Define operant conditioning. Who was the pioneer researcher who studied operant conditioning and generally how was it done? How is operant conditioning adaptive to an animal? What is/are the characteristic(s) of an animal species that uses operant conditioning versus a species that doesn’t use operant conditioning? For animals that use operant conditioning, discuss the restrictions on an animal’s ability to associate its behavior with either good or bad consequences. Why do these restrictions exist?

Describe what we mean by ‘conditional strategy.’ Describe what we mean by ‘optimal behavior.’ (Don’t give examples of an animal using conditional strategy or optimal behavior, rather actually describe conditional strategy and optimal behavior). Describe, with the use of a specific example, how conditional strategy and optimal behavior “interact” for a group of males of a given species that can choose among alternate mating tactics when attempting to mate.

Part I: Each statement below is false. Change the bolded word to make the statement true.

a) Restriction enzymes are used to make DNA circular.

b) Gel electrophoresis can tell you the sequence of a particular DNA fragment.

c) Fluorescence allows you to visualize bands of DNA on a gel.

d) DNA positively charged and is attracted to the negative electrode.

e) The speed at which DNA moves through a gel is directly related to its charge.

f) Larger fragments move fastest and furthest through the agarose gel.

g) When visualizing your gel, you can tell the size of the DNA fragments by the width.

h) Ethidium bromide acts as a buffer to conduct electricity and maintains pH.

Vertebrates often reside on land and give live birth. Which of the following groups of mammals do not align with one (or more) of these descriptions?

Which chemical removes calcium from bone?

Define ‘proximate cause’ of behavior and ‘ultimate cause’ of behavior. Describe two examples of proximate cause and two examples of ultimate cause of monogamy in prairie voles.

List and describe the three primary social interactions where the social recipient gains a positive effect on reproduction / fitness. Give one brief example for each of these interactions that clearly supports your definition. Define obligate and facultative altruism. Provide one example each for obligate and facultative altruism that clearly describes how these two forms of altruism work. Name and define the key factor that leads to altruism becoming a common behavior. What is “Hamilton’s Rule?”

This question is about the pentose phosphate pathway and interconnected metabolic pathways (glycolysis, gluconeogenesis.)

a) What reactions would occur if the cell needed lots of NADPH and only NADPH?

b) What reactions would occur if both NADPH and ATP were both needed?

c) What reactions would occur if nucleotides were needed for DNA synthesis and that was the primary need?

1) Match the following with their definitions

___ Kinase

___ Methylation

___ DNA ligase

___ Topoisomerases

___ Single- Stranded Binding

___ Exonuclease

A) Protiens that bind to and protect the unpaired DNA strands during replication.

B) Enzyme that relives the supercoiling strain due to the twisting of the DNA strands ahead of the replication fork.

C) Enzyme that removes an incorrect nucleotide from a growing DNA strand

D) Enzyme that phosphorylates other molecules

E) Enzyme that acts as "glue" upon removal of Okazaki fragments or DNA repair, binding the DNA strands back together

F) The method by which we can identify the older, parental DNA strand.

2) Match the following cellular processes with the phases of meiosis. You can only have one answer per question, but answers may be used more than once.

___ The meiotic spindle disappears

___ Synapsis occurs

___ Microtubules from both poles of the spindle move bivalents to the

center of the cell

___ Microtubules attatch to kinetochores at the centromeres on bivalents

___ The nuclear envelope re-forms around the segregated chromosomes

that contain sister chromatids

A.) Prophase I

B) Prophase II

C) Prometaphase I

D) Prometaphase II

E) Metaphase I

F) Metaphase II

G) Telophase I

H) Telophase II

I) Anaphase I

J) Anaphase II

Give some examples of how being rejected or ostracized hurts:​

What do we know about ostracism and the brain?​

Is being rejected similar to physical pain? How?

Genetic Development

Describe the process of X-inactivation. How does it occur and why is it necessary?

What is the concept of genomic equivalency?

a.) During heat sterilization, what is the decimal reduction time?

b.) Are TLR (toll-like receptors) part of the innate or adaptive response? Describe their function.

c.) Describe the Humoral Immune response and the overall outcome.

The Microscope:

You are a medical doctor specializing in blood diseases, especially malaria. Malaria is caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells. The easiest way to diagnose the presence of the malaria parasite is to create a blood smear and view it under the microscope.

Explain in detail some of the procedures you would have to follow to create a slide that is visible under a microscope that will help you to identify the parasite. E.g. what type of microscope would you use? How will you determine what the total magnification of the specimen under the microscope (explain using an example)?Which parts of the microscope will you use to focus the blood cells? How will you ensure that the blood smear is optimally lit (i.e. what part of the microscope will help with the illumination?). Once you are done, how will you clean the lenses? And how will you store the microscope (e.g. position of objective lenses). (to avoid losing unnecessary points, make sure you address every part of this question. Also this is a discussion question, make sure you write full sentences with proper grammar).

4. List five factors that affect the absorption rate of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Predator-Prey

You are a scientist that studies raccoon behavior and diet. Although raccoons are carnivores, they have a very diverse and opportunistic diet. As part of your research you are collecting scats (raccoon poop) from rural areas in the Shawnee National Forest, as well as urban areas (neighborhoods of Carbondale and Marion, Illinois). Explain in detail how you will use the raccoon scats to identify diet items of raccoons (include some of the techniques you will use). Do you expect a difference in diet items between rural and urban areas? Explain why or why not. Name some examples of food items you expect to find in raccoon scats for both rural and urban raccoons. What are some health considerations to keep in mind when studying and handling scats? (This is a discussion question. Please write full sentences with proper grammar. Take care to address every part of this discussion question)