Flagella Regeneration Data

Notes for spring 2008

Each group of 3-4 students was to collect a full set of data comparing the time course of regeneration of cycloheximide-treated deflagellated cells with that for untreated deflagellated cells. Please examine your own data and if at all possible analyze them for the paper. The data don't have to be great. Present them in the best way possible.

Here is what we typically see with these cultures. The untreated deflagellated cultures usually begin regenerating flagella after a delay of 20 minutes or so. We then see a linear increase in mean flagella length until growth slows and mean length finally levels off at normal full length (10-12 µm).

If you simply have no usable data for the deflagellated cultures then use the data presented here. Include a note with your results section explaining why you had to use data other than your own.

Working with class data

For the paper you need only analyze and report a single full set of data from one of the class days, to represent the week's experiments. However, we learn a lot more from repeated experiments than from just one. I suggest that you examine ALL of the data from all four sections, so that you are fully familiar with the trends and can tell which (if any) findings are questionable. Once you've plotted one set of data you should be able to quickly plot the others, examine the trends, and pick a good data set to represent the rest.

Please note that if the convenience of using spreadsheet and graphics programs to assist you is outweighed by the time you spend learning the programs or getting them to work, it isn't worth the trouble. You can certainly plot the data and/or do the calculations by hand, but it will save you considerable time if you obtain help using the software. In any event, you may share labor-intensive tasks with others. However, you are to not to share the same figures or tables. Learn how to prepare the figure or table, then do it yourself.

Recommendations for downloading

Depending on the browser you use, you may be able to copy the data from the web page and paste them directly into a spreadsheet. This is the easiest way to get the data, so start by going here for a preformatted data set. Copy the data that you want, select a single blank cell in a new Excel spreadsheet, and paste. If that doesn't work, there is another way.

With some browser probrams you may have to copy the material into a text file and use Find and Replace to format the data for pasting into a spreadsheet. In that case go here for a data set formatted as in the example at the top of this page. To copy and paste the data into a spreadsheet file you will have to replace the commas with tab characters. Copy the data set and open a new document in Microsoft Word. Paste the data directly into the document. Go to the menu item Edit/Replace... Type a comma in the box labeled "Find what:" and type a carat-t (^t) in the box labeled "Replace with:." Select "Replace all."

After replacing commas with tabs you can copy the entire set, open a new spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel is recommended), and paste into the first cell. The data should lay out into cells for you.

If neither method works, then

• (first choice) see if a roommate and/or fellow Bios 211 student can help you
• (second choice) please e-mail the instructor, identifying your computer type and operating system, browser, and word processing/spreadsheet software. We should be able to get someone to help you.