Option outlines:
short descriptions of the options which are expected to be available in
2007-2008
Organiser: Dr CJ Daly, NBS, ext. 3920, email: c.daly@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Professor JC McGrath, NBS, ext. 4483, email: I.McGrath@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: The autonomic nervous system is a vital part of the body’s regulatory mechanisms, whose continuous action beneath the level of consciousness keeps the body’s component parts in constant condition to function. It is relatively easy to study because of its position outside of the central nervous system. This led to an early understanding of its influence over many bodily functions particularly since these could be mimicked or blocked by the targeted application of simple chemical compounds. In turn this led to the first identification within it of many biological mechanisms and principles that are now known to be of general importance. This Option will illustrate how classical and current techniques are used to understand the operation of the ANS and to uncover important general principles in pharmacology, physiology and neuroscience.
Structure of sessions: Lecture based with computer and group work.
Topics: Components of the autonomic nervous system; Concepts in neurotransmission; In vivo techniques; Classical in vitro techniques; Recombinant approaches; Parasympathetic System; Synthesis, degradation and uptake processes for neurotransmitters; Prejunctional receptors; Postjunctional receptors; Signalling processes.
Entry requirements: Level-3 Degree Group C courses
Restriction on numbers: 35
Organisers: Dr MF Tatner, I&I, ext. 6246; email M.Tatner@ bio.gla.ac.uk and Miss Anne Tierney, UGS, ext. 8480; email A.Tierney@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: Business and
the Biosciences sets out to give bioscience students
experience in Business and
Assessment is by project work and examination.
Special notes: Students can take this course as an A, B, C or D option choice but the course is run only once. In session 2006-07, the option will run in Weeks 0 and 1. This course is compulsory for all Level 4 students undertaking a commercial project.
Entry requirements: Any Level-3 Biological Sciences course.
Restriction on numbers: 40
Organiser: Professor JR Downie, EEB, ext. 5157, email J.R.Downie@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr S Mackay, NBS and Dr RA Smith, NBS
Content: This course should be of most interest to anatomists and cell and molecular biologists, but is not restricted to these groups. Any student with an interest in the processes underlying Animal Development should find the course interesting. It should be a valuable complement to the Genes and Development option.
The course is primarily concerned with the means by which embryonic cells set up the complex patterns and forms of organ systems. This involves a study of cell motility, cell-cell interactions, cell shape and polarity determination, cell death etc.
The course focuses on development in mammals including abnormalities of development, but also uses the comparative approach, in particular to examine the embryo-like repair and regenerative capacities of adult organs, and to compare developmental processes across the animal kingdom. The course relates knowledge of cell behaviour derived from in vitro studies to the more complex embryonic situation, and stresses modern experimental techniques.
The course is taught by means of tutorials, paper presentations and paper analyses and critiques.
Topics will include:
· Cellular basis of morphogenetic processes
· Myogenesis
· Neural tube defects
· Neurotrophic aspects of nervous system development
· Cell migrations
· Symmetry and Asymmetry
· Cell death or suicide
· Development of the limb
· Heart development
· Repair and regeneration
Entry requirements: None, but any student who has not taken the Level‑3 Anatomy course (or the Level-2 Reproduction & Development course) will be asked to undertake some preliminary reading.
Restriction on numbers: 45
Organiser: Professor GW Gould, BMB, ext. 5263, email G.Gould@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Professor N Price, BMB, ext. 2889, email N.Price@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: This course seeks to equip you with the basic core knowledge required for understanding biological problems and systems. The material will cover a range of ideas in enzyme kinetics, thermodynamics, catalysis, ligand binding, structure and function, with emphasis on quantitative approaches to understanding your science. The central theme of this course will be quantitative biology. The course will cover such issues within the context of modern cellular and biochemical approaches and will include:
· Protein: Protein and Protein: DNA interactions (how do you identify them, why are they important, how are the quantified?)
· Kinetics and thermodynamics of biological systems
· Biophysical approaches to solve biochemical problems
· Protein-Protein Interactions inside a living cell — the modern approach to cell signalling
· Bioinformatics and proteomics
The course will begin with three revision sessions which aim to re-introduce you to fundamental aspects of chemistry, mathematics and mathematical biology, and will include set tutorial sessions.
Entry requirements: Level-3 Degree Group B courses
Restriction on numbers: 60
Organiser: Dr Olwyn Byron, I&I, ext. 3752, email o.byron@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr Gill Douce, I&I, ext. 2842, email g.douce@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: In this option, concepts underlying Microbiology, Parasitology and Virology will be revised. In addition new technologies, methods and systems will be introduced so that the student is equipped to better understand and utilise the subject matter that will be covered in subsequent options and better able to undertake final year project work. The option comprises 12 sessions, each lasting 2 or 3 hours, the structure of which will depend on the teacher(s) and the material but may include lectures, computer-based exercises, data handling exercises and group discussions/debates.
The 12 sessions are:
· Basic data handling and protein chemistry: graph plotting; straight line equations; log & ln in calculations & plots; units, powers, concentrations; pH; buffers; ionic & hydrophobic interactions; properties of amino acids.
· Statistical methods: the General Linear Model; the M-F-Y triangle; sums of squares; degrees of freedom; the F‑ratio; p-values; residuals.
· Epidemiological statistics: risk ratios, odds ratios, vaccine/control method efficacies, epidemiological study design, the concept of R0, sample size determination and power.
· In vitro culture approaches: media; bacterial growth curves; viable cell counts; growth rate constant; mean generation time; safety; genetically modified organisms; intracellular parasite culture; plaque assay; eukaryotic cell culture; mammalian cell culture including immortalisation.
· Bioinformatics: genome projects; in silico analysis; NCBI; BLAST; frames, codons, translation; sequence alignment; architecture prediction (PFAM, SMART); molecular graphics (PyMOL).
· Population genetics: linkage analysis/quantitative trait locus analysis.
· Protein over-expression and analysis: protein over-expression; SDS PAGE; chromatographic purification; spectrophotometry; circular dichroism; analytical ultracentrifugation; protein crystallography.
· Advanced molecular methods: yeast-2-hybrid; reporter gene assays; RNAi; gene knockout, molecular markers.
· Immunoassays: ELISA (end-point, kinetic); T-cell proliferative assays; ELISPOT; Western blots; dot blots; FACS; cytotoxic T-cell assay.
· Imaging techniques: basic principles of microscopy; electron microscopy; confocal microscopy; visualisation via GFP reporters.
· Animal technology: transgenics; animal models; ethics; animal licensing; clinical research.
· Transcriptome & proteome analysis: genomics; transcriptomics; microarrays; proteomics; 2-D PAGE; MALDI; liquid chromatography; organelle fractionation; MASCOT.
Entry requirements: Any honours biological science course
Restriction on numbers: 50, preference given to Microbiology, Parasitology and Virology students.
Organiser: Dr Nia Bryant, BMB, ext. 4719, email n.bryant@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr Iain Johnstone, MG, ext. 2844, email i.johnstone@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: This option is designed to provide students with the knowledge required to engage in molecular and cellular biosciences. The course will cover current approaches and methodologies that are used by researchers in molecular and cellular biology and highlight how such approaches are used to address key research questions.
The option is organised as 10 individual sessions, each of 3 hours duration, covering a specific topic (examples of which are given below). Teaching staff include members of the Divisions of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics.
Topics to
be covered include:
· Genetic approaches to cell biology
· Investigations of protein-protein interactions
· Control of cellular processes
· Bioinformatics
· Investigations of protein structure and function
Entry requirements: Level-3 Degree Group B courses
Restriction on numbers: 60
Organiser: Dr RH Wilson, MG, ext. 5117, email R.Wilson@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr MES Bailey, MG, email m.bailey@bio.gla.ac.uk
Staff: Drs Mark Bailey, Joe Gray,
Content: The first part of the course will present a geneticists view of genes, chromosomes and model organisms, and relate this to the new availability of genomic data, microarray and other data analysed by bioinformatics approaches. Evolutionary perspectives will include haplotypes and linkage disequilbrium, and the relevance of molecular phylogeny.
The second part of the course will cover genetical and molecular methods used in the study of eukaryote gene expression, concentrating on model organisms introduced in Level‑3. Interpretation and implications of key findings will be discussed, with special emphasis on how modern technology is providing answers to questions originally posed by classical genetics.
The third part of the course will be application of classical and molecular genetics to analysis of the genetic basis of human inheritance, and will cover linkage mapping in humans, causes of dominance, and genomics.
Teaching hours will average two 3-hour sessions per week. The majority of sessions will include a plenary lecture, followed by a PBL session where groups of 8-10 students will identify key questions posed by a scenario, or will attempt to solve a problem based on contemporary research in genetics.
Entry requirements: Normally Genetics taught in Level-2 and Level-3 courses or the equivalent.
Restriction on numbers: 35
Organiser: Professor WS Hillis, Faculty of Medicine, tel 211 2240, email W.Hillis@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Content: To examine all aspects of exercise in relation to Cardiac Disease, to demonstrate the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for Ischaemic Heart Disease, the use of exercise testing in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders and the use of exercise training in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, to show that the mechanisms of exercise intolerance seen in Cardiac Disease are important for targeting therapeutic strategies to improve symptomatic status
By the end of the course the student should be able to:
· outline the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system
· describe the molecular processes in the pathophysiology of Ischaemic Heart Disease
· discuss the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for Ischaemic Heart disease
· describe the control of blood pressure at rest and how exercise can be used as a treatment in hypertension
· describe the cardiovascular responses to acute exercise and the adaptations which occur with high intensity exercise training, with particular attention to left ventricular hypertrophy
· discuss the importance of exercise electrocardiography in the diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease and for risk stratification of patients
· discuss the important cardiovascular conditions associated with sudden death in sport and the limitations of cardiovascular screening for prevention of sudden death in sport
· describe the benefits from exercise training in chronic stable angina and following myocardial infarction
· describe abnormalities on cardiopulmonary exercise testing in both chronic heart failure and valvular heart disease and how these are affected by aerobic exercise training
Entry requirements:
Restriction on numbers: 30
Organiser: Professor FA Huntingford, EEB, ext. 6643, email F.Huntingford@bio.gla.ac.uk
Staff: Professor Huntingford, Drs Arnold, Neil and O’Dell, with guest speakers from various organisations.
Content: The aim of this option is to explore recent exciting interdisciplinary research linking the behaviour of animals to the hormonal and neurobiological mechanisms that control such behaviour. A series of lectures, seminars and discussions will examine behavioural, endocrinological, neurobiological and genetic principles in the context of specific behavioural systems, including aggression, sexual behaviour, feeding and nutrition and animal welfare. In parallel with this, students will work in groups examining recent literature on key model organisms used in neurobiological and behavioural research, including nematodes, insects, fish, birds and mammals.
Entry requirements: We assume that students will have taken the Level-2 Neuroscience & Behaviour course, but preparatory background reading will be provided where this is not the case (details available from Professor Huntingford).
Restriction on numbers: None
Organiser: Prof. A.C. Taylor, email a.taylor@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr D. Bailey, d.bailey@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: This course reviews the communities and ecological processes of several marine ecosystems as a basis for the development of conservation and management strategies. The following topics will be included:
Temperate Estuarine Systems: Estuarine environments; estuarine organisms; human impact.
Coral Reefs: Reef structures and fauna; coral biology, physiology, reproduction, mortality and productivity. Coral reef trophic interactions; reef fish and fisheries; management and conservation of reefs.
Mangroves: Form and occurrence; ecology of associated fauna; productivity; ecological and conservation value.
Polar Ecosystems: Key Oceanographic factors, Arctic/Antarctic comparisons, ecological processes.
Conservation and Management: Marine
conservation in
The course will be taught in collaboration with members of the University Marine Biological Station, Millport, and the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory.
Entry requirements: None
Restriction on numbers: None
Organiser: Dr RL Davies, I&I, ext.6685; email R.L.Davies@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr F Hannah (UMBS, Honorary Lecturer at
Microorganisms play a fundamental role in the sea, with microscopic algae carrying out much of the primary production, bacteria carrying out essential decomposition and recycling functions in the water column and marine sediments, and both providing an important part of the marine food chain. In particular, marine phytoplankton play an essential role in carbon cycling which affects atmospheric CO2 levels and global climate. Bacteria also play an important economic role by initiating the fouling and corrosion of ships, oil rigs, pipelines and other marine structures. In addition, bacteria and other microorganisms cause infections in farmed fish and shellfish that have an important economic impact on the aquaculture industry. Only a small percentage of marine bacteria can currently be cultured but recent advances in the molecular analysis of microbial communities have shown there to be a much more diverse range of microbes in the marine environment than previously thought. This has led to increasing interest in this area because of the potential for exploitation in biotechnology. Marine bacteriophages are the most numerous organisms on earth and are thought to play significant roles in the marine environment.
Format: This will be a one-week residential field course held at the University Marine Biological Station, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae immediately before the beginning of the first semester. The course will consist of a mixture of lectures, practical work, tutorials and seminars emphasising the role and importance of microorganisms in marine processes (including carbon cycling and the affect on climate change), biofouling, fish and shellfish diseases and harmful algal blooms, together with the affects of aquaculture on coastal environments and the growing applications of marine microbiology in biotechnology. Teaching will be done largely by the staff of the marine station and fieldwork and laboratory classes will form an important part of the course. As part of the assessment for the course students will be required to submit a written report by the end of the first semester. This will count for one third of the marks for the option.
Special notes: Students can take this course as an A, B, C or D option choice but the course is run only once. In session 2007-08, the option will run from Sunday 16th September to Saturday 22nd September 2007. Note: it will not be possible to take this option with the Tropical Marine Biology or the Tropical Rainforest Ecology options.
Entry requirements: Any Level-3 Biological Sciences course
Restriction on numbers: 30
Organiser: Dr NG MacFarlane, NBS, ext.5965, email N.MacFarlane@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Mr Nairn Scobie, NBS, ext 3832, email N.Scobie@bio.gla.ac.uk
Current principal
topics are:
· Energy supply systems during exercise
· Muscle oxygenation and lactate production
· Fibre type in skeletal muscle
· Excitation – contraction coupling in striated muscle
· Muscle fatigue — neural and metabolic aspects
· Training for strength or endurance
· Muscle injury
· Biophysics and biochemistry of force generation
The option is taught by lecture-tutorials and supplemented by a journal club.
Entry requirements: The option builds upon parts of four Level-2 courses: the exercise science of 18b, the muscle component of 7a, the exercise physiology in 3a, and the basics of energy metabolism in 6b. It also assumes knowledge of the Skeletal Muscle & Biomechanics module in Level-3 Physiology & Sports Science. Prospective students who have not taken these courses should contact Dr MacFarlane well before the start of the option for recommended reading.
Restriction on numbers: 45
Organiser: Dr A Sadanandom, ext. 8639, email A.Sadanandom@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr P Dominy, ext. 4390, email P.Dominy@bio.gla.ac.uk
Assisted by: Drs D Walters (SAC, Auchincruive); C Leggate (SAC, Auchincruive); PJ Dominy; Professor M Blatt.
Content: This course is compulsory for Plant Science students but may be of interest to others who wish to understand the physiological processes that underlie the ways in which plant growth is modulated by the environment.
The areas listed below, which are all critical determinants of plant growth, will be considered:
· light interception, photosynthetic efficiency and assimilate partitioning — their relationships to crop productivity and to infection by pathogens.
· the cell surface (the cell wall and plasmalemma) and its roles in the regulation of growth and responses to pathogens.
· cellular responses to water stress
· accumulation of nutrients
Entry requirements: Students must normally have taken the Level-2 course Plant Science: Food & Famine. Additional reading from the course text (Taiz & Zeiger: Plant Physiology) will be recommended for students who have not taken Level-3 Plant Science.
Restriction on numbers: 25
Organiser: Prof. A.C. Taylor, email a.taylor@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr D. Bailey, d.bailey@bio.gla.ac.uk
Content: This course reviews the ecology of
key tropical marine habitats — coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass
beds, and considers the threats to these from anthropogenic impacts. A major
part of the course is a two-week field course on the
Coral Reefs: Reef structures and fauna; coral biology, physiology, reproduction, mortality and productivity. Coral reef trophic interactions; reef fish and fisheries; management and conservation of reefs.
Mangroves: Form and occurrence; ecology of associated fauna; productivity; ecological and conservation value.
Conservation
and Management: Marine conservation in the
Special
notes: In session 2007-08, the field course to
Other requirements: Students participating in this option are required to contribute approximately £400 towards the cost of the field course and have to undertake training in snorkelling.
Entry requirements: Preference will be given to students reading for the Marine & Freshwater Biology degree.
Restriction on numbers: 24
Organiser: Dr S White, EEB, ext. 2505, email S.White@bio.gla.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr I Coombs, EEB, ext. 6993, email
Field
Course: A two-week course to be held in Sumaco
Reserve, Napo Region,
Lecture Course: A mixture of lectures, seminars and discussions on the following topics:
· origins and evolution of tropical rainforest ecosystems
· rainforest function
· structure of the forest — the plant community, disturbance and succession
· microorganisms and their role
· rainforest insects and other invertebrates — ecology, behaviour, recent research
· rainforest birds — diversity, feeding habits, adaptive radiation, ecology and behaviour
· reptiles and amphibians — ecology and behaviour, recent research
· mammals — mammalian diversity, ecology and behaviour
· parasites and diseases shared with humans
· tropical freshwater ecosystems — structure and function, species interactions
· co-evolution
· pollination
· seed dispersal
· food webs
· conservation
· eco-tourism
· the future of the rainforests
Special notes: This field course option runs before the start of the academic session. The dates for session 2007-08 are not yet finalised but are likely to be in September.
Other requirements: Students participating in this option are required to contribute approximately £600 towards the cost of the field course.
Entry requirements: None
Restriction on numbers: 20 — this is the maximum number that can be accommodated on the field course
Organiser: Dr JD Morrison, NBS, ext. 4073, email jbm1u@udcf.gla.ac.uk
Content: This course covers the processes underlying the different aspects of human vision. The central core is based on the results of primate studies of the past two decades, together with the foundation of knowledge from earlier mammalian studies, and more recent studies of functional imaging of the human brain. The visual pathway consisting of the optical media, retina, lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus, striate cortex, visual areas of the prestriate cortex, inferotemporal cortex, and parietal cortex are studied in the context of understanding the processes of contrast discrimination, orientation and size detection, stereoscopic vision and colour vision. The consequences of abnormal neonatal visual experience in the form of visual occlusion, defocus and squint are described. The course consists of 27 lectures, 3 video demonstrations, brain dissection laboratory and electrophysiological demonstrations.
Entry requirements: Level-3 Anatomy, Neuroscience, Physiology or Physiology & Sports Science
Restriction on numbers: 30