Writing in Biology

HeLa cells were stolen from Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge of full consent, while she was in John Hopkins hospital seeking radium treatment for her cervical cancer, scientist George Gey sought the opportunity, while Henrietta was unconscious during surgery, to have a surgeon collect her cancerous tissue cells to be used for his research on growing a human immortal cell line. To Gey’s astonishment the cells grew perfectly and survived longer than any of the cells he had cultured before, and the rest is scientific history. Yet what science seems to forget is the woman behind the cells and how unethical scientific research was during the 1950’s to the early 1990’s. During that forty year time span many critical and obstructive research occurred all over the United States and possibly all over the world with no laws or pre-dispositions to help regulate the safety and prosperity of the subjects and/or victims of these various scientific research experiments, some of who did not even know they were being used for research purposes such as Henrietta Lacks herself or even her family.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic and endocrine disorder in premenoausal women. Recent studies have produced evidence that PCOS is a disorder with strong environmental and epigenetic influences, including diet and other lifestyle factors. PCOS frequently appears in assocaition with metabolic disorders, cardiovascular risks, insulin resistance and obesity. This disorder does not require complicated treatments or extensive changes to ones life styles, but have found that the disorder requires appropiate therapies that address hyperandrogenism, a consequence of metabolic disorders. 

The experiment we want to run is comparison of physical attributes between the campus pond and the nearby puffers pond. The physical attributes that would be tested would be temperature, pH, turbidity, plankton diversity, emergent vegetation, submerged vegetation, water velocity and direction and general biodiversity of surroundings. Each group will be given a physical attribute and will be expected to test both bodies of water for the specific attribute. The temperature will be tested by approaching the shore and inserting a the thermometer into the water for 1 minute and recording the resulting temperature after the minute. pH will be tested by inserting a pH strip into the water and approximating the pH based on the color that appeared. Turbidity will be tested using a homemade secchi disk, which will be constructed by attaching a rock covered in tin foil to a piece of string of approximately 3 feet. This homemade disc will then be lowered into the water and the length of rope submerged will recorded. Plankton biodiversity will tested using a plankton net and then by taking a 1 mL sample and counting the amount of organisms present in the sample. Emergent and submerged vegetation will be recorded as present and not present. Water velocity and direction will found by a bottle of water filled up halfway and recording the time it takes to travel a set distance. General biodiversity will be recorded through descriptions of the vegetation and wildlife seen around the bodies of water. Once the groups have recorded the results the groups will not the similarities and differences of the findings between the two bodies of water. The groups are then expected to brainstorm reasons as to why the similarities and differences are present.

We think the caliper measurement is better, as the double slit experiment introduces other variables and uncertainties which must be taken into consideration, such as accuracy of measuring th dark spots, and the ctual distance of the hair from the light and screen.

Post-lab Question:

           Using two TLC plate, one had to mark three spots 1cm above the bottom of the plate. If 3 UV active spots were in the crude material and co-spot TLC plate, and only one spot had the same R_f as the starting material and the other 2 are very different, predictions for the 2 non-starting material spots could be something in the middle of the mechanisms. There are four parts to the mechanism, so the second and third part of the mechanism would be the 2 non-starting material spots. This is due to the rate of the hydride attack on the carbon double bonded to the oxygen. It depends heavily on the R group present, and the more electron deficient it is, the faster the hydride can attack. But because they are different from the starting material spot, it would mean that it was caught somewhere in between and could not fully reduced and go to completion.

As a person whose life has been deeply enriched by dogs, I propose that golden retrievers are the most well-rounded dog breed to save with the vaccine.  Today, golden retrievers remain one of the most popular dog breeds owned, and are well acclimated to a numerous amount of climates found around the world.  The advancement of modern machinery has reduced the need for working dogs, and the needs of humanity have shifted to emotional support for various physical and mental health issues.  There are many people struggling with debilitating issues that have shown great improvement with the introduction of a service animal.  Golden retrievers are one of the most prevalent service animals, with an insatiable need to please and great adaptability.  

Title: Behavioral and metabolic contributions to thermoregulation in freely swimming leatherback turtles at high latitudes

By: James P. Casey, Michael C. James, Amanda S. Williard

Published: The journal of experimental biology

Volume-217 issue-13

Published in 2014

Background/ introduction

• Leather back sea turtles and seen in waters from the tropical equator to islands off of Canada (Nova scotia)
• They travel to the northern Atlantic in the late summer/ autumn to eat gelatinous zooplankton
• Proposed that by maintaining a thermal gradient between core body temperature and ambient water temperature
• With average water surface temps of 16.2 °C they maintained a thermal gradient of 5.1- 10.8 °C
• Usually weigh from 250-600 g’s with a small surface area to volume ratio and numerous and robust fat deposits makes them predetermined to hold in heat
• Vascular heat exchangers at the base of the flippers and blood flow adjustments permit tight control of heat loss at the extremities, and a vascular plexus lining the trachea minimizes respiratory heat loss. They utilize counter current heat exchange
• Metabolic heat production is the primary source of heat gain for the leatherback
• Its seen that juveniles with increase their activity when swimming in cold water. The metabolic heat from the moving muscles is used to generate heat for the body and maintain a thermal gradient.
• In adults its proposed that they utilize the metabolic heat gained from internal organs and foraging
• Some behavioral adaptations for leatherbacks are seen in the tropics where they will dive very deep in order to prevent overheating. This may be a strategy used in cold water except instead of diving very deep they may just remain closer to the surface to bask.
• Our primary goal was to investigate the behavioral and metabolic factors that contribute to the maintenance of elevated Tb under natural conditions.

Methods

• We deployed a combination of stomach temperature pills (STPs) and satellite-linked data recorders on leatherback turtles offshore Eastern Canada.
• The instrumentation provided data on dive patterns, Tb within the gastrointestinal tract, Ta, and location via the Argos Satellite System. Linear mixed models were used to explore the effects of dive behavior, diel status and residency status on Tb and the maximum change in Tb (ΔTb). We used our calculated values for mean Tg, a range of values for insulation thickness of the shell (L), and data and equations from the published literature to estimate rates
• We evaluate the contribution of SDA to heat production in foraging leatherbacks, and consider the energetic cost associated with thermoregulation.
• Resident= foraging, post resident = migratory

Results

• Only used data collected north of 42°N
• Turtles with 56 to 131 days of collection were used
• All turtles maintained a constant diving patter with dives  being on average 20+- 6 m
• All turtles showed roughly the same mean time for basking from 41% +- 8% to 36%+- 13%

• They found no significant correlation between mass and Tb
• Surface and diel status were the best determinants for Tb
• Tb increased with increased time at the surface in addition Tb was higher at night than it was in the day
• Cooling occurred during the day warming occurred at night
• Heat loss decreased as the turtles got thicker

Discussion

• Found that leatherbacks keep a Tg >10°C in Canadian waters through behavioral, and physiological means
• Individual leatherbacks spent 16–54% of time at the surface while north of 42°N. These results align with previous research at our study site, which documented surface times up to 41% for leatherbacks
• leatherbacks passively floating at the surface, flippers extended, during daylight hours at northern foraging grounds provide evidence that turtles may also bask to absorb solar radiation
• Modification of dive patterns to exploit warmer water at the surface and reduce rates of heat loss may be an important component of the leatherback's thermoregulatory strategy at high latitudes.
• It is important to note that we measured Tb from within the gastrointestinal tract; consequently, variation in Tb reflects cooling due to prey ingestion and warming due to SDA and transfer of heat via blood flow.
• heat gain for leatherbacks derives from metabolic processes
• so alterations in dive behavior are unlikely to contribute to the night-time warming trend
• We conclude that endogenous heat production warms gastrointestinal tract contents and accounts for the positive ΔTb observed during the night.
• Issues in the study – Some of the core temperatures taken could’ve been from parts in the turtle that are hotter than the periphery and organs next to them. On example is that the cloaca is 2.1°C warmer than the gastrointestinal tract.
• The metabolic processes to generate heat relied heavily on the rate of c consumption of prey, and the amount of thickness in the turtles insulating layer. Needed a thickness of 3.5 cm.
• These estimates illustrate that visceral metabolic heat production plays an important role in maintaining stable Tb for leatherbacks foraging in cold water.\
• The study also found that leatherbacks continue to forage in the beginning of their migration back south

What dog breed to chose?

- It needs to have a good health record and a low probability of health risks as it gets older

- needs to be a species that has avoided inbreeding

- Is the dog cute, and is it well tempered? People are going to want a dog that they percieve as being charasmatic and adorable.

- Does the dog have a long life span? These dogs need to live long enough to have puppies

- Is the dog big or small? the size of the dog could lead to other health risks.

- The dog should also have a large litter size in order to help bring back the population.

- The dog should also be somewhat athletic and hardy so that they would be able to survive in tough conditions.

My own view on the morality in abortion lies somewhere between that of Marquis and Thomson’s views. Marquis represents and anti-abortionist view with a highlight on his future-like-ours theory. Thomson demonstrates the pro-choice view with several different examples to explain her thinking. I do not agree with Warrens view on personhood or on why abortion is morally permissible, and infanticide is not. Warren’s focus is on other people’s desires purely and does not even consider the fetus. To me, it is important to consider the fetus’s future when considering abortion, which Marquis does not do.

Marquis argues that abortion is morally wrong because it deprives a fetus of the experiences, activities, and enjoyments that an adult may experience (Marquis 189). I agree with this view that a fetus represents all the possibilities and promise of human life. Gianna Jensen is a perfect example of the possibilities that can come from human life. Jensen faced immense setbacks, even so she has lived a fulfilling life. Jensen has lived a life of happiness and of great cause. She is known worldwide for her fight against abortion. To have an abortion deprives the world of a life that could have infinite possibilities. I do not find the discussion of when or whether a fetus is a person to be pressing because regardless, if uninterrupted, that fetus could become a person who lives a happy and great life.

Post-lab Question:

            If 3 UV active spots were in the crude material and co-spot TLC plate, and only one spot had the same R_f as the starting material and the other 2 are very different, predictions for the 2 non-starting material spots could be something in the middle of the mechanisms. There are four parts to the mechanism, so the second and third part of the mechanism would be the 2 non-starting material spots. This is because of the rate of the hydride attack on the carbon double bonded to the oxygen. It depends heavily on the R group present, and the more electron deficient it is, the faster the hydride can attack. But because they are different from the starting material spot, it would mean that it was caught between and could not fully reduced and go to completion.