sharrath's blog

The end goal of this entire unit with dogs was to infer the genotype of the dogs at different genes. This was done by sequencing either the entire genome or, more practically, specific sequences containing desired single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). There are many methods by which sequencing can be accomplished, but the most common method is Sanger sequencing. Sanger sequencing is run by amplifying desired DNA sequences in a solution containing regular deoxynucleotides (dNTPs) and a minimal amount of dideoxynucleotides (ddNTPs). These ddNTPs are structurally similar to typical nucleotides, but lack an OH group on the 3’ carbon that prevents the growth of the chain. As a result, sequences terminate at different lengths depending on the how early the ddNTP is added. The differently sized products of the amplification are then run through an agarose gel where they separate into bands. The distribution of the bands can then be used to read the sequence of the DNA. This method, while effective, can require lots of reagents and gels if more than a small sequence is being analyzed

Bright, colorful and lively is what I would describe the building if I was ever asked. The John W. Olver Design building that is located at 551 N Pleasent St. is one of my all time favorite buildings to study. The high ceilings, colorful walls and bright lights give the building a very "Ikea" feel to the building. The modern architecture is based off of new and innovative technologies of construction and embrases a sense of minimalism. 

To create my figure, I used Sustainable Umass as a source, which I found by using a search engine and typing in “trees of Umass Amherst”. A link should appear labeled “campus tree finder” I clicked on the link and there was a map of all the trees on campus. I retraced my step, located lot 43 and was able to zoom in to the tree that I was observing. I located lot 43, by clicking on the fourth icon on the bottom left hand side that is for “my location”. I took a screenshot of that map section and cropped the image into a 15.5 in x 9 in image so that it is zoomed in enough to see the location of the tree, part of the parking lot and the Arnold house. I then used a black marker (an arrow) to signify what the image was dictating that was pointing at the green circle that identified the Crab Cutleaf tree.

The interspecific interaction that I decided to document was between a tree named “Crab Cutleaf” and moss that was growing on the tree itself. The tree was located in lot 43 behind the Arnold house to the right of a staircase leading up to North Pleasant street. I approached the tree from the parking lot in which I entered right off of Eastman Lane on Saturday morning around 6:50am. The sun had not completely risen quite yet, but it was still bright out. I started taking pictures of the species from different angles using my iphone 7 plus. The first picture that I took was a wide shot of the entire Crab Cutleaf, the picture was able to depict the size of the tree and all the branches that were attached. I stood at the edge of the sidewalk and was able to fit the tree with its crown including most of the branches in the shot. Behind the tree to the left, you can see a bicycle and towards the right of the tree is a window with an air conditioner attached to it. The very bottom of the tree trunk is covered in snow so you are unable to see it.

The first step of this experiment was setting up matings of different strains in patches on a YED plate(a rich medium that contains all the nutrients yeast need to grow). The mating types that were crossed included HB1xHA0, HB1xHA1, HB1xHA2, and HA1xHA2. In order to carry out these crosses, a toothpick was used to transfer the appropriate haploid strain onto the plate by simply using a sterile toothpick to transfer a dollop of the mating partner on top and gently mixing the two strains on the surface of the agar. The steps were repeated for the remaining crosses and the plates were left incubated at 30° C. YED plates contain adenine so even the haploid adenine deficient cells were able to grow, so in order to determine which crosses were able to grow without the presence of adenine, the cells were placed on MV plates as well(media that contains minimum amount of nutrients required to support growth). Both the haploid and diploid yeast strains were plated into quadrants of MV plates using the same techniques that were used on the YED plates.

The goal of this lab was to carefully determine the genotype of the four haploid yeast strains as well as conclude whether or not the genes were linked and complemented each other. After analysis of the phenotypes in figure 5, one could conclude that these genes are linked however, because of the blanks in the sample and the size of the sample itself the results may not be 100% accurate. Genes would be considered linked if nonparental ditypes are at a lower frequency in comparison to parental ditypes. The difficult process of this experiment would have to be analyzing the growth that occurred on the cells because when streaking we might've taken too many cells.

In this experiment, we concentrate on the absorbance rate of chloroplasts that have been extracted from two different leaves; spinach(Spinacia oleracea) and kale(Brassica oleracea var. sabellica). Usually during photosynthesis, NADP+ is reduced to NADPH however, in this experiment we use an artificial electron acceptor, Dichlorophenolindophenol(DCPIP). Using the DCPIP, allows us to fully monitor the photosynthetic rates of each of the isolated chloroplasts. Both spinach and kale have very distinctly different coloration; kale which has a much darker pigmentation and spinach which takes on a lighter green. Kale will result in a lower absorbance rate in comparison to the spinach chloroplasts because of this difference in coloration. Kale has a much darker pigment than spinach, which leads us to believe that this difference in color is associated with the amount of chloroplasts found in kale resulting in a higher rate of photosynthesis. A higher concentration of chloroplasts found results in a darker pigment, lower absorption, more electrons being transferred in the ETC and a higher rate of photosynthesis.

Language is a system of communication either written or spoken used to express ideas from one to another. We are constantly using this form of communication without proposing questions about how it was formed or when it had started. Our desires, questions and feelings are all communicated through a language that all help us understand the world around us. Our language would be classified as one the most important assets as human beings, although most of the time the concept of language is overlooked. Without these languages, forming relationships would be unimaginable. Different languages are the equivalent to the role of covalent bonds holding hydrogen atoms together. These bonds are essential in keeping these atoms together, just as a language is essential in building and forming bonds between people. Within these bonds are the connections that these people have in relation to both their identity and cultural values.

In this experiment, we concentrate on the absorbance rate of chloroplasts that have been extracted from two different leaves; spinach(Spinacia oleracea) and kale(Brassica oleracea var. sabellica). Usually during photosynthesis, NADP+ is reduced to NADPH however, in this experiment we use an artificial electron acceptor, Dichlorophenolindophenol(DCPIP). Using the DCPIP, allows us to fully monitor the photosynthetic rates of each of the isolated chloroplasts. Both spinach and kale have very distinctly different coloration; kale which has a much darker pigmentation and spinach which is more on the lighter side of green. Kale will result in a lower absorbance rate in comparison to the spinach chloroplasts because of this difference in coloration. Kale has a much darker pigment than spinach, which leads us to believe that this difference in color is associated with the amount of chloroplasts found in the kale leaf resulting in a higher rate of photosynthesis. A higher concentration of chloroplasts found results in a darker pigment, lower absorption, more electrons being transferred in the ETC and a higher rate of photosynthesis

I have been studying how hormones control the first stages of development in one species of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. Flies are known as a model organism, which means that they are used to understand the biology of other organisms. Fruit flies share about 75% of the genes that cause disease in humans and that is exactly why scientists are often experimenting with them (Service, Elizabeth). In insects, two major hormones control the timing of their development; juvenile hormone and ecdysone. The juvenile hormone reaches its greatest concentration when the egg hatches, entering the larval stage. When juvenile hormone amounts decrease throughout the stages, this triggers prothoracicotropic hormone, leading to the pupal stage for the fruit fly.