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Mammals

Submitted by lgiron on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 20:23

Mammals are unique in that they give birth to live young and all have mammary glands, these are the glands that secrete milk to nourish their young, with these glands comes nipples to secrete the milk. However, there are two types of mammals to go around this live birth and nipple present image we picture mammals of. The Platypus and Echidna are two of the only mammals that are an exception to this. The Platypus and the Echidna are mammals who’s young emerge from eggs, they also do not have nipples, however they do have mammary glands to produce and secrete milk from patches on their skin to nourish their young after being born. These types of mammals who are egg-laying are in the called monotremes, Class Mammalia, Order Monotremata. Many would think that these aren’t mammals since they produce eggs which their young hatch from which could be connected to reptiles of some sort but we keep them with the Class Mammalia because they hold mammary glands which are strictly limited to mammals and therefore can only be connected to mammals. In addition, to further accept them into the Class, they also have hair. This is also a distinct characteristic of the Class as no other class has hair to keep the warm-blooded animals from getting too cold. 

Finding the Peer Reviewed Multi-Panel Figure

Submitted by benjaminburk on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 19:38

The figure I chose was from an article on the PLOS website titled "Mitochondria are physiologically maintained t close to 50C", and although the figure doesnt meet the goals I layed out in the previous draft, I find it very benficial as a template for what how I should set up my multi panel figure. I specifically liked the evolution of the pictures each one grew in complexity and specificity, which really enhance my understanding of the topic being presented. It was also color coded, which made the trends of specific circumstance very easy to follow. Considering the topic of my figure will most likely be less experimental and more observational I think the coloring and the evolution of figures will enhance my readers ability to replicate my procedure and enhance the likelihood that we end up with similar figure at the end. 

Week 3 Draft 4: Lab Critique

Submitted by crmckenzie on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 19:05

            Dr. Michelle Farkas’ research involves studying cancer and the spread, or metastasizing of cancer. More specifically, it focuses largely on the relationship between circadian rhythms and aggression in cancer, the tracking of changes in macrophage subtype, and the creation of new systems that can be used to deliver nucleic acids and small molecule therapeutics with gold and fatty-acid nanoassemblies. Dr. Farkas is interested in discovering new ways to diagnose and treat cancer. During this presentation, Dr. Farkas mostly discussed the binding sites and markers necessary to treat cancer and the correlation that has been found between aggression in cancer and abnormal circadian rhythms. The results discussed proved a correlation between the two, however the exact molecular reason is unclear and is still being researched.

Generation of a Synthetic Memory Trace

Submitted by malberigi on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 18:31

Even if the brain is not bombarded with high amounts of sensory information, neuronal activity does not cease to occur.  There are high amounts of synaptic transmission that are non-random, and this non-random activity is hypothesised to influence the creation of engrams, the physical representation of memories. Optogenetics involves the use of light to control the synaptic transmission of neurons genetically modified to express light sensitive ion channels.  The Clozapine N-oxide (CNO) injections in mice take at least an hour to stimulate neuronal activity and is not a realistic depiction of real-time memory processing.  Running neuronal labeling, training, and retrieval tests with mice using optogenetics might depict formation of engrams more accuratly.  Scientists could include female mice in a separate experimental group that undergoes the same synthetic memory generation.   Male mice were tested in order to rule out any discrepancies resulting from a difference in hormones, and the subsequent affect on memory retrieval.  It would be interesting, however, to prove if there is a difference associated with hormones and memory.  This difference might explain why some sexes are more predisposed to certain neurological conditions associated with memory, such as women experiencing Alzheimer’s at higher rates.

 

 

 

BBB

Submitted by mglater on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 18:07

Once developed, this assay can be used by any lab to understand the results of their experimentation. The design for the assay also uses the Tet-On system. Doxycycline is a drug which cannot normally penetrate the BBB. This means that under normal circumstances, the Tet gene will not activate. Adding a drug which breaks down the BBB allows doxycycline to penetrate, and gene transcription to occur. Using a fluorescent protein as the Tet product, a baseline level of fluorescence when only doxycycline is added could be determined. Using that level as a control, the effectiveness of a drug could be determined. If the drug breaks down the BBB, doxycycline will more readily enter the brain, and more fluorescent product would be produced. 

Week 3 Draft 3: Trimyristin and Nutmeg

Submitted by crmckenzie on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 17:57

           According to Briticanna.com, nutmeg comes from a tropical evergreen tree seed. This tree is native to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. The nutmeg seeds look like walnuts and it is surprising that the nutmeg we all know comes from such a seed. Nutmeg trees can grow to be fairly tall at a height of 65 feet. They have fairly long lifespans of 60 plus years. Trimyristin is a saturated fat found in coconut oil, palm oil, and nutmeg. Through hydrolysis of trimyristin, myristic acid was obtained. Myristic acid is a fatty acid commonly found in coconut oil, palm oil, and other beauty products, and because of this it is vital to obtain the purest form of myristic acid during isolation. This is why it is best to obtain myristic acid from natural sources.

 
 

Nitrogen Cycle Importance

Submitted by mrmoy on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 16:00

The nitrogen cycle is an essential process of life as it is helps turn nitrogen into a form that is available to animals and plants

- Nitrogen is important component of many cells and processes such as proteins and DNA.

-A key component of the nitrogen cycle is the presence of plants as they help turn inorganic forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia and nitric acid, into organic forms of nitrogen that can then be move up the food chain

- The process includes: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, ammonification, and denitrification.

Article Analysis 2

Submitted by tedarling on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 15:53

These researchers studied wolf spiders and the relation between mating success and predation. Male wolf spiders are known to court females by drumming dry leaves with their abdomen. However, this action is energetically demanding and poses mortality costs. To study wolf spiders, they constructed a plastic arena and filled it with dry birch leaves. Three males and one female were placed inside, their behaviors were measured and analyzed until the female responded to one of the males. Then a lizard was introduced into the arena and the rank in which the males were predated was determined. The researchers concluded that higher drumming rates benefited males by increasing their mating success. However, mate searching and drumming also directly increased predation risk. This experiment is similar to Endler’s because it deals with the same sexual selection and predation balance. It shows that Endler’s experiments and conclusions regarding guppies can be applied to more species.

 

How Are Human-Caused Global Changes Affecting Oceans?

Submitted by mrmoy on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 15:33

Human activities have been responsible for many of the major changes in the global climate. The major human activity responsible for these drastic changes is the burning of fossil fuels, which contributes to massive amounts of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. As a result to the high levels of carbon dioxide in the air, the ocean acts like a carbon dioxide sink, meaning it absorbs a large amount of carbon dioxide. The reason why the ocean is able to absorb so much carbon dioxide is because carbon dioxide readily dissolves in water and there is a continual cycling of equilibration between the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the ocean. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean has many negative effects, but the two most significant impacts include increased acidity and decreased formation of aragonite.

Draft of Paragraph for internship cover letter

Submitted by jonathanrubi on Thu, 02/08/2018 - 13:54

Over the past few semesters, excelling in courses such as Biology of Cancer and AIDS, Genetics, and Cell and Molecular Biology has expanded my skills and knowledge and excited me about the possibility of doing research related to oncology. Last summer I received tremendous experience and exposure in the field of oncology, shadowing a pulmonologist. I was able to review malignant CT scans, observe various procedures and sit-in on Thoracic Pulmonology Board meetings at New York Presbyterian – Queens. After gaining experience in the field of oncology both academically and clinically, I am interested in gaining valuable research experience as well.

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