Writing in Biology

Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium describes the stability of genotype frequencies in a population that is not evolving. In order for this to occur, the population's genes cannot undergo any mutations, only random-mating, no gene flow (migrations), an infinite population, and no natural selection. Likewise, if there is any fitness in a genotype, HW equilibrium will not be observed. If a population is in HW equilibrium, certain genotype frequencies may be expected. The following equation is used to define the state of genotypes of two alleles: p2+2qp+q2=1. If a genotype frequency is found, its allele frequencies may also be calculated. If the expected allele frequencies (calculated from the equation) match that of the observed frequencies, then the population is in HW equilibrium.

I am someone who has struggled with acne for the past couple of years and have used several topical and medicinal treatments to help with my acne. I thought this article was intriguing as the extract from both broccoli and cauliflower was a success. Personally, I wouldn’t think that extract from these two vegetables would help with treating acne which I found was interesting. I think that after this has been done and has been proven to show promising results for patients; I believe that there are numerous other plants that could have the same results with treating acne that researchers have yet to discover/test. Skincare is such an essential component to individuals and being able to test out more plants would only help us get closer to finding a better treatment.

Many people are able to go about their daily lives without coffee however, those who have started to drink this addicting drink somewhat begin to depend on it after some time. Unfortunately, I have been drinking about one cup a day for a couple of months and have seemed to become addicted to this drink. Today, I tried to go without having my daily cup in the morning and by around 12pm I started experiencing an atrocious headache. It felt like someone kept hitting a sledgehammer into the right side of my head, at the same time my mood changed and I became so angry with the world. Mondays are also the longest days for me, so I ended up going to peets and ordering a small cold brew because I couldn't go on with the rest of the day without a cup of coffee. I'am now coming to a conclusion that I may be addicted to this dangerously amazing drink...

There are a lot of ways to see if a psychological test is valid or reliable, especially in the context of abnormal psychology. Validity means the accuracy of a test in assessing what it is supposed to measure. In terms of validity, there are a lot of different types. There is content validity, concurrent validity, predictive validity, construct validity, and face validity. They cover a lot of bases on which psychologists believe these tests will alter the data obtained. Reliability indicates its consistency in measuring what it is supposed to measure. There are also a lot of different types of reliability. There is test-retest reliability, internal reliability, alternate form reliability, and interrater reliability. Both of these aspects are very important for proper testing and assessing of psychological abnormalities.

In the article “Pinpointing Cells That Control the Brain’s Memory Flow,” published in Neuron and from neurosciencenews.com (https://neurosciencenews.com/memory-flow-neurons-10671/), the researchers examined how memories are flexibly formed and recalled on the cellular level. Previously, the researchers had discovered that neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus help an organism localize itself in space. In mice looking for water, the researchers found that neural activity in this region became elevated upon approaching the target. Based on this result, the researchers posed the question: what exactly in the brain, on the cellular level, directs this elevation of neural activity as the mouse approaches the water?

In their experiment, the researchers examined VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing) cells, a type of CA1 neuron, in the hippocampus. VIP cell activity was first monitored while mice ran on a treadmill with various familiar and new stimuli. Then, the researchers hid a water reward at a specific location along the treadmill path. Elevated VIP cell activity was observed both while the mice were solely running the treadmill and when they were seeking the water reward. Normally, in the brain, CA1 excitatory neurons are kept off by a group of inhibitory neurons. But when VIP cell activity rises, the group of inhibitory neurons are shut off, allowing CA1 excitatory neurons to switch on. This activates the CA1 memory circuit and subsequently allows the mice to learn. Based on these results, the researchers classified VIP neurons as “disinhibitory” neurons.

The most severe symptom in Chediak-Higashi Syndrome is the defect in the immune system, including white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells. It is a defect in the LYST gene which is mostly related to the lysosome that is related to the immune system. Chediak-Higashi Syndrome is caused from this defect in the immune system. In other words, patients cannot endure infections as well as individuals with a properly functioning immune system. The first time an individual is diagnosed as Chediak-Higashi Syndrome, they are usually infants. The symptoms first appear in mild forms that are not life-threatening. But as the infant ages, the risk of developing the accelerated phase increases. When the number of lymphocytes is created superfluously, the chance of entering accelerated phase becomes high. As the article, Chediak Higashi Syndrome by NORD says “Patients can develop symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, enlargement of the liver and spleen, anemia, low WBC count, and low blood platelet count” (Tomer). All these conditions can appear at any age. When they do appear, they must be treated immediately since the immune system in the patient cannot cure itself. If the treatment is too late, then eventually the accelerated phase progresses and induces neurological symptoms to occur (Tomer).

The first step to making any dish is gathering the ingredients and that is exactly what I did as I made my way to Whole Foods. Cream cheese, ranch, blue cheese, shredded cheese, chicken and hot sauce is exactly what was purchased. I made my way home and cooked the chicken and began to shred it into little pieces and put it all in a bowl, i added about 4 cups of shredded chicken. The chicken had to be shredded into very fine small pieces in order for it would be easier to eat. I added a whole pack of cream cheese, 1 cup of ranch and 1/2 cup of blue cheese after and mixed all the ingredients until it was all a consistent homogenus mixture. Adding the shredded cheese was last and mixing it all in. I then added mixed cheese on top of the dip and put it in the oven at 325 degrees for 12 minutes until all the cheese was melted. The buffalo dip was now ready to serve for Super Bowl Sunday. 

My genetic ancestry is a mixed bag: my father's side, as far as I know, is Cypriot through and through, although the island’s long history of being invaded and conquered by anyone and everyone means that “Cypriot” has little genetic meaning. Cyprus history dates back to first being settled in around 10 000 BC. During the Bronze Age there were two waves of Greek settlement before the island was ruled first by Assyria, then briefly by Egypt, and then by Persia. It was then part of the Byzantine Empire until the Crusades, when it was captured and sold to the Republic of Venice before being conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. In 1878 Cyprus was leased to the British Empire, and then invaded by Turkey in 1974. Because of the island’s history, the genetic origins of its population are complex and varied, so although I am Cypriot I do not the exact genetic origins of that side of my family. On my mother’s side my grandfather was Palestinian and my grandmother was American-born to parents of German descent who had Dutch origins further down the line.

Next Generation Sequencing (https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(17)30060-5)

NGS is a proposed method for large-scale biomonitoring. It involves use of technology to monitor the current status of ecosystems around the globe. In reaction to the out-dated methods of sampling the environment for diversity, NGS biomonitoring proposes that the diversity and interactions in ecosystems can be updated automatically. It involves technology that will automatically sample the DNA of organisms in the environment and update the information that will be sequenced to determine the interactions between the present organisms. This information is then updated into a universal could that stores the information to keep track of any changes across of the ecosystems across the globe.