Writing in Biology

It is a pretty well known fact that as humans age the cognitive function of their brain degrades, as well. Certain disorders, diseases and other health aspects such as drug abuse or traumatic injuries can cause an increase in the degradation. However the mechanisms responsible for the normal degradation, outside of the injuries, drug abuse or disorders, is still relatively unknown. But a new research has shown that the decline in function may be a result of astrocyte dysfunction. Astrocytes help with the formation and elimination of synapses in the brain. In the study, done on mice, it was that the aging resulted in increased reactivity of astrocytese. This up-regulation of reactivity causes the astrocytes to lose their ability to carry out their normal functions and release toxins that destroy neurons. This loss of function change in the astrocytes results in cognitive degradtion and an increased possibility of traumatic brain injuries in aging brains. 

Similarly to panel B, the flower in Fig. 1d and the flower in Fig. 2d have differing shapes. Along with that, in Fig. 1d, the card held above the flower has many orange and pink letter D’s, while the card in Fig. 2d has a black stripe, small words, and a “Ucard” logo. The cards are being held on opposite sides of the image in each picture, the left in Fig. 1d and the right in Fig. 2d. The flower takes up more of the image in Fig. 2d, while Fig. 1d  includes some background of the plant.

A possible explanation for the discrepancies between figures 1A and 2A could be that the replicated photo was taken of a different bloom on the tree. This could have happened because there was a lack of explicit detail explaining exactly which bloom was photographed in the original figure. Additionally, the angle was not specified in the methods whether is was to the right or left side of the ceiling of the conservatory, which could have helped in taking a more exact photo of the bloom. Figures 1B and 2B do not appear to be much different from one another. There are slight discrepancies between the amount of leaves captured at the top of the tree, but many of the factors that could have resulted in major differences in the figure were controlled by the limited angle options due to the corner placement of the tree. Differences between figures 1C and 2C can be explained by the insufficient explanation of how to create state borders on the figure map website. The default world map setting does not include state borders, so a box must be checked in order for the borders to be seen. With this box checked, each individual state can be highlighted and Florida can be colored in.These directions were not explicit in the methods section, and this step was missed in the execution of the map making for the replicate figure. Additionally, the type of font was not detailed in the methods, resulting in a different font used to label the figures on the replicate.  

            Since Dr. Farkas studies three different areas of research, three different approaches are being taken, though all are connected in the sense that all are meant to further understand the causes of cancer and to lead to potential treatment. First is the study of the altered circadian rhythms, as they have been found to match up with drug resistance during cancer treatment and to in general cause more aggressive cases of cancer. In this research, detectable entities, or luciferase reporters, are being developed for proteins essential to the circadian clock and for the cancer proteins involved. The reporters are to be used to detect change in rhythm. One potential obstacle is the comparison and relationship of this process in different types of cancer, as they may all not be able to be treated in the same way. Next, the study of modified macrophages as targets for cancer is equally as promising. In this research macrophages are targeted so that the macrophages that are recruited for the toxic sites of cancer can be harnessed and used for good instead (attacking the cancer), rather than in other cancer research where they are outright killed. This research is creating macrophages that have reporters that can distinguish between phenotypes so that they can attack only at unhealthy tissue. Finally are the capsules for therapeutic delivery that are being studied in the hopes that co-delivery enhances the effectiveness of cancer treatment. All of these processes involve the understanding of targets and antibodies which is a long studied field in cancer research.

One photograph was taken in portrait orientation to show the full plant, including the pot. The plant was centered in the photograph both vertically and horizontally and the the picture was taken from an angle slightly looking down on it. Another photograph was taken in landscape orientation, focusing only on the single, vibrant pink flower. The flower was also centered in the photograph both vertically and horizontally and the picture was taken from an angle slightly looking down on it.

The Quabbin Reservoir is just under 40 square miles and is an interesting and diverse landscape. It is a lake that is relatively narrow and long stretching 18 miles from North to South Massachusetts. The lake is surrounded by forests which are mostly deciduous types and some conifer types. This area is very rich in different species; there are very high populations of things such as rodents, deer or even bears. The water’s edge has smaller plants and shrubs, but is mostly just rocks and sand. This area has less diversity because it is the transition of two patches; there are small animals that live at the water’s edge, including a large population of salamanders. The water has a maximum depth of 151 feet, but an average of 45 feet; this leaves room for a wide range of fish that live there in very high populations. The reservoir also has many islands; the larger islands have similar trees to the mainland, perhaps in less density and the smaller islands are even more sparse. These islands have some animals, but the populations are much smaller and are mostly small animals. 

Study 2: Alcohol-induced performance impairment: a 5-year re-examination study in heavy and light drinkers.

This study compared 86 heavy drinkers to 69 light drinkers in their early adulthood to test if greater experience with drinking can lead to less impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance. The individuals in the experiment were brought in lab and either given a placebo or alcohol, then tested with a grooved peg board (fine motor skills) and a digital substitution test (short-term memory) in 620 laboratory sessions. The researchers found that heavy drinkers did indeed show less impairment in the peg board test, but not in the digital substitution test which tested for short term memory. The light drinkers did not exhibit tolerance on either task. This study shows that both heavy drinkers and light drinkers experience memory impairment from drinking and no signs of tolerance with increased alcohol use.

            In sub-Saharan Africa, there are ants that take a human characteristic into their own, heroism. The African Matabele ant, or the Megaponera analis, show that no matter the size of the colony, no ant is replaceable. These termite eating ants sustain a certain level of injuries while on the mission to college termites to feed on, they have adapted to not only tend to the injured but bring them back to their nest and aid their recovery. In a study in 2017, these ants were seen to carry all ants who sustained non-fatal injuries back to their nesting area. However, this is not the full extent of the heroism. In an experiment, they collected six ant colonies and experimentally removed legs which spiked the response of its comrade ants who brought it back to the artificial nest. Once in the nest they began to clean the pen wound with their mouth for up to 4 minutes. This showed to have a 90% 24-hour survival rate if treated with the licking as opposed to only a 20% survival if the researchers had not allowed for this extra aid in the injured ant. It is believed that the licking of the wound is to clear away any dirt to prevent infection and to apply antimicrobial chemicals. 

Glycosylation is the covalent addition of sugar groups to specific amino acids on petide bond chains. This process of sugar addition has lasting effects on the proteins location, shape, function and stability. In recent studies researchers have found that the glycosylation of immune receptors results in increased activity of both programmed cell death factors and anti-tumor factors as well. This specific study focused on the effects of the glycosylation on Triple-Negative breast cancer cells. The study also showed that the glycosylation process can also have inheritant effects on neighboring cell. This exciting revelation means that pairing immune checkpoint therapy with protein glycosylation could prove to be a very effective beneficial treatment for cancer, specifically Triple-Negative breast cancer.

The aim of the Methods Project is to construct a scientific figure so a comparative figure can be created using a set of methods.  In scientific writing, it is imperative to write a clear and concise methods section so other scientists can replicate the results of an experiment.  The figure created as a result of this project depicts the orchid species Oncidium Sharry Baby and where it can found indigenously throughout the world.  This orchid is found on the University of Massachusetts campus in Durfee conservatory, which is student accessible.  Oncidium Sharry Baby is a tall plant making it easy to spot, with only one bloom allowing for control of the close up image.  The blooms are fragrant, unlike many of the flowers surrounding it, further drawing attention towards the orchid of interest.  Utilizing a ‘fragrant flower’ sign located in front of the plant as a reference point controlled the orientation of each image.  These reasons allow for the controlled creation of a parallel, representative figure of this plant.