In-class Exercise

Figure 1. Photographic image of a Drosera rotundifolia. A diagnostic characterstic of Drosera rotundifolia are the adhesive mucilagess that help it catch prey. "Drosera rotundifolia." flickr photo by Free the Image https://flickr.com/photos/freetheimage/14129398634 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Figure 1. Photograph of a tiger. Tigers have the largest upper canine teeth, measuring 2.5 to 3 inches. "TIger" flickr photo by Jeffrey Rolinc https://flickr.com/photos/jrolinc/6212814598 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license.

Figure 1, Photograph of Acetabularia. Up close photo of acetabularia reveals the complex nature of the large, single cell organism. Note the shallow, cup shape of the plant for which it is named after.

"Acetabularia" flickr photo by CameliaTWU https://flickr.com/photos/cameliatwu/4420468633 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

Figure 1. Drosera rotundifolia.  Drosera rotundifolia has tendril-like extensions which collect dew. "Drosera rotundifolia." flickr photo by Free the Image https://flickr.com/photos/freetheimage/14129398634 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Figure 2. Water Properties.  Surface tension is one of the properties of water as seen on the Drosera rotundifolia which keeps the water in spheres on the tips of the red tendrils. "Drosera rotundifolia." flickr photo by Free the Image https://flickr.com/photos/freetheimage/14129398634 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Figure 1. Sea otter sleep habits. Sea otter's prevent drifting by holding hands while sleeping. "Aquário de Vancouver / Vancouver Aquarium" flickr photo by Marcio Cabral de Moura https://flickr.com/photos/mcdemoura/15292902106 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license.

Figure 1. Meerkat on alert. Meerkats work as a hierarchical system, where a few are assigned as guards to patrol the surrounding area for predators or competition from other groups. "Meerkat" flickr photo by noluckmurphy https://flickr.com/photos/noluckmurphy/6645376763 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license

Figure 1. Swamp sparrow perched in a wetland environment. The conical-like beak shape is adapted for eating insects and seeds, depending on the food sources available. "Swamp Sparrow" flickr photo by dmoon10751 https://flickr.com/photos/birdnerds/41768202082 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC) license

Figure 1. Microscope image of tardigrade. A diagnostic characteristic of tardigrades are the sclerotized mouthparts. "Tardigrade" flickr photo by AJC1 https://flickr.com/photos/ajc1/37884036601 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license.

Screencasts for making multipanel scientific figures using Inkscape

Creating Figures: Part 1. Compositing
Creating Figures: Part 2. Labels and Arrows
Creating Figures: Part 3. Document Properties and Exporting

Hints

• Think ahead of time. What is your figure going to look like? Should you crop imagery ahead of time? Do you need to adjust image or exposure? (Note: Some journals don't allow digital manipulation of imagery). Do this in a bitmap editing program (e.g. GIMP or Photoshop).
• Do all your work in a folder. Put your image files in there. Save your SVG file in there. Save early and often.

Workflow

1. Import all your images: Either Link or Embed. Note things can be “above” or “below” others. Click or drag over to select. Hold the “shift” key to select multiple objects.
2. Composite your images to make your design: Lock proportions to avoid stretching. Turn “snapping” on or off. Set height and width directly to resize. Use Align and Distribute (switch to "relative to first selected").
3. Construct one label: Consider font and contrast.
4. Duplicate label to make more: Select label, duplicate object, move. Repeat as necessary.
5. Finish each label: Replace each letter as necessary. Use Align and Distribute to center. Use align and distribute to put labels at corners of each panel.
6. Create arrows: Use the Line Tool to draw a straight line segment (click, click-click). Then use Fill and Stroke tool to set the line width and add arrow head to start (or end).
7. Set the Page Size: Open Document Properties. Resize Page to Drawing. Set background to not be transparent (increase alpha channel to 255).
8. Export Finished Figure: Export PAGE. Set width to 1200pixels. Save with name “Lastname-Original.png” The resultant PNG file is your finished figure.

Note: Do not share your finished figure or include in your METHODS manuscript until your methods have been followed!

Daily Routine: Approx. 52.5 min

I woke up at 6:45am

Slept again until 7am

Brushed my teeth

Took vitamins 

Showered and changed

Made breakfast and coffee

Ate breakfast

Personal Health: Approx. 55 min

Did squats

Did deadlifts

Did power cleans

Did calf raises

Did leg extensions and curls

I was joined by a close friend today for my daily workout before heading to Umass. We started off with squats, doing 4 sets of 6 repetitions starting at 185 pounds and increasing 40/50 pounds each time until 315 pounds was done. We then rotated between calf raises and deadlifts. Calf raises being more of a burn exercise, we did 20 to 25 repetitions of 185 pounds for 4 sets. Deadlifts were done in a similar way to squats, with 4 sets of 6 repetitions done from 185 to 315 pounds. Additional repetitions were done to see if I could increase my personal best, and I was able to deadlift 405 pounds for a new max repetition. Power cleans were done next, but having not done them in a long time and being exhausted from earlier exercises, 3 sets of 8 repetitions were done from 95 to 135 pounds. Finally, leg extension and curl machines were used for 3 sets of 10 repetitions ranging from 145 to 175 pounds.

Transportation: Approx. 85 min

Drove with my friend to workout

Got back home

Drove to my Umass lot

Rode the bus to the ILC stop

Walked to my physics class

Went to a lounge between classes

Walked to the BCRC

Academic: Approx. 115 min

Worked on group problems in physics

Brainstormed/coordinated with my team what topic we would cover in our assigned physics project

Finished up the Scientific Literature assignment for this class