Writing in Biology - Section 1

Water is one of the fundamental molecules plants, and all organisms for that matter, need in order to survive. Basic photosynthesis, turgor pressure, and many other processes would not be possible without water. So how is water brought into the plant? Plants uptake their nutrients through root systems that tunnel in the soils below. Some plants branch out more than others, however, all of them have thousands of small single-celled root hairs extending into the soil. These root hairs increase the surface area of the roots and provide pathways for nutrients to diffuse into. One of these being water molecules. Once in the root, there are three ways water can reach the xylem, the water transport cells. First is through the apoplast. This area is the space in between cells that cannot regulate what passes by. Eventually, this pathway meets a lignin barrier separating it from the xylem where it must enter a cell in order to pass. The second and third ways are through channels within cells. These are either by aquaporins or transmembrane channels that water molecules can pass through. Eventually, water will again reach the lignin barrier which it can pass without much extra movement as it is already in the cell.  

    Based on the rubric of the PROJECT, the poster selected has several areas of the poster that could be improved in the design, organization and writing of the poster.  In the design on the poster, the colors selected are very appealing to the eye and allows for both the black and white text of the poster to be presented well.  Another  in the design of the poster is 

    One major area in the organization of the poster which does not flow for me is the giant text box in the middle of the poster which seems to hold the conclusions of the study.  After reading the introduction, aims, and methods, the giant box seems out of place.  In addition, the text was just as large of the title which distracts from the flow of the poster. 

The poster does not include much textual information; however, it focuses on using images and figures to highlight all the necessary roles of a scientific poster. Due to the complex imagery, the poster is not easy to follow without the help of the author. The background image reflects the main theme: the team is working closely to create a computer program concept. The goal of the poster is not clearly stated. The design however is informative and is lightweight, designed for any audience. The computer programs and icons in the poster reflect the theme of the research.The triangle image in the center is the most important and largest design element. It is contrasting with the background and its fonts are typed in a green font that would be clearly distinguishable even from a long distance.All the information is presented in the form of imagery and data. The person who is interested in the poster will definitely want to get acquainted with the detailed information, therefore it is presented in an understandable, but at the same time concise form. 

• The design focuses on the key information needed by the participants. The dark background contrasts with light outline, focusing on the key idea and data. The sharper text and illustrations contrast with the background. Such information is likely to be interesting to potential participant. However, there is not a large print to establish what the poster is about. The poster does not contain much writing other than some computer program language. The computer language does catch the eye and is appropriately used throughout the text. 

In this experiment we set out to determine the effects of temperature on the activity level of O. fasciatus and to test whether the insects were most active during an intermediate temperature window of 10-20°C that encompasses the Massachusetts average daytime temperature of 15°C. Our results show that the milkweed bugs start being active at 10°C and that the number of active bugs increases linearly until 20°C, at which point all of the insects show activity.

In both the hot to cold group and the cold to hot group, there is a positive linear correlation between activity count and temperature, with R² = 0.8874 and R² = 0.8893 for each group respectively. These R² values suggest a strong linear correlation between activity and temperature which implies that the number of active insects will increase as temperature increases and vice versa.

However, these data also show that not all of the insects are active in the intermediate temperature zone of 10-20°C. Our data show that there are, on average, 3.79 active insects in this temperature range. Against the null hypothesis that mean activity count will be 10 active insects out of 10 total insects, a T-test yields a p-value of 1.24e-10, which is below 0.05 and therefore statistically significant. Thus, the null hypothesis that O. fasciatus is most active during an intermediate temperature window of 10-20°C is rejected. This analysis evinces that these insects are not at their most active at temperatures that range across the average daytime temperatures in Massachusetts.

Monitoring air pollution helps to assess the quality of the air we are breathing in. The pollutants in the air can harm the respiratory system, cardiovascular system and the nervous system in humans. Furthermore, it can affect the plant and animal life all around. UMass Amherst is a model system: the inside of the campus has a burgeoning population of students and hence cars posing as a risk to the air quality, whereas the outside of the campus is richly populated with trees. This study can not only give us a sense of whether the student lives are being affected by air pollution on campus, but also helps us create a protocol that could be replicated elsewhere to assess the air quality in a simpler way.

When the sun heats up several water bodies, water vapor starts rising up due to its low density. As it reaches a higher altitude, the temperature starts to cool down. This drop results in the vapor to condense and form clouds above. A more simplified version can be shown using a cloud in a bottle. Adding a small amount of water (or to make the process much faster - ethanol) in a 1 litre plastic bottle would represent the process in a closed system. Using a rubber cork, the nozzle of an air pump can be secured in place. Once everything is set, air is pumped into the bottle with water/ethanol. As more air is pumped into the bottle, the pressure inside starts increasing. Since PV=nRT, the temperature also starts to rise inside. This equates to the water rising once the sun heats up the seas, lakes, rivers etc. As soon as the cork is removed, there is a pop sound followed by a sudden appearance of fog, which represents the cloud. When the cork is removed, there is a sudden drop in pressure, followd by the drastic drop in temperature that rapidly cools down the heated air inside, thereby causing condensation.  

A chromosomal translocation occurs when a segment of one chromosome becomes attached to another. In reciprocal translocations two non-homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material, and they arise from two different mechanisms: chromosomal breakage/DNA repair and abnormal crossovers. Reciprocal translocations lead to a rearrangement of the genetic material, not a change in the total amount thus, they are called balanced translocations. Reciprocal translocations, like inversions, are usually without phenotypic consequences. In a few cases, they can result in position effects and break point effects. In simple translocations the transfer of genetic material occurs in only one direction, these are also called unbalanced translocations. Unbalanced translocations are associated with phenotypic or even lethality, for example: Familial Down's Syndrome. In this condition, the majority of chromosome 21 is attached to chromosome 14. The affected individual would have three copies of genes found on a large segment of chromosome 21, therefore, they exhibit the characteristics of Down's Syndrome. Familial Down's Syndrome is the most common type of chromosomal rearrangement in humans and occurs Approximately 1 in 900 births.

The third specific aim is to determine the reliability of HOXC genes as an indicator of the phylogeny. While molecular phylogenetic determination is a reliable way of determining the phylogeny of organisms, Because there are only 4 possible nucleotides, there is a chance that the phylogenetic tree may be incorrect. To determine whether the tree is accurate, the bootstrap value of the tree will be calculated. By comparing the tree, the overall objective of determining the use of HOXC as an indicator of phylogeny can be achieved. 

This industry has been alive for as long as our whole family lineage has been alive for. The Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess as early as 2700 B.C. In Greece, one of the first alcoholic beverages to gain popularity was “mead”, a fermented drink made from honey and water. Greek literature is full of warnings against excessive drinking. This shows us that alcohol has been around for a very long time, but when did it become an epidemic?  Alcohol is a psychoactive substance with addictive properties, just like nicotine. As above, we can see that it has been widely used in many cultures for centuries. This substance not only has detrimental physical health effects to the individual, but it has psychological effects, and can harm other people such as family members, co-workers and strangers. In fact, alcohol is now the 3rd leading preventable cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 88,000 people dying from alcohol-related causes every year.