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DNA and Protein synthesis

DNA is a large polymer that is made up of multiple nucleotide monomers. Nucleotides are made up of 3 different components which include a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. It contains 2 backbones that are made up of bonded sugar-phosphate portions of adjacent nucleotides. The two complimentary strands that DNA is made up of, run antiparallel to each other which means they run opposite directions. Each strand has a 5’ end and a 3’ end. The two strands being antiparallel means that complementary base pairing can happen which allows the two DNA strands to be held together. Bases always bond with the same partner (Adenine and Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine)

This activity helped model the structure of DNA because it showed how complementary base pairing works and how new strands of DNA can form. It also helped to show the shape of DNA. To help improve the accuracy of the model we could have used different objects to help show different bonds and where they happen.

DNA replication is an essential part of cell division and the growth of all organisms. It uses strands of DNA to create new strands. It occurs before new cells are formed because it requires genetic information for it to split.

The 3 steps that are involved in DNA replication are: Unwinding, complementary base pairing, and joining. Unwinding is when the DNA helix unwinds and the H-bonds between base pairs break. The DNA helicase enzyme is what causes DNA to unwind. Complementary base pairing is when nucleotides move into place to form and H-bond with their “partner” on another strand. Polymerase is what causes complementary base pairing. Joining is when nucleotides on a new strand form covalent bonds with their “partner”. The leading strand is continuous as DNA continues to unzip and the lagging strand has fragments form as DNA unzips. DNA ligase is what glues fragments together. A leading strand is synthesized in the 5’ to 3’ direction while a lagging strand is synthesized in the 3’ to 5’ direction.

To model the complementary base pairing, we detached some of the pairings from each other and then used different coloured playdough to show what helicase, polymerase, and ligase do. The model was helpful in showing what the different enzymes did, but it was not helpful in the way that our model kept falling apart and sometimes the instructions were not clear so we didn’t know what we were supposed to do some of the time.

November/December/January lab reflection

I chose to reflect on this lab because it was lab that I really enjoyed doing because I have only ever made a few omelettes before so it was really nice to be able to expand my skills. I also chose to reflect on this lab because I feel like it’s a lab that you could mess up on some parts and you can use these skills on making other dishes, such as a frittata. I enjoyed this lab because like I said before, it helped me to expand my skills with omelettes. I also enjoyed this lab because a lot of people think that making omelettes are easy but they can easily messed up from mixing the egg in the pan too much or when it comes to folding it, it is too cooked or just folded the wrong way. My group worked very well together during this lab because we all helped each other out with giving directions to each other if we needed them and also just helping each other out with the cooking of the omelettes. If I were to do this lab again the things that I would do differently would be to add less spinach because it tasted sort of like it took over the entire dish and I would add less garlic because I felt there was just a bit too much in the dish. Other then changing those two things there wouldn’t be anything that I would change.

Letter to a soldier

(I did it as a soldiers wife)

Joe,
Here at home so much is happening. We have a new law called the war measures act. It makes it so the government can do whatever they want to get you and the other soldiers what they need.they have food, defence, materials, and many more things. They say the man in charge is Sam Hughes but that he has been replaced. They have started to censor mail and made people from Germany or Austria-Hungarian people carry identity cards. They have also created internment camps for all of the Germans and Austrian-Hungarians. They even have started to detain people without needing to have to have a reason for it. Many of the men that are still here are enlisting but the people from Africa, the Japanese and the First Nations are very discriminated against when they join. Also the women aren’t allowed to join because they think that we are too weak and emotional. Propaganda has started. I have heard from some Belgians that have fled here what happened. They told me how many are wounded and/or dead. Newspapers, posters, and magazines have used these stories and changed them around to make more people join. They say how barbaric Germans are and how they intend to destroy the civilized world. Many jobs have become open from all of the men leaving for war. We can now operate fishing boats, work on farms, and work in factories. I think that’s quite an improvement from being nurses, teachers, or servants because now many more women can work and bring home money. I work at a factory for filling artillery shells. Our motivation is having each other around and knowing that we are helping in some way. The economy has gotten really bad. The government has started raising prices for food we need to survive but not reasoning how much we are being paid. They started raising prices because so much of the stuff we need is being shipped off to the trenches. Us women have started to have more rights and equality ad we are finally allowed to vote. I’m not too sure if the war is a good thing because of how bad it has gotten here. I really do appreciate the fact that you have left to help Britain win the war. But is it really worth your life? You still have so much to live for because you are so young just like many of the other men in the war. I just hope that you return safe back to me when this is all over and I hope that the world returns to the way it was.

What I know about canadas role in conflict

I dont know very much about what canada has been involved in with internal/external conflicts. One of the few things i know is that in the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994 Canada sent peacekeepers over to try and help and i think that they did help but lots of peacekeepers died as well as many of the Tutsi and Hutus that were involved. Another thing that i know is that canada took part in world war 2 but i am not exactly sure what they did. Unfortunately that is all that i know so far about canadas role in internal or external battles and wars.

Cancer story – stomach cancer

I awoke as as my host had once again spent the morning running between her bed and the bathroom so she wouldn’t get sick on the floor of her room. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer after having multiple blood tests and an Endoscopy. I started out as a tiny tumor that was barely detectable on the innermost layer of her stomach called the mucosa. I have now tripled in size and am roughly the size of a large orange. I was created when one of of my host’s cells started to grow and multiply too rapidly.

My host was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer at the age of 15. She started showing signs of having cancer after having abdominal pain, weight loss, a change in skin colour on her stomach, feeling nauseous and vomiting up blood. She was also showing signs of jaundice, which is a yellowish discolouration of the skin. My host has been going to chemotherapy for about 2 years now and has taken part in a clinical trial.

Next month my host is going in for a Gastrectomy, which is a surgery where you get either a portion of or your entire stomach removed. After her surgery she will have to make all sorts of diet changes such as eating smaller meals throughout the day, avoiding foods with high fibre, eating foods rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins C and D, and possibly even taking vitamin supplements.

Part 2:

1)

What are the symptoms?
What cures have been created?
What are the risks?
What changes will have to be made after surgery?
How does cancer start?

2) I used the internet and  Microsoft word.

3) I first started by research the big idea which was stomach cancer, then I broke it down into multiple separate ideas and researched each of those.

4) I used multiple different websites to make sure that they information all had the same basic idea to make sure that it was accurate.

5) The process went well and successful. I think to make it have gone better I could of had a better idea on what I wanted the final project to look like.

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health/gastrectomy#followup7

http://www.medicinenet.com/jaundice_in_adults/article.htm

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/stomach-gastric-cancer#1

http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/stomach/treatment/?region=bc

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/whoami/findoutmore/yourbody/whatiscancer/howdoescancerbegin