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Homework draft 2

Submitted by cdkelly on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 21:55

The first structural difference that I noticed between the two articles was that the research article detailed the specifics of the project and discussed the intricacies throughout the sections. The research acticle also contained figures to visually display the data they collected throughout the project. On the other hand, the review article skipped around and covered the topics of myrmecomorphy, myrmecophily, and myrmecophagy in spider-ants. It went into detail for each section/subsection, and referenced a wide number different sources. Citations in the research article contained the author and the date that the referenced article was released, while the review article simply used a number assigned to each of the many sources. In both the research article and the review, the citations begin in the introduction and the summary/abstract do not have any.

One thing 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 that can only be accessed by being on the university campus. I also found it interesting that the review article contained more level 2 headings, but it makes sense since the review is drawing from so many different sources. 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 answers the questions brought up 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 these two articles, I’ve found that the absolute structure of a research article is not concrete. Rather, the authors present the information in a way that they believe best showcases their work.



 

Covalent/Non-Covalent bonds and water interactions

Submitted by mtracy on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 21:06

 

There are a number of ways atoms can interact non-covalently. These interactions can be ionic, dipole or van der Waals. All three of these are electrostatic in nature and are classified by their magnitude and duration. For example, ionic interactions are permanent and full charges while van der Waals interactions are temporary and partial charges. Dipole interactions are a mixture of permanent, temporary, partial and full charges, however. Non-covalent interactions can be dipole-dipole, ion-ion, ion-dipole and hydrogen bonds.

Covalent bonds are stronger than all types of non-covalent bonds. Covalent bonds occur in both polar and non-polar variations. In the human body, the only non-polar covalent bonds will be seen between carbon-carbon bonds and carbon-hydrogen bonds. Of the non-covalent interactions, ionic are the strongest, while van der Waals are the weakest. It is important to note that many weak interactions can sum to form a powerful interaction. In fact, this is crucial to the structure of many proteins in the human body. While covalent bonds form the general linear structure of a molecule, the non-covalent are largely responsible for keeping the three-dimensional shape and structure of the molecule stable. Many interprotein interactions occur due to these non-covalent interactions as well.

The inside of our body is mostly aqueous. It is therefore important to know how molecules interact with water, as well as the properties of water itself. Water is a polar molecule as its large electronegative oxygen pulls electrons away from its smaller hydrogen. This is actually what gives water many interesting properties. Due to its polarity, water tends to adhere to other water molecules. Polarity also governs what will dissolve in water. A general rule of thumb is that like dissolves like. Therefore other polar molecules will dissolve in water and are thus hydrophilic. Take salt for instance, NaCl. The Na is positively charged and the Cl is negatively charged, making it polar. When salt is poured into water, it dissolves as water forms a hydration shell around each atom. However, if a non-polar molecule is poured into water it will not dissolve. Rather, it will clump together. This is what is called a hydrophobic molecule. An example of this can be seen when pouring oil into water. The oil clumps together, even if poured into separate locations in the water. This adherence of oil clumping together isn't because of any sort of attraction between the oil molecules. Instead, this is because of entropy and energetic favorability. When oil is poured in the water, the water must form a shell around it. If there are multiple clumps of oil, more water has to form shells around those clumps as well, therefore decreasing entropy. When all the oil clumps adhere together, forming one large oil clump, the entropy is at its highest and therefore the oil has the tendency to stick together.

North Carolina Coastal Geology

Submitted by bthoole on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 18:08

To understand the impact of hurricane Florence on North Carolina's coast it is important to undertand the formation events of the northern and southern coasts. At the northen coastal plain, one must travel 100km (60miles) before exceeding three meters of elevation. This is drastically different from the southern coastal plain, where only 1-2 miles needss to be traversed to exceed a three meter elevation. All this relates to the slight differences that were at play when they were formed. 200 million years ago when several continents formed a supercontinet, what is now Africa began to pull away. This left some rock to create the North Carolina crystalling rock platform in the southern part of the state. Soft sediment filled around it and the basin has been filling with sediment ever since the Atlantic Ocean was formed. Subsidence of the land and sea level rise means the north coast is sinking faster than the south.

Draft 2 of literature

Submitted by msalvucci on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 16:52

The research article had a slightly different set up. For example, instead of using an abstract, it began with a summary that provided the overview of the study. The introduction and proceeding paragraphs were not numbered, but were instead simply stated as ‘Materials and methods’ and ‘Results’. This is most likely because the paragraphs in each section did not need to be organized as precisely as the review paper. Looking at both articles, the review paper had a significantly shorter introduction than the research paper, but this is a consistent pattern with other papers I have looked at.

            The in-text citations differed between the two texts. The review paper used citations without the author, while the research paper used citations with the author and publishing year. The review paper cited over 170 papers, therefore, it was not surprising to me that they did not cite the last name of every author throughout the paragraphs. Overall, the review article seemed to have a broader range of information regarding the field of research and thus resulted in a longer paper than the research article. The research article was more specific in one area of study. 

Review vs Research Articles

Submitted by curbano on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 16:02

After looking at the different aspects of the review article and research article given to us, it appears to me that review articles give a much more in depth account on a field of research while research articles are based on original, more specific research. The research article about jumping spiders was much shorter than the review article about spider-ant associations. It makes sense that an original research paper would be shorter than a review article that contains an extensive summary of all the work regarding a specific topic. The review article also had significantly more references than the research article. While both articles contained level one headings, only the review article contained level two headings. Furthermore, the review article numbered their level one and two headings while the research article only used words for their headings. I was surprised that the research article did not contain much data. On the other hand, the review article had tables to show information as well as photos. There were diagrams explaining the experiment, but did not show the results in tables or figures. The two articles both contain a lot of information for readers to absorb, but the presentation of the articles varies.

 

Alicia DiCicco

Submitted by amdicicco on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 15:57

The Great Gatsby boasts a popular anachronistic music score. The film features songs that were constructed specifically for the film and songs that already existed. The movie was underscored by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra who typically play retro - jazz music. Much of the music in the film is a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. The hip-hop music in the film is by popular artists that are heard today like Kanye West, Jay - Z, Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, and others. The music of the score is different than a lot of other film scores. The music does not confine itself to either jazz or hip-hop, which adds to the film's diegesis. By combining 1920s and modern elements both visually and sonically the film captivates the modern audience while also showcasing important aspects of the 1920s. 

Alicia DiCicco

Submitted by amdicicco on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 15:52

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, The Great Gatsby (2013) tells the story of Nick Carraway, (Tobey Maguire) a man who moved to New York to get his shot at the booming stock market in the 1920s, but whose life is turned upside down when he gets dragged into the lives of the extremely wealthy. Nick must make many decisions that conflict with his morals, as he teeters between the love life of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). This story is narrated by Carraway in flashback as he talks to his psychiatrist about the time that he spent with the rich. In this paper, I discuss how the features of the anachronistic score of the film are used to portray a realistic look at the culture and values of the 1920s, while also showcasing the energy that was behind such a “roaring” time. 

Alicia DiCicco

Submitted by amdicicco on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 15:49

Computers are extremely new in the grand scheme of humankind, but their invention has completely changed the world. In 2015, it was found that more than 86 percent of Americans had a computer in their home ( /////) and this number continues to grow. Access to computers has changed education, the medical field, and the way that people socialize.   

            Throughout history, education has been something that many people did not have access to. This is still true today, but computers have decreased the number of people without access to an education. Many colleges now offer online classes, and some even offer online degrees. This allows people who cannot go to physical classes to still grow their knowledge. In addition to being able to access an education, they also allow students to gain knowledge at the tips of their fingers. With a quick internet search, students are able to access a huge database of information. This information can further be used in papers, experiments, and projects. Quick access to information like this is also important to others besides students, like people in the medical field. 

Cyclostomata pt 2

Submitted by cwcasey on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 13:50

             Now that there is a general understanding of the symplesiomorphies of the vertebrates, it will now be easier to identify the characteristics that are unique to each family. To start, we will look at the Myxiniformes, also known as hagfish. Hagfish are unique in that they have remanence of Hemal arches which indicate a linkage to the vertebrates. However, this trait was lost in the species so while it is not actively in hagfish, the presence of the ancestral trait is what links them to the rest of the taxon. Aside from this, Hagfish have no paired fins, a slight caudal tail, a linear brain on a cartilaginous plate (brain case), and a protruding jaw used for tunneling and burrowing into food. Hagfish also have either 5 or 8 gill slits, there is no in between. These characteristics are unique to hagfish and are therefore referred to as apomorphic characteristics.

            Next, we will conclude by look at the apomorphic characteristics of Petromysontiformes. This too is a Latin name which can be loosely translated into “stone sucking fish” or as we call them, lampreys. Lampreys are one of the more unique vertebral fishes in that they were the first to develop a lateral line system. This system is used as a sensory mechanism to detect pressure changes in the water which could indicate the presence of a predator or prey. This system is now common in fishes but was first seen in the lamprey. Other characteristics of lampreys include, three eyes (two lateral and image forming, one dorsal), one dorsal nostril, seven gill slits, and a dorsal and tail fin. Like the hagfish, lampreys don’t have any bones or paired fins. However, lampreys do have the ability to survive in both marine and freshwater systems. Fishes with such capabilities are referred to as anadromous fish. Similar to the lateral line system, lampreys were the first to adopt this style of living.

Cyclostomata pt 1

Submitted by cwcasey on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 13:13

            When looking back to the phylogenetic tree from which all species stem from, one of the groups that is often over looked is the Cyclostomata. This group is one of the earliest members of the vertebrates who’s name literally translates to “circle mouth” thus referring to their circular jaws. This group breaks down further into two families, Myxiniformes (hagfish) and Petromysontiformes (lampreys). This passage will serve to discuss the similarities and differences between Myxiniformes, Petromysontiformes, and the rest of the vertebrates.

            To start, it is important to have a general idea of the ancestral characteristics that each family share. For example, all three of the above families have a braincase, neural crest cells, a tripartite brain and cranial nerves. They also have an inner ear with at least one semicircular duct, and optic tectum, a muscularized gut tube, and respiratory gills with hemoglobin. These shared ancestral characteristics are referred to as symplesiomorphies and can be seen in every vertebrate living today.

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