Writing in Biology

    For some reason, there lies this stigma against socialism as if it goes against capitalism and democracy. Socialism does not go against either of these, and in fact can exist happily with both. Socialism is the idea that those that make more money, get taxed more in order to help pay for programs that are beneficial for society. These programs include programs such as medicare, medicaid, free higher education, free health care, etc. Some people view this as a negative detriment though because if they make more money, they end up getting taxed more. Yet just because they’re being taxed more, that does not mean that everything they are earning is being put into taxes and social programs they aren’t participating in. Sure that multi-millionaire might be getting taxed a couple thousand, if not tens of thousands of dollars more than the other guy making minimum wage, but that money is being put into good use. It does not mean that those who earn more will earn the same as everyone else--socialism is not communism, they’re severely different.

    The inclusion of participation inside a classroom for a grade is the most bizarre and unnecessary thing required out of most, if not all classes from the AP/IB level and above. Participation arises if the teacher is engaging enough with the material, as well as if the students themselves have questions or are not performing well. When participation is necessary, such as coming to class, it causes the students to lose lots of valuable time if they do not find the lectures beneficial. In a perfect world, professors should notify students when the lecture material will deviate from what would be available from home, so students know to come to class on those specific days. This case in point ties into why reverse classroom is becoming more popular in recent times. By having the students learn the material in their own time and their own pace, they will become able to come to class with questions from what they learned. The only reason participation is a required in most classrooms is just to make sure the course material is forced to become “engaging”. Everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways. Material does not always have to be “engaging” as long as it’s being understood.

As a neurotransmitter, GABA acts across the synaptic cleft, the junction between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. On being released, GABA binds to special protein receptors to trigger inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP). GABA receptors are classified into two subtypes: GABAA and GABAB receptors. GABAB receptors are metabotropic G-coupled receptors that regulate the slow component of inhibitory responses (Wu and Sun, 2015). In contrast, GABAA receptors are ionotropic ligand-gated chloride channels. In mammals, GABA­A receptors are Heteropentameric; they are composed of various combinations of 19 subunits: α1-6, β1-3, γ1-3, δ, ε, π, θ and ρ1-3 (Monesson-Olson et al., 2018). Different subunit compositions are differentially localized in the brain and have varying functionality (Wu and Sun, 2015). Mutations that affect GABAA receptors have been implicated in different forms of epilepsy. For instance, mutated α1 subunit of the GABAA receptor have been discovered in patients suffering from early infantile  epileptic encephalopathy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and other types of seizure disorders (reviewed by Braat and Kooy, 2015). As a result, many pharmacological compounds have been developed to target GABAA ­receptors, by binding allosteric sites. Nonetheless, even with the established anticonvulsant activity of these compounds, adverse side effects still emerge (Braat and Kooy, 2015).

Much of the epilepsy research done today focuses on understanding biological and neural structures and networks. Researchers have progressively investigated the links between neurotransmitter signaling and epilepsy. These biochemical messengers, neurotransmitters, offer a gateway to understanding the mechanisms that underlie epilepsy. Notably, GABAergic signaling has become of great interest in epilepsy research. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain. It performs its functions by maintaining an inhibitory tone that counterbalances neuronal excitation (Treiman et al., 2001). Perturbation of this balance between inhibition and excitation may result in seizures. GABA is a versatile neurotransmitter. Early on in development, it performs some excitatory functions that trigger corticogenesis (Wang and Kriegstein, 2009). GABAergic signaling plays a crucial role in the origin and spread, or suppression, of epilepsy. This is revealed in studies that used chemical agents to impair GABAergic signaling in animal models (Meldrum, 1989). Furthermore, GABA-mimetic molecules have been shown to be potent anticonvulsant therapies in seizure-prone mammals (Meldrum, 1989).

Baby Indigo cannot navigate without seeing the stars when it's their first time flying. They need to see the sky on a regular basis during their first month in order to see and choose their migratory direction. The axis of rotation of the night sky establishes their north-south frame of reference. They learn the constellations associated with the axis. If the axis is switched, baby Indigo buntings follow the brightest star to navigate even if this migratory paths take longer to get to their final destination.

The antigen CD44 is expressed on the surface of pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) and modulates the cytoskeleton via the linker protein ezrin, which is more active and present in higher levels in these stem cells than in differentiated tumor cells (Penchev et al. 2019). Elimination of ezrin as well as targeting via a small molecule inhibitor has been found to decrease self-renewal, clonogenic growth, and migration in vitro as well as tumor initiation in vivo (Penchev et al. 2019). Natural compounds and phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, tea polyphenol EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), crocetinic acid, sulforaphane, genistein, indole-3-carbinol, vitamin E δ-tocotrienol, plumbagin, quercetin, triptolide, licofelene, and quinomycin have also been shown to inhibit PCSCs as well as their signaling pathways (Subramaniam et al. 2018). These treatments to inhibit self-renewal may be useful in phase 1 of our treatment plan, but a method to induce differentiation back into pancreatic cancer cells has yet to be researched. The premetastatic niche may also be able to be targeted in phase 1 of treatment, but effective targets have yet to be researched as well.

Based upon figure 1 the effect of Ulva on Gigartina is a positive effect following the facilitation model. A facilitation model means that early colonists modify the environment so that it is more suitable for late successors and less suitable for other early successors. The Gigartina is a late species and when the Ulva is present then the number of Gigartina increases over time. When Ulva is removed the Gigartina levels are consistently low throughout both years. The pattern of mortality for fir and aspen changes when the aspen plots are thinned. When the aspen plots are thinned the fir mortality increases but the aspen mortality stays the same. This could be due to the fact that the fir are more susceptible to fire in the absence of aspen. The likely mechanism controlling these interactions is a tolerance model. In a tolerance model the earlier successors modify the environment so that is has a small effect on the later successional species. The later successor then takes over the colony and can eliminate the earlier species. In figure 2 Aspen is the earlier successor but over time the fir can still increase in density despite the presence of the aspen. However, as the Fir continues to grow the density of the aspen starts to decrease.  

Pearce’s overarching theme this section of the pitfalls of pumping from aquifers, whether it be in the American midwest, North Africa, of Asia, was illuminating and troubling, as he highlighted again and again in each of his examples how quickly and often wastefully groundwater resources are depleted, and how few alternatives there are once those groundwater reserves are gone. The part of this section I found most disturbing was the mass poisoning of the Bangladeshi people due to arsenic contamination of the water wells across much of their country. The statistic Pearce offered, that more than 1 out of 20 deaths in the country were a result of arsenic poisoning, was staggering. I was surprised to learn that these arsenic deposits were naturally occuring, and common in delta regions with new inland sediments and alkaline inland drainage basins, as my first guess would have been that the arsenic levels were related to some form of man-made pollution.

If all domestic dogs were to go extinct except for a single breed of our choosing, the breed that should be saved is the Welsh Corgi because they are adaptable, affectionate, and adorable. Corgis are often thought of as “big dogs on short legs” because although they average a height of between 25 and 30cm, they have personalities reminiscent of bigger dog breeds. Corgis are playful and energetic, yet not so energetic that they are impossible to tire out, which—along with their smaller stature—makes them a versatile breed that could be suited to almost any owner. They are very friendly and attentive dogs that love to play and enjoy being involved, which makes them great pets. They are small but not spindly—they are stocky dogs and are very athletic. Corgis also highly adaptable: they can live in a variety of housing arrangements provided that they are able to get at least a moderate amount of exercise, and are comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, so they can live in most areas of the world with no major problems. Corgis were originally bred to be herding dogs, so they are intelligent, independent, and easily trainable. They still have herding instincts and so could be put back into work herding livestock on farms, and, because of these herding origins, they are highly alert and aware of their surroundings, which makes them good watchdogs. Overall, the Welsh Corgi is a well-rounded breed that can suit a variety of different environments, which makes it an ideal candidate to be saved should the rest of the world’s dogs go extinct.

“The guardian of the genome” or p53 is essentially a gene that codes for a protein that regulates the cell cycle. One may categorize p53 as a tumor suppressor as many of the genetic mutations could lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation. The protein itself was discovered in the 1970’s and ever since has been well-studied as its key role in the pathogenesis of human cancers is fundamental. The gene converts incoming signals into alternate cell fate decisions by changing the expression of hundreds of target genes. With its wide range of function in activity of interacting pathways and various types of stimulus that is generated, the p53 system has the ability to generate multiple responses. This lab aims to explore the cellular responses of the p53 pathway given different forms of genotoxic stress. Genotoxins are destructive chemical agents that result in a negative effect on cells genetic material. These genotoxins can be mutagens, carcinogens or teratogens, in which they all result in some type of damaged genome.