Erythropoietin (EPO) Blood Doping Assignment

In January 2013, Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) while competing and winning the Tour de France cycling competition over seven years. He has been stripped of his titles and banned from the sport for life.

One of the drugs he has confessed to using is Erythropoietin (EPO), a natural occuring hormone used by the medical community to treat a number of health conditions.

Your task is to thoroughly research EPO and its use as a performance enhancing drug by athletes and write an opinion paper based on your findings.

Things to consider when researching and writing your paper:

  • What EPO is, how it works in the body and how the body rids itself of this hormone.
  • How does the use of EPO use enhance an athlete’s performance?
  • What are the possible risks (if any) associated with EPO use?
  • What is the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) stance on the use of EPO?
  • In your opinion, what are some of the negative social and economic impacts associated with the use of PEDs by professional athletes?
  • Why would athletes risk the type of negative consequences experienced by Lance Armstrong? In your opinion is it worth it?

Note on Writing In Science

All information and relevant data are to be included in a logically sequenced manner.  In your writing, it is important to use appropriate writing style, tone, and scientific terminology.  Conduct your research using reliable, peer-reviewed and industry sources and ensure that sources listed in your reference list are directly related to information presented in your paper.  Use the appropriate referencing style for science to cite your sources.

 
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Homeostasis Essay

Name: ___________________________________ Date: ______________

Points : 100

Lab 3-Survey of the Plant kingdom

Please complete the worksheet and submit it through blackboard

 

This lab is about Plant kingdom. As you know plants are all around us. This week students will study plants and their diversity. Plants are classified based on habit, habitat, presence or absence of vasculature, presence and absence of spores, naked seed or enclosed seeds, fruits and flowers.

 

Use the resources available to you and answer the following questions. You can visit a local arboretum, zoo or botanical garden to collect the information for the worksheet.

 

Listed below are some interesting places in and around Houston to study plants.

Houston Arboretum

Armand bayou Nature center

Maas Nursery Kemah

Houston Zoo

 

Please look around and identify plants from all the groups listed below. Answer the questions based on your observations. Include a picture of the plant species you use to make your observations.

 

 

 

Bryophytes (20 points)

Mosses are common examples of seedless non-vascular plants. Identify a moss plant and answer the following questions based on your observations

 

a. Is the plant a sporophyte or gametophyte?

 

 

b. Does this plant have vasculature?

 

 

 

c. What is the function of vasculature?

 

 

 

d. What can you predict about the size of the plant based on answer to question B?

 

 

e. What other adaptations are essential for this plant to succeed?

 

 

 

f. Do you find true roots, leaves and stem in mosses?

 

 

g. How does reproduction take place in this plant (asexual or sexual)?

 

h. Picture of the plant (plants) and its scientific name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pteridophyta (20 points)

 

Ferns are common examples of seedless vascular plant. Identify a fern and answer the following questions based on your observations.

 

a. Is the plant body a sporophyte or gametophyte?

 

 

 

b. Does the plant have vasculature?

 

 

 

 

c. How does presence or absence of vasculature affect the size of the plant?

 

 

 

d. What is the advantage Pteridophytes have over Bryophytes?

 

 

 

 

e. How does reproduction take place in ferns?

 

 

 

f. Are the spores haploid/diploid?

 

 

 

 

g. What is the major innovation in this group (Pteridophytes)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gymnosperms (20 points)

 

a. What does ‘Gymnos’ ________________ and ‘sperma’______________ mean?

 

 

 

b. Do you see flowers in this group?

 

 

 

c. What are some plants that belong to this group around you?

 

 

 

 

d. Is the plant body a sporophyte or a gametophyte?

 

 

 

 

 

e. How does reproduction take place in gymnosperms? Sexual or asexual?

 

 

 

f. What is a major innovation of this group?

 

 

 

 

Angiosperms (20 + 20 points)

 

Most successful group of plants. Angiosperms are found in diverse habitats because of their successful reproductive strategies and various adaptations.

Angiosperms are divided into Monocots and Dicots.

 

Please identify dicot plant/tree and answer the following questions.

 

a. Does the plant have vasculature?

 

 

b. Does this plant have flower?

 

 

c. What is the function of the flower?

 

 

 

d. Count the number of petals of the flower?

 

 

 

 

e. Draw the leaf of the plant? How are the veins on the leaf (parallel or reticulate).

f. Are the leaves simple or compound?

 

 

 

 

g. What is the major innovation in Angiosperms?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monocot

a. Does this plant have flower?

 

 

b. What is the function of the flower?

 

 

 

c. Count the number of petals of the flower?

 

 

 

d. How are the veins arranged in the leaves of Monocots?

 

 

e. What are the differences between Monocots and Dicots?

 

 

 

 

f. Pictures of the Dicot, Its scientific name________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

g. Picture of a monocot, its scientific name_______________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 
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Genetics And Reproduction

Genetics and Reproduction

Create at least a 350-word blog post in MicrosoftÂź Word in response to the following question: Female copperhead snakes have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.

In your opinion, which method is best for the species in general and why?

Develop your opinion and include the following in your post:

‱ Discuss asexual and sexual reproduction in terms of genetic diversity. How is meiosis related to genetic diversity?

‱ Use one of Gregor Mendel’s ideas to support your opinion.

Cite your sources according to APA guidelines. See the Center for Writing Excellence for more information on using APA style

Genetics and Reproduction

Create at least a 350-word blog post in MicrosoftÂź Word in response to the following question: Female copperhead snakes have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.

In your opinion, which method is best for the species in general and why?

Develop your opinion and include the following in your post:

‱ Discuss asexual and sexual reproduction in terms of genetic diversity. How is meiosis related to genetic diversity?

‱ Use one of Gregor Mendel’s ideas to support your opinion.

Cite your sources according to APA guidelines. See the Center for Writing Excellence for more information on using APA style

 
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Lesson 6 Laboratory: Microarray

Lesson 6 Laboratory:  Microarray

   

TYPE THE CORRECT ANSWERS HERE
(a, b, c, d)

1. Genomics is the study of:

a. The structure and function of mutations and how they alter genetic traits.

b. Genes and the DNA sequences between genes and how they determine development.

c. The information provided by computer programs which analyzes mRNA.

d. The human genome as compared to other vertebrate genomes.

 
2. Microarrays are a very useful tool in genomics because they:

a. Help scientists examine intergenetic DNA by separating it from genes.

b. Provide a unique promoter region for polymerase chain reactions.

c. Allow scientists to examine thousands of genes all at once.

d. Decrease the time it takes for scientists to make copies of DNA.

 
3. Generally, every cell in our body contains the same 20,000 (or so) genes.  However, cells  in our body are different from each other because they:

a. Have different genes turned “on” or “off” to support different functions.

b. Contain different copies of genes for different functions.

c. Provide different nucleotide bases for each developmental function.

d. Function differently based on varying proteomics.

 

 
4. How can scientists determine the function of or differences between cell types?  They can examine the:

a. Number of nucleotide bases in genes versus intergenetic sequences.

b. Amount of mRNA expressed for each gene in a cell type, and then compare that information between cell types.

c. Amount of mutations between genes in the intergenetic spaces.

d. Number of tRNA copies for a particular cell type.

 

 
5. How is a microarray constructed?  In each spot, there are:

a. Copies of all the genes for an organism.

b. Multiple copies of one gene; each spot has copies for a different gene.

c. Multiple copies of intergenetic sequences, which bind to genes in the samples.

d. Copies of intergenetic sequences, which promote the replication of DNA in a sample.

 

 
6. The experiment that begins in Chapter 3 of the simulation seeks to answer the question:

a. What is the difference between intergenetic spaces in cancer cells versus healthy cells?

b. Why do different cell types express different amounts of mRNA?

c. How do different cancer cells produce different mutations?

d. What is the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells?

 

 
 

7. Why can’t doctors use cell appearance to diagnose cancer?

a. Not all cancer cells look different from healthy cells.

b. Cancer cells are too small to examine using cell appearance.

c. Not all cancer cells are able to be biopsied from the body.

d. Cancer cells change appearance when taken out of the body.

 

 
 

8. In the experiment, a solvent is added to each cell type (healthy cells and cancer cells).  After the sample tube containing each cell type is mixed on the vortex, the RNA is separated from the rest of the sample in a centrifuge.  Why does DNA settle to the bottom of the tube and RNA doesn’t?

a. RNA is much longer than DNA.

b. RNA is attached to proteins that help it stay in solution.

c. DNA is attached to biomolecules that weigh it down and help it settle to the bottom.

d. DNA is much longer than RNA.

 

 
9. What feature does mRNA have that tRNA and rRNA do not? mRNA always:

a. Contains a GABA box.

b. Contains a TATA sequence.

c. Ends with a G tail.

d. Ends with a poly-A tail.

 

 
10. How do the beads in the column separate mRNA from all other RNA?  The beads contain:

a. Sequences that magnetically separate the mRNA.

b. A glue-like substance derived from spider webs.

c. Poly-T’s.

d. A sequence of uracil’s that bind to the Poly-A tail.

 

 
11. After you isolate mRNA, you have to make a DNA copy.  Why can’t we just use mRNA?

a. DNA is much more stable than mRNA.

b. We have to add a fluorescent label that will allow us to see the sample.

c. mRNA will eventually transform into tRNA making it unusable.

d. A and B

 

 
12. Scientists call hybridization the key to microarrays.  Hybridization occurs when:

a. Two complimentary strands of DNA from different sources bind to each other.

b. Poly-A tails bind to Poly-Ts.

c. Different species interbreed and create new DNA base pairings.

d. Two strands of identical DNA bind without using the traditional nucleotide pairs.

 

 
13. When you scan the microarray in the scanner, the data show some dark spots.  What do these represent?

a. The DNA that has been replicated in healthy cells.

b. The mRNA that was washed away in the washing solution.

c. The DNA that was not transcribed and expressed in healthy cells.

d. The mRNA that was not bound by Oligo-d-tails in the beads.

 

 
14. When you scan the microarray in the scanner, some spots are yellow and represent places where the gene was expressed in both healthy and cancer cells.  These spots tell us:

a. Where to look for mutations.

b. Where DNA hybridized in cancer cells.

c. That DNA expression didn’t change in these genes when cancer occurred.

d. That the microarray didn’t work in these genes.

 

 
15. In our example, gene 6219 mRNA is made in both healthy and cancerous cells; however proteins are only translated from that mRNA in healthy cells.  Microarray analysis:

a. Shows us this defect by making yellow spots.

b. Cannot show us this defect, which is a limitation of this type of analysis.

c. Show us this defect by making red spots.

d. Cannot show us this defect, which is a benefit of this type of analysis.

 

 

 

 

 
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