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In class legend assignment

Submitted by cdkelly on Fri, 09/21/2018 - 14:17

 

Figure 1. Massive spider size and dimensions. The image shows just how large the male goliath birdeater is. A ruler is positioned on the right side of it in order to give some scale. In its displayed conformation, the spider is approximately 17 cm in length, or roughly the size of an adult human hand. “male goliath birdeater 111508 011” flickr photo  by John https://www.flickr.com/photos/8373783@N07/3199695137 Shared under Creative Commons (BY) license.

 

methods draft part 3

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 22:01

Following the completion of the image manipulation in Microsoft Paint, the images were all saved. I then imported them all to a newly created project in the software Inkscape. Each image was appropriately resized and arrayed on the page. The photo of the web was placed to the upper-middle left side of the project. Equivalent in size, the second image of the location was placed to the right of the first. A small white gap was created between the two photos. Both ends of the images connected with their respective ends of the figure. Next, the screenshot of the map was placed at the center below the first two images and was slightly larger so that the details of the map could be clearly seen. Finally, each figure was labeled with the web being denoted at “(A)”, the location as “(B)”, at the map as “(C)” These labels were placed near the top right corner of each component of the figure. The overall construction of the figure was done in such a way that every element was could be seen clearly and understood.

 

Methods draft part 2

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 21:09

To prepare the figure, each image was imported to Microsoft Paint and uniformly cropped. The map view was acquired via a screenshot of the University of Massachusetts campus on the website OpenSourceMaps.org. For the image of the spider web itself, a black horizontal line was drawn across the center of quarter to get the width, and then placed above it. Two ends were fitted with equivalent vertical black lines that were about one fourth the length of the first line. “24.25 mm” was entered into the text creation tool and placed directly above the horizontal line. This allowed for the scale of the web to be adequately shown. For the image depicting the location of the web, a small red circle was drawn with the shapes tool in paint and placed so that it encompassed the position of the web.

Next, the screenshot of the map was brought into paint and subsequently cropped so that the Student Union building was clearly displayed at the center. A red dot was placed at the exact location of the web and black line was extended off of it to the right at a slight angle.At the terminal end of the newly placed line, a black outline of a rectangular box was created. The word “location” was put inside of the box.

Amino acid summary - perfect paragraph

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 20:44

Amino acids are the primary building blocks of all proteins. Each amino acid is comprised of a central alpha carbon with an alpha hydrogen, an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable R-group that makes them unique. The amino end is referred to as the N-terminus, and the carboxyl end Is referred to as the C-terminus. A total of twenty common amino acids exist within our bodies and they are sorted into different groups based on their chemical properties. For example, polar amino acids are considered to be hydrophilic (water loving) because their R-groups will interact with other polar molecules, including water. Amino acids polymerize with one another via a dehydration reaction and form a polypeptide chain comprised of anywhere from forty to thousands of these tiny building blocks. This is known as the primary structure of a protein.The aforementioned chemical properties of amino acids dictate how the primary structure will fold in an aqueous environment. Since the structure and shape of a protein is dependant on these R-group interactions and protein function is facilitated by shape, it is important that they fold properly. Therefore, the specific position of a given amino acid in the polypeptide is crucial for protein formation. Proteins cannot exist without amino acids and we cannot exist without proteins; amino acids are fundamental components of life itself.



 

Methods draft part 1

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/20/2018 - 02:24

    The two photographs were taken on the front-right side of the Student Union building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at approximately 3 PM. A bike rack with an overhang was in the close proximity. Between the building and bike rack, an air filtration unit could be seen. On the right side of that was a small metal box with the words “Elect IN rm. 208” written on it in marker. The web was located under that box, and it extended to the right.

The web was large and relatively flat, so I decided to only focus on the right most potion. To take the photo, the camera was held about eight inches above it and pointed directly downwards. A quarter, held between the pointer finger and middle finger of my left hand, was held at the level of the web and positioned so that it would show up in the bottom left corner of the image. Flash was turned on. Once a satisfactory photo was taken, I moved back towards the bike rack. I then positioned myself between the windows of the Student Union and the second pillar of the bike rack structure. The camera was pointed directly at the location of the web. The shot was framed so that the air filtration unit was at the center. Finally, the second photo was captured.

 

Figure explaination draft

Submitted by cdkelly on Tue, 09/18/2018 - 23:47

I thought that this figure was detailed yet understandable. The way that all of the information was presented was done in a way that it was clear, and the results are easily understandable. In part A of the figure, they show the expression of the transgene that allows for synaptic activation via a basal light source. Then in part B they display how the light was mounted to the model organism at the center of the experiment. In part C, each dot on the graph shows one subject in the experiment, and an effect is clearly demonstrated before and after the light in the form of a laser is activated; each line and dot represents one mouse. Finally, part D of the figure shows the EEG reading resulting from the aforementioned light stimulation in the form of a laser directed to a specific region of the rodents brain. Overall, I found that this figure was digestible and well constructed.

 

Amino acids summary

Submitted by cdkelly on Tue, 09/18/2018 - 17:28

Amino acids are the primary building blocks of all proteins. They polymerize with one another via a dehydration reaction and form a polypeptide chain, known as the primary structure of a protein. Each amino acid is comprised of a central alpha carbon with a hydrogen, an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable R-group that makes them unique. The amino end is referred to as the N-terminus, and the carboxyl end Is referred to as the C-terminus. A total of twenty common amino acids exist within our bodies and they are sorted into different groups based on their chemical properties. For example, polar amino acids are considered to be hydrophilic (water loving) because their R-groups will interact with other polar molecules, including water. These aforementioned properties of amino acids dictate how the primary structure will fold in an aqueous environment. Proteins cannot exist without amino acids, as they are fundamental components of life itself.

Preparation - yesterday's morning routine

Submitted by cdkelly on Fri, 09/14/2018 - 15:25

Preparation

 

   While preparing for my day, I began by checking through the various emails on my phone. Once competed, I made my way into my bathroom and took a hot shower. My shower was brief and I stepped out and dried myself off with a towel. While still in the bathroom, I used some mouthwash and brushed my teeth. I then walked back into my room, gathered my clothing for the day from my closet, and got dressed. Next, I walked into my kitchen and prepared breakfast for myself. I ate what I had made and quickly washed the plate that I had used. When all of these things were done, I was prepared for my day.

Classwork assignment - Colin and Julia

Submitted by cdkelly on Fri, 09/14/2018 - 13:59

The website we looked at was Sciencemag.org, which we know as a credible site for publications in scientific fields. First and foremost, the ".org" in the URL indicates that the site is run by an organization. Generlly, this also implies that this site is non-profit, but not always. The tabs in the top contained a section specifically for journals published through Science, and journals are the main hub for cutting-edge research. A direct quote from their About Us section: " Today, Science continues to publish the very best in research across the sciences, with articles that consistently rank among the most cited in the world". With this in mind, Sciencemag.org is definitely a reliable and valid source for scientific literature; it acts as a gateway to a wide array of different journals and publications across the internet.

homework perfect paragraph

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 22:10

During reading these two articles, something that jumped out at me was that the review article was open access; the majority of research articles I’ve read are locked behind a paywall. Perhaps this was done so that the information is readily available to anyone who is interested in the topic. I also found it intriguing that the review article had more level 2 headings, but it made sense since the review was drawing from so many different sources and consequently had to cover more ground. The structure of the discussion in the research article was different than what I’m used to. The way that it presented a numbered list that answered the questions posited at the beginning of the article was unique. Furthermore, the writing style of the review came off as more digestible because it was meant to describe a more broad topic. In skimming through the research article, I’ve come to realize that the absolute structure of a research article is not concrete. There are basic guidelines, such as having an abstract at the beginning or a discussion at the end, but the way that they do it up to them. Authors present information in a way that they believe best showcases their work.

 

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