sharrath's blog

The methods project was the most difficult project assigned. I thought that it was difficult because it introduced the idea of precise scientific writing and the procedure on how to write a proper methods section. The project had several components including; thinking of a figure to photograph, collecting the digital elements for the figure, creating the figure, constructing the methods section, following someone elses methods, and analyzing the results from someone elses methods and yours. Because the project had several components, being able to effectively organize and plan ahead were essential and was where I struggled. I would consider the methods section of a research paper to be one of the main components and also one of the most elaborate sections of a paper. I learned from writing the methods that you need to be clear and concise with every component of your procedure, but you want to explain what you did instead of giving directions. Comparing the two creations of multipanel figures made this clear as there were multiple differences when looking at the two figures. 

Forty UMass students were surveyed regarding their ethical beliefs and understanding of genetic engineering in foods. We researched the background of GM foods, consumer acceptance, and the overall public opinion on this controversy. The survey consisted of ten questions highlighting various aspects of GM foods in regards to: knowledge, government regulation, risks/benefits, and safety. Survey options included the following; strongly agree, slightly agree, slightly disagree, and strongly disagree. Implementing this Likert-scale allowed for the data to be easily analyzed and displayed in a histogram model. Students individual responses to each of the ten questions were analyzed. We designed the survey, grouping questions that presented the same idea together. Question 1 introduced the topic of GMOs. Questions 2 and 3 were aimed towards government regulation, questions 4-7 asked about different influential motives for modifying these foods, and questions 8-10 explored the relation between knowledge and attitude in respect to GM technology. The histogram model presents a simple visual representation of the data. Analyzation of the data retrieved from the surveys simplified the process in making conclusions on college students opinions on GM foods and their regulations.

Hemp is known for being one of natures best sources for a plant-based protein as it is full of essential fats and vitamins. Hemp protein contains all 20 amino acids and is able to supply the body with nutritional fiber and minerals. There are various benefits to consuming this hemp protein as it boosts the immune system, increases energy levels, reduces inflammation and improves digestion. Hemp protein contain edestin and albumin which are globular proteins that make up various enzymes, antibodies and hormones that our body uses daily. The ability for hemp to increase energy levels is a perfect substitute for caffeine. The fatty acids that are in the hemp produce twice as much energy as carbohydrates as they take longer to break down in the body and sustains the energy throughout the day. 

As the semester comes to an end, reflecting on past work and classes begins. When I was first told that Biology Writing was one of the major requirements, I wasnt so exciting as I would not consider myself as a 'good' writer. However, as the semester began my attitude for the the clas in general grew more positive. I learned more than I had orginally thought that I would and gained more experience in writing that would be further used to write in my career. As biology majors, a majority of the writing consists of writing lab reports and I think that everything that we did in this class will help better improve my writing in future pieces/projects. Being able to write clearly and accurately is an important skill. One of the major points I've learned in this class, is to be straightforward and to the point when explaining a concept and to always use numbers as numericals are used in a lot of discussion and result sections. 

In this lab, n-propyl propionate was synthesized using propanol, concentrated sulfuric acid, and propionic acid resulting in 51.8% yield of n-propyl propionate. The product had a sharp, but tangy pineapple/pear odor. The yield could have been greater, but one possible explanation for the low percent yield was the possible loss of reagents or products due to evaporation during reflux. The reflux head could’ve been lowered to slow the rate of evaporation.The identification of the product was analyzed through infrared spectroscopy(IR). As one would analyze IR there are specific characteristics that one would notice. The first is that an observed spike around 3000 cm^-1that results from the sp³hybridized C-H bond. The second is that no large absorptions are present after 3000 cm^-1, indicating no O-H impurities present. Thirdly, narrow spikes are located around 1750 cm^-1that represent the C=O bond of the ester. Lastly, there is a unique fingerprint between 800 cm^-1to 1500 cm^-1composed of one large spike around 1200 cm^-1and smaller peaks at ~1000 cm^-1, ~1100 cm^-1, ~1350 cm^-1, and ~1450 cm^-1. The spectrum of the product was almost identical to the expected spectrum of n-propyl propionate. The product spectrum, however, had small indent absorptions at 3500 cm^-1indicating the presence of an alcohol O-H impurity. This would suggest that propanol was still present in the final product. The presence of the alcohol could be due to the lack of clarity within the procedure in removing excess water during reflux as well as removing the excess water through washing. 

In this lab, trimyristin was isolated from nutmeg using tert-butyl methyl ether, resulting in 73.1% recovery. Once recrystallization with acetone was performed to recover 13% from the nutmeg. A second recrystallization was performed to recover 59% of the pure trimyristin. A hydrolysis and acidification reaction was then performed to result in myristic acid with a 13.9% crude yield. The purity of the trimyristin after each recrystallization and that of myristic acid was assessed through melting point analysis. The initial recrystallized trimyristin had a melting point around 54°C whereas the second recrystallized trimyristin had a melting point of 56-57°C. Since the second recrystallization product had the expected melting point, this indicated that the impurities present within the initial recrystallized trimyristin were removed through the second recrystallization procedure and recovered a purer compound. The myristic acid product of the hydrolysis reaction was found to melt at 53°C whereas the expected value of melting for pure myristic acid is found to be 55°C. This would indicate that the acquired product was not completely pure. The amount of trimyristin from the nutmeg was about 73.1% and could be due to the lack of definite time and intensity of the reaction. This subjectivity could also be a reason why the yield of myristic acid was relatively low. It was unclear if the solid needed more stirring or more hydrochloric acid, but either could be the issue. 

Modern gene editing techniques have heightened as researchers continue to investigate the regulation, safety and effects of genetic engineering. Although these gene editing tools have the potential to treat various diseases, there is not enough information to determine the overall impact and significance of genetic engineering and specifically in GM foods.

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods that are bioengineered to allow for changes to be introduced into their DNA. GMOs are a controversial issue as many of these foods are ones that are consumed daily. Researchers detect that US consumers are optimistic about possible benefits of GM foods, but are also concerned with their associated health, safety and environmentally harmful consequences (Costa-Font, Gil, & Traill, 2008). In this study, we explored the ethical beliefs and opinions of 40 UMass students in respect to GM foods. Analyzing these students responses will allow us to obtain a general understanding of college age students virtue of genetic engineering and specifically GM foods.

Fatty acid synthesis is mainly carried out in liver cells and involves multple processes and is not the reverse of fatty acid oxidation. Fatty acid synthesis consists of 3 steps; acetyl-CoA transport, malonyl-CoA formation and the synthesis cycle. The product of fatty acid synthesis is palmitate. The first step being acetyl-CoA transport involves acetlyl-CoA being transported from the mitochondrial matrix directly into the cytoplasm. The second step is malonyl-CoA formation and this occurs when acetyl-CoA is carboxylated to form this compound which is direct substrate of fatty acid synthesis and is catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The last step to create palmitate is the synthesis cycle. This cycle involves several sequential cycles of reactions. The priming step then each cycle adds two carbons from malonyl-CoA. All fatty acid chains that are produced by the enzyme fatty acid synthase are 16 carbon chains long however, with both elongation and desaturation the ability to generate other fatty acids is possible making them each different. When fatty acids are desaturated, double bonds are added. These double bonds result in a less of an energy yield when they are broken because they are more oxidized. 

Ketogenesis is the biochemical process in which living organisms produce ketone bodies. The production of these ketone bodies results when there is a breakdown of fatty acids. The acetyl-CoA that is produced in liver cells and is used in the citric acid cycle can instead undergo ketogenesis and produce ketone bodies. These ketone bodies cannot be used by liver cells and are released and transported through the blood stream. Our brains also are unable to use ketone bodies, only under certain prolonged periods of fasting does our brain begin to oxidize these ketone bodies as alternative energy. Both heart and skeletal muscle can easily metabolize there ketone bodies and use them for energetic purposes. Ketogenesis is essential to our bodies as there are times that our body does not have enough carbohydrates to keep working. At times like this is where our body metabolizes there ketone bodies for energy.  The ketogenic diet refers to the science of ketogenesis. Individuals are to keep a low-carb, high fat diet so that the body must use the fats consumed to produce ketone bodies and which are then used for energy.

Acyl-CoA is formed in the cytoplasm by acyl-CoA synthetase. Once acyl-CoA has been formed and transported into the mitochondria by carnitine acyltransferase it cannot be transported out of the matrix. Acyl-CoA is then used to carry out the next step of fatty acid oxidation which is beta oxidation. Beta oxidation consists of sequential cycles of four reactions in which electrons are transferred to FAD and NAD+. These four reactions are catalyzed by various different enzymes as carbons are removed as acetyl-CoA. Unsaturated even chain fatty acids are those that require additional enzymes to oxdize as they contain double bonds. These unsaturated even chains vary based on the postion of double bonds and have a small decrease in energy yield for each of the double bonds. There is a reduction in energy yield because fatty acids with double bonds are less reduced or more oxidized than saturated fatty acids therefore yield fewer ATP per carbon molecule. The end result of beta oxidation is the formation of acetyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA is then used in the citric acid cycle.