Cambridge English for Scientists Students Book

Cambridge English for Scientists develops the communication skills and specialist English language knowledge of science students and professionals, enabling them to communicate more confidently and effectively in their work or study environment. Uniquely, this course focuses on both spoken and written communication, with each of the ten units relating to a case study based on real, published research. This makes the course ideal for scientists from a wide range of scientific backgrounds. Cambridge English for Scientists also develops the learners language skills with practical reading and writing skills such as applying for research funding or writing for publications as well as with speaking and listening skills including Describing and Reporting Problems With Experiments and Presenting at a Conference. Cambridge English for Scientists requires no specialist knowledge on the part of the teacher and comprehensive teachers notes are available online. The course is also ideal for selfstudy.

Skills Language focus Texts UNIT 1 Planning a career in science

Applying for research funding

W riting up a resume or CV Preparing for an interview

Talking about your career path Summarising a research proposal Organising and adding detail to a resume or CV

Preparing and practising the presentation of a proposal Answering interview questions

Listening

A researcher discusses her career options

A supervisor gives advice on writing a CV

A researcher practises presenting a research proposal

UNIT 2 Communicating with scientific communities

W riting a critical review Completing a Material Transfer Agreement

Recognising different styles of writing

Asking for help using an online forum

Reading and note-taking for a critical review

Completing an MTA (Material Transfer Agreement)

Linking sentences in w riting (1) Arguing for and against an idea appropriately

Supporting ideas with evidence Following a discussion in a team meeting

Interrupting a meeting appropriately

Extracts from a literature review

An extract from an email How geckos walk on walls

Making suggestions and plans for an experiment Giving advice to a colleague Prefixes and suffixes (1) Predicting the results of an experiment

an experiment Keeping a lab notebook

Describing experimental procedure

Revising a paper (1)Describing expectations and outcomes of an experiment Describing and reporting problems in an experiment Linking sentences in writing (2) Using symbols and abbreviations

in lab notebooks Describing lab protocols

A summary of a scientific procedure

A summary of a researcher's results

Describing an

experiment

page 38

Skills Language focus Texts UNIT 6 Describing states and processes

Describing data:

numbers / numerical values

W riting up from lab notes

Describing procedure in the materials and method section

Revising a paper (2)Expressing numbers and describing data

Prefixes and suffixes (2)Rewriting lab notes for a paper

Listening

A student gets advice on the first draft of

a paperResearchers discuss experimental data

A student describes changes to her method

W riting captions for figures

Describing visual data

Prefixes and suffixes (3)Describing data for statistical analysis Comparing and contrasting

experimental results (1)

W riting a caption for a figure or graph Describing a figure or graph in a paper

Listening

A student describes his research

A supervisor asks a student to make corrections to a figure

A student asks her supervisor for help with her paper

Reading

Extracts from a researcher’s lab notebook

A table of experimental data

Organising writing in paragraphs Referring to visual data in a paper Comparing and contrasting experimental results (2) Summarising information efficiently (1) Describing the limitations of research Making suggestions for future research

UNIT 9 W riting the introduction

W riting the abstract Giving a title to your paper

Contacting journals

Reporting the work of other researchers in a paper Organising an abstract Summarising information efficiently (2)

W riting a cover letter to a scientific journal

Listening

A supervisor comments on the first draft

of his student's abstract

A student discusses the title of a paper with his supervisor

Reading

Extracts from a student's paper Advice on how to get your research published

A cover letter to a scientific journal

Helping an audience understand the organisation of a presentation Socialising at a conference Organising a poster Summarising the content of a poster

page 117 page 126

UNIT 1

• Planning a career in science

• Applying for research funding

• Writing up a resume or CV

• Preparing for an interview

Planning a career in science

In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 W hy did you choose a career in science?

2 W h a t fie ld o f science are you c u rre n tly w o rk in g o r stu d yin g in?

3 W h a t w ould you like to do n e xt in yo u r w o rk o r studies?

M a n y scientists continue th e ir education in o th er countries The tab le

below sum marises higher education fo r science in th e US M a k e a sim ilar

ta b le fo r your country and then answer th e following questions.

1 Is science education in th e US s im ila r to science education in y o u r country?

2 If you decided to stu d y in th e US, which q u a lifica tio n w ould be best fo r you?

H igher ed u ca tio n for sc ie n c e in the US

M a ster of S cience

d eg re e (MS)

g ra d u a te(p o s tg ra d u a te )

Unit 1 Getting started in research

* S tuden ts w h o have alrea dy c o m p le te d an

A sso cia te (A S ) d e g re e can b e c o m e a B a chelo r

o f Science if th e y s tu d y f o r t w o m o re years.

2 a ► 1.1 Eriko is from Japan and will soon com plete a PhD in biotechnology in

London She is discussing th e next stage in her career with her supervisor,

Susana Listen to p a rt of th e ir conversation and tick th e options which

in terest her and p u t a cross next to the options which do not.

□ te a ch in g (undergraduate) stu d e n ts

□ d o in g p o st-d o cto ra l research

□ supervising a research team

□ fin d in g a p e rm a n en t po sitio n a t a university

□ discussing th e o ry

□ doin g practical fie ld w o rk

D staying in London

□ fin d in g a w ell-paid jo b

b ► 1.2 You will h ear eight sentences from Eriko and Susana’s conversation

Listen and com plete th e firs t row of th e ta b le by w riting th e num ber of

each sentence ( 1 - 8 ) in th e correct column.

Talking ab o u t

likes or dislikes past experiences future (more certain) future (possible)

C Look a t th e underlined phrases in Audioscript 1 2 on page 9 1 Put th e

underlined phrases into th e correct p a rt o f th e second row o f th e ta b le in

Exercise 2b.

3 3 Think ab ou t your c areer in science and m ake notes on:

• w h a t you enjoy m o st a b o u t w o rk in g in y o u r scientific field

• w h a t you w ould like to do (and n o t like to do) n e xt in y o u r career

• which o f yo u r past and p resent experiences are m ost relevant to y o u r fu tu re

in science

b In pairs, ta k e turns to interview your p a rtn e r ab ou t his/her career path in

science Use th e phrases from Exercise 2c to help you.

Unit 1 Getting started in research 7

Applying for research funding

Read th e following ex tra ct from a w ebsite and then,

in pairs, answer th e questions below.

1 Can an org a n isa tio n a p p ly fo r th is scholarship?

2 W ould you be in te re ste d in a p p lyin g fo r SARF?

W hy / why not?

3 W h a t in fo rm a tio n m ig h t you need to include on your

a p p lica tio n form ?

4 W h a t are th e advantages o f a ttra c tin g scientists

‘w ith fu tu re p o te n tia l fo r leadership in th e ir fie ld ’ to

a country?

Eriko has decided to apply to SARF and has

dow nloaded an application form Look a t the list of

sections on th e form ( 1 - 1 0 ) and match each one to

Eriko's notes on th e inform ation she needs to provide

a. an explanation o f Kou III do research and uhy it is im portant

b a short description o f u h a t III research

c a statem ent from a senior researcher explaining uhy I'm a suitable applicant

d how m uch I plan to spend on my research

e th e jo b I do nou

f th e name o f someone to support my application

g u h a t I’ll call my research

h permission from my head o f fa c u lty to use his

h e r resources

i uhere I plan to study

j my personal info

Section 7 of th e form asks applicants to w rite a

project sum m ary o f th e ir research proposal Think

ab ou t a research project in your area In pairs,

ta k e turns to sum m arise th e project following the

instructions ( 1 - 6 ) below.

1 State th e aim s o f y o u r research

2 Define w h a t th e p roblem is

3 Explain why y o u r to p ic is w o rth researching

4 Say w h a t th e expected outcom es o f th e research are

5 O u tlin e th e procedures you w ill follow

6 O u tlin e how you w ill lim it y o u r investigation

Read Eriko's com pleted project sum m ary on page 9.

Then say w h at you think th e commercial applications

o f Eriko's research m ight be.

APPLICATION FORM

to continue their research in an Australian university or research institution SARF fellow ships are

aw arded to individual scientists with future potential fo r leadership in their field S uccessful applicants receive

a 5-year grant covering salary, travel and relocation costs

Unit 1 Getting started in research

detection ability, and at present, odour-sensing robots are therefore only of limited use [ B ] The proposed research will concentrate on developing a robot which is

able to gather readings in three dimensions and therefore overcome the limitations

of current models in odour-detection [C] This technology will make robots a more effective substitute for animals

dimensional (3-D) odour compass to be used as a navigation tool in searching

for an odour source [E] This will then be tested experimentally in simulated

environments where wind direction is not stable or where obstacles interfere with odour distribution A second stage in the research will be to develop the robot’s

environmental sensors, thus allowing it to safely negotiate the terrain to reach the source of the odour [F] This should produce a robot which is able to both detect and move to the source of an odour, even on difficult terrain

M atch each highlighted section in th e sum m ary (A -F ) to th e correct

function ( 1 - 6 ) from th e list in Exercise 5a.

Look a t th e highlighted sections A - F again Underline th e words th a t you

could use in your own project summary M a k e s notes like th e following

example.

However, Ho <k<*Sre A lWife^A Po ^fe-fine PUe pvoblewv

(A)-C om plete th e project sum m ary by an o th er researcher below using the

correct word or phrase from th e box.

aims to however the in itia l phase the proposed research the study w ill indicate

Consumer interest in wines produced in organic vineyards has increased significantly

in the last few years ( 1 ) , to date it is unclear whether these production

methods actually improve soil or grape quality ( 2 ) will be the first phase

of a long-term study on a New Zealand vineyard These results (3 ) _

whether methods of viticulture improve grape quality

The research ( 4 ) investigate the effects of organic agriculture on soil

and grape quality ( 5 ) will consist of two treatments, organic and

conventional (the control), each replicated four times in a randomised, complete block

design All organic practices will follow the standards set out by the Food Standards

Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

( 6 ) - will assess soil quality using physical, chemical and biological

indicators over six years The next phase will then assess the physiology of the vines

W rite a short project sum m ary o f ab ou t 1 5 0 words fo r th e research you

discussed in Exercise 5 a above Use th e phrases you noted in Exercises 5d

and 6a.

Unit 1 Getting started in research

Writing up a resume or CV

7 3 In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 Have you ever a p plied fo r a jo b in science? If not, w h a t kind o f jo b w ould you like to ap p ly fo r in th e fu tu re ?

2 W hich o f th e fo llo w in g docum ents are jo b a p p lica n ts usually asked fo r in

yo u r country?

• a p p lica tio n form

® b iodata

• cover le tte r (covering letter)

® resum e o r CV (curriculum vitae)

3 Have you ever w ritte n one o f these docum ents in English?

4 Do you th in k th a t th e in fo rm a tio n you include and th e way you organise a resum e o r CV in English w ill be th e same as a resum e o r CV in yo u r own language?

b Section 1 o f th e SARF application form asks applicants to include a copy

o f th e ir CV In pairs, look a t th e list o f possible headings fo r a CV (a - l) and then answer th e following questions.

1 W ould you use all th e headings (a -l) on y o u r CV? W hy / why not?

2 How w ould you organise th e in fo rm a tio n in y o u r CV? P ut th e lis t o f headings

(a -l) in th e best order.

3 W hat kind o f in fo rm a tio n w ould you include u nder each heading? M ake suggestions fo r each heading

a □ c o m p u te r skills g □ p u b lica tio n s

d □ g ra n ts and awards j □ teaching experience

e □ personal in fo rm a tio n k □ technical skills

8 a ► 1.3 Eriko is g ettin g advice from Susana ab ou t w ritin g her CV Use th e list

in Exercise 7 b to com plete th e headings Eriko will use.

o rd e r as Eriko? If not, w h at is different?

C ► 1.3 Listen to th e conversation again W h a t T W O things does Susana say

ab ou t how a CV should be organised?

According to Susana’s advice in Exercise 8c, does Carlos need to m ake any changes to w h at he has w ritten?

10 Unit 1 Getting started in research

b W hen adding details to your CV, it is a good idea to use bullet points

ra th e r than full sentences Look a t th e following revisions to an o th er p a rt

o f Carlos’s CV and then answer th e questions below.

One of my research focuses was to

examine the relationship between

vegetation and the hydroperiod by

producing detailed graphical profiles.

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f o e *£ > w lv\e T h e v-e l^H o n sU ip b e f w e e n

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1 W h a t kind o f w ord comes firs t in each b u lle t point? How is this w ord form ed?

2 W hy does he move to exam ine the re la tio n s h ip between vegetation a n d the

h y d ro p e rio d to th e end o f th e firs t sentence?

C Rew rite th e following sentences as bullet points.

1 M y m ain research focus was to generate specific ca rb o h yd ra te oligom ers by

using pure cloned enzymes

2 D uring my project, I focused on th e creation o f a new CD4 positive HeLa cell

clone

3 As p a rt o f th e Cell Wall Genomics team , I have developed sensitive m ethods

to d e te rm in e th e fin e s tru c tu re o f pectins in maize

4 I have been involved in in ve stig a tin g th e way the m yocardium adapts

fo llo w in g exercise, p a rtic u la rly th e a d a p ta tio n th a t takes place a t th e sub-

c e llu la r level

1 0 a Your CV should always include any publications you have worked on in th e ir

correct citation form In pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 W h a t is th e co rre ct o rd e r o f in fo rm a tio n in a cita tio n ? N u m b e r th e item s in

th e box below in o rd e r from 1 to 6

I I page numbers CD journal volume and/or issue number

I I title of article CD year CD journal name CD author's name

2 If th e p a p e r has n o t yet been published, w h a t do you w rite instead o f the

volum e and p a g e ?

3 If th e p a p e r has been s u b m itte d (given) to a jo u rn a l b u t n o t ye t accepted,

w h a t do you w rite instead o f th e jo u rn a l nam e, volum e and p a g e l

b W rite out th e inform ation fo r th re e d iffe re n t publications Carlos has

worked on ( 1 - 3 ) in th e correct citation form

‘S a lin ity and intra -a n nu a l v a ria b ility o f perilagoonal v e g e ta tio n ’

2 E nvironm ental M a n a g e m e n t Review / (2011) / ‘D eclining peri-dunal

v a ria b ility in D ohana’ / In press / H ernandez Sanchez, R., Gomez H errera,

S.A / and Alvarez, C.M

3 pp 1 6 7 - 1 8 4 / ‘H ydroperiod effects on peri-dunal veg e ta tio n ’ / Vol 2 / Spanish

H ydrology Journal / (2010) / Hernandez Sanchez, R and Alvarez, C.M

1 1 Think a b o u t a job o r a scholarship you would like to apply fo r and then

w rite a firs t d ra ft o f your CV Use th e advice in Exercises 7 to 9 to help you.

The research for my PhD focused on the analysis ©f the intra- and inter-annual variability o f perilagoonal vegetation.

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V w l ^ b i U f y o-P pe vil^g o o n ^n l v e g e b ^ H o v \

Unit 1 Getting started in research 11

Preparing for an interview

1 2 Read th e ex tra ct o f an em ail to Eriko from

D r Caroline H ansford of SARF and then answer

th e following questions.

1 How w ill Eriko be interview ed?

2 W h a t does she have to do before th e interview ?

3 W hy m ig h t th is interview be p a rtic u la rly d ifficu lt?

13 a Eriko has decided to w rite her presentation and

then to m em orise it In pairs, m ake a note of the

advantages and disadvantages of:

• reading yo u r p resentation from a scrip t

• m em orising th e s c rip t o f your presentation

• n o t using a s c rip t (using notes only)

b ► 1.4 Eriko has asked Carlos to com m ent on her

p resentation Listen to Eriko’s firs t tw o a tte m p ts

and answer th e following questions.

1 How do you th in k Eriko feels?

2 W h a t com m ent does Carlos make on her firs t a tte m p t?

C W h a t advice do you think Carlos might give to Eriko on her second attem pt?

d ► 1.5 Listen to Carlos’s feedback C om plete th e notes below.

record your presentation so you can copy

tbem-e ► 1.6 Listtbem-en to Eriko practising th tbem-e introduction to htbem-er prtbem-estbem-entation again.

1 Has she follow ed all o f Carlos’s advice?

2 Does th e p resentation sound b e tte r now?

and w e plan to hold interviews in the final w e e k o f July Your interview has been scheduled fo r Thursday

28 July at 0900GM T As you are currently based in the UK, w e will be interviewing you by conference call Please w rite b a ck to us to confirm your availability fo r this date and tim e

W e will be asking all interviewees to deliver a sh o rt presentation o f their research proposal at interview In your case, w e w o u ld like to ask you

to upload a video of yourself giving such a presentation no later than

W ednesday 20 July

12 Unit 1 Getting started in research

► 1.7 Listen to th e following extracts from th e presentation and m ark the

stressed words with a (•) as in th e example.

1 Hello M y name is and I’m cu rre n tly

2 M y research focuses on

3 This is useful because

4 For exam ple,

5 However, th e re are a n u m b e r o f p roblem s w ith

Complete the phrases in Exercise 13 f with information th a t is true fo r you

Then practise saying the sentences, paying attention to stress and intonation.

Im agine you are giving a short p resentation like Eriko E ither: Choose a

topic in your own research a re a and plan a short p resentation (ab o ut 7 0

words) Plan w here you will pause and which words you will stress, as in

Exercise 1 3 f Then m em orise th e te x t Or: Using th e audioscript, mem orise

the beginning o f Eriko’s p resentation Then take turns to deliver your

p resentation to a partn er Give feed b ack on each o th e r’s presentations.

Phone and video conferencing are both common fo r interviews and

meetings nowadays Com plete th e advice fo r interviews by conference call

using th e words and phrases in th e box below.

application form comfortable position facing late

phone number questions see shuffle thank tone of voice

CONFERENCE CALL INTERVIEWS

Before your interview

Find o u t e x a c tly w h o y o u w ill b e ta lk in g to

Sit in a ( 8 ) d o n o t

m o v e a b o u t to o m u c h

S p e a k v e ry cle a rly,(9 ) th e m ic ro p h o n e

W h e n th e in te rv ie w is over,(10 ) _ th e in te rv ie w e r(s )

a n d e n d p o sitive ly

Look a t th e com pleted advice in Exercise 14 a Which do you think a re the

th re e b est pieces o f advice? Why?

Im agine you a re being interview ed fo r a jo b o r a fellowship In pairs, m ake

a list of questions which you m ight be asked Then take turns to interview

each other.

Unit 1 Getting started in research 13

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• Communicating with scientific

communities

• Writing a critical review

• Completing a Material Transfer

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Horn* Forum* Croup* Blog* P*opl* Hub* QiA Tour Workbench

m 4 H H K § Popular Topic* Popular Forum* Tag*

Communicating with scientific communities

a M atch th e m ethods o f communication (1 - 6 ) to th e pictures (a—f).

1 an academ ic jo u rn a l 4 a p o p u la r science magazine

3 an online fo ru m o r science blog 6 a newspaper

Which o f these ways do you usually use to communicate?

W hy is it im p o rta n t fo r scientists to keep in touch with:

a o th e r people in th e ir fie ld (e.g biology)?

b people in th e ir specialism (e.g m olecular biology)?

c people in o th e r fie ld s o f science?

In pairs, read th e following statem en ts and say which form (s) of

comm unication from Exercise 1a th e speakers should use to find the

in fo rm atio n they want.

14 Unit 2 The scientific community

2 a Read th e following five extracts and then say which form (or form s) of

comm unication from Exercise 1 a each one comes from Which form (s) of

communication are n o t included in these extracts?

A m ore people were pain-free when using th e handheld device than those

who had used an identical dum m y device A lth o u g h th e study by Lipton

e t al (2010) has reliable results, th e re are some points to consider when

p u ttin g these fin d in g s in to co n te xt Im p o rta n tly, th e results w ill need to be

ve rifie d in la rg e r tria ls th a t d ire c tly com pare

B Tea and coffee d rin ke rs have a low er risk o f developing type 2 diabetes,

a large b ody o f evidence shows A nd th e p ro te ctio n may n o t be down

to caffeine since decaf coffee has th e g re a te st effect, say researchers in

A rchives o f In te rn a l M edicine They looked a t

C can be ra p id ly generated by le n tiviru s-m e d ia te d transgenesis RNAi also

holds g re a t prom ise as a novel th e ra p e u tic approach This re p o rt provides

an in s ig h t in to th e c u rre n t gene silencing techniques in m am m alian systems

D Hi! Has anyone had any experiences w ith n anoparticles sticking to glassware

: - ( ? If so, does anyone know if th e re ’s a suitable s ilyla tio n protocol to

p re -tre a t th e glassware to do som ething a b o u t th is annoying non-specific

a d so rp tio n ? Thanks!

E A n im a l and in v itro studies suggest th a t aspirin may in h ib it b re a st cancer

metastasis We studied w h e th e r asp irin use am ong women w ith breast

cancer decreased th e ir risk o f death fro m b re a st cancer This was a

prospective obse rva tio n a l study based on

b How easy was it to decide where extracts came from? How did you decide

on th e righ t answer?

3 3 The language we use changes according to why we are w ritin g fthe

pu rpose) and who we are w riting fo r fthe re a d e r) It is im p o rta n t to notice

th e d iffe re n t styles o f language used in English C om plete th e second

column o f th e ta b le below, carefully reading th e a p p ro p ria te e xtract (A -E ).

7 Uses passive verbs to avoid saying who

carries out a process

A

E

Unit 2 The scientific community 15

Which o f th e features in th e ta b le ( 1 - 8 ) are a p p ro p ria te

fo r form al fo r scientific research papers? Which are

a p p ro p riate fo r personal communication (such as email)?

In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 W hen you have a problem a t w ork, w ho do you usually

ask fo r help?

2 Have you ever asked a question on a science in te rn e t

forum ? If so, was y o u r question answered?

Read th re e recent posts from an online forum (A -C ) below Im agine you

belong to th e forum where these questions are asked Which questions

could you answer? Which answers could you guess?

Read th e posts again For each post, say which sentence o r sentences

(1 - 3 ) in each one th e w rite r uses to:

a ask th e question

b say w h a t th e problem is

c th a n k th e reader

How a re th e questions in th e Subject field

o f each post d iffe re n t from norm al

questions?

Think o f a question related to your own

research Then w rite a three-sentence

post fo r an online forum in an a p p ro p ria te

style using th e phrases in th e box to help

you.

• Does anybody know w h a t is ?

• I know t h a t , b u t I can’t fin d / d o n ’t

In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 W h a t kinds o f te x t do you need to w rite

in English fo r y o u r w ork o r studies?

2 W hy is it im p o rta n t to w rite yo u r te x ts in

an a p p ro p ria te style?

3 W h a t can you do to take note o f the

d iffe re n t styles o f language used in English

texts?

Subject: Filovirus Host Range?

(1) Does anybody know what the host range is for filoviruses (i.e Ebola and Marburg)? (2) I know that they can infect most (all?) types of mammals and several species of birds, but I can’t find the actual host range anywhere (3) Any help here would be appreciated

B Subject: materials which x-rays can’t

pass through?

(1) I’ve been looking for a while now, but

I can’t find anything telling me what the radiopaque materials are (2) In other words, which materials can’t x-rays pass through? (3) Thanks in advance

Subject: Quality of scientific writing

considered in peer review?

(1) I was wondering how important the quality of the writing of a submitted paper is in the peer review process.(2) I do n 't mean the quality of the data, but the actual writing (3) In other words, will a nicely written paper with the same data be more likely to be accepted?

Unit 2 The scientific community

6 a

b M a rtin a , a ju n io r researcher, is supervising Ryuchi, an MSc Physiology

student M a rtin a has asked Ryuchi to investigate th e claims in the

headlines and then to w rite a critical review o f th e research Com plete the

sentences below in your own words Then in pairs, discuss your answers.

a If you read research c ritic a lly , it means th a t you

b You should always read research c ritic a lly because

7 a ^ 2.1 Ryuchi has some questions ab ou t w riting a critical review In pairs,

discuss questions 1 - 5 Then listen and make notes on how M a rtin a

answers th e questions.

1 How long should my review be?

2 Can I w rite a c ritica l review if I’ve only read th e abstract?

3 How should I approach the reading? W h a t should I read first?

4 Is it a good idea to th in k o f questions I w ant answered?

5 Do I need to take notes o r can I ju s t h ig h lig h t th e relevant b its o f th e te xt?

b B efore reading, Ryuchi w rites seven questions

questions (1 - 7 ) to th e section o f th e research

would expect to find th e answer.

1 W h a t variables were investigated?

to help him M atch the

p a p e r below where you

• Introduction:

• M e th o d : _

© R e s u lts :

® Discussion: _

Writing a critical review

Read th e headlines and beginnings o f two news

articles rep o rtin g a recent scientific developm ent.

Then answer th e questions below.

T h e ‘C h o c o la te C u re’ For E m o tio n a l Stress

There m ay w ell b e another important reason for

g ivin g your sw eetheart sw eets for V alentine’s Day

N ew E vidence That D ark C hocolate H elps Ease E m otional Stress

T he ‘ch ocolate c u re ’ for em o tio n a l stress is getting n ew su p p o rt from a

nuW ished

W M M jP

1 Do you th in k th e claim s m ade in th e headlines seem likely o r unlikely? Why?

2 In general, how can th e science re p o rte d in th e m edia d iffe r from th e actual

science? W hy do you th in k th e re is a difference?

3 If you w anted to learn m ore a b o u t th e research you see re p o rte d in the

newspaper, w here could you look fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n?

Unit 2 The scientific community 17

C Ryuchi has taken notes on th e research p a p e r th a t was re p o rte d in th e news

headlines in Exercise 6 a Use th e glossary (pages 1 1 7 - 1 2 5 to check the

m eaning o f th e words in th e box.

anxiety assessment classify consumption hormone metabolic microbiota

participant trial period urine

d Read th e Sum mary column Which questions from Exercise 7b can you answer?

P-eference: Martin, F-?.X, F-e-iii, i , Pere-Trepat, 6 e-t al (2004) 'Metabolic effects of darlc chocolate consumption

on energy gut microbiota, and stress-related metabolism in free -livin g subjects' I Proteome Pes, 8 (12.), pp

55b8-cm

• 4o g of dark chocolate/da') * l4 da'js (2.0 g am, 20 g pm)

• p re -tria l assessment of ankiet') levels using questionnaires

• participants classified as high or low aro-iet)

• da^s I, 8, 15 - blood and urine samples taken

• analysed changes in cortisol and catecholamines in urine energy metabolism and gut microbial activities

• on!') '(oung health') participants

urine fo r all the participants

• less difference between groups in energy metabolism and gut microbial activity

weeks can change metabolism

• could have lo ng-term effects on health

• can't prove that (6) caused the changes

• need more people with the

e ► 2.2 B efore w ritin g his critical review, Ryuchi discusses his notes with

M a rtin a Listen and com plete th e notes in th e Opinion column, using one

word from th e recording fo r each answer.

f From th e inform ation in Ryuchi’s notes, discuss in pairs w h eth er you think

a Read two extracts from Ryuchi’s com pleted critical review and answer the

A 30 y o u n g h e a lth y ad u lts co m pleted a p re -tria l q u e s tio n n a ire to assess th e ir a n x ie ty levels

a n d b a s e d o n th is, th e y w ere classified as e ith e r h ig h o r lo w anxiety A ll p a rtic ip a n ts ate

40 g o f d a rk ch ocolate a dav fo r 14 davs O n davs 1 8 a n d 15 u rin e a n d b lood sam ples

w ere ta k e n a n d changes in co rtiso l a n d cate ch o la m in e s in th e u rin e w ere analvsecl as

w ell as energy m e tab o lism a n d gut m icrobial activity T h e re se a rc h fo u n d th a t a fte r 14

davs th e level o f stress h o rm o n e s in th e u r in e w as red u c ed in all p a rtic ip a n ts In ad d itio n ,

th e re w as less differen ce b e tw e e n th e tw o g roups in energy m etab o lism a n d g u t m icrobial activity

B O n e p ro b lem w ith th e re se a rc h is th e sm all sam ple size fo n lv 30 peoplel w h ic h w as

f u rth e r div id ed in to sm aller groups T h e re w as also n o co n tro l group in th e study,

m a k in g it im possible to conclude th a t chocolate w as th e cause o f th e changes se en ra th e r

th a n som e o th e r fa c to r su c h as o th e r food o r d rin k , lifestyle change o r ac tiv ity level

F u rth e rm o re , o n lv voung h e a lth v a d u lts w e re in v e stig a ted a n d so th e re su lts c a n n o t be

a p p lied to th o se w h o are o ld e r o r hav e pre-ex istin g h e a lth issues

b Read th e six extracts below from a critical review of an other paper Replace

the underlined phrases with an underlined expression from Exercise 8a.

a A b a d th in g a b o u t this research is th e re were only 2 0 p a rticip a n ts A n o th e r

p ro b le m is all th e subjects were hospital employees,

b A ls o , th e blo o d flow in th e brachial a rte ry was measured before they dra n k

th e coffee, and 3 0 and 6 0 m inutes after,

had decreased blo o d flow to th e ir u p p e r arm

also no m easurem ent o f th e changes in blo o d pressure and blood flow a fte r

one hour, so we c a n ’t know when blo o d flo w re tu rn s to norm al,

f 2 0 subjects, betw een th e ages o f 2 5 and 5 0 , w ho usually d ra n k little coffee,

were given e ith e r a caffeinated o r decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee Theu

gave b lo o d before th e coffee was d ru n k, and an h o u r later.

Unit 2 The scientific community 19

C Put extracts a - f in the correct o rd er to make two paragraphs One paragraph

should summarise p a rt o f th e research, th e other should give an evaluation.

Find a piece o f published research you are in terested in and then m ake a

ta b le like th e one in Exercise 7 d and take notes Use your notes to w rite

two paragraphs o f a critical review in an a p p ro p ria te style.

Completing a Material Transfer Agreement

a Read th e beginning o f th e em ail sent to m em bers o f a laboratory Then in

pairs, answer the questions below.

o

1 W h a t is th e purpose o f th e em ail?

2 W hat kind of discoveries, inventions, m a te ria ls and data m ig h t you share

w ith o th e r scientists in y o u r field?

3 W hat do you th in k are th e key issues o f technology transfer?

b The next p a rt of th e em ail identifies some key issues and offers advice on

them M atch th e headings (A -E ) to th e extracts ( 1 - 5 )

A Huh??? W h a t do I do now?? D Your research is valuable - to others!

B Always read th e sm all p rin t! E W ho, me?

C Look o u t! There may be a

Don't leave sensitive information, notebooks, etc open on your desk or in unlocked rooms at the end

of the day You never know w ho might be in the building

3

If you request materials from another lab, you will probably be asked for an MTA to sign Not all MTAs are the same (some say ‘we claim ownership of everything developed in your lab’) so read carefully before signing and always ask if you’re not sure

From Liam Sands

subject Re: Technology Transfer - a rem inder

Dear all,

Sooner or later, issues of Technology Transfer (sharing and using discoveries, inventions, materials, data etc.) will become important in your research career Protecting your w ork from competitors and, where appropriate, making it attractive to the commercial sector will be important during your career

as a professional scientist W hat are the key issues that you must think about?

Unit 2 The scientific community

In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 Does y o u r place o f w o rk o r stu d y have s im ila r rules to those in the em ail?

2 W h a t kind o f m a te ria ls require an MTA?

3 W h a t kind o f in fo rm a tio n w ould you expect to be asked fo r in an MTA?

1 1 3 Binh, a biochem ist, is com pleting an

M TA to receive some sam ples from a

tissue bank in th e UK Read th e M TA

form on th e right Does this M TA

ask fo r th e kind o f inform ation you

discussed in your answer to question

3 in Exercise 10c?

b ► 2.3 Binh’s supervisor Alina is helping

him to com plete th e M TA Listen and

com plete Section A by circling the

correct option ( 1 - 8 )

C Binh has to w rite a b rie f lay summ ary

o f w hat th e m a te ria l will be used fo r

in Section B o f th e M TA In pairs,

discuss th e following questions.

1 W h a t do you th in k a la y s u m m a ry is?

2 W h a t kind o f language should Binh

use o r avoid when w ritin g it?

3 W ho w ill p ro b a b ly read the

sum m ary?

4 Why do you th in k th e MTA asks fo r

th e sum m ary to be w ritte n in th is

way?

MATERIAL TRANSFER FORM SECTION A

(to be completed when sending or receiving material):

Recipient Researcher: b r Alina Pio-trowgkA Recipient In s titu tio n & Address: _<ckool oT Biological

4ciaAcag UAivargj-ty o f -the, iiou-th CFO Box 2010

Provider Researcher: Livarsool Tiggua &AAk _

Material Name: BraAgt tiggiAa MicroArrAyg

-wax e.Mbe.dde.d ~fci££tAe.

Is this work involved w ith existing commercial arrangements?

Does the work involving the material have commercial potential?

Is th is material hazardous?

Is BioSafety Committee Approval required?

Is Ethics Committee Approval required?

I f required, has Ethics and/or BioSafety Approval been received?

Who w ill own the IP in any modifications to , or data collected

on the material?

(1) Yes / No

(2) Yes / No (3) Yes / No (4) Yes / No (5) Yes / No

(6) Yes / No

(7) University / Other / Joint

W ill any University of the Southstudents be involved in using the material? (8) Yes / No

d Com plete Binh’s lay sum m ary using th e phrases in th e box.

different types of material is samples of

The aim of the research is to investigate

w ill be stained to show

12 Think o f some m a te ria l you often use in

your lab W rite a b rie f lay sum m ary of

w hat th e m a te ria l is and w h at it will be

used for, sim ilar to th e one Binh w rote

in Exercise 11 d.

SECTION B (to be completed when receiving material):

Brief lay summary of what the material is and what i t w ill

be used for:

The (1) _ huiwAA breASt

tiggwa, both AorwAl AAd froM (2) _ tiAMour T V -tiggua (3) _ axpraggioA o f -the Nek-2 protaiA, a protaiA which hAS bea<\ ghowA -to be overexpraggad iA oAa clAgg

oT tuMowrg (4) _ Nak-2expraggioA iA vAriowg -tiAMowr -typag AAd ^rAdeg

Unit 2 The scientific community 21

p la n tleaves

UNIT 3

• Doing a Literature review

• Using evidence in arguing a

point

• Taking part in a meeting

Finding a direction for

te rm ite

m ound

m osquito

D oing a litera tu re review

B iom im etics, o r bionics, involves designing processes, substances, devices, o r

system s th a t im ita te nature.

1 3 Which natu ral phenomenon in th e pictures above do you th in k inspired

each o f th e following inventions?

1 a ir-co n d itio n e d b uildings

2 b ody a rm o u r

3 super-aerodynam ic car

4 painless h ypoderm ic needle

5 harvesting w a te r fro m fog

6 so la r cells th a t fo llo w th e sun

b In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 Can you th in k o f any o th e r b io m im e tic inventions?

2 B iom im etics groups are often m ulti-disciplinary, th a t is, they involve people

from a n u m b e r o f d iffe re n t su b je ct areas W hat disciplines do you th in k

m ig h t be included in a b io m im e tics group?

22 Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research

Pia is a m aterials scientist She would like to find a more

efficien t way o f coating m etallic bone im plants with

hydroxyapatite (H A), a bioactive calcium phosphate

(CaP) Look a t th e diagram on th e right It shows a

plasm a-spray process fo r coating m etallic bone im plants

with calcium phosphate Use a dictionary to check th e

m eaning o f th e words in th e diagram

Pia has noticed a problem with th e process shown in

Exercise 2 a , but she thinks th a t a biom im etic solution

m ight be possible In pairs, look a t th e diagram carefully

following questions.

1 W h a t do you th in k th e p roblem m ig h t be?

2 Can you th in k o f a b io m im e tic way to coat the im p la n ts w

th in k a b o u t how crystals grow naturally)

Pia has decided to read up on th e topic to help her plan her research

to find a m ore efficient coating m ethod In pairs, discuss th e following

questions.

1 W hy is it a good idea to review th e lite ra tu re before planning your

e xp e rim e n t?

2 How can you fin d research papers which w ill be relevant to yo u r area?

3 W h a t m ig h t Pia’s n e x t step be a fte r she has read some of th e lite ra tu re ?

Look a t th e extracts from th e lite ra tu re which Pia has found Which

extract(s) describe:

1 w hy CaP is used on m etallic bone im plants

2 th e advantages o f CaP-coated im plants

3 th e disadvantages o f using plasm a-spraying to CaP-coat m etal

and answer the

vith CaP? (Clue:

gAll coatings were found

to undergo significant

plasm a-spraying-induced

changes Specifically,

hydroxyapatite (HA)

partly decom posed to

a-T C P and tetra calcium

phosphate (Radin, S.R

and Ducheyne, P., 1992)

Surface engineering of biom aterials is aimed at modifying the biological responses while still

m aintaining the mechanical properties o f the implant

Therefore, there has been research to develop CaP- based surface coatings on various metals for implant applications (Paital, S.R and Dahotre, N.B., 2009)

Uncem ented HA-coated implants had better survival rates than the uncoated, cem ented ones

(Havelin, L.I., Engesteter, L.B., Espehaug, B., Furnes, O., Lie, S.A and Vollset, S.E., 2000)

Plasm a-sprayed coatings have an irregular surface, and always contain some holes throughout their thickness (Pilliar, R.M., 2005)

failure rate was reported during a mean follow-up study o f 10 years (Yang, Y., Kim, K-H and Ong, J.L., 2005)

?"

Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research 23

C M atch th e definitions ( 1 - 8 ) to th e underlined words and phrases in

Exercise 3b.

1 a fu rth e r in ve stig atio n in to sth which happened before

2 a way in which sth can be used fo r a p a rtic u la r purpose

3 having parts o f d iffe re n t form s, shapes o r sizes

4 to cause sth to happen

5 to change

6 to continue to be sth o r have sth

7 to decay o r to break down in to sm a lle r p arts

8 to im prove th e quality, a m o u n t o r stre n g th o f sth

d Explain to a p a rtn e r in your own words:

1 why CaP is used on m etallic bone im p la n ts

2 tw o advantages o f CaP-coated im p la n ts

3 tw o problem s there are o f using plasm a-spraying to CaP-coat metal

e Pia has w ritte n a review of th e lite ra tu re she has found Read th e summary

of her review below and then answer th e questions.

1 Does Pia’s sum m ary include key in fo rm a tio n on why CaP coating is used on

im plants? Does it describe advantages and disadvantages o f th e process?

2 Has she used th e same w ords as th e o rig in a l a u th o rs did in e xtra cts A -E ?

3 How does she refer to the w o rk o f o th e r scientists?

4 W hat does e t al mean in ‘Yang e t al., 2 0 0 5 ’?

(1) The surface o f m etallic bone implants is often sprayed with calcium

phosphates (CaPs) to im prove the biological response (Yang e t al., 2005;

Paital and Dahotre, 2009) (2) Studies have found better survival rates for

coated implants (Havelin e t al., 2000) (3) However, the usual plasma-spray

technique cannot coat all surfaces evenly (Pilliar, 2005) (4) In addition, the plasm a-spraying process causes CaP input powders to break down into other com pounds such as tetra calcium phosphate (Radin and Ducheyne, 1992)

In a lite ra tu re review, it is im p o rta n t to combine inform ation from d iffe re n t sources and show how d iffe re n t pieces o f inform ation re la te to each other Look a t P ia’s sum m ary again and answer th e following question.

W h a t w ord o r phrase does Pia use to show th a t:

a th e re is a c o n tra s t between th e in fo rm a tio n in P illia r (2 0 0 5 ) and

Havelin e t al (2 0 0 0 )?

b Radin and Ducheyne’s (1 9 9 2 ) research shows a n o th e r problem w ith

spraying, d iffe re n t fro m P illia r (2 0 0 5 )?

24 Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research

g Com plete extracts 1 - 5 with th e words in th e box There may be more than

one possible answer.

As a result In contrast Moreover On the other hand Therefore

1 Kurella e t al (2 0 0 6 ) used a continuous-w ave Nd:YAG laser system to m e lt a

CaP pre cu rso r on H - 6 A I - 4 V s u b s tra te _ , Paital

e t al (2 0 0 9 ) used a pulsed Nd:YAG laser system.

2 Coating c ry s ta llin ity was observed to increase a t higher tem peratures

, s p u tte re d coatings h e a t-tre a te d in thepresence o f w a te r va p o u r a t 4 5 0 °C resulted in a sig n ifica n t increase

3 T hiriau e t al (2 0 0 8 ) showed th a t th e procedure results in m ore light-w eight

im p la n ts , A m rani & Guyton (2011) reported

th a t surface dam age in th e CaP co ating can also be observed

4 A surface w ith a g re a te r te x tu re enhances cell in te ra ctio n w ith com plex

tissue such as b o n e , cre a tin g

three-dim ensional fe atures o r te x tu re s on th e surface o f a b io m a te ria l is becom ing

a reality

5 S liding a n d /o r v ib ra to ry m o tio n s resulted in adhesion and cohesion at the

caused bound p a rticle s to tra n s fe r from one surface to th e other

h The linking words in Exercises 3 f and 3g show a relationship between two

differen t sentences W e can also describe a sim ilar relationship in a single

sentence using th e correct word an d or but Look a t P ia’s sum m ary in

Exercise 3e and:

® com bine sentences (2) and (3) by replacing However, w ith a n d o r but.

® com bine sentences (3) and (4) by replacing In a d d ition , w ith a n d o r but.

1 We can describe th e relationships betw een sentences (2), (3) and (4) in

Pia’s sum m ary in d iffe re n t ways In pairs, look a t th e fo u r ways below of

organising th e sentences and then decide which way (a - d ) is best Think

about th e style and th e e ffect on th e re a d e r as well as th e m eaning of th e

sentences.

a (Sentence 2 ], However, (Sentence 3) In a d d itio n , (Sentence 4)

b (Sentence 2) However, (Sentence 3) and (Sentence 4)

Look a t an o th e r e x tra ct from P ia’s lite ra tu re review Com plete th e gaps

with th e linking words in th e box There is one word you do not need.

and but first however in addition so

Biomimicry has been used to develop alternative coating techniques

(1 ) _ , the metal is treated with strong base or acid (Kim et al.,

1996) This treatment transforms the surface into an alkali salt or hydrated oxide

These show negative surface charges, ( 2 ) _ they can attract Ca2+

and cause CaP to grow on the implant ( 3 ) , a disadvantage of

this method is that it can cause surface problems, ( 4 ) these can

affect the survival o f the implants (5 ) , these methods cannot

be used to coat stainless steel because its alkali salts and oxides do not show

negative surface charges (Miyazaki et al., 2000).

Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research 25

Using evidence in arguing a point

Read th e inform ation ab o u t fog In pairs, can you think o f a way the

p ro p erties o f w a te r can be used to capture w a te r from fog?

W h a t is fog?

Fog develops in alm ost th e same way as a cloud

Flowever, fo g actually touches th e ground rather

than being above it like a cloud Fog is made up

o f tin y w a te r droplets, which are usually around

10 pm in diam eter Fog form s when th e air cools to

a p o in t w here it can no longer hold all o f th e w ater

vapour it contains (the dew point) The w ater vapour

th e re fo re condenses in to tin y liquid w a te r droplets,

on surfaces such as th e ground, roofs or around

m icroscopic particles such as dust and pollutants in

th e air The w a te r dro p le ts are hydrophilic, th a t is

th e y a ttra c t o th e r w a te r droplets, and so once th e

process has begun, larger drops o f w a te r can form

Rayna is doing a PhD in environm ental science She has been investigating

w ater-h arvestin g mechanisms She is w ritin g to Bryn, h er PhD supervisor.

R ead an e xtract from her em ail and then answer th e questions below.

wondering if I could arrange a meeting with you some time next week? I’d like to discuss an idea for a possible new direction to take our research in

Basically, I’ve been doing some reading on the Namib Desert Beetle and think that there might be a way to design some kind of water-harvesting material based on its wings

They are covered in hydrophilic bumps which attract w ater droplets in the fog The drops get larger, and when they become too heavy to stay on the bump they roll off The bumps are surrounded by hydrophobic channels so the w ater rolls down into the beetle’s mouth

I really think it might be possible to develop a superhydrophobic material which has a surface covered

in superhydrophilic bumps to trap water droplets in fog and this is what I’d like to

1 W hat is the difference between (super-)hydrophilic and (super-)hydrophobic?

2 W h a t does Rayna hope to design?

3 W h a t is th e biological in s p ira tio n fo r her design?

4 How does she plan to use th is in sp ira tio n in her design?

In pairs, draw a diagram of th e design described in Rayna’s em ail.

C om pare your diagram with th e one in th e key on page 106.

► 3.1 Listen to Rayna and Bryn’s m eeting Is Bryn in terested in

R ayna’s idea? W hy / why not?

► 3.1 Listen again and answer th e questions.

1 W hy does Bryn th in k Rayna’s idea is m ore com plicated th a n the

lotus-inspired design?

2 W hy does Rayna th in k her m aterial w ould be m ore e fficie n t than

th e lotu s-in sp ire d design?

3 Why does Rayna th in k her material would be more effective than fog-catching nets?

4 W h a t tw o uses does Rayna suggest fo r her m aterial?

5 W hich use is Bryn m o st interested in?

5 a W hen we are arguing with someone, we need to use evidence to support

our point o f view W e can use ‘because’ o r ‘because o f’ to give a reason

or ‘so’ to show a result o f a situation Look a t th e following examples and

then com plete sentences 1 -5 below using because, because o f o r so.

• I th in k nets m u st be less e fficie n t because they have holes in them

® I th in k nets m u st be less e fficie n t because of th e holes in them

® They have holes in th e m , so I th in k nets m ust be less efficient.

1 th e wave o f d e p o la risa tio n ru n n in g along th e cell, a series

o f new action p o te n tia ls is trig g e re d

2 _ th e m agnitude o f th e energy loss is g re a te r fo r

phosphorescence than fo r fluorescence, phosphorescence occurs a t longer

w avelengths th a n fluorescence

3 The in te rn a l dynam ics o f th e pro to n are c o m p lic a te d they

are d e te rm in e d by th e quarks exchanging gluons

4 Root g ra v itro p is m influences th e p la n t m ore than ro o t hyd ro tro p ism ,

hyd ro tro p ism is d iffic u lt to observe in vivo.

5 The re m a in in g subjects were excluded from th e a n a ly s is

m issing data

b ► 3.2 Listen to this ex tra ct from Rayna and Bryn’s conversation and circle

the phrase in bold th a t th e speakers actually use Check your answers in

Audioscript 3 2 on page 9 3

Rayna: I think we could / We can create a m a te ria l which will / could be used

to harvest w a te r from fog

Bryn: Yes, th a t m ight be possible / we can, b u t it w ouldn’t be / 1 d on’t

believe it would be any b e tte r than th e lotus-inspired surfaces Meera

and Zein are w o rkin g on

Rayna: T h a t’s true, but it seems to me th a t / but th is w ould be m ore efficient.

C Look a t th e a ltern atives in th e sentences in Exercise 5b The meanings are

the same Which version of th e conversation is m ore polite? Why?

d M ake th e sentences below m ore p olite by using th e less certain and less

direct kind o f language in Exercise 5b.

1 I th in k th a t b io m im e tic solar panels which move w ith th e sun can be created

by using a lte rn a tiv e m aterials and designs

2 They w ill be useful in developing areas, where m otor-based sun-tracking

panels are n o t affordable

3 Also, solar cells th a t tra c k th e sun are p ro b a b ly m ore e fficie n t a t generating

pow er th a n those in a fixe d p osition

6 Think of an issue which people in your field often argue about Then in

pairs, argue fo r or against th e point R em em ber to use evidence to support

your view and phrases to sound polite, as in Exercises 5 a and 5b.

Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research 27

Taking part in a meeting

7 3 In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 Have you ever taken p a rt in a m eeting in English? If so, who was the

m eeting w ith and how was it?

2 W h a t m ig h t be d iffic u lt a b o u t having a m eeting in English, a p a rt fro m the

language d iffic u ltie s you m ig h t have?

b ^ 3.3 Listen to fo u r scientists talking and take notes ab ou t problem s they

have had in m eetings in English.

1 S a h a l: _

2 H ito m i:

3 S a m : _

4 R a d e k : _

C Have you ever had a problem like those described by the speakers?

8 3 Sarah, D ee p a k and Ali work to g e th e r as p a rt o f a te a m developing

biom im etic adhesives by mimicking th e way geckos stick to surfaces Read

th e in fo rm atio n below Then in pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 How does the physical stru ctu re o f the gecko’s fo o t help it to stick to surfaces?

2 How does th e way th e gecko places its fo o t help it to stick?

3 How do gecko toes becom e ‘u n stu ck’?

4 Why does d ir t n o t collect on th e gecko’s foot?

Geckos can easily run up a wall or across a ceiling because

of their remarkable toes, which are made up of a hierarchy

of structures that act together as a smart adhesive

The pad of a gecko toe is crossed by many ridges or

scansors, which are covered with small hair-like stalks

called setae Each foot can have up to about 2 million setae

which cluster in diamond-shaped groups of 4 Each seta

branches into hundreds of tiny endings with flattened tips

These tips are known as spatulae.

Many people have investigated just how geckos are able to stick and they have found that it

is due to Van der Waals forces These are attractive forces between molecules in the gecko feet and in the surface they stick to To maximise the area available to create these forces, it

is important that the setae are oriented correctly, as they are when the animal walks

In their resting state, the setae bend proximally like a claw When the gecko places its foot, the setae extend so that their tips point away from the body The spatulae sit flat against the surface which sets up strong adhesive forces The gecko also slides the foot very slightly creating a shear force The ability of the gecko to stick is therefore not just because of the structure of the foot, but because of the whole locom otor system

However, it is not only this sticking power which interests scientists Because geckos can run up walls and across ceilings, they must be able to rapidly switch between sticking and detaching They do this by changing the shape of the setae to increase the angle between seta and surface to more than 30 degrees, allowing the foot to be peeled away

Gecko spatulae are also self-cleaning Van der Waals forces form between the spatulae and pieces of dirt However, because only a few spatulae can adhere to a single piece of dirt, when the dirt comes close to the surface the gecko is walking on, stronger forces pull the particle off the gecko’s foot, which therefore becomes clean

28 Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research

b ► 3.4 Sarah, D eepak and Ali are holding th e ir m onthly research meeting

Sarah is th e te a m leader, D eepak is a senior research assistant and Ali

is a ju n io r research assistant Listen to th e beginning of th e m eeting and

answer th e questions.

1 W h a t has Deepak been doin g d iffe re n tly in his recent study?

2 W h a t does A li ask him a b o u t a t th e end o f th e conversation?

C In your opinion, is A li’s question a t th e end o f this e xtract relevant or

irrelevant to th e discussion? Why?

d ^ 3.5 Listen to th e next p a rt o f th e m eeting Is Ali satisfied with D e e p a k ’s

answer to th e question? How do you know?

e ► 3.6 Now listen to th e final p a rt of th e meeting.

1 Is y o u r answ er to th e questions in Exercise 8c s till th e same, o r have you

changed yo u r m ind?

2 Does Deepak th in k A li’s question was relevant? Why?

9 a During th e m eeting, Ali in te rru p ts both Sarah and D eepak several times.

Do you think it is a p p ro p ria te fo r a ju n io r scientist to in te rru p t a n d /o r be

critical o f a senior colleague’s ideas? W hy / why not?

b When you w an t to in te rru p t someone, it is im p o rta n t to sound polite Three

ways you can do this a re to use:

• co u ld o r can to make th e in te rru p tio n in to a question.

• s o rry to show th e liste n e r m ig h t n o t like w h a t you’re going to do.

• ju s t to show th a t you are n o t going to ta lk fo r to o long.

Look a t Audioscripts 3 4 - 3 6 on pages 9 3 - 9 4 Which phrases does Ali use

to interrupt?

and Ali W rite one word or phrase in each space.

1 , fo r a while, people th o u g h t it could be capillary, b u t now

it seems it ’s m ainly

2 you’re clear on th e adhesion mechanism now, Ali?

3 T h a t’s O K _ , so as I was saying, w h a t I’ve been loo kin g a t

[fade out) is th e effect o f th e g e o m e tric .

4 , because we now know th a t they are curved, we’ve

5 , could I ju m p in and

b W hat is th e function o f these words and phrases? Can you find

other exam ples o f words with this function in Audioscripts 3 4 - 3 6

on pages 9 3 - 4 ?

11 W ork in groups o f three Im agine you all w ork in th e same d e p a rtm e n t

and are holding your reg u lar m eeting in which you all discuss your recent

work Role play th e m eeting Take turns to present your current research,

interrupting to ask questions w here necessary.

Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research 29

Describing approaches to data

collection

Designing an experimental set-up

Describing material phenomena

and forces

Making predictions of

experimental results

Describing approaches to data collection

The scientific m ethod is a process in w hich experim ental observations are used to answ er questions S cie n tists use th e scientific m ethod to search fo r relationships between item s

T h a t is, experim ents are designed so th a t one variable is changed and th e effe cts of

th e change observed W h ile th e exact m ethodologies used vary fro m field to field, th e overall process is th e sam e First, th e sc ie n tis t m u s t define th e question - w h a t exactly they a re tryin g to find out N ext com es th e fo rm a tio n of a hypothesis, w hich is an idea

o r explanation fo r a situation based on w h a t is cu rre n tly known The next stage of th e

m ethod is th e design of an e xperim ent w hich will allow th is hypothesis to be te s te d Usually

a p rim a ry ru n of th e exp e rim e n t is conducted, and any changes to th e experim ental se t­

up m ade In each experim ental run, data collection takes place, followed by data analysis Finally th e data is in te rp re te d and fro m th is, th e sc ie n tis t is able to draw conclusions

b N u m b e r th e stages ( 1 - 8 ) in th e o rd e r you would norm ally do them

C Read this e x tra ct from a student w ebsite and check your answers to

Exercise 1 b.

1 3 The scientific m ethod is a process in which experim ental observations are

used to answ er questions C om plete th e collocations fo r describing the

stages in th e scientific m ethod using th e words and phrases in th e box.

a hypothesis an experiment (x2) conclusions data (x3) the question

d Read th e e xtract again to find th e noun form s of th e verbs in th e box

Which word(s) in th e box use(s) th e same form fo r th e verb and th e noun?

analyse collect design explain form observe relate run vary

2 a Below are th e sum m aries o f five experim ents Read each sum m ary and

then choose which word correctly com pletes th e heading.

1 P ractical / Theoretical research

M u rra y Gell-M ann and George Zweig proposed th a t particles such as

pro to n s and neu tro n s were n o t e lem entary particles, b u t instead were

com posed o f co m b in a tio n s o f quarks and antiquarks

2 Field / L a b o ra to ry exp erim ent

M a rk-a n d -re ca p tu re m odels were used to measure seasonal and h a b ita t

changes in house mouse densities on sub-A ntarctic M a rio n Island

3 E xtern al / In te rn a l validity

The stu d e n ts were carefully m atched fo r social status, subject area, ethnicity,

education level, p arental sm oking, and exposure to ta rg e te d advertising

4 D escriptive / E xperim ental study

The a m o u n t o f soy pro d u cts eaten by each p a rtic ip a n t was assessed a t the

s ta rt o f th e study D uring th e 3 0 years o f th e study, th e w om en’s incidence

o f b re a st cancer was recorded

5 Q u a lita tiv e I Q u a n tita tiv e research

To investigate th e effect o f e a tin g d a rk chocolate on stress levels, a blood

sam ple was taken and th e levels o f stress horm ones measured A fte r eating

th e chocolate, a second sam ple was taken and horm one levels measured

again

b In pairs, can you think of an exam ple of an experim ent which describes

the a lte rn a tiv e heading in 1 - 5 o f Exercise 2 a (for example, an exp erim ent

which is practical not theoretical)?

3 3 Silvana is a research assistant w orking as p a rt of a team investigating

methods o f storing hydrogen (H 2) fo r use as an energy source In pairs,

answer th e following questions.

1 W h a t do you th in k are th e b e n e fits o f using hydrogen as an energy source?

2 In w h a t situ a tio n s o r a p p lica tio n s could hydrogen fuels be used?

b Hydrogen could be an ideal energy source, but is difficult to store In pairs,

look a t th re e possible m ethods o f hydrogen storage below and discuss

w hat you th in k th e advantages and disadvantages of each one m ight be.

a contained as a gas in a high-pressure tank

b condensed in to a liq u id and stored in a ta n k

c adsorbed o n to a porous m aterial

C ^ 4.1 Silvana is talkin g to her supervisor Dom inique ab ou t th e next phase in

her research Listen and answer th e following questions.

1 W hich m ethod o f hydrogen storage from Exercise 3b do they discuss?

2 W hat p ro p e rty o f carbon fib re s does Silvana th in k is m ost im p o rta n t to her

research?

3 How m any possible variables do they discuss?

4 A t th e end o f th e conversation, how does D om inique suggest Silvana should

begin th is phase o f her research?

A proton may

consist o f qu a rks and a n tiq u a rk s

Unit 4 Designing an experiment 31

d ► 4.1 Listen to th e conversation again and tick th e variables Silvana agrees

to investigate in th e next phase o f h er research.

□ ca rb o n isa tio n te m p e ra tu re □ typ e o f hydroxide - potassium (KOH)

□ n itrogen flo w rate □ ra tio o f KOH o r NaOH to carbon fib re s

e W h a t reasons did Dom inique give fo r no t investigating all th e possible

variables? Do you agree with her?

f Com plete th e following sum m ary on variables using th e words in th e box.

affects collecting controlled data dependent independent

How much a v a ria b le (1)

by ( 2 ) - expe rim e n ta l (3)

a re la tio n sh ip can be discovered on changes to the

re la tio n sh ip as th e va ria b le is changed In an e xp e rim e n t, th e re w ill be:

® one ( 4 ) va ria b le - th is is th e fe a tu re you are m easuring

v ariables - these are th e variables which

variables - these are n o t being te ste d and

® one o r m ore ( 5 )

you change

® one o r m ore ( 6 )

so th e y stay th e same

g Silvana wants to investigate th e e ffect o f th e d iffe re n t hydroxides (N a O H

o r KOH) on hydrogen adsorption in th e carbon fibres.

1 In th is in ve stig atio n , which o f th e variables in Exercise 3d w ill be

in d e pe n d e n t and which con tro lle d ?

2 W h a t w ill be th e d e p e n d e n t variable?

4 a Look a t th e extracts ( a - f ) from Silvana and Dom inique’s discussion Then

answer th e questions below.

a M avbe you could look a t the a d so rp tio n o f hydrogen,

b Perhaps I should look a t th e 1 2 7 3 K and 9 7 3 K tem peratures,

c I could m ake d iffe re n t ra tio s o f hydroxide to carbon fib re s a n o th e r variable,

d Perhaps I could s ta rt w ith loo kin g ju s t a t a couple o f d iffe re n t ratios,

e You m ig h t be ab le to ju s t look a t th e papers you m entioned,

f M avbe 111 have a ta lk to M a u ritz a b o u t th e a d so rp tio n p rotocols he’s been

using

1 Do these sentences refer to the present o r the future?

2 A re th e y used to discuss plans o r suggestions?

3 W h a t p a rts o f speech are th e underlin e d words?

4 W h a t p a rt o f speech are th e w ords in bold?

b In pairs, role play a discussion between a researcher

and a supervisor ab o u t th e e ffect o f te m p e ra tu re and

rainfall on th e population o f th e m osquito Aedes

albopictus First, decide which typ e of experim ent

(from Exercise 2a ) should be used to investigate the

effects Then discuss w h at th e variables in the

e xp erim ent m ight be Use the language you studied

in Exercise 4 a to help you.

The M o sq u ito Aedes a lb o p ticu s

32 Unit 4 Designing an experiment

Designing an experimental set-up

M atch th e instrum ents ( 1 - 8 ) to th e pictures (a -h ).

2 d yn a m o m e te r 4 in te rfe ro m e te r 6 oscilloscope 8 s p e ctro m e te r

W hat m eaning do th e following suffixes add to th e words in Exercise 5a?

-graph -meter -scope

► 4.2 M atch an in strum ent in Exercise 5 a to w h at it measures Then listen

to the conversations and check your answers.

pH radiation changes in voltage over time light intensity distance torque

motion wavelengths of light

Do you ta k e m easurem ents as p a rt o f your research? W h a t do you

measure? W h a t instrum ents do you use?

Silvana is going to discuss her design fo r an experim ental set-up with M auritz,

a more experienced researcher In pairs, look carefully a t Silvana’s diagram

and notes Then discuss w hat words you think might complete the gaps (a -h ).

Carbon Fibre fC F ) (a)

CF carbonised @ I3 7 3 K or ^ 7 3 K

activate CF uith K O H or N aO H

ratio ‘FI I I0 :l based on (b) _

Sample tray - use unreactive material, e.g (c)

3 Tube (e)

3 Inner tube - What material^ What size’?' (ask M auntz)

‘I (f) contrail er (for furnace)

Increase temperature 5 K /m in up to 1035 K - for hou long?

b ► 4.3 Listen to Silvana and M a u ritz talking Com plete each space in

Silvana’s notes using one word from th e ir conversation.

7 3 M atch th e beginnings ( 1 - 7 ) to th e endings (a -g ) of some of Silvana’s sentences from th e conversation Then look a t Audioscript 4 3 on page 9 5

to check your answers.

1 I'm going t o - a have the sample on a tray in an inner tube

2 I was thinking of \ b simply mixing the fibres with the hydroxides in pellet form, at

/ the relevant ratios

3 I think I'LL try i' c relying on natural convection first

4 I thought I should / d running i t through at 500 ml a minute, through the entire heat

treatment

5 I'm planning to — e start off with fibres which have been carbonised at two

different temperatures

6 I'LL try f stick with that

7 I was planning on g using those quantities first

b Phrases 1 - 7 in Exercise 7 a can all be used to discuss fu tu re plans In pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 W hich phrases can we use to sound m ore co n fid e n t a b o u t a fu tu re plan?

W hich are used to sound m ore te n ta tiv e (i.e less confident, m ore cautious)?Divide th e phrases in to tw o groups (more co n fid e n t and m ore tentative)

2 W hich phrases are follow ed by th e i n f i n i t i v e ? Which are follow ed by a v e r b-ing

Keep temperature constant for (4) minutes

b Look a t th e responses M a u ritz gives Silvana Put a verb from th e box into

th e space in each sentence W h a t is th e function of these sentences?

don't think were would

1 If I _ you, I’d use steel

2 W h y you try th a t to s ta rt w ith?

4 I you should m aintain th e te m p e ra tu re fo r 75 m inutes

fu tu re D raw and label a sketch o f th e set-up as you plan it.

b W o rk in pairs S tu den t A, use your sketch to explain your plans fo r the experim ental set-up Try to use some o f th e phrases in Exercise 7a.

S tudent B, ask questions fo r clarification (be sure to in te rru p t politely) and

m ake suggestions if you can Try to use some o f th e phrases in Exercise 8b Then change roles.

34 Unit 4 Designing an experiment

Describing material phenomena and forces

Com plete th e ta b le below using th e e xtract from th e following research

paper to help you.

A prom ising candidate am ong the different adsorbent m aterials are activated carbons Through

activation, highly porous m aterials can be prepared Due to their high porosity, activated carbon

m aterials are able to adsorb large am ounts of hydrogen Following adsorption, hydrogen m olecules can

be found at tw o possible locations: (i) on th e surface of th e adsorbent, or (ii) as a com pressed gas in the void space betw een adsorbent particles,

adapted from Konowsky et al 2009

adsorbactivate

porous

In pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 W hat noun suffixes are used in th e w ords in th e table? Can you th in k o f

o th e r w ords w ith these suffixes?

2 W hat adjective suffixes are used in th e words? Can you th in k o f o th e r words

with these suffixes?

3 Why is it useful to know th e suffixes fo r d iffe re n t p arts o f speech?

The gapped words below all describe physical o r chemical p ro p erties of

substances The m eaning of each word is given on th e right Com plete the

words with th e correct vowels (a, e, i, o, u).

1 br_ttl_n_ss how easily something can be broken

2 c_p_c_t_nc_ how well something holds an electrical charge

3 c_nc_ntr_t n how m uch of one substance is found in another

4 c_nd_ct_v_ty how well something allows heat or electricity to go through it

S d_ns_ty how m uch mass a given volume of a substance has

6 fl_mm_b_l_ty how easily something burns

7 l_m_n_nc_ how m uch light passes through or comes from a substance

8 m_ss how m uch m atter is in a solid object or in any volume of liquid or gas

9 p_rm b_l_ty how easily gases or liquids go through a substance

10 p_r_s_ty

11 pr_ss_r_

how many small holes are in a substancehow m uch force a liquid or gas produces w hen it presses against an area

12 r ct_v_ty how easily a chemical substance reacts

13 s_l_b_l_ty how easily something can be dissolved to form a solution

14 v_l_c_ty how quickly an object is travelling

15 v_sc_s_ty how thick a liquid is

16 v_l_m_ how much space is contained w ithin an object or solid shape

In pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 Which is m ore reactive, alu m in iu m o r gold?

2 Which is m ore b rittle , glass o r steel?

3 Which is m ore luminescent, co p p e r o r neon?

4 Which is m ore dense, hydrogen o r oxygen?

5 Which is m ore flam m ab le, ethanol o r w ater?

6 Which is m ore viscous, bio o d o r w ater?

Unit 4 Designing an experiment 35

e Look a t th e adjectives in bold in Exercise lO d and th e re la te d noun form s

in Exercise 10c Divide th e suffixes in th e box below into those which usually indicate a noun form and those which are used in adjective forms.

-able -ance -b ility -ent -ity -ive -ness -osity -ous -tion

noun s u ffix e s : _adjective s u ffix e s : _

f In pairs, m ark th e following statem en ts tru e (T) o r false (F).

1 To concentrate a so lu tio n, add m ore solvent To d ilu te it, add m ore solute.

2 C opper conducts heat b e tte r than a lu m in iu m

3 S ilver salts do n o t dissolve well in w a te r

4 W a te r can p e rm e a te lim estone m ore easily th a n it can g r a n ite

g Match the verbs in bold in Exercise 10 f to the correct noun forms in Exercise 10c.

h Choose th e correct word to com plete th e sentences.

1 It is possible to extra ctio n /e x tra c t/e x tra c te d hydrogen fro m a w idespread

source - water

2 A dye appears coloured because its molecules ab sorb/ab sorben t/

absorption lig h t fro m a p a rt o f the visible spectrum

3 Pewter is an alloy o f usually 8 0 % tin and 20% lead A d d in g th e lead gives

th e alloy a blueish tin g e and increases th e m alleability/m alleable.

4 In th e n e ar-infrared w aveband th e reflective/reflect/reflectivity o f w a te r

d ro p s to a lm o s t zero

5 New analyses on A n ta rc tic sam ples have found no d e te c t/d e te c ta b le / detection irid iu m im p rin t above background due to cosmic dust.

Think of th re e d iffe re n t m aterials you often use in your research Explain

to a p a rtn e r th e physical o r chemical pro perties o f th e m aterials and how you use them in your research.

Making predictions of experimental results

3 ► 4.5 Silvana is ab o u t to s ta rt running her experim ent She is discussing possible results with Dom inique Listen to th e conversation and say which

o f th e th re e variables below Silvana thinks will n o t im prove H2 adsorption.

• ca rb o n isa tio n te m p e ra tu re s • ra tio o f hydroxide to carbon fib re s

• th e typ e o f hydroxide (KOH o r NaOH)

b ► 4.5 C om plete Silvana’s predictions from th e conversation using th e words and phrases in th e box Then listen again to check your answers.

allow any between expect I f lead to more My prediction is that w ill probably

a ( 1 ) _ low er te m p e ra tu re s increase porosity, th e fib re s which arecarbonised a t low er te m p e ra tu re s ( 2 ) _ adsorb

( 3 ) _ hydrogen

b I really d o n ’t ( 4 ) _ th e re to be ( 5 ) _ difference( 6 ) th e sodium and potassium hydroxides

c (7) _ th e higher ra tio will ( 8 ) _b e tte r activation of

th e fib re s and I th in k b e tte r activation w ill ( 9 ) _ more adsorption

Unit 4 Designing an experiment

Sentences like prediction (a) in Exercise 12b are useful fo r talking about

the relationship between a possible situation and th e expected result of

th a t situation Read th e following sentence and then answer th e questions

below.

If/W hen the fib re s are m ore porous, th e y a d so rb m ore hydrogen.

1 Which p a rt o f th e sentence te lls us a b o u t a possible situ a tio n ?

2 Which p a rt te lls us a b o u t th e re su lt o f th a t situ a tio n ?

3 Can you re w rite th e sentence w ith ‘Fibres’ as th e firs t word?

Now look a t fo u r m ore sentences and answer th e questions which follow.

a If/W hen th e fib re s are m ore porous, they adsorb m ore hydrogen,

b If th e fib re s are m ore porous, they will adsorb m ore hydrogen,

c If th e fib re s are m ore porous, they will probably adsorb m ore hydrogen,

d If th e fib re s are m ore porous, they m ight adsorb m ore hydrogen.

1 W hat is th e difference in m eaning between:

a sentences a and b? b sentences b and c? c sentences b and d?

2 Does th e tense o f verb change in th e if-clause in sentences a -d ?

Look a t th e description of th e exp erim ent below N o te down your

predictions ab o u t w h at will happen a t each stage.

1 Hang a i m length of string to a fixed point Tie a w eight to the

end Pull th e string back to th e release point (a 45° angle) and

tim e how long it takes to sw ing forw ard and back 5 tim es Add

a second w eight and repeat Make sure the release point is the

same

P r e d ic t io n : _

2 Pull the string back to an angle of 90° Release and tim e how

long it takes for 5 swings Change th e release angle to 20° and

repeat Make sure the w eight used is the same

P r e d ic tio n : _

3 Shorten the string to Vi of its original length Pull the string back

to 45° Release and tim e how long it takes for 5 swings Shorten

the string again to Vs of its original length and repeat Make sure

the w eight and release angle are the same

P r e d ic tio n : _

Look back a t th e experim ental set-up you sketched in Exercise 9a M a k e

notes on your predictions o f w h at will happen in th e experim ent Then,

explain your predictions to a partner.

Unit 4 Designing an experiment 37

1 In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 W hat processes do you need to describe in y o u r fie ld of

research? W ho do you describe th e m for?

2 How much de ta il do you need to include in y o u r descriptions?

3 W hat do you th in k are th e m o st im p o rta n t points to re m em ber

when describ in g a process fo r o th e r scientists?

2 a Chuyu is researching seismicity (earth qu ake activity) In pairs, answer the

following questions Use th e diagram s above to help you.

1 Do you know w h a t causes earthquakes?

2 How m ig h t th e E a rth ’s m antle be involved in seism icity?

b Chuyu is investigating how th e strength o f d iffe re n t m inerals in the E a rth ’s

m antle changes a t high pressure and te m p e ra tu re , and how this relates

to seismicity Look a t th e sketch below o f th e process he uses to measure

m ineral strength Using th e d iagram , can you describe th e process in your

solid inner core 1,200 km

Keeping a lab notebook

38 Unit 5 Describing an experiment

C Read Chuyu’s sum m ary o f his procedure below Then read th e first

paragraph again and say w h at labels A -F in th e diagram represent.

(1) M u lti-a n vil high pressure apparatus was used to generate th e high

pressure and tem perature fo r th e specimen (2) The pow dered mineral

sample was placed in to a tu b e o f rolled rhenium (3) The rhenium tu b e was

loaded in to a ceramic octahedron (4) Two tu n g ste n -rh e n iu m therm ocouple

leads w ere attached to th e octahedron (5) The octahedron was surrounded

by a set o f e ig h t tungsten carbide cubes (6) The cubes w ere placed in to the

space fo rm e d by six secondary anvils in th e press

(7) The press was pum ped up to th e correct pressure (8) The anvils

transform th e directed force o f th e hydraulic press to hydrostatic pressure

on th e sample (9) Heating o f th e tube was carried o u t using an electrical

current conducted th ro u g h th e anvils (10) Temperature was controlled w ith

a program m able te m perature controller (11) Energy d iffra ctio n patterns

were collected using a germ anium solid state detector (1 2) The patterns

were analysed to w o rk o u t th e material's strength

3 a Underline th e main verb in each sentence of th e sum m ary in Exercise 2c

(the first one has been done fo r you) Then answer th e following questions.

1 Which main verb form is used in a lm o st all th e sentences?

2 How is th is s tru c tu re form ed?

3 Why is th is s tru c tu re o ften used in describing a process?

4 Which m ain verb is d iffe re n t? Why?

b When you are reading th e scientific literature, it is useful to record any v e r b

+ p r e p o s i t i o n com binations you find Read th e sum m ary again and find a t

least five v e r b + p r e p o s i t i o n com binations.

C Complete th e sentences by choosing th e correct preposition (a, b or c).

1 First, leucine was s e p a ra te d o th e r am ino acids in th e p rotein

4 a Chuyu has asked a colleague, Thabo, to check his work Look a t the

summary in Exercise 2c again Has it been w ritten in an a p p ro p ria te style?

Would you change anything?

Unit 5 Describing an experiment 39

b ► 5.1 Listen to Chuyu and T h a b o ’s conversation W h a t tw o changes does Thabo recommend?

Combine sentences 4 and 5, and then 6 and 7 in Chuyu’s sum m ary using

which and then Then com pare your answers with th e key on page 109.

Look a t th e diagram from a review o f supercritical fluid technology Com plete th e description o f th e process using th e words in th e box.

at first then was which [x2]

The diagram provides a schem atic view of

the rapid expansion o f supercritical

solutions (RESS) process ( 1 ) _ ,

th e su p e rcritica l flu id (SF) ( 2 )

pum ped in to th e vessel ( 3 )

contained th e solid solute The SF dissolved

and became sa tu ra te d w ith th e solute The

re s u lta n t so lu tio n was ( 4 )

in tro d u ce d in to a p re c ip ita tio n ch a m b e r by

expansion th ro u g h a la se r-d rille d nozzle

The p re c ip ita tio n u n it was m aintained

(5 ) _c o n d ition s where the

solute had low s o lu b ility in th e SF As the

SF expanded, its s o lu b ility decreased,

(6 ) _resulted in a high degree

o f solute su p e rsa tu ra tio n and subsequent

p re cip ita tio n

Think o f a process you know well Draw a sketch and w rite a short description.

Evaluating the results of an experiment

Think ab o u t an exp erim ent you have done recently.

Then in pairs, discuss 1 - 5

1 B rie fly describe th e e xp e rim e n ta l process

2 Explain w h a t you p re d icte d w ould happen

3 D escribe w h a t a ctu a lly happened

4 Explain w h a t you learned fro m th e e xperim ent

5 Explain w h a t you d id as a follow -up to th e

e xp e rim e n t

fluid reservoir

40 Unit 5 Describing an experiment

o iiv iK it, i.e i f w/££ f t i e l J la te r

Chuyu has carried out th e procedure he

described in Exercise 2c using th e minerals

olivine, ringw oodite and wadsleyite (all

(Mg,Fe)2S iO J , and perovskite (C a T i0 3) as

samples Look a t th e predictions he m ade before

running his exp erim ent Use th e glossary (pages

1 1 7 -1 2 5 ) to check th e m eaning o f the

underlined words.

► 5.3 Chuyu is discussing th e results with

Lucia, a colleague Listen to th e firs t p a rt of

their conversation and m ark each o f Chuyu’s

predictions with a tick if it was right or a cross if

it was wrong.

► 5.4 Listen to th e next p a rt o f th e conversation

and answer th e following questions.

1 W hat tw o th in g s does Chuyu say he needs to

do in th e n e xt e x p e rim e n ta l run to ve rify his results?

2 W hat o th e r e x p la na tio n does Chuyu give fo r th e results?

!► 5.3 Chuyu and Lucia ta lk a b o u t th e ir expectations of th e results com pared

with w hat actually happened C om plete th e extracts below using one word

in each gap Then listen to th e firs t p a rt o f th e conversation again and

check your answers.

g-c u p

fW e -for olivine-, inc.re-cisin'

f e-n.pzra.furz w ill red u te

s fr z n ^ f U

f o r p&rovsKifz, inc-re-asint fe-n-pe-m furz w ill rzduo.z

fo r olivin e and fo r perovskite

I expected, th e perovskite was th e strongest It

increasing th e te m p e ra tu re _ reduce yield strength.

Right A nd th a t’s w h a t _ happen w ith th e olivine.

Really? I _ th e m in e ra ls all be a ffected by

te m p e ra tu re

b Com plete th e following ta b le using th e expressions in bold in Exercise 7a

Then answer th e questions below.

Read th e sum m ary o f Chuyu’s m ost tho , I e mPer at ur e ar|d pressure o f

recent results M atch th e highlighted

p a rts o f th e sum m ary to an

To date, strengths a t high tem perature and piessure ot

th e upper m antle m ineral olivine and th e lo w e r m antle

m ineral perovskite have been investigated In addition,some research has been carried o u t on wadsleyite fro m

underlined expression with a simi a r ^ transition zone In all three m ineral samples, at

m eaning in Audioscript 5 on page a m b ie n t tem perature, d iffe re n tia l stress increased w ith

9 6 (The tenses in th e A udioscript

lowest Olivine and w adsleyite have sim ilar characteristics

W hy do you th in k Chuyu uses o f yield strength in response to tem perature; strength

d iffe re n t words in th e w ritte n decreases significantly as tem perature increases,

sum m ary from those he used in th e Perovskite, on th e o th e r hand, shows no change in yield

conversation w ith Lucia? strength in response to tem perature up to 873 K w hen

In 1 - 4 below, each (a) sentence tem perature is increased at a pressure o f 20 GPa

is from an in fo rm al conversation

and each (b l sentence is fro m a

fo rm al research paper Com plete each (b) sentence using p a rt o r all of

highlighted phrases in Exercise 8 a , and any o th e r necessary words.

1 a A nd then I’ve s ta rte d lo o kin g a t th e petrography, to o

_ p e tro g ra p h y studies have been

2 a As I expected, sodic glasses had lots o f cations w ith low average field

strength and non-sodic glasses d id n ’t have many a t all

b Sodic glasses c o n ta in e d n u m b e r o f cations

w ith low average fie ld stre n g th and non-sodic glasses th e lowest

3 a I th o u g h t th e A l20 3 in th e sam ples w ould decrease as S i0 2 increased, and

b , th e m o rp h o lo g y and m ineralogy o f tep h ra

samples from La M a lin c h e exam ined

Think ab o u t th e e xp erim ent you discussed in Exercise 6 a Then w rite a

short sum m ary in a fo rm al style using th e te x t in Exercise 8 a as a model.

Describing problems with an experiment

Think ab o u t an e xp erim ent you did w here you had a problem Tell your

partn er:

® w h a t th e p roblem was

• w h a t th e possible causes o f th e p roblem were

• how you discovered w h a t was causing th e problem

• how you solved th e problem

Unit 5 Describing an experiment