VISITING IBS UPM (INSTITUTE OF BIOSCIENCE)

Hi and Greetings !

On Friday 25th March 2016, we got an opportunity to visited IBS (Institute of Bioscience) to study, identify and also carry out on how they conducting an experiment under different types of microscope. There were various types of microscope used including :

• Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
• works like slide project : light transmit through slide, light passes through slide, light passes through as affected by structure and objects on slides (different intensity passes through), image enlarge on a viewing screen.
• usually used to observe internal structure of cell that is very thin layer and cross section.
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
• highly similar to TEM sample except sectioning
• fixed, dehydrated, mounting and coating
• usually used to observe surface structure of cell

Figure below shows some of the picture I took in our visit to IBS :

Overall, 

CHAPTER 4 - EUKARYOTIC CELLS

Hi and Greeting viewers !

So this is all about topic 4 of the lecture that is Eukaryotic Cells. This topic was actually almost the same with the previous lecture that about Prokaryotic Cells but some of the organelles or structures functions were slightly different. But, some of the organelles or structure of eukaryotic cells were absent in prokaryotic cells.

Figure 1 : Similarities and Differences between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

As we can see on Figure 1 that there was a similarities and differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Not only that, it was also have different functions every each of the structures but not all off it because there was also the structure that have the same function as prokaryotes.

On this lecture, Dr. Wan gave us a group presentation which is in the kind of games such as puzzle, flip-a-card and many more. We had been assigned in 6 groups where each of the group have to conducted a different types of games. I was in the Group 4 where we have decided to make Flip-a-card games. Our games came out with rules to make it happening and not boring. But there was a group that gave a punishment to any groups who answered it wrong. It was really happy for us and I am the one who volunteer to accompany the groups that got the punishment. One of the punishment is :

https://twitter.com/FathiaTahir/status/711758017272754176

Link : One of the punishments to a groups who answered a question wrongly.

As a conclusions, based on the games conducted about Eukaryotic cells, I have gained many output including able to list down and identified the important structure of Eukaryotic cells, able to explained the characteristics or functions of the structures of Eukaryotic cells and also able to describe the process of meiosis and mitosis.

CHAPTER 3 - PROKARYOTIC CELLS

Hi and Greetings !

So, this time I’ll talk about topic 3 that is Prokaryotic cells. In this 3 times lectures, I have gained many information and knowledge about prokaryote. In fact, I have gained so much experience on the activities conducted by Dr. Wan herself. It was very awesome !

It all starts from the word “microorganism”. We have known that Microbiology is the study of small living things. But is there life in microorganisms? So, to identify it, there were biologist state that life must have at least the following processes, that was :

• Growth
• Reproduction
• Responsiveness
• Metabolism
• Cellular Structure

Figure 1 : Similarities and Differences between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

So what is Prokaryotic Cell?

• It is include bacteria and Achaea
• Size range from 0.2 – 2.0 um (diameter) and 2 – 8 2 um (length)
• Lack of :

o   Membrane-bound nucleus

o   Cytoskeleton

o   Membrane-bound organelles

o   Internal membranous structures

There were also many shapes of bacteria I have ever studied as shown on the Figure 2 below.

Figure 2 : Bacterial Shapes and Arrangements

I also have identified on what makes a species to have a particular size and shape. This was caused by the efficient of nutrient intake and also the decreased susceptibility of predation.

Other that, after learnt about prokaryotic cells, I able to identify the important structures and also able to explain the characteristics of functions of the structures of prokaryotic cells.

https://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/2898d078cc2d4f878b46ddf4b53c944a

Link : Summary of important structures and some explanation of the characteristics of function of prokaryotic cells

Based on the link given, that was one of the activities that Dr. Wan asked us to do. At the beginning of this topic, she asked all of us to draw a mind map about prokaryotes on the whiteboard because she already told us to study this topic first before attending the class. And the result as we can see from the Figure 4.

Figure 4 : Mind map drew by us.

Other that, I have also learnt about some of the inclusion and it’s type, including :

• Polysaccarides granules
• Lipid inclusions
• Sulfur granules
• Carboxysome
•  Gas vacuoles
• Magnetosomes

Overall, I have gained so much information much better about what is prokaryotic cells including able to identified the  important structures of prokaryotic cells and also able to explain the characteristics of functions of the structures of prokaryotic cells. 

CHAPTER 2 - MICROSCOPY

Hi and Greetings viewers !

This is topic 2 for this subject that is Microscopy. On what have I learnt in this topic, there were 4 types of microscope including :

• Optical Microscope, that includes :
• Dark field
• Bright field
• Fluorecence microscopy and
• Phase-contrast microscopy
• Electron Microscope, that includes :
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
• Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
• Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)
• Scanning Probe Microscope, that includes :
• Atomic Force
• Scanning Tunnelling
• Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope, and
• Etc
• Scanning Acoustic  Microscope

Figure1 above shows some types of the microscope characteristics.

In this topic I have also learnt on how to identify the parts of basic microscope as we can see on the Figure 2.

                                                     Figure 2 : Basic Microscope Parts

Gram positive bacteria are “positively” stained purple/blue when chemicals of the gram staining process bind to them. Gram negative bacteria on the other hand respond “negatively” to the gram staining treatment. So they have a barrier preventing the gram staining procedure from turning it blueish purple.

Figure 3 : Gram Positive and Gram Negative

I also can recognize images produced from different microscope and how to select the suitable microscope for relevant usage. For an examples :

Figure 3 : Bright-Field Microscope

Figure 4 : Dark-Field Microscope

Figure 5 : Phase-Contrast Microscopy

Figure 6 : Fluorecence Microscopy

Figure 7 : Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Figure 8 : Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

I can also describe the principle of light, phase-contrast, fluorescence and electron microscope, where :

• Bright-Field Microscope is for enhanced observation with bright-field microscope,kill and stain the cells
• Dark-Field Microscope is usually used to observe live specimens which cannot be stained. Only light that is reflected off the specimen enters the objective lens.
• Phase-Contrast Microscope permits detailed examination of internal structures of the cells.
• Normaski Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) Microscopy creates a 3D image of the specimen.
• Fluorecence Microscope produced image from light that passes through a specimen where it naturally fluorescing against dark background.
• Confocal Microscpy used for imaging thick specimens with many planes of reflection.
• Transmission Electron Microscope basically used for analysing internal structures of the cells.
• Scanning Electron Microscope basically used for analysing surface structures of the cells.
• Atomic Force Microscopy allows observation and manipulation at molecular and atomic level.
• Scanning Atomic Microscopy usually used to studying larger specimens like bacterial biofilms, cancel cells and others.

Dr. Wan Zuhainis also taught us this topic by doing some activity such as short-quizzes on indentifying the types of microscope by the picture shown on the slides.