BIOL398-01/S11:Week 2

NOTE: This page is under construction. The assignment will be finalized in class on 1/20/11.

This journal entry is due on Monday, January 24 at midnight PST (Sunday night/Monday morning). NOTE that the server records the time as Eastern Standard Time (EST). Therefore, midnight will register as 03:00.

Individual Assignment

The paper we will read for Journal Club 1 is:

ter Schure, E.G., Sillje, H.H.W., Verkleij, A.J., Boonstra, J., and Verrips, C.T. (1995) The Concentration of Ammonia Regulates Nitrogen Metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Journal of Bacteriology 177: 6672-6675.

Preparation for Journal Club 1

"Science... is a process taking place in the minds of living scientists," (Curtis, 1983). The scientific community uses primary research articles as one method of communicating the science within the community (presentations and posters at scientific meetings are others). Primary research articles undergo a process of peer review before they are published, but the quality of papers still vary. "Journal Club" presentations are the means by which scientists with similar research interests learn about, discuss, and evaluate new research. This is the first of four journal club discussions we will have this semester. For this first journal club, the entire class will read and present the same paper referenced above. Each student will create an individual wiki journal page for their Week 2 assignment and also contribute to the shared journal page in preparation for the presentation in class on January 25.

1. Make a list of at least 10 biological terms for which you did not know the definitions when you first read the article. Define each of the terms. You can use the glossary in any molecular biology, cell biology, or genetics text book as a source for definitions, or you can use one of many available online biological dictionaries (links below). List the citation(s) for the dictionary(s) you use, providing a URL to the page is fine.
2. Write an outline of the article. The length should be the equivalent of 2 pages of standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper. Your outline can be in any form you choose, but you should utilize the wiki syntax of headers and either numbered or bulleted lists to create it. The text of the outline does not have to be complete sentences, but it should answer the questions listed below and have enough information so that others can follow it. However, your outline should be in YOUR OWN WORDS, not copied straight from the article.
   • What is the main result presented in this paper?
   • What is the importance or significance of this work?
   • What were the limitations in previous studies that led them to perform this work?
   • What were the methods used in the study?
   • Briefly state the result shown in each of the figures and tables.
   • How do the results of this study compare to the results of previous studies.
3. Each group of students will be assigned one table or figure. The pair will be responsible for explaining the table/figure in detail to the class.

Online Biological Dictionaries

• biology-online.org dictionary
• Gene Ontology
• NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Shared Journal Assignment

• Store your journal entry in the shared Class Journal Week 2 page. If this page does not exist yet, go ahead and create it (congratulations on getting in first :) )
• Link to your journal entry from your user page.
• Link back from the journal entry to your user page.
• Sign your portion of the journal with the standard wiki signature shortcut (~~~~).
• Add the "BIOL398-01/S11" category to the end of the wiki page (if someone has not already done so).