figure 1:B has its lamp turned on while it is off in Figure 2:B. The curb and sidewalk in front of the lightpost is visible in Figure 1:B. Nearly all of the tree behind the lightpost is visible in Figure 2:B while the top half is absent in Figure 1:B. Furthermore, the brick wall of Morrill 1 is visible behind the lightpost, including windows. Figure 1:B has the lower right of the door, but with the addition of a portion of brick wall which is absent in Figure 2:B. There is also a purple flower in Figure 2:B which is absent in Figure 1:B. There is a grey rectangluar structure imbeded in the ground present in each figure, however in Figure 1:B, the lightpost occludes this structure. Lastly, the ground and the top portion of the lamp is wet in Figure 2:B

The anatomy of the hypothalamic pituitary axis is essential to its function. The neurons from the hypothalamus which synthesize hormones to be released by the posterior pituitary gland synapse directly onto the veins in the posterior pituitary, so they can release the hormones there to be sent out to the rest of the body. The hypothalamic-anterior pituitary section has a more unique structure. There is a portal system, 2 capillary beds connected by a veinous system, that joins them. One capillary bed is in the hypothalamus and the other is in the anterior pituitary. This contrasts normal veinous systems, where an artery goes in and leaves as a vein. Instead, the two capillary systems are joined. A set of neurons in the hypothalamus produces releasing factors and synapses in the capillary bed that is also in the hypothalamus, which is connected to the capillary bed in the anterior pituitary where hormones such as ACTH, FSH, and prolactin are synthesized. This connection allows it to trigger their release. The hormones in the portal system would degrade and be at concentrations too low/dilute in the general circulation, but when contained in the smaller portal system where they can flow, they are at a sufficient concentration.

When comparing the labeling present in either figure a total of 7 differences are noticable. The labeling has differences when it comes to font size. In Figure 2, font size when labeling the images “A – B – C” looks to be larger than in Figure 1, which has a font size of 72. The font size of the “Web location” label in Figure 1:C is 28. However in Figure 2:C this font size is notably larger; with the addition of an absence of capitals at the beginning of each word. Rather than facing upward and pointing towards Morrill 1, as is the case in Figure 1, the arrow which sits above this “Web Location” label is facing the downward direction in Figure 2:C. The line width of the arrow is not set to a width of 3.0mm as indicated in the methods either. The arrow head of this arrow is significantly wider than in Figure 1, which had used a more narrow arrow head. The arrow itself is also pointing to a different location in the two figures, with Figure 2:C having its arrow more to the left

The amount of sun exposure is a factor that was not accounted for when taking the replicate photos; this is seen the amount of sun beans present throughout the panel B and panel C pictures of Figure 2. The yellow beams over the tree and in the background of the spider web shows the presence of sun that was not there in the original multi-panel figure.

    The weather is another factor that was not controlled in the replicate figure due to the difference in lighting in the photos. The original photos were taken on a day of overcast weather, meaning there is a layer of clouds blocking the sun. Panel B and C in Figure 1 have a dull lighting, whereas the replicate photos have harsh beams of light.

As for the formatting of the figures, discrepancies in the methods may have caused the differences between the two multi-panel figures. For example, the font size and type were different in the replicated figure due to a lack of explanation in the methods. Additionally, the lack of gaps in between the photos in the replicated figure is a difference due to the disregard of the written methods.

    Despite there being many differences between Figure 1 and Figure 2, the overall project was a success in practicing scientific writing and replication.

One of the most important aspects in the science community is the ability to replicate processes and get the same results. In order to be able to achieve this goal, clear and concise writing is required. In Fall 2018 the Writing in Biology Class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted a project to observe differences between the two figures. Figure 1 was created by me and Figure 2 was created by another student who followed my methods section to try to create a perfect replicate of the Figure I already created. The following section focuses on the subject of the figure including why it was selected, and the factors that were attempted to be controlled in the writing of the methods section.