Week Eight
This week, we will be concluding experimentation, for a brief amount of time, setting us on track to begin data analysis starting next week.
On-Site Experimentation:
Surgeries and experimentation take place as normal again this week. I will continue to help with record keeping and management of the laboratory, such as autoclaving pipette tips or putting together new rat cages. This week, I will begin compiling all of the current data, specifically the charts of defecation I have been putting together, and will be electronically storing them via an Excel Spreadsheet.
Retrospective Clinical Study:
I have completed entering GPS coordinates of where patients were injured, and whether they were in a rural or urban area. Now, I will start calculating wet bulb globe temperatures for each case file. In order to do so, I will create individual case ID spreadsheets, which have the date and time of injury, duration of exposure to excessive heat or cold, GPS coordinates (and the three closest weather stations), as well as other variables, such as temperature (in Celsius), relative humidity, and solar irradiance. Each variable must be converted into a precise unit for me to determine the wet bulb globe temperature accurately.
Rohini,
ReplyDeleteWhile data compilation is not glamorous (nor exciting), it is necessary to the scientific process. I am happy to hear that your research laboratory is providing you with opportunities to experience the full range of scientific inquiry (even those aspects that are not very exciting).
Hi Rohini! I absolutely love your blog. It's great. Could you explain a little more about what you will be determining based on every variable you're recording?
ReplyDeleteHi Liz!
DeleteI will mention a few variables. Some include topical ointments (medication that we apply to the exterior of the animal), medication injections, and prolonged exposure to specific temperature. For topical ointments, we develop a medication that induces a hot or cold feeling, using drugs such as Menthol or Camphor. We attempted to determine the effect of a cream on the surface of the rat, to determine how it affects the rat's position within our thermogradient. Each factor we test is measured by seeing its correlation with specific areas of the thermogradient, a column where temperature shifts from hot to neutral to cold. Currently, I am determining if there is a correlation between stress levels (as indicated by defecation, a physiological response) and position within the thermogradient (a behavior response). This correlation has the potential to give us insight into how behavioral and physiological responses work and occur together.
Thanks for reading and hope this explains it a little more clearly. Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks!
Rohini
Rohini -- Great work! I imagine there was a great deal of training to consistently evaluate the responses. Do you videotape behavior for review, or is it immediate?
ReplyDeleteThank you Mrs. Gathas! So how it works - there are six columns in the thermogradient, where one side is hot and the other is cold and the temperature shifts over a gradient, and the middle is a thermoneutral zone (outside temperature matches temperature inside each rat). Training consists of handling and habituation, meaning, getting each rat accustomed to pricks to their abdomen (so that when they are injected with medication, they do not over-stress) and to human touch. As for videotaping, in the room with the thermogradient, there is a camera and light setup above, so that each chamber is lit. During experimentation, the room is locked, so that no sound interference or changes in lighting affect the camera view. Our computer recognizes rats by their shape and automatically plots a graph of position/time. So, it is immediately recorded in the camera and automatically sent to the computer for charting position.
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