Practical skills in biomolecular sciences

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
List of boxes......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
List of abbreviations......Page 12
Acknowledgements......Page 14
For the student......Page 15
Study and examination skills......Page 16
 1. The importance of transferable skills......Page 18
 2. Managing your time......Page 24
 3. Working with others......Page 28
 4. Taking notes from lectures and texts......Page 32
 5. Learning effectively......Page 38
 6. Revision strategies......Page 45
 7. Assignments and exams......Page 50
 8. Preparing your curriculum vitae......Page 60
Information technology and learning resources......Page 66
 9. Finding and citing published information......Page 68
 10. Evaluating information......Page 74
 11. Using online resources......Page 82
 12. Bioinformatics – Internet resources......Page 92
 13. Using spreadsheets......Page 98
 14. Using word processors, databases and other packages......Page 104
Communicating information......Page 112
 15. Organising a poster display......Page 114
 16. Giving a spoken presentation......Page 119
 17. General aspects of scientific writing......Page 125
 18. Writing essays......Page 132
 19. Reporting practical and project work......Page 135
 20. Writing literature surveys and reviews......Page 140
Fundamental laboratory techniques......Page 144
 21. Essentials of practical work......Page 146
 22. Bioethics......Page 149
 23. Health and safety......Page 157
 24. Working with liquids......Page 160
 25. Basic laboratory procedures......Page 166
 26. Principles of solution chemistry......Page 176
 27. pH and buffer solutions......Page 184
 28. Introduction to microscopy......Page 191
 29. Setting up and using a light microscope......Page 195
The investigative approach......Page 204
 30. Making measurements......Page 206
 31. SI units and their use......Page 210
 32. Scientific method and design of experiments......Page 215
 33. Making notes of practical work......Page 223
 34. Project work......Page 230
Working with cells and tissues......Page 236
 35. Sterile technique......Page 238
 36. Culture systems and growth measurement......Page 245
 37. Collecting and isolating microbes......Page 256
 38. Identifying microbes......Page 261
 39. Naming microbes and other organisms......Page 267
 40. Working with animal and plant tissues and cells......Page 272
 41. Homogenisation and fractionation of cells and tissues......Page 281
Analytical techniques......Page 288
 42. Calibration and its application to quantitative analysis......Page 290
 43. Immunological methods......Page 296
 44. Using stable isotopes......Page 306
 45. Using radioisotopes......Page 312
 46. Measuring light......Page 321
 47. Basic spectroscopy......Page 325
 48. Advanced spectroscopy and spectrometry......Page 334
 49. Centrifugation......Page 341
 50. Chromatography – separation methods......Page 347
 51. Chromatography – detection and analysis......Page 358
 52. Principles and practice of electrophoresis......Page 364
 53. Advanced electrophoretic techniques......Page 375
 54. Electroanalytical techniques......Page 381
Assaying biomolecules and studying metabolism......Page 392
 55. Analysis of biomolecules: fundamental principles......Page 394
 56. Assaying amino acids, peptides and proteins......Page 397
 57. Assaying lipids......Page 402
 58. Assaying carbohydrates......Page 408
 59. Assaying nucleic acids and nucleotides......Page 413
 60. Protein purification......Page 418
 61. Enzyme studies......Page 426
 62. Membrane transport processes......Page 437
 63. Photosynthesis and respiration......Page 444
Genetics......Page 454
 64. Mendelian genetics......Page 456
 65. Bacterial and phage genetics......Page 463
 66. Molecular genetics I – fundamental principles......Page 472
 67. Molecular genetics II – PCR and related applications......Page 482
 68. Molecular genetics III – genetic manipulation techniques......Page 489
Analysis and presentation of data......Page 496
 69. Manipulating and transforming raw data......Page 498
 70. Using graphs......Page 502
 71. Presenting data in tables......Page 514
 72. Hints for solving numerical problems......Page 519
 73. Descriptive statistics......Page 529
 74. Choosing and using statistical tests......Page 540
Index......Page 554