Biology Laboratory Techniques I

General characterization

Prerequisites

There are not previous requirements

Bibliography

Reed. R et al. (2016). Practical skills in biomolecular sciences. 5th ed.  Published by Harlow: Pearson, cop. 

Skoog et al. (2017). Fundamentos de Química Analítica. Tradução da 8ª ed. norte-americana. Published by Thomson

Alberts, B. et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell (6th ed.). (2017). Pulished by W.W. Norton &Company

Madigan , M.T. et al. Brock biology of microorganisms .13th ed. Published by Pearson

Costa, P.M. (2018). The Handbook of Histopathological Practices in Aquatic Environments: Guide to Histology for Environmental Toxicology. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 

Teaching method

Any of the four modules of this course comprises theoretical and practical classes (1h / week) and laboratory practices in person (2.5 hours / week). The practical classes are expository nature, serving as a complement to the preparation and laboratory classes each week. Learning is complemented by questionnaires /exercicies resolution in autonomy or in group. via moodle or in person. The  practical classes consist of laboratory sessions with practical work in groups (maximum 3 people). 

Evaluation method

1.  Attendance:

In order to have attendance (“frequência”) recognized in this course, students have to be present in 2/3 of the practical (P) classes and complete the evaluation elements that are given in EACH OF THE FOUR MODULES of this course.

Students that have a “working-student” status, who are not required to attend P and TP classes, have to conduct an assessment in accordance with the instructions given by the responsible for the course.

Punctuality to the practical classes:

- A 20-min delay, after the 10-min tolerance limit, will be registered as “Did not attend”.

- Three 10-min delays, after the 10-min tolerance limit, will also be registered as “Did not attend”.

Students who do not get their attendance recognized in this curricular unit cannot request to be evaluated through an exam and will have to take this course in a following academic year.

2.  Evaluation:

2.1. Theoretical-Practice/ Practice component (TP/P- 50% , 10/20 points).

 Student’s learning of the contents taught in modules 1/ 2 and 3/4, which are part of the TLB I course, are evaluated independently at the end of each module through a test. The score of each test, which is given on a scale of 0-20 values, will then be used to produce the final grade.

 Test Dates: Module 1/2 – October 19, Module 3/4 – December 7

 The score is obtained by simple arithmetic average of the two tests, calculated to the hundredth (Modules 1 and 2 - 25% to the final grade, Modules 3 and 4 -25% to the final grade). If a student fails to attend one of the tests, it will be scored with 0 (zero) as the examination through tests cannot be repeated. Medical certificates, or other documents that justify the observed absence, will only be accepted until one week after the day of the non-attended class.

There is no minimum grade.

Attention: CLIP registration for the examination is mandatory.

 2.2. Laboratory Component (LC, 40% - 8 points)

At the end of each practical classe, the evaluation elements (protocols filled with answers to the questions, activities in moodle or evaluation forms) provided by the teacher must be delivered. Each element has a certain value that will be indicated at the beginning of the activity. The distribution of these 8 values ​​by the 4 modules will be as described below: 2,5 values ​​distributed among the different evaluation elements corresponding to module 1; 1,5 values ​​distributed among the different evaluation elements corresponding to module 2; 2 values ​​distributed among the different evaluation elements corresponding to module 3; and 2 values ​​distributed among the different assessment elements corresponding to module 4. The assessment elements delivered by students must be identified with the student''s name and shift.

2.3. Sumative Component. (CS, 10% - 2 points).

From the 2 marks, 0.1 marks will be subtracted for each absence late for practical lessons; 0.5 marks for each unjustified absence from practical lessons and 1 mark if the unjustified absence jeopardises the result of the practical lesson the following week.

A penalty of 0.1 marks will also be given for failure to meet the deadlines for handing in work or registering with CLIP, failure to provide any of the information requested in the work (students'' names, shift and group), failure to answer questions asked nominally at the beginning or during each practical lesson and which is indicative of a lack of participation, lack of preparation or commitment on the part of the student to the subject of the module and the respective laboratory work.

2.4. Final grade (FG)

The final grade for TLBI will be the sum of the three previous components (theoretical/practical - CTP/P, lab component -CL and summative component - CS) rounded to the units.

2.5. Conditions to Obtain Approval

Students must have equal or more than 4.5 values out of 10 values of the theoretical-practical / practical evaluation (TP/P) and 3,5 ou of 8 values of the laboratory evaluation (LC).

In order to obtain approval, a student must obtain a final grade-FG (obtained by the weighted average of the laboratory and theoretical-practical / practical components) equal to or greater than 9.5 values.

 FG = (TPC/P*0,5) + (LC*0,4) ) + (SC*0,1)  > = 9,5 values

3. Evaluation by Appeal and Improvement of Note

The appeal and grade improvement exams are an individual assessment of knowledge of the contents of the theoretical-practical and practical classes and will include all the material taught (theoretical-practical and practical), taking into account the whole subject and not just one of the modules in particular.

The written exam will last a maximum of 1 hour. This exam is intended for students who have failed the continuous assessment (final mark of less than 9.5, but who have attended the course and obtained marks in the other assessment components) and for students who wish to improve their marks in the theoretical-practical component. Students who failed the course in the current academic year will keep the grade obtained in the laboratory component.

Students who have passed in years prior to 2023-2024, and who wish to improve their grade, will take an exam for 20 marks and the grade obtained in the laboratory component will not be kept.

Attention: CLIP registration for the examination is mandatory.

Subject matter

Module 1.  Introduction to main equipment and chemical compounds in the laboratory.  Safety procedures: prevention and accident. Hazards in a molecular cell biology laboratory. Measurement of weight and volume. Preparation of solutions. pH determination. Buffer solutions. Basic notions of spectrophotometry. Beer -Lambert Law. Calibration curves: applications on quantitative analyis.  

Module 2.  Introduction to Cell Culture Techniques. Asepsis. Culture media. Culture and isolation of microrganims. Physiological conditions. Lab culture and culture collections. Preservation of microrganisms. 

Module 3. Introduction to Microscopy. Historical Evoution. Techniques. Introduction to transmission bright-field microscopy and phase-contrast microscopy: optics, image formation, operative mode, micrometry. Comparison of different microcopy techniques.  

Module 4. History and purpose of histology. Processing of histological samples: sample collection, fixation, inclusion in paraffins, microtomy, dyes and assembling agents. Safety and quality of histological processing. Main types of animal tissues and identification of fundamental structures in plants and unconventional animal models. Hematoxylin + Eosin and Toluidine Blue staining as background techniques in histology. Histological micrograph. Principles of histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and histopathology.

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: