Final Applied Lab Project (1 credit Lab Component)

Addresses course outcomes 1-4:

• recognize and explain how the scientific method is used to solve problems
• make observations and discriminate between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations
• weigh evidence and make decisions based on strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge and the scientific method
• use knowledge of biological principles, the scientific method, and appropriate technologies to ask relevant questions, develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, interpret results, and draw conclusions

This is the culminating lab assessment in BIOL 103. It is designed to assess your ability to apply the principles of the scientific method.

The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity

Design an experiment in which you will test the effect of an acidic fluid on enzymatic activity. Recall: enzymes are proteins! To complete this project, it may be useful for you to first review the Scientific Method Tutorial, the OLI module about pH and enzymes, Lab 1 (Introduction to Science) and Lab 4 (Enzymes).  As you review Lab 4, you will be reminded that there are several factors that impact enzymatic activity: pH, temperature, and amount of reagent. It is OK to use the same enzyme/substrate/method as you did in lab 4 (but modify the treatment), or you can search on-line to find a different enzyme/substrate/method for measuring enzyme activity for your project (include all references).

As you design your experiment for this project, please remember that you are trying to examine how an acidic fluid will modify the outcome of an enzymatic reaction.  To successfully complete this project, you will need to identify the question(s) being asked in your experiment and the hypothesis that you are testing.  In your experimental design, you must clearly explain what you are doing. That means that you will need to identify the enzyme, the substrate, the acidic fluid used as treatment, the control treatment and the method of measuring enzyme activity, as well as explain your experimental protocol.  You must also thoroughly explain how the acidic fluid impacted enzyme activity based on the results from your own experiment as well as knowledge of enzymes and pH from the OLI modules, lab manual and potentially additional information sources.

Hint: Keep in mind that the acid will change the environmental conditions of the experiment (for example, a low pH value could change the shape of the active site on the enzyme protein), without directly participating in the reaction.

Lab Materials

You may need all or some of the following, depending on your experimental design:

Materials from your lab kit:

• pH paper
• hydrogen peroxide solution (you can purchase this at a pharmacy if you have used up the bottle that came with the lab kit)
• plastic beakers or cups
• vinegar
• yeast (can be purchased at grocery store if more is needed)
• balloons
• plastic bottle
• marker for labeling of beakers
• Cell phone/digital camera – pictures required

You may choose to use additional materials (different acidic fluids and/or different organisms and/or different substrate if you chose an enzyme other than catalase).

Outline:

Include the following in your outline:

• Name of enzyme you will use
• Name of organism (if applicable)
• The substrate
• Method for measuring enzyme activity
• Treatment: acidic fluid(s), pH, length of exposure, how you will treat your samples
• The control(s) in the experiment
• Sample size
• Hypothesis
• How you will present your data (table and/or type of graph)
• Anything else you would like to get feedback on before you start your experiment

 

Write a lab report that includes the following:

1. Title page: descriptive title, your name, course name, semester

2. Introduction: general background information about enzymes and specific information about your chosen enzyme, the question(s) that you are asking and a clear hypothesis for your experiment (20 points).

3. Design an experiment. Provide a detailed description of the materials and methods used to conduct the experiment. Identify control and experimental samples, as well as independent and dependent variables. Also include the methods used for data collection and analysis (20 points).

4. Conduct the experiment and record your results. Take picture of results. What did you observe? Present your data in table and/or graph format. Remember to label everything and include the unit of measure with all numbers (20 points)

5. Use your knowledge of enzymes and pH to interpret and discuss your results. It may be necessary for you to refer to the OLI course modules, lab manual and/or use additional information resources. What effect does the acidic treatment have on enzyme activity? Did you get the expected results? Explain. (20 points)

6. State a specific and accurate conclusion. Is your hypothesis supported by the results? Looking back, how could you have improved your experiment? (10 points)

7. Include a list of references to all information sources used in APA format (5 points).

Avoid Plagiarism

It is very important to write with your own words. If you do copy one or two sentences directly (use sparingly), use quotation marks (“) around the copied text, followed by an in-text reference. All information sources need to be included in the reference list and as in-text references. Plagiarism will be reported to the proper UMUC authority. Guidance on how to avoid plagiarism can be found here: https://www.umuc.edu/students/academic-integrity/ai-tutorial/academic-integrity-tutorial.html

Submission

Submit your final applied lab project in the assignment folder by the due date specified in the course schedule.  

Grading

Your Outline will be graded based on the following criteria (100 points total):

	Excellent (90-100%)	Good (70-89%)	Adequate (60-69%)	Unsatisfactory (0-59%)
Outline 100 points	Outline includes all the required components and planned experiment meets requirements for the assignment and is clearly and accurately described. Submitted on time. 90-100 points	Outline missing one or two of the required components, and/or planned experiment does not meet one of requirements for the assignment and/or minor issues with clarity and accuracy. 70-89 points	Outline missing several of the required components, and/or planned experiment does not meet several of the requirements for the assignment and/or major issues with clarity and accuracy. 60-69 points	Outline missing most of the required components and planned experiment does not meet the requirements of the assignment. 0-59 points

Your Final Applied Lab Project will be graded based on the following criteria (100 points total):

	Excellent (90-100%)	Good (75-89%)	Adequate (50-74%)	Unsatisfactory (0-49%)
Introduction, Question and Hypothesis   20 points	Background information about enzymes in general and about specific enzyme used in project is clearly and accurately written. Questions and hypothesis are specific, relevant and clearly stated. 18-20 points	Background information about enzymes in general and about specific enzyme is somewhat unclear and/or inaccurate. Questions and hypothesis could be more specific, relevant and clearly stated. 15-17 points	Missing background information about enzymes in general or about specific enzyme used in project or questions and hypothesis. 10-14 point	Missing background information about enzymes in general and about specific enzyme used in project and questions/hypothesis.   0-9 points
Experimental Design, Materials and Methods   20 points	Experiment is designed to directly test the hypothesis; description of experiment is detailed and well written and includes all materials and methods used.   18-20 points	Experiment is mostly designed to test the hypothesis and/or description of experiment is somewhat inaccurate and/or some information about materials and methods used is missing and/or minor problems with clarity an organization. 15-17 points	Experiment is barely designed to test the hypothesis and/or description of experiment is inaccurate and/or most of the materials and methods used are missing and/or major problems with clarity an organization. 10-14 points	Experiment is not designed to test hypothesis and/or description of experiment and materials and methods used are missing. 0-9 points
Results   20 points	Results are clearly and accurately presented in a table and/or graph and picture(s). 18-20 points	Results are presented, but minor problems with clarity and/or accuracy. 15-17 points	Results are described, but major problems with clarity and/or accuracy and/or results not presented in table or graph. 10-14 points	Results are not included   0-9 points
Discussion of Results   20 points	A clear, accurate and well organized discussion of results that demonstrates good knowledge of enzymes. 18-20 points	Minor problems with clarity, accuracy or organization and/or demonstrates some gaps in knowledge of enzymes. 15-17 points	Major problems with clarity, accuracy or organization or demonstrates minimal knowledge of enzymes. 10-14 points	Missing discussion of results, or major problems with clarity, accuracy or organization and missing understanding of enzymes. 0-9 points
Conclusion   10 points	A well stated conclusion that is accurate and specific and directly related to the data collected. Clearly stated whether or not the results support the hypothesis. Relevant suggestion for improvement of experiment. 9-10 points	Conclusion stated, but slightly inaccurate, and/or not directly related to data collected and/or suggestion for improvement of experiment not very relevant. 7-8 points	Conclusion stated, but inaccurate and/or barely related to data collected and/or missing suggestion for improvement of experiment. 5-6 points	Missing conclusion, only suggestion for improvement of experiment.   0-4 points
Citations   5 points	All references used are included and in correct APA format, in-text references are included. 5 points	All references are included, but a few minor mistakes in APA format, and/or missing in-text references. 4 points	Missing one or several references and/or major mistakes in APA format. 2-3 point	No references included or references not in APA format.   0-1 points
Grammar and Spelling 5 points	0 – 3 minor spelling and grammatical errors 5 points	Between 4 and 7 minor spelling and grammatical errors 4 points	Between 8 and 12 spelling and

The Allied Group is considering two investments. The first investment involves a packaging machine, which can be used to package garments for shipping orders to customers. The second possible investment would be a molding machine that would be used to mold the mannequin parts.

The first possible investment is the packaging machine, which will cost $14,000. The second investment, the molding machine, would cost $12,000. The expected cash flows for the two projects are given below and the cost of capital to the firm is 15%. Both machines will be unusable after five years and have no salvage value.

The net cash flows for the two possible projects are given in the following table:

Year            Packaging Machine           Molding Machine 

0                          ($14000)                            ($12,000)

1                             4100                                     3200

2                             3300                                     2800

3                             2900                                     2800

4                             2200                                     2200

5                             1200                                     2200

Questions: Address all of the following questions in a brief but thorough manner.

• Calculate each project’s payback period.
• Calculate the NPV for each project.
• Calculate the IRR for each project.
• If the two projects are independent of each other, which projects, if any, should be selected? Explain why or why not.
• If the two projects are mutually exclusive, which project, if any, should be selected? Explain why.

Explain the role that your culture, environment and upbringing plays in the formation and maintenance of relationships and attractions. Support your response with at least one (1) example of the influence culture has had on your relationships.

This week will be an opportunity to share ideas and approaches to the Excel course project due this week.

1. 1. What are some spreadsheet features you will use to make your spreadsheet professional, readable, reliable, and repeatable?

      This is an opportunity to show your creativity and depth of understanding of what you have learned up to this point.

 

1. Which spreadsheet functions and data analysis types do you think will be the most challenging to implement in this project?

   You will need to have reviewed the project requirements prior to answering this question. You might want to look at how you responded to the above question, and from that list, identify implementation challenges, and state why you feel that way

Diversity in the workplace focuses on similarities and differences all employees bring to the organization. Diversity such as education, cultural, gender, geographical location, and ethnic background should be encouraged and valued. Employees should consider how work policies, communication, and practices have a different impact on their colleagues.

Using the South University Online Library, search the article, “All of Us: Embracing Diversity in Healthcare.”

Based on your research, summarize your thoughts and provide answers or comments to the following questions:

• Discuss diversity in healthcare with examples and support from your research.
• Summarize any cited special characteristics and problems in the workplace regarding diversity.

Now, let’s read the following scenario.

You are just promoted to a health administration management position. Your organization currently manages a home health unit where you are responsible for seven RNs, three dieticians, two billing and coding staff members, one physical therapist, one social worker, one accountant, and one health administrator overseeing the administrative duties of the organization.

The community is culturally diverse consisting of Hispanic, Arab Americans, and American Indian populations. Additionally, your staff is diverse consisting of one male RN, several RNs near retirement age, two newly graduated dieticians, and a few staff members representing several cultures. You find the staff does not seem to work well together and there appears to be several groups who do not include others at the lunch table. You have a vision to develop the team to promote unity, increase motivation, and share the same vision for a successful collaborative effort. You think how you will gather information so you can further develop your plan of action to turn the unit from one where there appears to be miscommunication and misinformation to a well-functioning team unit.

Based on the above scenario, answer the following questions:

• As you begin to develop your plan of action, what important considerations will you address to improve the communication and collaborative effort among the group?
• What perceived or real barriers do you anticipate based on the wide diversity of the staff and patients? For example, do seasoned and newly graduated staff members develop team cohesiveness immediately? How can language barriers between the team impede proper communication across department lines?
• What potential conflicts can arise when you do not understand or accept cultural, gender, ethnic, or age diversity?
• Develop four important steps for how you will implement your plan to improve communication and acceptance of various cultures and diverse workers for each of the perceived or real barriers for staff and patients.

Reference:

Birk, S. (2012). All of us: Embracing diversity in healthcare. Healthcare