Drafts

    Is there such thing as a wrong way to live? Where do we draw the line? For example, say someone poor marries someone who happens to be rich, but the two eventually fall apart and they divorce, and the person who was initially poor, keeps a decent amount of the money and they’re happy. There’s nothing wrong with this picture right? What about someone who marries someone just for their money, and not for the romantic aspect of the relationship?  Does that seem wrong? But what if it’s a mutual agreement and they marry because it’s a sort of sugar daddy situation? Is that still wrong? Then what about if the marriage only stays together because the kids are a factor, and the two hate each other. Is it still right, or is it wrong? There are so many variables that come into play with this one example (of marriage) alone. It gets to a point where it’s impossible to look at every single scenario and be definitive about it, so why not just let people do as they please as long as it’s consensual? Personally, I don’t understand how people can look at other people and make such judgements and condoning them, when they’re happy and they’re just trying to live their life. The only way I can see it being reasonable, is if their way of life poses a threat towards society, because that becomes a larger problem that doesn’t involve just the both of the people in question.

Fertilizer has been shown to reduce the production of volatile organic compounds. Pests tend to prefer plants with fewer volatile organic compounds, and plants treated with more than enough fertilizer are preferable to pests (Islam et al. 2017). Heavily fertilized soil has been associated with less chemical defense compounds in plant leaves (Prudic et al. 2005). Less volatile organic compounds and fewer chemical defenses encourage herbivore consumption. A well fertilized plant treated with jasmonic acid should be more desirable to an herbivore than a poorly fertilized plant treated the same. 

However, artificially inducing plant defenses depletes energy and resources for other functions. It has been shown to consequently affect growth, reproductive processes, fruit and leaves (Redman et al. 2001; Koussevitzky et al. 2004). Treating plants with jasmonic acid has been shown to result in larger but fewer fruits and can alter amount of seeds produced and germination success (Redman et al. 2001). The treatment has been shown to increase the amount of polyphenol oxidase in chloroplasts (Koussevitzky et al. 2004). Excess polyphenol oxidase causes fruits and leaves to brown faster and the fruits to consist of more pigments, a sign of increased rate of cell death (Araji et al. 2014). Plants treated with jasmonic acid should be smaller than those not and show signs of poor health. 

Mechanical damage by cutting leaves has shown less response in plant defenses than herbivore damage because enzymes released by herbivores trigger a greater response. Mechanical damage increases concentration of jasmonic acid less than herbivore damage (McCloud and Baldwin 1997). The amount of trichomes increases slightly with clipping leaves, but not like damage from herbivores (Björkman et al. 2008). Applying jasmonic acid has been shown to increase trichrome growth without damage from herbivores. Trichomes are hair-like defensive structures that grow on the leaves of plants that impede movement. Jasmonic acid induces creation of secondary defensive compounds that are less favorable to herbivores and impede herbivore growth (Tian et al. 2012). Mechanical damage with treatment of jasmonic acid may produce the best results for herbivore deterrence.

On February 21, 140 surviving plants were transplanted to one-gallon pots using Pro Mix BX general purpose soil with mycorrhizae (Premier Horticultural Inc., Quakertown, PA) and treatment fertilizer was added (Osmocote Classic 14-14-14, Scotts-Sierra Horticultural Products Company, Marysville, OH). Treatment and fertilizer amount was randomized, 70 plants were assigned treatment and 70 were not. Half the plants in each treatment group received one teaspoon of fertilizer, the other half received two. After application of fertilizer, plants were put onto greenhouse bench and watered. Plants were watered daily. 

Plant height was then recorded on surviving plants on March 7. Dead plants were discarded. Treatment of mechanical damage was done by cutting off half the new leaflets and one spray of 0.5mM solution of jasmonic acid in acetone was applied. Control received one spray of acetone and no mechanical damage. Plants were placed on a bench in the greenhouse for 14 days so treatment could take effect. 

On March 21, herbivore preference was tested. One new leaf from the treatment group and one from the control, both having received the same amount of fertilizer, were put into a 15 cm petri dish with one tobacco hornworm Manduca sextaordered from Great Lakes Hornworm. There were 84 replicates of herbivore preference experiment. A photo of the leaves pre-hornworm was taken, then again after 18 hours of hornworm exposure. LeafByte was used to determine percentage of each leaf consumed. On March 28, height, root and shoot biomass were measured, and flowers per plant were counted. 

Experiment began January 19, 2019. Tomato species Lycopersicon lycopersicum, a dwarf variety that matures in 50 days, was used. Seeds used were “Tumbler Hybrid Tomato” (Lake Valley Seed, Boulder, CO). Seeds were sown into two 128-plug flats with a moist seed starter soil (Organic Starter Premium Potting Mix, Epsoma, Millville, NJ). Flats were placed on a greenhouse bench with natural light. Germination was induced by placing onto a heat mat. On February 5, 100 ppm of 20-10-20 fertilizer was added at every watering. Fertilizer was increased to 200 ppm after 7 days of growth.

          In this experiment, trimyristin was isolated via extraction from nutmeg using tert-butyl methyl ether. The product was recrystallized using acetone, and hydrolysis was performed to obtain myristic acid. The percent yield of crude trimyristin from nutmeg was 49.20 %. The melting point of the crude was 51 - 55 °C. The percent recovery for the first recrystallization of trimyristin was 39.68 %, and the melting point for this sample was 53 - 56 °C. The percent recovery for the second recrystallization of trimyristin was 65.64 %, and the melting point for this sample was 54 - 56 °C. The relatively low percent recoveries from the recrystallizations could have been due to the use of excess acetone. The known melting point for trimyristin is 56 - 57 °C, which is similar to, but slightly higher than, the experimental melting points, possibly due to the presence of impurities. The range of melting points became narrower from the crude sample, to the first recrystallized sample, to the second recrystallized sample, most likely due to the decreasing amount of impurities following each recrystallization process. The percent yield of myristic acid from trimyristin was 65.14 %, and the melting point was 51 - 52 °C. The known melting point of myristic acid is 54.4 °C, which is similar to, but slightly higher than, the experimental melting point, possibly due to remaining impurities in the sample.

With this new retrovirus killing domestic dogs, I believe that in order to save the species, the breed that should receive the vaccine should be the basenji. The basenji is an African domestic dog breed. It is considered to be a basal breed, meaning it is genetically very similar to wild dogs like dingos and wolves. Its lineage is thought to have begun in Ancient Egypt, based on illustrations and dog mummies in tombs. Being a basal breed, it has not been modified to the extremes like many modern breeds today. Modifications ranging from the smushed face of the pug (which makes it hard for them to breath) to the dachshund whose legs are so short that sometimes they cannot support their own bodies. Those extreme modification also often include inbreeding or puppy mills which harms all the dogs involved. 

If the basenji were to be saved, dog breeding could essentially and eventually be re-done with better methods to insure that future breeds could face little to no health disorders. According to the cladogram on the Science Magazine website, the basenji eventually gave rise to the husky, malamute, shiba inu, chow chow, and more which then gave rise to others. The basenji, once numerous, could act as a template for new breeds. Overtime, based on environment (climate, human interaction, etc.) new breeds could begin to develop. 

    To help combat the sharply declining cheetah populations, countries in Africa have placed them under protection under the law in areas where they still exist and some areas of its historic range. These laws do still allow for farmers to kill cheetahs in order to protect their farm animals (Durant). The government sometimes offer incentives to farmers to promote coexistence with the animal. These countries also have monitored, protected land and parks, as well as educate the community. In Iran, the Asian Cheetah is protected within 5 national parks and wildlife refuges, and in 2009 the Afghan government made all hunting and trading illegal even though it may be extinct in the country.