Writing in Biology

Use a 5-mL round bottom flask, measure alcohol and carboxylic acid precisely that was calculated in the prelab. Add sulfuric acid (4 drops) with caution and mix them using a clean pipet and expelling them back into the flask. Mixing well is required so it will not result in the concentrated sulfuric acid reacting to form unwanted darkly colored by-products. Add a few boiling chips and go through distillation. Trapping the water is more effective if the side arm points slightly downward when the round block flask with distillation head attached is held in an upright position in a 45-degree angle. Sand bath is then used to boil. Vapors should condense about 1/3 way up the reflux condenser. Overheating can make product and reactants to escape into the atmosphere. Two phases of liquid will collect in the side arm, upper organic phase and lower water phase. Remove water, after the reaction has refluxed for 15 minutes, raise the apparatus from heat and tip it back so that most of the upper phase in the side arm drips. Lower the apparatus back and using sand bath, resume refluxing for 15 minutes, then again lift and tip it back. Reflux for the 3^rd and last time to make it 45 minutes total. Then cool it completely for 15 minutes. Take cooled content and use a pipet into a centrifuge containing water (1 mL). Mix well, lower layer to the top, remove the aqueous layer and place it into a beaker. Add sodium bicarbonate (1 mL), mix well, and remove the aqueous layer once again. Add 5 spheres of anhydrous calcium chloride to the liquid and swirl. Using a pipet, take organic layer into a vial and all the spheres should not clump together. Add more spheres if they are clumping together. Using a pipet transfer the liquid to a dry tared capped vial. Smell ester and check the odors of different esters made by classmates. Determine % yield of product, determine and interpret the IR spectrum. For comparison, check the IR spectra of a carboxylic acid, an alcohol, and an ester. 

Many of these experiments have a similar design. They have a way of measuring diversity in the species; when the organism is a type of insect the method to measure is usually setting traps and counting the number of different species.

The different insect species in relation to their indication of different environmental factors has been studied and documented thoroughly, but the diversity of these insects has not been tested in this area. This experiment uses a well-tested method to find biodiversity to discover more about the area in which we live.    

When a bird hears a song, cells in the bird’s brain alter their biochemistry to alter gene expression and protein production that reshape cells in the learning center.  Allowing the bird to now do things it couldn’t before being exposed to the song.  One of the genes that contributes to these changes is ZENK which codes for a protein ZENK.  The ZENK protein is produced when a bird hears a song and is a transcription factor that regulates other genes influencing the way neurons interact with other neurons which can alter a bird’s behavior.

In both the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of the cells. Although in the eukaryotic cell the formation of acetyl-CoA, the Citric Acid Cycle (Krebs) and the oxidative Phosphorylation occurs in an organelle called the Mitochondria. The opposite of breaking down glucose is gluconeogenesis, which forms glucose from pyruvate. In the prokaryotic cell the process of the formation of glucose occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell. In the eukaryotic cell gluconeogenesis starts in the mitochondria and finishes in the cytoplasm of the cell.

The overall delta G of gluconeogenesis is negative. Although gluconeogenesis is considered an anabolic reaction because it is the building of a new structure, it is also a coupled reaction. Gluconeogenesis is couples with glycolysis therefore the energy given off by another reaction that is indirect such as the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and Pi

In Spring 2018, as part of the Writing in Biology course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, each group designed a distinct proposal project examining a variety of factors. This experiment will examine Morrill buildings III and IV located in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst which are situated at opposite ends of each other. Arthropods thrive where there are plants or where the environment is warm. It is not well understood what other factors contribute to this notion. In this proposal, we aim to observe the distinct types of arthropods living or nonliving. In addition, factors that drive to the diversity of arthropods that are present on the Morrill Buildings III and IV window sills will be analyzed. Each group will be assigned a particular floor of either Morrill III or Morrill IV building. 

Glycolysis is only “partial” in the oxidation of glucose because the reaction’s product is 2 pyruvate, 2 ATP, 2 NADH. Therefore the glucose is not fully oxidized of all its potential energy since much energy is stored with the two pyruvates. Pyruvate carried a decent amount of energy is the chain bonds of C-C and C-H. The fully oxidized product would be CO₂ with no potential to reduce electron carriers.

At the end of this experiment, it will illustrate what kinds of environments the arthropods thrive in within the buildings examined. This proposal project will provide insight into the Morrill buildings of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the diverse sets of arthropods that inhabit within them. It will enable colleagues to study window sills and take note of what they inhabit and how these conditions contribute to number of arthropods present. Understanding factors that contribute to arthropod presence could be used to develop a management strategy of the buildings.

We will apply this founding to Morrill Buildings III and IV. The Morrill Greenhouse and Reptile exhibit will serve as factors to the reasons a closer distance to these locations will mean that a higher number of arthropods will be observed. In Morril Greenhouse there are a variety of plant species and arthropods as well that could travel to Morrill III given its very close proximate to the building.  

There are a variety of factors that contribute to the best predicted number of diverse sets of arthropods found indoors.  Homes located in wealthy neighbourhoods have a high number of arthropod diversity. This effect is known as “luxury effect” in which a more biological diversity is present in wealthy areas. There is a high correlation with plant presence and plant associaciated arthropods that find their way into indoor areas such as homes or other surrounding structure. (Leong et al. 2016) This application and idea can be used in our proposal project because observing plants near window sills will account for some of the arthropods found and studied.