Cambridge English For Scientists SB PDF

Skills Language focus Texts
Planning a career in Talking about your career path Listening

UNIT 1 science Summarising a research proposal A researcher discusses her career options
Applying for research Organising and adding detail to a A supervisor gives advice on writing a CV
Getting started funding resume or CV A researcher practises presenting a
in research W riting up a resume or CV Preparing and practising the research proposal
page 6 Preparing for an interview presentation of a proposal
Reading
Answering interview questions
A notice for a scholarship
A project summary
An extract from a CV
An extract from an email
Advice on conference call interviews
Communicating with Recognising different styles of Listening

UNIT 2 scientific communities writing A student asks for advice on writing a
W riting a critical review Asking for help using an online critical review
The scientific Completing a Material forum A student discusses published research
community Transfer Agreement Reading and note-taking for a with his supervisor
critical review A researcher completes an MTA with help
page 14
Completing an MTA (Material from his supervisor
Transfer Agreement)
Reading
Extracts from different styles of writing
Questions from an online science forum
An extract from a critical review
An email
Doing a literature review Linking sentences in writing (1) Listening

UNIT 3 Using evidence in arguing Arguing for and against an idea A student explains a new idea to her
a point appropriately supervisor
Finding a Taking part in a meeting Supporting ideas with evidence Four scientists describe their problems
direction for Following a discussion in a team with team meetings in English
your research meeting A monthly research meeting
page 22 Interrupting a meeting
Reading
appropriately
Extracts from a literature review
An extract from an email
How geckos walk on walls
Describing approaches to Making suggestions and plans Listening

UNIT 4 data collection for an experiment A researcher discusses procedure with her
Designing an Giving advice to a colleague supervisor
Designing an experimental set-up Prefixes and suffixes (1) A researcher describes her experimental
experiment Describing material Predicting the results of an set-up to a colleague
phenomena and forces experiment A researcher makes predictions about her
page 30
Making predictions of experiment
experimental results
Reading
The scientific method
Describing a process Describing experimental Listening

UNIT 5 Evaluating the results of procedure A researcher asks a colleague to comment
an experiment Revising a paper (1) on his paper
Describing an Describing problems with Describing expectations and A researcher discusses the progress of his
experiment an experiment outcomes of an experiment research with a colleague
page 38 Keeping a lab notebook Describing and reporting A researcher reports a problem with his
problems in an experiment research
Linking sentences in writing (2) A researcher explains why she prefers
Using symbols and abbreviations using an electronic lab notebook
in lab notebooks
Reading
Describing lab protocols
A summary of a scientific procedure
A summary of a researcher's results
4 Contents
Skills Language focus Texts
Describing states Describing procedure in the materials Listening
UNIT 6 and processes and method section A student gets advice on the first draft of
Describing data: Revising a paper (2) a paper
Writing up numbers / Expressing numbers and describing Researchers discuss experimental data
research 1: numerical values data A student describes changes to her
materials and W riting up from lab Prefixes and suffixes (2) method
methods notes Rewriting lab notes for a paper
Reading
page 46 Extracts from an early draft of a paper
Extracts from a researchers lab notebook
Analysing data Prefixes and suffixes (3) Listening

i
UNIT 7 (statistical Describing data for statistical analysis A student describes his research
analysis) Comparing and contrasting A supervisor asks a student to make
Writing up Summarising data in experimental results (1) corrections to a figure
research 2: visual form Writing a caption for a figure or graph A student asks her supervisor for help
presenting data W riting captions for Describing a figure or graph in a with her paper
figures paper
page 54 Reading
Describing visual data
Extracts from a researchers lab notebook
A table of experimental data
Organising the results Organising writing in paragraphs Listening

UNIT 8 and discussion Referring to visual data in a paper A student explains his research to a
sections Comparing and contrasting colleague
Writing up Preparing and writing experimental results (2) A student gets advice on the first draft of
research 3: the results section Summarising information efficiently (1) a paper
results and Preparing and writing Describing the limitations of research
the discussion Reading
discussion Making suggestions for future
section Extracts from a students paper
page 62 research
Writing the Reporting the work of other Listening

UNIT 9 introduction researchers in a paper A supervisor comments on the first draft
Writing the abstract Organising an abstract of his student's abstract
Writing up Giving a title to your Summarising information efficiently (2) A student discusses the title of a paper
research 4: paper W riting a cover letter to a scientific with his supervisor
introduction Contacting journals journal
Reading
and abstract
Extracts from a student's paper
page 70 Advice on how to get your research
published
A cover letter to a scientific journal
Giving a paper at a Helping an audience understand the Listening

UNIT 10 conference organisation of a presentation A researcher gives a paper at a
Socialising at a Socialising at a conference conference
Presenting conference Organising a poster Eight conversations of people socialising
research at a Presenting a poster Summarising the content of a poster at a conference
conference A student answers questions about his
poster presentation
page 78
Reading
How the adaptive immune system
responds to a viral vaccine
Advice on preparing a good poster
Additional material page 86 Glossary page 117

Audioscript page 91 Acknowledgements page 126
Answer key page 103
Contents 5
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 Why did you choose a career in science?
2 W hat field o f science are you cu rre n tly w o rkin g o r studying in?
3 W hat w ould you like to do n e xt in yo u r w o rk o r studies?
M an y scientists continue th e ir education in o th er countries. The tab le

below summarises higher education fo r science in th e US. M a k e a sim ilar
tab le fo r your country and then answer th e following questions.
1 Is science education in the US s im ila r to science education in your country?
2 If you decided to study in th e US, which qua lifica tio n w ould be best fo r you?
H igher edu cation for scien ce in the US
Qualification Category Duration Place of study

(lowest to highest) (full-time)
A sso ciate of Science u n d e rg ra d u a te 2 y ea rs co m m u n ity college or

deg ree (AS) ju n io r college
______
B achelor of Science u n d e rg ra d u a te 2 o r 4 y ears* college o r u n iv ersity
.t '.j.' .. gpjgf &3TT?*. Y
d eg re e (BS)
*- .4- - I
1 'J
M aster of Science g rad u a te 2 y ea rs u n iv ersity o r g rad u a te
deg ree (MS) (p o stg ra d u a te ) sch o o l
D octoral d eg re e (PhD) g rad u a te 3 to 8 y ears u n iv ersity o r g rad u a te

(p o stg ra d u a te ) sch o o l
' * Students w h o have already c o m p le te d an
A sso ciate (A S ) deg ree can b e c o m e a B a chelo r
o f Science if th e y s tudy f o r t w o m o re years.

Unit 1 Getting started in research
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 put a cross next to the options which do not.
teaching (undergraduate) students
doin g p ost-doctoral research
supervising a research team
fin d in g a perm a n en t position a t a university
discussing th e o ry
doing 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 Susanas conversation.
Listen and com plete th e firs t row of th e tab le by w riting th e num ber of
each sentence ( 1 - 8 ) in th e correct column.
Talking ab o ut...
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 tab le in
Exercise 2b.
3 3 Think ab ou t your career in science and m ake notes on:

w h a t you enjoy m ost a b o u t w o rkin g in your scientific field
w h a t you w ould like to do (and n o t like to do) ne xt in your career
which o f your past and present experiences are m ost relevant to your fu tu re
in science
b In pairs, take 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 extract from a website and then,
in pairs, answer th e questions below. About___________________
1 Can an organisation apply fo r th is scholarship? The Sheridan Australian Research
2 W ould you be interested in ap p lyin g fo r SARF? Fellowship (SARF) aims to develop
Why / why not? science in Australia by attracting
3 W h at info rm a tio n m ig h t you need to include on your outstanding scientists in their field
ap plication form ? to continue their research in an
4 W hat are the advantages o f a ttra c tin g scientists Australian university or research
w ith futu re p o te n tia l fo r leadership in th e ir fie ld to institution. SARF fellow ships are
a country? awarded to individual scientists with
future potential fo r leadership in their
Eriko has decided to apply to SARF and has
field. Successful applicants receive
dow nloaded an application form . Look a t the list of
a 5-year grant covering salary, travel
sections on th e form ( 1 - 1 0 ) and match each one to
and relocation costs.
Eriko's notes on th e inform ation she needs to provide
APPLICATION FORM a. an explanation o f Kou III do research and
uhy it is im portant
1 APPLICANT
b a short description o f u h a t III research
2 CURRENT APPOINTMENT AND ADDRESS
c a statement from a senior researcher explaining
3 LOCATION OF PROPOSED STUDY
4 uhy I'm a suitable applicant
SPONSORS RECOMMENDATION
d how m uch I plan to spend on my research
5 DEPARTMENTAL SUPPORT
6 PROJECT TITLE e th e jo b I do nou
f th e name o f someone to support my application
7 PROJECT SUMMARY
8 DETAILS OF PROPOSED RESEARCH g u h a t Ill call my research
9 BUDGET h permission from my head o f fa c u lty to use his
10 NOMINATED REFEREE WITH PERSONAL h e r resources
KNOWLEDGE OF APPLICANT 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,
take turns to sum m arise th e project following the
instructions ( 1 - 6 ) below.
1 State the aims o f yo u r research
2 Define w ha t the problem is
3 Explain why yo u r to p ic is w o rth researching
4 Say w h a t th e expected outcom es o f the research are
5 O u tline th e procedures you w ill follow
6 O utline how you w ill lim it your investigation
Read Eriko's com pleted project summary on page 9.

Then say w h at you think th e commercial applications
o f Eriko's research m ight be.

7 PR O JEC T SUMMARY
Provide a b rie f summary o f aims, significance and expected outcomes o f the research
plan
A 3 -D o d o u r- c o m p a s s f o r o d o u r - d e te c tin g ro b o ts
Odour-sensing robots offer many benefits over the current use of animals in similar
roles, including safety, efficiency and durability. [A] However, the robots which have
been developed to date are limited by the fact that they can only accurately detect
and navigate towards odour plumes if they are within direct sight of the chemical
source. Clearly, in real world situations, obstacles may well impede the robots
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.
[ D ] This research aims to develop existing robotic technology to create a three-
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 robots
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 summary (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 akes notes like th e following
example.
However, Ho <k<*Sre. A lWife^A Po ^fe-fine PUe pvoblewv (A)-
Com plete th e project summary by an other 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.
Writing up a resume or CV
7 3 In pairs, discuss th e following questions.
1 Have you ever applied fo r a jo b in science? If not, w h a t kind o f jo b would
you like to apply fo r in the future?
2 W hich o f the follow ing docum ents are jo b applicants usually asked fo r in
yo u r country?
ap plication form
biodata
cover le tte r (covering letter)
resume 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 the way you organise a
resume o r CV in English w ill be the same as a resume 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 yo u r CV? W hy / why not?
2 How w ould you organise th e in fo rm a tio n in your CV? Put 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 under each heading? M ake
suggestions fo r each heading.
a c o m p u te r skills g p ublications
b disserta tio n s h research experience
c education i study abroad
d grants and awards j teaching experience
e personal info rm a tio n k technical skills
f presentations 1 travel
8 a 1.3 Eriko is getting advice from Susana ab ou t w riting her CV. Use th e list
in Exercise 7 b to com plete th e headings Eriko will use.
Personal Inform ation
(1) -------------------
Research Experience
Technical Skills
(2) -----------------------
P ublications
( 3 ) ________________ and ( 4 ) _________________
P resentations
b Look a t Eriko's list in Exercise 8 a and com pare it with your ideas from
Exercise 7b. Did you choose th e same headings and put them in th e same
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 TW O things does Susana say

ab ou t how a CV should be organised?
9 3 In pairs, look a t an extract from th e CV o f a student, Carlos, on page 8 6 .

According to Susanas 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 When 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 other p a rt
o f Carloss CV and then answer th e questions below.
One of my research focuses was to

examine the relationship between The research for my PhD focused on the
vegetation and the hydroperiod by analysis f the intra- and inter-annual
producing detailed graphical profiles. variability of perilagoonal vegetation.
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1 W hat kind o f w ord comes firs t in each b u lle t point? How is this w ord form ed?
2 Why does he move to exam ine the re la tio n sh ip between vegetation and the
h yd ro p e rio d to th e end o f th e firs t sentence?
C Rewrite th e following sentences as bullet points.

1 M y main research focus was to generate specific carbohydrate oligom ers by
using pure cloned enzymes.
2 D uring my project, I focused on the creation o f a new CD4 positive HeLa cell
clone.
3 As p a rt o f the Cell Wall Genomics team , I have developed sensitive m ethods
to determ ine the fine s tru c tu re o f pectins in maize.
4 I have been involved in in ve stig atin g the way the m yocardium adapts
follow ing exercise, p a rtic u la rly the a d a p ta tio n th a t takes place a t the sub-
cellular level.
10 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 at is th e corre ct o rd e r o f in fo rm a tio n in a cita tio n ? N um ber the item s in
the 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 paper has n o t yet been published, w h a t do you w rite instead o f the
volume and pa g e ?
3 If th e pa per has been s u b m itte d (given) to a jo u rn a l b u t n o t yet accepted,
w ha t do you w rite instead o f the 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 .
1 S u b m itte d m anuscript. / (2011) / Hernandez Sanchez, R. and Alvarez, C.M . /
S alinity and intra-annual v a ria b ility o f perilagoonal v e g e ta tio n
2 E nvironm ental M a n agem ent Review / (2011) / D eclining peri-dunal
v a ria b ility in D ohana / In press. / Hernandez 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 vegetation / Vol 2. / Spanish
H ydrology Journal / (2010) / Hernandez Sanchez, R. and Alvarez, C.M.
11 Think ab ou 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.

Preparing for an interview
12 Read th e extract o f an email to Eriko from
D r Caroline Hansford of SARF and then answer and w e plan to hold interviews in
th e following questions. the final w eek o f July. Your interview
has been scheduled fo r Thursday
1 How w ill Eriko be interviewed?
28 July at 0900GM T. As you are
2 W hat does she have to do before the interview?
currently based in the UK, w e will be
3 Why m ig h t th is interview be p a rtic u la rly d ifficu lt?
interviewing you by conference call.
13 a Eriko has decided to w rite her presentation and Please w rite b a ck to us to confirm
then to m em orise it. In pairs, make a note of the your availability fo r this date and tim e
advantages and disadvantages of: W e will be asking all interviewees to
reading yo u r presentation from a scrip t deliver a short presentation o f their
m em orising th e s crip t o f your presentation research proposal at interview. In
n o t using a s c rip t (using notes only) your case, w e w ould like to ask you
to upload a video of yourself giving
b 1.4 Eriko has asked Carlos to com m ent on her such a presentation no later than
p resentation. Listen to Erikos firs t tw o a ttem p ts W ednesday 20 July.
and answer th e following questions.
1 How do you th in k Eriko feels?
2 W hat com m ent does Carlos make on her firs t a tte m p t?
C W h at advice do you think Carlos might give to Eriko on her second attem pt?
d 1.5 Listen to Carloss feedback. Com plete th e notes below.
m e m m m t m
Good'
Remembered everytbirg
Spoke more ( 1 ) _________ _ _
Speed O K
Practise more:
(la ke important words ( 2 ) ______________ and
( 3 ) ---------------------
Ran uben to ( 4 ) _____________
Practise ( 5 ) words many times
Ask an ( 6 ) ( 7 ) ______________ to
record your presentation so you can copy tbem-
e 1.6 Listen to Eriko practising th e introduction to her presentation again.

1 Has she follow ed all o f Carloss advice?
2 Does the presentation sound b e tte r now?
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 Im cu rre n tly ...
2 M y research focuses on ...
3 This is useful because ...
4 For example, ...
5 However, there are a num ber o f problem s w ith ...
Complete the phrases in Exercise 13 f with information th a t is true for you.

Then practise saying the sentences, paying attention to stress and intonation.
Im agine you are giving a short presentation like Eriko. Either: Choose a
topic in your own research area and plan a short presentation (about 7 0
words). Plan where you will pause and which words you will stress, as in
Exercise 1 3f. Then m em orise th e te x t. Or: Using th e audioscript, mem orise
the beginning o f Erikos presentation. Then take turns to deliver your
presentation to a partner. Give feedback on each o th e rs 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 During your interview

Find o u t e x a c tly w h o y o u will b e ta lk in g to D o n 't b e ( 5 ) ____________ I
C h e c k w h e th e r th e y will b e a b le to Use y o u r ( 6 ) _____________ to s o u n d
(1 ) _____________yo u o r ju s t h e a r yo u c o n fid e n t a n d e n th u s ia s tic
C h e c k th e d a te , tim e , th e Do n o t ( 7 ) _____________ p a p e rs
(2 ) _____________to d ia l in o n , a n d th e (this will m a k e a n o ise )
rig h t c o d e to a c c e s s th e c o n fe re n c e c a ll Sit in a ( 8 ) __________ d o not
R ea d y o u r C V a n d ( 3 ) ____________ m o v e a b o u t to o m u c h
a g a in S p e a k v e ry clearly,
Practise a n s w e rin g q u e s tio n s yo u m ig h t (9 ) ____________ th e m ic ro p h o n e
b e a ske d W h e n th e in te rv ie w is over,
P repare ( 4 ) ____________ to ask th e (10 ) _____________ th e in te rvie w e r(s)
in te rvie w e r a n d e n d po sitive ly
Look a t th e com pleted advice in Exercise 14 a . Which do you think are the
th ree best pieces o f advice? Why?
Im agine you a re being interview ed fo r a jo b o r a fellowship. In pairs, make

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

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Communicating with scientific communities

a M atch th e m ethods o f communication (1 - 6 ) to th e pictures (af).
1 an academic jo u rn a l 4 a p o p u la r science magazine
2 a conference 5 a p o p u la r science book
3 an online forum 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 rtan 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 fields o f science?
In pairs, read th e following statem ents and say which form (s) of
communication from Exercise 1a th e speakers should use to find the
inform ation they want.
I'm tr y in g t o le a rn m o re a b o u t th e H a d ro n c o llid e r I'm h a v in g a p ro b le m

because it's b ig new s, b u t it's n o t even close t o m y w it h o n e o f m y
a re a so I'm fin d in g th e p a p e rs o n it h e a v y -g o in g . p ro to c o ls . I've tr ie d a
fe w d iffe r e n t th in g s , b u t
w it h n o lu c k - I c o u ld d o
A t m y u n iv e rs ity , I d o n 't m e e t e n o u g h p e o p le in w it h som e s u g g e s tio n s
m y fie ld - I re a lly n e e d t o n e tw o r k a n d b u ild som e fr o m o th e r p e o p le o f
c o n n e c tio n s w it h p e o p le w o r k in g a ro u n d th e w o rld . w h a t t o t r y n e x t.
14 Unit 2 The scientific community

2 a Read th e following five extracts and then say which form (or form s) of
communication from Exercise 1 a each one comes from . Which form (s) of
communication are not included in these extracts?
A ... m ore people were pain-free when using the handheld device than those
who had used an identical dum m y device. A lthough the study by Lipton
e t al. (2010) has reliable results, there are some points to consider when
p u ttin g these fin d in gs into context. Im portantly, the results w ill need to be
verified in larger tria ls th a t d ire ctly com pare ...
B Tea and coffee d rinkers have a low er risk o f developing type 2 diabetes,
a large body o f evidence shows. And the p rotection may n o t be down
to caffeine since decaf coffee has the 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 rapidly generated by le n tiviru s-m e d ia te d transgenesis. RNAi also

holds gre a t prom ise as a novel th e ra p e u tic approach. This re p o rt provides
an insig ht in to th e cu rre n t gene silencing techniques in m am m alian systems.
D Hi! Has anyone had any experiences w ith nanoparticles sticking to glassware
:- ( ? If so, does anyone know if th e re s a suitable silylation protocol to
p re -tre a t the glassware to do som ething a b o u t th is annoying non-specific
adsorptio n? Thanks!
E A nim al and in vitro studies suggest th a t aspirin may in h ib it breast cancer

metastasis. We studied w h e th e r aspirin use am ong women w ith breast
cancer decreased th e ir risk o f death from breast cancer. This was a
prospective observational study based on ...
b How easy was it to decide where extracts came from? How did you decide
on th e right answer?
3 3 The language we use changes according to why we are w riting fthe

pu rpose) and who we are w riting fo r fthe re a d e r). It is im p o rtan t to notice
th e d ifferen t styles o f language used in English. Com plete th e second
column o f th e ta b le below, carefully reading th e a p p ro p ria te extract (A -E ).
Feature Examples Extract
1 Asks the reader questions Has anyone had ... ? D
D
2 Uses multi-word verbs (a verb with an adverb R
or a preposition) do something about D
3 Uses exclamation marks and emoticons Hi! D
D
4 Uses non-specific references to the work of R
other researchers
5 Uses specific references to the work of other A
researchers
6 Uses impersonal phrases to avoid saying 'You' there are some points to consider A
or 'We' E
7 Uses passive verbs to avoid saying who A
carries out a process can be rapidly generated C
8 Uses Latin language expressions et al. A
E
Unit 2 The scientific community 15

Which o f th e features in th e tab le ( 1 - 8 ) are a p prop riate
fo r form al fo r scientific research papers? Which are
ap prop riate fo r personal communication (such as email)?

1 When you have a problem a t w ork, who 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 your question answered?
Read th ree 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 the question
b say w hat the problem is
c th a n k the reader
How are th e questions in th e Subject field

o f each post d iffe re n t from norm al
questions?
Subject: Filovirus Host Range?
Think o f a question related to your own (1) Does anybody know what the host
research. Then w rite a three-sentence range is for filoviruses (i.e. Ebola and
post fo r an online forum in an a p p ro p ria te Marburg)? (2) I know that they can infect
style using th e phrases in th e box to help most (all?) types of mammals and several
you. species of birds, but I cant find the
actual host range anywhere. (3) Any help
Does anybody know w h a t ... is ... ? here would be appreciated.
I know t h a t ... , b u t I cant fin d / d o n t B
know ... Subject: materials which x-rays cant
I was w ondering how / w h a t / why ... pass through?
I d o n t mean ... , b u t ... (1) Ive been looking for a while now, but
In o th e r words, ... I cant find anything telling me what the
Any help here w ould be appreciated. radiopaque materials are. (2) In other
words, which materials cant x-rays pass
Thanks in advance.
through? (3) Thanks in advance.

Subject: Quality of scientific writing
1 W hat kinds o f te x t do you need to w rite
considered in peer review?
in English fo r your w ork o r studies?
2 Why is it im p o rta n t to w rite yo u r te x ts in (1) I was wondering how important
an a p p ro p ria te style? the quality of the writing of a submitted
3 W hat can you do to take note o f the paper is in the peer review process.
d iffe re n t styles o f language used in English (2) I don't mean the quality of the data,
texts? 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

Writing a critical review
6 a Read th e headlines and beginnings o f two news
articles rep o rting a recent scientific developm ent.
Then answer th e questions below.
T he 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
givin g your sw eetheart sw eets for Valentines Day .
N ew Evidence That Dark C hocolate Helps Ease Em otional Stress

The chocolate c u re for em otional stress is getting new su p p o rt from a
nuWished ...
W M M jP
1 Do you th in k the claims m ade in the headlines seem likely o r unlikely? Why?
2 In general, how can the science re p o rte d in th e m edia d iffe r from the actual
science? Why do you th in k there is a difference?
3 If you w anted to learn m ore a b o u t the research you see re p o rte d in the
newspaper, w here could you look fo r m ore in form ation?
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 critica 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 critical review if Ive only read the abstract?
3 How should I approach the reading? W hat 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 the relevant b its o f the te xt?
b B efore reading, Ryuchi w rites seven questions to help him. M atch the
questions (1 - 7 ) to th e section o f th e research p ap er below where you
would expect to find th e answer.
1 W h at variables were investigated?

2 How did the authors in te rp re t the results?
Introduction:
3 W hat were th e main findings?
M e th o d :___
4 W hy is th is research relevant?
R esu lts:____
5 W ho/W hat was studied?
Discussion: _
6 W hat procedure was used?
7 W h at was the hypothesis?

C Ryuchi has taken notes on th e research p ap er th a t was re p o rted in th e news
headlines in Exercise 6 a . Use th e glossary (pages 1 1 7 - 1 2 5 to check the
meaning o f th e words in th e box.
anxiety assessment classify consumption hormone metabolic microbiota

participant trial period urine
d Read th e Summary 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-living subjects' I Proteome Pes, 8 (12.), pp 55b8-
cm .
Section of paper Summary Opinion
Method: 30 '(oung health') adults small sample

4o g of dark chocolate/da') * l4 da'js ( 1) . trial period
(2.0 g am, 20 g pm)
p re -tria l assessment of ankiet') levels using 2 groups further

using questionnaires (2) sample site
participants classified as high or low
aro-iet)
da^s I, 8, 15 - blood and urine samples didn't look at changes in

taken P) levels or reported
analysed changes in cortisol and (4)
catecholamines in urine energy Nlo (5) group
metabolism and gut microbial activities on!') '(oung health') participants
P-esults: reduction in stress hormones in the

urine fo r all the participants
less difference between groups in energy
metabolism and gut microbial activity
Discussion: 4o g of dark chocolate a da'j fo r two can't prove that (6)

weeks can change metabolism caused the changes
could have long-term effects on health need more people with the
(7) anx.iet') levels
give either chocolate or a
(8)
look at long-term stress, anwet'), health and
(9) changes
should use a (1 0 ) trial
e 2.2 B efore w riting 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 Ryuchis notes, discuss in pairs w h eth er you think
th e research is:
credible? significant?
original? valid?
@ reliable?
18 Unit 2 The scientific community

a Read two extracts from Ryuchis com pleted critical review and answer the
questions.
1 Do the extracts include all the main points from Ryuchis notes in Exercise 7d?
2 Which e x tra c t (A o r B) ...
a sum m arises p a rt o f th e research?
b gives an evaluation?
A 30 young h e a lth y adu lts com pleted a p re-trial q u estio n n a ire to assess th e ir an x iety levels
an d b ased o n this, th e y w ere classified as e ith e r h ig h o r low anxiety. A ll p a rtic ip a n ts ate
40 g o f d ark chocolate a dav fo r 14 davs. O n davs 1. 8 an d 15 u rin e an d blood sam ples
w ere ta k e n an d changes in cortisol an d catech o lam in es in th e u rin e w ere analvsecl. as
w ell as energy m etabolism a n d gut m icrobial activity. T h e research fo u n d th a t afte r 14
davs. th e level o f stress h o rm o n es in th e u rin e w as red u ced in all p articip an ts. In ad dition,
th e re w as less difference b etw e en th e tw o groups in energy m etabolism an d g u t m icrobial
activity.
B O ne problem w ith th e research is th e sm all sam ple size fonlv 30 peoplel w h ic h w as

f u rth e r divided in to sm aller groups. T h e re w as also n o co n tro l group in th e study,
m aking it im possible to conclude th a t chocolate w as th e cause o f th e changes seen ra th e r
th a n som e o th e r facto r su ch as o th e r food or d rin k , lifestyle change or activ ity level.
F u rth e rm o re , onlv voung h ea lth v adults w ere investigated an d so th e resu lts c a n n o t be
applied to th o se w h o are older o r have pre-existing h e a lth issues.
b Read th e six extracts below from a critical review of another paper. Replace
the underlined phrases with an underlined expression from Exercise 8a.
a A b a d th ing a b o u t this research is there were only 2 0 participants. A n o th e r

p roblem is all the subjects were hospital employees,
b A ls o , the blood flow in th e brachial a rte ry was measured before they drank
the coffee, and 3 0 and 6 0 m inutes after,
c The researchers looHed a t how the blood flow changed.
d The re s u lt o f the research was th a t the people who d ra n k caffeinated coffee
had decreased blood flow to th e ir u p per arm .
e The results m ia h t n o t be the sam e fo r the general population. There was
also no m easurem ent o f th e changes in blood pressure and blood flow a fte r
one hour, so we c a n t know when blood flow returns to norm al,
f 2 0 subjects, between the ages o f 2 5 and 5 0 , who 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 our later.

C Put extracts a - f in the correct order 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 interested in and then m ake a
tab 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 mem bers o f a laboratory. Then in
pairs, answer the questions below.
o
: * i m,
t o .. Nguyen Thanh Binh, M arc Fiedler, Tasha Doran, Pardip J o h a l...
IT 3 From... Liam Sands

Send
subject... Re: Technology Transfer - a reminder
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. What are the key issues that you must think about?
1 W hat is the purpose o f the email?

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 your field?
3 W hat do you th in k are the 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 hat do I do now?? D Your research is valuable - to others!
B Always read the sm all p rin t! E Who, me?
C Look out! There may be a
th ie f about!
1 ___________
Sooner or later someone in your field is going to ask you for some materials. Never send out any
material without first checking if a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is needed.
2 ___________
Don't leave sensitive information, notebooks, etc. open on your desk or in unlocked rooms at the end
of the day. You never know who 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 youre not sure.
4 ________________
Yes, you! Your research may have a commercial application. Always talk possible applications over
with your supervisor or division head/director before you publish.
5 _________________
If you are still none the wiser, or unsure about any of the issues in this email, please talk to your group
leader or contact me (Liam Sands) at the Technology Transfer Office.
Unit 2 The scientific community

1 Does yo u r place o f w o rk o r study have s im ila r rules to those in the email?
2 W hat kind o f m a te ria ls require an MTA?
3 W hat kind o f in fo rm a tio n w ould you expect to be asked fo r in an MTA?
11 3 Binh, a biochemist, is com pleting an

M TA to receive some samples from a MATERIAL TRANSFER FORM
tissue bank in th e UK. Read th e M TA SECTION A
form on th e right. Does this M TA (to be completed when sending or receiving material):
ask fo r th e kind o f inform ation you Recipient Researcher: b r Alina. Pio-trowgkA__________
discussed in your answer to question
Recipient In s titu tio n & Address: _<ckool oT Biological
3 in Exercise 10c?
4ciaAcag. UAivargj-ty o f -the, iiou-th. CFO Box 2010
b 2.3 Binhs supervisor Alina is helping Provider Researcher: Livarsool Tiggua &AAk___________
him to com plete th e M TA. Listen and Material Name: BraAg-t tiggiAa MicroArrAyg -
com plete Section A by circling the wax e.Mbe.dde.d ~fcitAe.
correct option ( 1 - 8 ) . Is this work involved with existing
commercial arrangements? (1) Yes / No
C Binh has to w rite a b rie f lay summary
of w hat th e m aterial will be used fo r Does the work involving the material
in Section B o f th e M TA. In pairs, have commercial potential? (2) Yes / No
discuss th e following questions. Is th is material hazardous? (3) Yes / No
1 W hat do you th in k a la y su m m a ry is? Is BioSafety Committee Approval required? (4) Yes / No
2 W hat kind o f language should Binh Is Ethics Committee Approval required? (5) Yes / No
use o r avoid when w ritin g it?
I f required, has Ethics and/or BioSafety
3 Who w ill p ro b a b ly read the
Approval been received? (6 ) Yes / No
sum m ary?
4 Why do you th in k th e MTA asks fo r Who w ill own the IP in any
the sum m ary to be w ritte n in th is modifications to, or data collected (7) University /
way? on the material? Other / Joint
W ill any University of the South
students be involved in using the material? (8) Yes / No
d Com plete Binhs lay sum m ary using th e phrases in th e box.
different types of material is samples of

SECTION B
The aim of the research is to investigate
(to be completed when receiving material):
w ill be stained to show
Brief lay summary of what the material is and what i t w ill
12 Think o f some m ate ria l you often use in be used for:
your lab. W rite a b rie f lay sum m ary of The (1) _________________________ huiwAA breASt
what th e m ate rial is and w h at it will be tiggwa, both AorwAl AAd froM (2) _________________
used for, sim ilar to th e one Binh w rote tiAMour. T V -tiggua (3) _________________________
in Exercise 11 d. axpraggioA o f -the. Nek-2 protaiA, a protaiA which
hAS bea<\ ghowA -to be overexpraggad iA oAa clAgg
oT tuMowrg. (4) _________________________ Nak-2
expraggioA iA vAriowg -tiAMowr -typag AAd ^rAdeg.

Finding a direction for
UNIT 3
Doing a Literature review
Using evidence in arguing a
point
Taking part in a meeting
boxfish
beetle
te rm ite
m ound
p la n t m osquito
leaves
Doing a literatu 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 natural phenomenon in th e pictures above do you think inspired

each o f th e following inventions?
1 a ir-cond itio n e d buildings
2 body a rm o u r
3 super-aerodynam ic car
4 painless hypoderm ic needle
5 harvesting w a te r from fog
6 solar cells th a t follow the 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 nu m b e r o f d iffe re n t subject areas. W hat disciplines do you th in k
m ig h t be included in a biom im etics group?
22 Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research

pow der c o a tin g ^
Pia is a m aterials scientist. She would like to find a more 'in je c t io n
efficient way o f coating m etallic bone im plants with p la s m a g a s -
c a th o d e
hydroxyapatite (HA), 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
a anode
s p ra y s tre a m o f
m o lte n p a r tic le s
im p la n t '
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 c o a tin g

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 and answer the
following questions.
1 W hat do you th in k the problem 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 wvith CaP? (Clue:
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
experim ent?
2 How can you fin d research papers which w ill be relevant to yo u r area?
3 W ha t m ig h t Pias n e xt step be a fte r she has read some of the literature?
Look a t th e extracts from th e lite ra tu re which Pia has found. Which

extract(s) describe:
1 why CaP is used on m etallic bone im plants
2 th e advantages o f CaP-coated im plants
3 the disadvantages o f using plasm a-spraying to CaP-coat metal
g
All coatings were found Uncemented HA-coated Plasma-sprayed coatings
to undergo significant implants had better survival have an irregular surface,
plasma-spraying-induced rates than the uncoated, and always contain some
changes. Specifically, cemented ones. holes throughout their
hydroxyapatite (HA) (Havelin, L.I., Engesteter, thickness. (Pilliar, R.M.,
partly decomposed to L.B., Espehaug, B., Furnes, 2005)
a-T C P and tetra calcium O., Lie, S.A. and Vollset,
phosphate. (Radin, S.R. S.E., 2000)
and Ducheyne, P., 1992)
Surface engineering of Since 1985, it has been
biomaterials is aimed at reported that HA coatings
modifying the biological on metallic implants can
?"..
responses while still successfully enhance clinical
D
maintaining the mechanical success, and a less than 2%
properties of the implant. failure rate was reported
Therefore, there has been during a mean follow-up
research to develop CaP- study of 10 years. (Yang, Y.,
based surface coatings on Kim, K-H. and Ong, J.L.,
various metals for implant 2005)
applications. (Paital, S.R. and
Dahotre, N.B., 2009)
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 investigation into 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 aller parts
8 to im prove th e quality, a m o u n t o r strength 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 plants
2 tw o advantages o f CaP-coated im plants
3 tw o problem s there are o f using plasm a-spraying to CaP-coat metal
e Pia has w ritten 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 Pias 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 the process?
2 Has she used the same w ords as the o riginal a uthors did in extracts 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 of metallic bone implants is often sprayed with calcium
phosphates (CaPs) to improve 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
plasma-spraying process causes CaP input powders to break down into other
compounds such as tetra calcium phosphate (Radin and Ducheyne, 1992).
In a lite ratu re review, it is im p o rtan 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 relate to each other.
Look a t Pias sum m ary again and answer th e following question.
W hat w ord o r phrase does Pia use to show th a t:
a there is a co 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 00)?
b Radin and Ducheynes (1 9 9 2 ) research shows a n o th e r problem w ith
spraying, d iffe re n t from P illia r (2005)?

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-wave Nd:YAG laser system to m e lt a

CaP precursor on H - 6 A I- 4 V su b stra te ___________________________ , Paital
e t al. (2 0 0 9 ) used a pulsed Nd:YAG laser system.
2 Coating crysta llin ity was observed to increase a t higher tem peratures.
, sp u tte re d coatings heat-treated in the
presence 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 Thiriau e t al. (2 0 0 8 ) showed th a t the 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 the CaP coating 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 complex
tissue such as b o n e .__________________________ , creating three-
dim ensional features o r te x tu re s on the surface o f a b io m a te ria l is becoming
a reality.
5 S liding an d /o r v ib ra to ry m otions resulted in adhesion and cohesion at the
interface o f the tw o surfaces , adhesive damage
caused bound particles to tra n s fe r from one surface to the other.
h The linking words in Exercises 3 f and 3g show a relationship between two

different 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 Pias summary in
Exercise 3e and:
com bine sentences (2) and (3) by replacing However, w ith a nd o r but.
com bine sentences (3) and (4) by replacing In a ddition, w ith a nd o r but.
1 We can describe th e relationships between sentences (2), (3) and (4) in

Pias sum m ary in d iffe re n t ways. In pairs, look a t th e four ways below of
organising th e sentences and then decide which way (a -d ) is best. Think
about th e style and th e effect 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).
c (Sentence 2) b u t (Sentence 3). In a d d itio n , (Sentence 4).
d (Sentence 2) b u t (Sentence 3) and (Sentence 4).
Look a t an o th er extract from Pias 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 of 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).

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 perties 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 the ground rather
than being above it like a cloud. Fog is made up
o f tin y w ater droplets, which are usually around
10 pm in diameter. Fog form s when the air cools to
a p o in t where it can no longer hold all o f th e w ater
vapour it contains (the dew point). The w ater vapour
therefore condenses into tin y liquid w ater droplets,
on surfaces such as the ground, roofs or around
m icroscopic particles such as dust and pollutants in
th e air. The w ater droplets are hydrophilic, th a t is
they a ttra ct o th e r w ater droplets, and so once the
process has begun, larger drops o f w ater can form .
Rayna is doing a PhD in environm ental science. She has been investigating
w ater-harvesting mechanisms. She is w riting to Bryn, her PhD supervisor.
Read an extract from her email and then answer th e questions below.
... wondering if I could arrange a meeting with you some time next week? Id like to discuss an idea
for a possible new direction to take our research in.
Basically, Ive 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 water 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 water rolls down into the beetles 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 Id like to ...
1 W hat is the difference between (super-)hydrophilic and (super-)hydrophobic?

2 W hat does Rayna hope to design?
3 W hat 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 Raynas email.

C om pare your diagram with th e one in th e key on page 106.
3.1 Listen to Rayna and Bryns m eeting. Is Bryn interested in

R aynas idea? W hy / why not?
3.1 Listen again and answer th e questions.

1 Why does Bryn th in k Raynas idea is m ore com plicated than the
lotus-inspired design?
2 Why does Rayna th in k her m aterial w ould be m ore efficie n t than
th e lotus-inspired design?
3 Why does Rayna think her material would be more effective than fog-catching nets?
4 W hat tw o uses does Rayna suggest fo r her m aterial?
5 Which use is Bryn m ost interested in?
Unit 3 Finding a direction for your research

5 a When 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 ust be less efficie n t because they have holes in them .
I th in k nets m ust be less efficie n t because of the holes in them .
They have holes in them , so I th in k nets m ust be less efficient.
1 ________________ the wave o f dep o la risa tio n running along the cell, a series
o f new action pote n tia ls is triggered.
2_________________ th e m agnitude o f the energy loss is g re a te r fo r
phosphorescence than fo r fluorescence, phosphorescence occurs a t longer
w avelengths than fluorescence.
3 The inte rna l dynam ics o f the proton are c o m p lic a te d ________________ they
are dete rm ined by th e quarks exchanging gluons.
4 Root g ravitropism influences the p la n t m ore than ro o t hydrotropism ,
________________ hydrotropism is d iffic u lt to observe in vivo.
5 The rem aining subjects were excluded from the a n a ly s is ________________
missing data.
b 3.2 Listen to this extract from Rayna and Bryns 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 aterial 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 wouldnt be / 1 dont
believe it would be any b e tte r than the lotus-inspired surfaces Meera
and Zein are w o rkin g on.
Rayna: T h a ts true, but it seems to me th a t / but th is w ould be m ore efficient.
C Look a t th e altern 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 polite by using th e less certain and less
direct kind o f language in Exercise 5b.
1 I th in k th a t bio m im e tic solar panels which move w ith the sun can be created
by using alte rn a tive 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 ck the sun are p ro b a b ly m ore efficie n t a t generating
pow er than those in a fixe d position.
6 Think of an issue which people in your field often argue about. Then in
pairs, argue fo r or against th e point. Rem em ber to use evidence to support
your view and phrases to sound polite, as in Exercises 5 a and 5b.

Taking part in a meeting
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 hat m ig h t be d iffic u lt a b o u t having a m eeting in English, a p a rt from the
language d ifficu ltie s you m ig h t have?
b ^ 3.3 Listen to four 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 eepak and Ali work to g e th e r as p a rt o f a team developing

biom im etic adhesives by mimicking th e way geckos stick to surfaces. Read
th e inform ation below. Then in pairs, answer th e following questions.
1 How does the physical structure o f the geckos fo o t help it to stick to surfaces?
2 How does th e way the gecko places its fo o t help it to stick?
3 How do gecko toes become u nstuck?
4 Why does d irt n o t collect on the geckos 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 locomotor 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 geckos foot, which therefore becomes clean.

b 3.4 Sarah, D eepak and Ali are holding th e ir monthly research meeting.
Sarah is th e team leader, D eepak is a senior research assistant and Ali
is a junior research assistant. Listen to th e beginning of th e m eeting and
answer th e questions.
1 W hat has Deepak been doing d iffe re n tly in his recent study?
2 W hat does A li ask him a b o u t a t the end o f the conversation?
C In your opinion, is A lis question a t th e end o f this extract relevant or

irrelevant to th e discussion? Why?
d ^ 3.5 Listen to th e next p a rt o f th e meeting. Is Ali satisfied with D eepaks

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 your answ er to th e questions in Exercise 8c still the same, o r have you
changed your m ind?
2 Does Deepak th in k A lis question was relevant? Why?
9 a During th e m eeting, Ali in terru pts both Sarah and D eepak several times.
Do you think it is a p p ro p ria te fo r a junior scientist to in te rru p t a n d/o r be
critical o f a senior colleagues ideas? W hy / why not?
b When you w ant to in te rru p t someone, it is im p o rtan t to sound polite. Three

ways you can do this are to use:
could o r can to make th e in te rru p tio n into a question.
s o rry to show the listener m ig h t n o t like w h a t youre going to do.
ju s t to show th a t you are n o t going to ta lk fo r too long.
Look a t Audioscripts 3 . 4 - 3 . 6 on pages 9 3 - 9 4 . Which phrases does Ali use

to interrupt?
10 a 3.7 Listen to five extracts from th e conversation between Sarah, D eepak

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 ________________youre clear on the adhesion mechanism now, Ali?
3 T h ats O K _________________ , so as I was saying, w h a t Ive been looking a t
[fade out) is th e effect o f th e geom etric ...
4 ________________ , because we now know th a t they are curved, weve ...
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 examples o f words with this function in Audioscripts 3 . 4 - 3 . 6
on pages 9 3 - 4 ?
11 Work 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 regular 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 where necessary.

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

1 3 The scientific m ethod is a process in which experim ental observations are
used to answer questions. Com 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
a n a ly s e _______ design __
c o lle c t________ d ra w ___
conduct (or run) fo r m ___
H d e fin e _________ in te rp re t
b N um ber th e stages ( 1 - 8 ) in th e o rd er you would norm ally do them .
C Read this extract from a student website and check your answers to
Exercise 1 b.
The scientific m ethod is a process in w hich experim ental observations are used to answ er
questions. S cientists use th e scientific m ethod to search fo r relationships between item s.
T hat is, experim ents are designed so th a t one variable is changed and th e effects of
th e change observed. W h ile the exact m ethodologies used vary fro m field to field, the
overall process is th e sam e. First, th e scie n tist m u st define th e question - w h a t exactly
they are 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 the
m ethod is th e design of an experim ent w hich will allow th is hypothesis to be te ste d . Usually
a p rim a ry run of th e experim ent is conducted, and any changes to the experim ental set
up made. 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 scie n tist is able to draw conclusions.
30 Unit 4 Designing an experiment

d Read th e extract 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 summaries o f five experim ents. Read each summary and
then choose which word correctly completes th e heading.
1 P ractical / Theoretical research
M urra y Gell-M ann and George Zweig proposed th a t particles such as
protons and neutrons were n o t elem entary particles, b u t instead were
com posed o f com binations o f quarks and antiquarks.
2 Field / L abo ratory experim ent
M a rk-and-recapture 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 xternal / In tern a l validity
A proton may
The students were carefully m atched fo r social status, subject area, ethnicity,
consist o f quarks
education level, parental sm oking, and exposure to targeted advertising.
and a n tiq u a rks
4 Descriptive / E xperim ental study
The a m o u n t o f soy products eaten by each p a rtic ip a n t was assessed a t the
s ta rt o f the study. D uring the 3 0 years o f the study, th e w om ens incidence
o f breast cancer was recorded.
5 Q u alitative I Q u an titative research
To investigate the effect o f eating d a rk chocolate on stress levels, a blood
sam ple was taken and the levels o f stress horm ones measured. A fte r eating
the 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 altern ative heading in 1 - 5 o f Exercise 2 a (for example, an experim ent
which is practical not theoretical)?
3 3 Silvana is a research assistant working 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 hat do you th in k are the benefits o f using hydrogen as an energy source?
2 In w hat situ a tio n s o r a pplications 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
what you think th e advantages and disadvantages of each one might 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 onto 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 Which 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 the end o f th e conversation, how does D om inique suggest Silvana should
begin this phase o f her research?
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 her research.
carbonisation te m p e ra tu re typ e o f hydroxide - potassium (KOH)
heating rate o r sodium (NaOH)
nitrogen 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 not investigating all th e possible

variables? Do you agree with her?
f Com plete th e following summary on variables using th e words in th e box.
affects collecting controlled data dependent independent
How much a va riable (1) . a re lationship can be discovered

by ( 2 ) ---------- experim ental (3) ________________ on changes to the
relatio nsh ip as th e va ria b le is changed. In an e xperim ent, there w ill be:
one ( 4 ) variable - th is is the feature you are m easuring
____________ variables - these are th e variables which
one o r m ore ( 5 ) ____________
you change
one o r m ore ( 6 ) ____________ . variables - these are n o t being tested and
so they stay the same.
g Silvana wants to investigate th e effect o f th e d iffe re n t hydroxides (N aO H

o r KOH) on hydrogen adsorption in th e carbon fibres.
1 In th is investigation, which o f the variables in Exercise 3d w ill be
independent and which controlled?
2 W hat w ill be th e dependent variable?
4 a Look a t th e extracts (a - f) from Silvana and Dom iniques discussion. Then

answer th e questions below.
a M avbe you could look a t the ad 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 ratios o f hydroxide to carbon fib re s a n o th e r variable,
d Perhaps I could s ta rt w ith looking ju s t a t a couple o f d iffe re n t ratios,
e You m ig h t be able to ju s t look a t the papers you m entioned,
f M avbe 111 have a ta lk to M a u ritz a b o u t th e adso rp tio n protocols hes been
using.
1 Do these sentences refer to the present o r the future?
2 Are they used to discuss plans o r suggestions?
3 W hat parts o f speech are th e underlined words?
4 W hat p a rt o f speech are the w ords in bold?
b In pairs, role play a discussion between a researcher

and a supervisor ab o u t th e effect o f te m p e ra tu re and
rainfall on th e population o f th e mosquito Aedes
albopictus. First, decide which type of experim ent
(from Exercise 2a) should be used to investigate the
effects. Then discuss w h at th e variables in the
exp 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 pticu s

Designing an experimental set-up
M atch th e instrum ents ( 1 - 8 ) to th e pictures (a -h ).
1 calipers 3 geiger co u n te r 5 litm us paper 7 seismograph
2 dynam o m ete r 4 in te rfe ro m e te r 6 oscilloscope 8 spectrom eter
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 instrum 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 take 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 for an experim ental set-up with M auritz,
a more experienced researcher. In pairs, look carefully a t Silvanas 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 KO H or N aO H
ratio FI I I0 :l based on (b) _____
Sample tray - use unreactive material, e.g. (c)

or (d) (ask Maun tz )
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?
(ask Flauntz)
Maybe add (g) ___________________ mechanism later
5 Flou controller
(d (h ) ___________________ flou - 5 0 0 m l/m in.

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

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 Which phrases can we use to sound m ore con fid e n t a b o u t a fu tu re plan?
Which are used to sound m ore te n ta tive (i.e. less confident, m ore cautious)?
Divide the phrases into tw o groups (more con fid e n t and m ore tentative).
2 W hich phrases are follow ed by the i n f i n i t i v e ? Which are followed by a v e r b -ing
form ?
8 a in her notes in Exercise 6 a , Silvana had four questions fo r M a u ritz.

Listen to an extract from th e conversation and answer th e questions.
Sample traV: ceramic or steel?

Use (1)
Inner tube: uhat materiel? Use (?)
uhat si7p? length (3) m/(Jwmetpr cm
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, Id use steel.

2 W h y ____________ you try th a t to s ta rt w ith?
3 I use less than 10 cm.
4 I you should m aintain the te m p e ra tu re fo r 75 minutes.
9 a Think o f an exp erim ent you are planning to do or would like to do in the
future. Draw and label a sketch o f th e set-up as you plan it.
b W o rk in pairs. S tudent 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.
Student B, ask questions fo r clarification (be sure to in te rru p t politely) and
make suggestions if you can. Try to use some o f th e phrases in Exercise 8b.
Then change roles.

Describing material phenomena and forces
Complete th e tab le below using th e extract from th e following research
paper to help you.
A prom ising candidate am ong the different adsorbent materials are activated carbons. Through
activation, highly porous m aterials can be prepared. Due to their high porosity, activated carbon
materials are able to adsorb large am ounts of hydrogen. Following adsorption, hydrogen molecules can
be found at two possible locations: (i) on the surface of the adsorbent, or (ii) as a com pressed gas in
the void space betw een adsorbent particles,
adapted from Konowsky et al. 2009
noun verb adjective

compression compress
adsorb
activate
porous
In pairs, answer th e following questions.

1 W hat noun suffixes are used in th e w ords in the table? Can you th in k o f
other w ords w ith these suffixes?
2 W hat adjective suffixes are used in the words? Can you th in k o f o th e r words
with these suffixes?
3 Why is it useful to know the suffixes fo r d iffe re n t parts o f speech?
The gapped words below all describe physical o r chemical p ro perties 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 much light passes through or comes from a substance
8 m_ss how m uch matter 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 how many small holes are in a substance
11 pr_ss_r_ how much 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 within an object or solid shape

1 Which is m ore reactive, alum inium o r gold?
2 Which is m ore b rittle , glass o r steel?
3 Which is m ore luminescent, copper o r neon?
4 Which is m ore dense, hydrogen o r oxygen?
5 Which is m ore flam m able, ethanol o r w ater?
6 Which is m ore viscous, biood o r w ater?
e Look a t th e adjectives in bold in Exercise lO d and th e related 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 ents tru e (T) o r false (F).

1 To concentrate a solution, add m ore solvent. To d ilu te it, add m ore solute.
2 Copper 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 ater can p e rm e a te lim estone m ore easily than it can g ra 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 extractio n /extract/extracted hydrogen from a w idespread
source - water.
2 A dye appears coloured because its molecules absorb/absorbent/
absorption lig h t from a p a rt o f the visible spectrum .
3 Pewter is an alloy o f usually 8 0 % tin and 20% lead. A dding the lead gives
the alloy a blueish tin g e and increases the m alleability/m alleable.
4 In the near-infrared waveband the reflective/reflect/reflectivity o f w a te r
drops to a lm o st zero.
5 New analyses on A n ta rc tic samples have found no d etect/detectab 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 properties 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 Dominique. Listen to th e conversation and say which
o f th e th ree variables below Silvana thinks will not improve H2 adsorption.
carb onisa tio n te m p e ra tu re s ra tio o f hydroxide to carbon fib re s
the type o f hydroxide (KOH o r NaOH)
b 4.5 Com plete Silvanas 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 will probably
a ( 1 )_____________ low er te m p e ra tu re s increase porosity, the fib re s which are

carbonised a t low er te m p e ra tu re s ( 2 ) _____________ adsorb
( 3 ) _____________hydrogen.
b I really d o n t ( 4 ) _____________ there to be ( 5 ) _____________ difference
( 6 ) ____________ th e sodium and potassium hydroxides.
c (7) _________ the higher ratio will ( 8 ) _____________b e tte r activation of
the fibres 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 fibres are m ore porous, th e y adsorb m ore hydrogen.
1 Which p a rt o f the sentence te lls us a b o u t a possible situation?
2 Which p a rt te lls us a b o u t the result o f th a t situation?
3 Can you rew rite the sentence w ith Fibres as the firs t word?
Now look a t four m ore sentences and answer th e questions which follow.
a If/When the fib re s are m ore porous, they adsorb more hydrogen,
b If the fib re s are m ore porous, they will adsorb m ore hydrogen,
c If the fib re s are m ore porous, they will probably adsorb m ore hydrogen,
d If the fib re s are m ore porous, they might adsorb m ore hydrogen.
1 W hat is the 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 the if-clause in sentences a -d ?
Look a t th e description of th e experim 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 the string back to the release point (a 45 angle) and
tim e how long it takes to swing forward and back 5 times. Add
a second w eight and repeat. Make sure the release point is the
same.
P r e d ic tio n :_____________________________________________________
2 Pull the string back to an angle of 90. Release and tim e how
long it takes for 5 swings. Change the 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.

Describing a process
Evaluating the results of an
experiment lithosphere
Describing problems with an 80 km
experiment
Keeping a lab notebook
metallic liqu
outer core
core 2,3 00 km
3 ,5 0 0 km
solid inner core

1,200 km
Describing a process
1 In pairs, discuss th e following questions.
1 W hat processes do you need to describe in your fie ld of
research? W ho do you describe them for?
2 How much detail do you need to include in your descriptions?
3 W hat do you th in k are the m ost im p o rta n t points to rem em ber
when describing a process fo r o th e r scientists?
2 a Chuyu is researching seismicity (earthquake 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 the E arths m antle be involved in seismicity?
b Chuyu is investigating how th e strength o f d iffe re n t m inerals in the E arth s

m antle changes a t high pressure and tem peratu re, and how this relates
to seismicity. Look a t th e sketch below o f th e process he uses to measure
mineral strength. Using th e diagram , can you describe th e process in your
own words?
38 Unit 5 Describing an experiment

C Read Chuyus 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 ulti-anvil high pressure apparatus was used to generate the high
pressure and tem perature fo r the specimen. (2) The pow dered mineral
sample was placed in to a tube o f rolled rhenium . (3) The rhenium tube was
loaded into a ceramic octahedron. (4) Two tungsten-rhenium therm ocouple
leads w ere attached to th e octahedron. (5) The octahedron was surrounded
by a set o f eigh t tungsten carbide cubes. (6) The cubes w ere placed in to the
space form ed by six secondary anvils in the press.
(7) The press was pum ped up to th e correct pressure. (8) The anvils
transform the directed force o f the hydraulic press to hydrostatic pressure
on the sample. (9) Heating o f the tube was carried o u t using an electrical
current conducted th ro u g h the anvils. (10) Temperature was controlled w ith
a program m able tem perature controller. (11) Energy diffra 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 the material's strength.
3 a Underline th e main verb in each sentence of th e summary 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 alm ost all the sentences?
2 How is th is stru ctu re form ed?
3 Why is th is stru ctu re often used in describing a process?
4 Which main verb is d ifferent? Why?
b When you are reading th e scientific literature, it is useful to record any verb
+ p r e p o s i t i o n com binations you find. Read th e summary again and find a t

least five v e r b + p r e p o s i t i o n combinations.
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 the protein
hydrolysate.
a fo r b from c w ith
2 Many bacteria, such as B acillus spp., can be is o la te d _____________ insects.
a from b to c w ith
3 Subsequently, th e specimens w ere e m b e d d e d ____________
m ethylm ethacrylate.
a at b in c to
4 The sections were s ta in e d _____________ uranylacetate and lead citra te
solutions.
a w ith b to c under
5 MIP-1 (3 was added to wells which had been c o a te d _____________ BSA.
a by b from c w ith
6 pH is m a in ta in e d _____________6 .5 , using W aterlife B uffer and Sera pH
Minus.
a at b in c to
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 hab o s conversation. W h a t tw o changes does
Thabo recommend?
^ 5.2 Listen to th e end o f th e conversation again and follow T h ab o s

instructions to combine th e two sentences below.
The pow dered m ineral sam ple was placed in to a tu b e o f rolled rhenium . The
rhenium tu b e was loaded into a ceram ic octahedron.
d Which word (or words) does Thabo suggest replacing in th e second

sentence? W h a t word replaces it (them)?
e Combine sentences 4 and 5, and then 6 and 7 in Chuyus sum m ary using
which and then. Then com pare your answers with th e key on page 109.
5 a 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 fluid reservoir

the rapid expansion o f supercritical
solutions (RESS) process. (1 )_____________ ,
the supercritical flu id (SF) ( 2 ) ____________
pum ped into th e vessel ( 3 )____________
contained the solid solute. The SF dissolved
and became sa tu ra te d w ith the solute. The
re su lta n t solution was ( 4 ) ____________
in trod uce d into a p re cip ita tio n cham ber by
expansion th ro u g h a laser-drilled nozzle.
The precip ita tio n u n it was m aintained
(5 ) _____________co nditions where the
solute had low s o lu b ility in the SF. As the
SF expanded, its s o lu b ility decreased,
(6 ) _____________resulted in a high degree
o f solute supe rsa tu ra tio n and subsequent
p recip itation.
b Think o f a process you know well. Draw a sketch and w rite a short
description.
Evaluating the results of an experiment

6 a Think ab o u t an exp erim ent you have done recently.
Then in pairs, discuss 1 - 5 .
1 B riefly describe th e experim ental process.
2 Explain w h a t you predicted w ould happen.
3 Describe w h a t a ctually happened.
4 Explain w h a t you learned from the experim ent.
5 Explain w h a t you did as a follow -up to the
experim ent.

_/LLCL/
j . j i v 1 I , i ,, u u
Chuyu has carried out th e procedure he
IKIieOKtOOOOOBOUuuuuuu,,,,^,
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
di-pfe-re-nhal o j v o p * f ^ & 0f , V|^ e
samples. Look a t th e predictions he m ade before a W pe-rovsKif a sam ples w ill g-c u p
wifU pressure.
running his experim ent. Use th e glossary (pages
1 1 7 -1 2 5 ) to check th e m eaning o f the pe-rovsKite. w ill b z s t o n i e r f W
underlined words. o iiv iK it, i.e.. i f w/ f t i e l J la te .r
5.3 Chuyu is discussing th e results with -for olivine-, inc.re-cisin' fW e

Lucia, a colleague. Listen to th e firs t p a rt of f e-n.pzra.furz w ill redute. ie-ld
their conversation and m ark each o f Chuyus s fr z n ^ fU .
predictions with a tick if it was right or a cross if
fo r p&rovsKifz, inc-re-asint) fWe.
it was wrong.
fe-n-pe-m furz w ill rzduo.z U ie-ld
s fr e -n g flz
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 things does Chuyu say he needs to
do in the ne xt experim ental run to verify his results?
2 W hat o th e r explanation does Chuyu give fo r the results?
! 5.3 Chuyu and Lucia ta lk a b ou t th e ir expectations of th e results com pared

with w hat actually happened. Com 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.
1 Right, well, firs tly I th o u g h t. ___________ th e d ifferen tial stress in all
of th e s a m p le s ___________ . go up as the pressure increased, and it
. fo r olivine and fo r perovskite.
2 Right. A n d ,________ I expected, the perovskite was the strongest. It
yielded la te r than olivine.
3 OK, well, I e x p e c te d ____ increasing th e te m p e ra tu re
_____________ reduce yield strength.
Right. A nd th a ts w h a t_____________ happen w ith th e olivine.
Really? I _____________ th e m in e ra ls all be affected by
tem perature.
b Complete th e following tab le using th e expressions in bold in Exercise 7a.

Then answer th e questions below.
Expectations Outcomes
1 Look a t the phrases in the firs t column. Why do the speakers use w o u ld in
these expressions?
2 Why do you th in k Chuyu says T h a ts w h a t did happen (not T h a ts w hat
happened)?

To date, strengths a t high tem perature and piessure ot
Read th e summary o f Chuyus m ost tho , I e mPer at ur e ar|d pressure o f
recent results. M atch th e highlighted the upper m antle m ineral olivine and the lo w e r m antle
p arts o f th e summary to an m ineral perovskite have been investigated. In addition,
some research has been carried o u t on wadsleyite from
underlined expression with a simi a r ^ transition zone. In all three mineral samples, at
m eaning in Audioscript 5. on page a m bient tem perature, d ifferential stress increased w ith
9 6 (The tenses in th e A udioscript
m av 1not be th
. e same as in th e rpressure until 1
yielding3 occurred. O f the minerals studied,
y perovskite has th e highest strength and olivine the

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 ritten 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 inform al conversation
and each (b l sentence is fro m a
form 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 Ive s ta rte d lo oking a t th e petrography, too.
___________________________ 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 um ber o f cations
w ith low average fie ld strength and non-sodic glasses the lowest.
3 a I th o u g h t th e A l20 3 in the samples w ould decrease as S i0 2 increased, and
it did.
b In all five te p h ra samples, A l20 3 d e cre a se d _________________________
the increase in S i0 2
4 a So far, Ive looked a t th e m o rphology and m ineralogy o f tephra samples
from La M alinche.
b __________________________ , the m orphology and m ineralogy o f tephra
samples from La M a lin c h e __________________________ exam ined.
Think ab o u t th e exp erim ent you discussed in Exercise 6a. Then w rite a
short summary in a form 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 exp erim ent you did where you had a problem . Tell your
partn er:
w h a t th e problem was
w h a t th e possible causes o f the problem were
how you discovered w h a t was causing the problem
how you solved the problem
Unit 5 Describing an experiment

11 a 5.5 Chuyu has been continuing his experim ents using wadsleyite and has
moved on to look a t th e fourth m ineral, ringwoodite. He is talking to Lucia
ab o u t some problem s he has had. Listen and com plete th e second column
o f th e tab le with th e two possible causes o f th e problem .
Problem Possible cause Likelihood Action to be taken
Expects ringwoodite 1 likely/possible/ Send sample for
to act like wadsleyite, unlikely analysis
but i t doesn't. 2 likely/possible/ Be more careful
unlikely between runs
b 5.5 Listen again. How likely do they think each possible cause is? Circle
th e correct option in th e th ird column of th e table.
12 a Look a t th e phrases (1 - 5 ) below from th e conversation. Which phrase is

used to describe
a a problem ?
b a possible cause?
c the likelihood o f som ething being correct?
1 ... so far the results are all over th e place.
2 It looks like youre using olivine again.
3 Yeah, its possible. B u t I really think its unlikely.
4 I guess if my m easurem ents arent com ing from the same base p o in t then
th ere could be problem s.
5 ... a c a libration issue is a possibility.
b In pairs, think ab ou t a problem you are having with your current research.
Use th e expressions in Exercise 12 a to describe some possible causes for
th e problem . Then explain how likely you think each one is.
13 3 Chuyu has sum m arised his recent problem s in a re p o rt fo r his supervisor.

Com plete th e sum m ary using th e words in th e box.
appears likely possibility possible possibly similar surprising unlikely
(a) Because / Because o f the results obtained w ith wadsleyite, those from
studies o f rin g w o o d ite are rather ( 1 ) ______________ Ringw oodite, like
w adsleyite, is a transition zone mineral, (b) So / As a result, these minerals
w o u ld be expected to act in a ( 2 ) ____________ way. (c) H owever, / B u t in
th e current data, rin g w o o d ite ( 3 ) ____________ to behave more like olivine.
There are a num ber o f possible causes o f these findings, (d) A t the
beginning, / Firstly, it is ( 4 )_____________ th a t th e sample tested is n o t in
fa c t ringw o odite, b u t actually some o th e r mineral, one ( 5 )____________
fro m the olivine group, (e) However, / A lth o u g h this is ( 6 ) , a
com position analysis is being carried o u t to verify th e identity o f the sample
material. A second ( 7 ) ____________ is th a t the m ulti-anvil needs to be
recalibrated. This seems the m ost ( 8 ) _____________ cause o f the problem.
(f) So / Therefore, it w ill be checked immediately.
b Now com plete th e summary by choosing th e correct linking word (a -f).

14 W rite a short summary describing and reporting problem s you have
been having with an experim ent. Use th e experim ent you talked ab ou t in
Exercises 6a and 9 , o r an o th er experim ent you know well.Your summary
should say:
w h a t the p roblem is
w h a t the possible causes o f the problem are
Keeping a Lab n o teb o o k

15 a The abbreviations and symbols below could all be used in a scientists lab
notebook. In pairs, discuss w hat you think each one means.
1 A 5 @ 9 4
2 RT fi 10 F
3 + 7 11 w/
4 w /v P, 12 ~
Now match the abbreviations or symbols (1 - 1 2 ) to th e correct meanings

(a - l) below.
a abou t; a pp ro xim a te ly h more o r less (to show the deviation
b at from the num ber stated)
c because i room te m p e ra tu re
d change j therefore
e energy k w eight per volume
f increases I w ith
g leads to
In pairs, decide how you might represent each o f th e following in a lab

notebook.
1 decreases 6 volum e per volum e
2 degrees Celsius 7 w ith o u t
3 kelvin 8 tw o to one ra tio
4 g re a te r than o r equal to 9 hours
5 positive 10 concentration
d W h a t o th e r abbreviations do you often use in your lab notebook?
e ^ 5.6 Listen to two scientists talking ab ou t two d iffe re n t * * u v u u .... .

experim ental set-ups. Com plete th e notes from th e lab
5 wg char into T6A pan.
notebook with a num ber a n d/o r abbreviation or symbol
from Exercises 15 a and 1 5c. ^ ------- ' (2)
h O ld _ )0 yy\\(]
16 3 In pairs, discuss th e following questions. - (3) )cLSt^

1 How do you keep a record o f your experim ents? Heat 20 ( 4 ) _______ / m-n to
2 Have you ever used a lab note b o o k software package? ^3 K
3 How does the lab n o te b o o k protocol in yo u r c u rre n t lab then ( 5 ) ______ rai. _
com pare to o th e r labs you have w orked in? (6)----------- K/min to 1473 k,
bas - high purity C O
(w ------- 2 s * > ) + A/.
2

^ 5.7 Chuyu is asking an other scientist, M ayum i, ab ou t her experiences
using an electronic lab notebook. Listen and com plete Chuyus notes. W rite
one word in each gap.
T y yy t
* It's e n s y for people.'to (1) ______ information.
frYou dont have to try to understand someone elses (2) _________

* You can (3) your own lab book.
* /Ml the (4) . you make are automatically highlighted.
* The packages can be adapted to ft your (5) _________ requirements.
* Its m uch (6) _________ "than a. paper lab book.
In pairs, discuss th e advantages and disadvantages of using an e-notebook.
x- o - yirm n
:< T T--------
An exam ple o f
a screen from
.I HUH
an e-notebook
5.8 Listen to five extracts from th e conversation. For each extract you
hear ( 1 - 5 ) , choose th e correct description o f th e situation (a -e ).
a describing som ething th a t people are able to do ______
b describing som ething th a t was p ro h ib ite d ______
c describing som ething she was obliged to do ______
d explaining th a t it is n o t necessary to do som ething ______
e m aking a suggestion ______
Look a t Audioscript 5 .8 on page 9 7 and com plete th e ta b le below with the

underlined phrases in th e script.
Past Present
A bility/Possibility could do
A dvice sh o u ld have do n e
did n 't have to do
Lack of obligation
d id n 't n eed to do
O bligation m u st do
are n o t allow ed to do
P rohibition c a n 't do
m u stn 't do
Work in pairs. Explain to your p a rtn e r th e lab book protocol you are
expected to use now. Tell your p a rtn e r anything th a t was d iffe re n t in a
place you used to work, o r th e way you used a lab notebook in your past
studies.
UNIT 6
Describing states and processes
Describing data: numbers /
numerical values
Writing up from lab notes
Describing states and processes

M atch th e beginnings ( 1 - 9 ) to th e endings (a - i) to make
definitions o f the words in bold.
1 A biodegradable substance is one w h ic h -------------- a can be put in one place then taken away again.
2 A nanocapsule is a capsule which has j b into your body.
3 A removable object is one which ( c between cells in the same organism.
4 Endocytosis is a process by which d decays naturally.
5 I f a cell overexpresses a protein, it expresses e put inside something else.
6 I f someone is given multiple doses of a drug, they receive f it many times.
7 Intercellular communication is communication which happens g molecules can move inside cells.
8 When a drug is encapsulated, it is h a diameter smaller than 200 x 10's metres.
9 I f you ingest a substance, you take it i too much of it.
Underline th e key words in th e sentence

endings (a - i) which sum m arise th e meaning
of th e prefixes in ( 1 - 9 ) (for example, bio- =
naturally).

1 W hat is nanotechnology?
2 W hat com m ercial applications could research
in nanotechnology have?
O ne application o f nanotechnology is in
pharm aceutical research. Kimiko, a PhD
student, has drawn a sketch o f a ta rg e te d
drug delivery fo r th e m aterials and m ethods
section o f her paper. W h a t do you think is
happening a t each stage (a -f)?
Unit 6 Writing up research 1: materials and methods

6.1 Kimiko asks Tom, a colleague, to look a t her firs t d ra ft. Listen to p a rt
of th e ir conversation and m ark th e following statem ents tru e (T) or false (F).
1 Tom asks K im iko to make changes to her d ia g ra m _______
2 According to Tom, some readers may only know a little a b o u t K im ikos
research subject_______
3 Some people call nanotubes magic b u lle ts because they can be dangerous.
4 K im ikos main in te re st is in the best m ethod fo r coating a nanotube w ith

chemical receptors_______
5 The nanotube can be ingested in d iffe re n t w a y s .______
6 Kim iko uses only one m ethod to open the nanotubes a fte r in g e stion _______
6.2 Tom asked Kimiko to explain w h at happens during th e process.

Complete th e following extracts from th e ir conversation using th e words in
the box. Then listen and check your answers.
attach by coat dissolves encapsulated in internalised to with
1 To do this, firs t w e _____________th e surface o f the tu b e ______________ a

chemical receptor.
2 If we w an t to ta rg e t a tu m o u r which overexpresses folic acid, then we
fo late re c e p to rs _____________the surface o f the nanotube.
3 And then we encapsulate the d r u g _____________ th e tube.
4 Once th e d rug i s _____________ , we use a cap to close th e open end so the
drug cant escape.
5 A fte r th a t, th e capsule i s ________________ __________the cell.
6 I use biodegradable caps. The c a p ______ _ _ _ and then ...
The sentences below describe processes in d iffe re n t experim ents. M atch

the verb in bold in each sentence ( 1 - 5 ) to th e correct definition (a -e ).
1 A microtome was used to slice 4 pm sections a to change from a gas to a liquid or

of the paraffin-embedded tissue. solid state
2 As the gas cools, the water vapour condenses b to change the colour of something
and is caught in the conical flask. using a chemical
3 Devices in the two chimneys would filter out c to cut something into thin, flat pieces
radioactive dust.
4 Haemotoxylin-Eosin stains the cell nucleus d to remove or take something away
blue and the cytoplasm pink.
5 Plutonium 239 was extracted from the e to remove solids from liquids or gases
sample using nitric acid.
Use th e glossary (pages 1 1 7 - 1 2 5 ) to check th e m eaning o f th e words

in th e box. Then w rite th e verbs in th e correct form to com plete the
sentences.
dilute fuse together grind into purify rinse with
1 5 0 pi te s t plasm a sam ples w e re 1:10 w ith sterile water.

2 The rem aining m ate ria l w a s ____________ pow der fo r exam ination.
3 Steam d is tilla tio n could be used t o _____________ the nitrobenzene because
o f its high b o ilin g point.
4 The p ro d u ct w a s _____________ d is tille d w a te r fo u r tim es using an Amicon
filter.
5 When tw o d e u te ro n s a t low energy, th e neutron is liberated
w ith an energy o f 2 .4 5 MeV.

Look a t th e extracts below from th e conversation between Kimiko and Tom.
Which can be used to ask politely fo r help and advice (A)? Which can be
used to o ffe r help and advice (O)?
1 B ut firs t o f all vou need to explain b rie fly w h a t is happening.
2 Do vou have a m o m e n t?
3 I w ondered if vou could look thro u g h it fo r me?
4 Sure, Kim iko. W hat can I do fo r vo u ?
5 Why do n t vou ta lk me thro u g h it and make some notes as you go?
Draw a diagram of a process you are working on o r one you know well.
Then role play a conversation in which you ask a colleague to check your
diagram and your explanation o f th e process, using th e phrases in Exercise
4 a to help you.
6.3 Tom has checked Kimikos second d ra ft of th e

The magic bullet process uses carbon
m aterials and m ethods section o f her p ap er and
nanotubes to send a drug to a specific
underlined some changes he thinks she should
target. Firstly. I functionalise the surface of
make. Read th e following e xtract and discuss in
the nanotube by coating it with chemical
pairs how you could improve Kimikos te x t. Then
receptors. For example, for target a
listen and m ake a note of th e changes Tom
tumour which overexpresses folic acid,
suggests.
folate receptors are attached to its surface.
Use your notes from Exercise 5a to improve Secondly. I encapsulated the drug molecules
Kimikos text. Then com pare your paragraph with within the nanotube. Third, the tube is
th e Answer key on page 110. capped and the nanotubes are ingested. For
example, the patient can swallow them or
W e use th e passive when th e person o r thing inhale them or have the capsules injected into
which perform s th e action is not th e main point them . Once inside the body, the nanotube
of in terest in th e process we are describing in the locates to the target site. Fifth, the target
m aterials and methods section. R e-w rite sentences cell internalises the nanotube by receptor-
1 - 5 using th e passive voice so th a t they focus on mediated endocytosis. After that, the cap is
th e underlined word. either removed or biodegraded and the drug
1 I rinsed the tissue surface w ith ice-cold isotonic molecules are released into the cell.
saline solution.
2 A fte r incubation a t 37 C fo r 6 0 m inutes, the
scientist d ilu te d the suspension to 100 ml w ith water.
3 A mesh filte rs o u t particles as small as 10 p m .
4 The exp e rim e n t measures the a u d iom e tric thresholds a t six frequencies
from 2 5 0 Hz to 8 kH z.
5 I used d e n sito m e try to analyse the a u toradiograph.
Which o f th e sentences ( 1 - 5 ) in Exercise 6 a describe a process in

general? Which re p o rt a p articular procedure carried out in one particular
exp erim ent o r set o f experim ents?
Look back a t th e sentences in Exercises 3 a -3 c . Which verbs are in the

passive? Which sentences could be m ade m ore form al by using the
passive? Which verbs dont need to be changed into th e passive?
W rite a paragraph fo r th e m aterials and m ethods section o f a p ap er which

describes th e process you discussed in Exercise 4b. Use Toms advice to
Kimiko to w rite th e paragraph in an a p p ro p ria te style.

Describing data: numbers / numerical values
8 a [>6.4 You are going to h ear eight short extracts in which scientists discuss
their work. Read th e questions below, using th e glossary (pages 1 1 7 - 1 2 5 )
to check th e m eaning o f th e underlined words. Then listen to each extract
and choose th e correct num ber (a, b o r c).
1 W hat was the dosage o f flu o rid e per kilogram o f body weight?
a 0 .1 6 6 b 0 .1 6 c 0 .6 1 6
2 W hat was the se n sitivity o f the assay?
a 0 .0 2 b 2 .0 c 0.2
3 W hat is th e o u tp u t im pedance a t the 5V end?
a 0 .0 2 b 0 .2 0 c 0 .9 2
4 W hat am perage o f fle x is used?
a 0 .6 b6 c 6 .8
5 W hat is th e te m p e ra tu re below w hich th e superconductor conducts
electricity w ith no resistance?
a 9/ ]0 b 19 c 90
6 W hat is the enthalpy change when 2 moles o f w a te r are form ed a t a
pressure o f one atm osphere and a te m p e ra tu re o f 2 9 8 kelvin?
a -5 1 7 .6 b -5 7 1 6 c -5 7 1 .6
7 W hat is the lowest frequency a t which young mice squeak (make a noise)
when isolated from th e ir m other?
a 450 b 45 c 405
8 W hat speed laser pulses were used?
a 15 b 50 c -5 0
b 6.5 Listen and com plete th e values (a - I) with th e num ber or numbers you
hear.
a /A e 5 x 10 i ___ 7
b ___% f - ____ 5 j 1 7 5/__
c 1___6 g 6 k 0 ___
d 2 , 9 ____ 7 h 1____8 9 3 I 5 ____ 01 9
C ^ 6.6 In pairs, answer th e following questions. Then listen and check your
answers.
1 How do we say these values?
a % b 5/a c V9 d 107 e 10-9
2 How do we say these symbols?
a % b x (in e.g. 5 x 1 0 9) c -
3 W hat is th e difference between 1 .3 5 6 and 1 ,3 5 6 ? How do we say them ?
Unit 6 Writing up research 1: materials and methods 49

The In te rn a tio n a l System o f Units (SI) is the m o st com m on m easurem ent
system a ro u n d the world, p a rtic u la rly in the fields o f science, com m erce and Le Systeme
international d'unites
trade. It is a m odern fo rm o f the m e tric system and as such is devised aro u n d
The International
the n u m b e r 10. The system consists o f 7 base units and a s e t o f prefixes. There System
are a num b e r o f o th e r com m on STderived units. o f Units
9 a M atch th e SI unit in column A to its abbreviation in column B and the

q uantity it m easures in column C.
SI
A UNIT B ABBREVIATION C QUANTITY
1 metre ------------ K temperature
2 kilogram \ cd electric current
3 second mol frequency
4 ampere kg thermodynamic temperature
5 kelvin \ s time
6 candela ------- - m ---------------------v. amount of substance
7 moLe A \ mass
8 hertz n ^ -------- length
9 joule c energy
0 ohm Hz resistance
1 degree Celsius J luminous intensity

1 W hat units o f m easurem ent do you com m only use in your everyday life?
2 W hat units do you use in your w ork?
3 Which SI prefixes do you know? How do they change the q uantity?
C Look a t th e ta b le below which shows th e symbols fo r some o f th e SI

prefixes and th e factor they represent. Then com plete th e right-hand
column using th e prefixes in th e box.
centi- giga- kilo- mega- micro- m illi- nano- pico- tera-
symbol factor prefix

1 k 103
2 M 106
3 G 109
4 T 1012
5 c 10-2
6 m 10-3
7 P 1 0 -6
8 n 1 0 -9
9 P 1 0 -12
6.4 Listen again to th e eight scientists from Exercise 8a. W h a t unit of

m easurem ent does each one use? W rite th e abbreviation.
1 0.166. 3 0.02. 5 19. 7 45.
2 0 .2 __ 4 6 - ______ 6 -571.6 8 50-.
10 Find d ata fo r some research th a t you are fam iliar with. In pairs, take turns
to discuss th e key findings in th e d ata.
50 Unit 6 Writing up research 1: materials and methods

Writing up from lab notes
Kimiko has been investigating methods o f encapsulating molecules in
functionalised carbon nanotubes (or CNTs). Look a t th e extract from her
lab notebook below and then match th e definitions (1 -8 ) to th e words or
phrases in bold (a -h ) in th e notebook.
1 a p ic tu re _
2 a small piece o f glass you p u t som ething on to look a t it under the
m icroscope______
3 a small round piece o f plastic, wood, glass, etc. ___ ________________
4 a small round-shaped a m o u n t o f liq u id _
5 always the s a m e __
6 the distance between the opposite sides o f s o m e th in g ______
7 to make som ething hang o r flo a t in s o m e th in g ______
8 an upward m ovem ent o f a liq u id ______
U U U U U U U U U U O U U U U (J ( J (l( l( l(l(llliP
Make- CNTs.
Lheck siz.e- and vja\\ (a) thicfcness using 6 M (b) images - should
be (c) consistent.
(d) Suspend tubes in solution.
Put (e) drop of solution on (f) slide - solution evaporates, leaving
the tubes on the slide.
Put drop of liquid containing (g) beads at one end of the tube.
Liquid moves into the tube b>( (h) capillary action.
In pairs, look a t Kim ikos notes again and answer th e following questions.
1 W hat does K im iko use the images from the electron microscope (EM) for?
2 How does K im iko g e t th e CNTs o nto the slide?
3 How does she get the liquid containing the beads into the tube?
Look a t an o th er extract from Kimikos notebook on page 5 2 , which

describes two o f her experim ents. Then tell a p a rtn e r w h at th e symbols
and abbreviations in th e box mean.
@ ~ -> D diam. EM L w/ w/v

Look a t th e notes again. In pairs, w h at differences can you see between
Kimikos experim ents o f 2 9 th O ctob er and 18th November? Can you
suggest a possible way o f com pleting th e spaces (1 -6 ) ?
2/|th October 10th N o vem ber
Tube site: A Tube size;

L: IcMo pm L: 2-0( 1 } pm
P: from CM - average " 450 nm [300-800 nm] D: from 6 M - average ~ 500 nm
wall thicKness: 2-0 nm [3 0 0 - (2 ) ____ nm]
Tube suspension: (?? Peformed so real diam. smaller?)
Float in solvent wall thickness: ( 3 ) nm
pipette microdrop onto slides
Tube suspension:
(stichy residue remains - ?solvent blocks tube?}
Float in ( 4 ) ______________
f>oln of beads: Use dielectrophoresis to put on slides
Fluorescent polystyrene- beads - P "5 o nm %- propanol - dries away
Float in deionised H20 (l% w/v)
Min w/ ethylene glycol l:l g , Soln of beads:
Fluorescent polystyrene beads - P ~ 5 o nm
Pip:
Float in deionised H20 (i% w/v)
Tut microdrop fu ll of beads @ end W plastic micropipette
M i* w / ethylene glycol (5] 1:___
Pip b pm tube in sol"
No uptate - tubes blocked? Pip:
Nent: T ut m icrodrop fu ll of beads @ end w/
Suspend tubes in different solution - ethanol? propanol? (6 ) micropipefte

Pip b pm tube in sol"
6iood uptake
C ! 6.7 Kimiko is explaining to Arnie, her PhD
supervisor, w hat she did d ifferen tly in her 18th Ne*t:
Novem ber experim ent. Listen and com plete the 2- pm o r 12- pm dipped - what difference?
notes (1 -6 } in her notebook.
13 a Below are tw o extracts from th e final d ra ft of Kimikos m aterials and

m ethods section, based on th e lab notes fo r th e 18 th N ovem ber
experim ent. Com plete each extract using th e words in th e boxes.
actual aid and approximately average due estimated evaporated length

placed ranged suspended to
The experim ent investigated filling carbon nanotubes w ith a suspension

containing fluorescent beads. The tubes ( 1 ) ______________in ( 2 ) ____________
from 20 ( 3 ) 50 pm and had an ( 4 ) ______________diam eter of
(5 ) 500 nm and a wall thickness of 15 nm. The tube diameters
w ere (6} _ from electron m icroscope images and ranged betw een
300 (7} _ . 700 nm. The ( 8 ) tube diam eters may have
been sm aller (9}. . to tube deformation.
The CNTs were then (10}_________ in a 2-propanol solution and
(11) on glass cover slips w ith the (12) . of
dielectrophoresis. The 2-propanol then (1 3 )________
52 Unit 6 Writing up research 1: materials and methods

B
blending consisted covered filled laden ratio with
A suspension w as prepared by (1 4 )______________ethylene glycol

(1 5 )-------------------- a suspension of fluorescent polystyrene beads (1% w eight/
volume) in deionised water. The bead diam eters ranged from 40 to 60 nm and
the suspension (1 6 )______________of a 1 to 3 volum e (1 7 )_____________ of
particle suspension and ethylene glycol.
A liquid m icrodroplet, (1 8 )______________w ith fluorescent polystyrene beads,
was placed at one end of the CNT w ith a glass micropipette. The drop
(19) -------------------- approxim ately 6 pm of the CNT. The suspension
(20) _____________ the CNT by capillary action.
b Read through th e extracts again. Which o f th e verbs in th e box are used in:
a the passive?
b the active?
consist cover estimate evaporate fill investigate place prepare range

suspend
C Below are extracts from the m aterials and methods section of three different
papers and the notes on which they are based. For each extract, use the notes
to put th e words from th e p aper in th e correct order. The underlined noun
phrase a t th e beginning o f each sentence is in th e correct position.
%Rt>C ~ +&.0 -to -7 .4
1 The change in red blood cells / a p p ro xim a te ly / from / plus / minus / 8% /

ranged / to / 7.4% .
Float cells in incubation med - into flasfc
2 The cells / incubation / m edium / placed / and / an / were / in / then / in / a /

suspended / flask.
S fre ttH L se-ciinte-'H.'f' s(Xv*,plle- - 1:1 HC.
3 The stream sedim ent samples / soaked / l-to-1 / in / volum e / a / HCI / a t /

ra tio / were.
W rite a paragraph fo r th e m aterials and m ethods section in an a p p ro p ria te

style fo r an exp erim ent you are w orking on o r fo r an experim ent you are
fam iliar with.
Unit 6 Writing up research 1: materials and methods 53

Writing up research 2:
1 nO EM im . E l r l
AnaLysing data (statistical
analysis)
Summarising data in visual form
Writing captions for figures
Analysing data (statistical analysis)

Some organisms have a d ap ted to live in very extrem e conditions
and are known as extrem ophiles. M atch th e type of extrem ophile
to th e condition it lives in.
1 acidophile a survives best in media with high osmotic pressures
due to high sugar concentrations
2 alkaliphile b can survive in areas with high levels of dissolved
heavy metals in solution
3 cryophile c survives best at temperatures between 60 and 80 C
4 metalotolerant organism d can survive ultraviolet and even nuclearradiation
5 osmophile e survives best at pH 3 or below
6 radioresistant organism f survives best at pH 9 or above
7 thermophile g survives best at temperatures of 15 C or lower
b In pairs, discuss th e following questions.

1 How m ig ht research on extre m o p h ile s be useful fo r understanding:
a how organism s a d a p t to th e ir environm ent?
b the beginning o f life on Earth?
c life on o th e r planets in th e universe?
2 W hat ind ustria l and com m ercial a pplications could research on
extrem o phile s have?
Find a word or phrase in th e definitions (a -g ) in Exercise 1 a with a sim ilar

m eaning to th e prefixes in th e extrem ophile names (1 - 7 ) . For example,
acid- and p H 3 o r below.
Unit 7 Writing up research 2: presenting data

Which suffix used in Exercise 1 a (-phile, -resistant, -to lerant)
is used to describe an organism which:
a does not m ind th is environm ent?
b will n o t be killed by th is environm ent?
c is a ttra cte d to and is able to exist in th is environm ent?
Match an affix (a prefix o r suffix) 1 - 7 with its m eaning a -g .

M id-O ceanic Ridge Shrim p
1 neutro- . . . a dry
- R im icaris Exoculata
2 halo- hate
b
3 hydro- many
/ c
4 hyper- more
( d
5 poly- ^ --------- - e neutral
6 xero- f salt
7 -phobe g water
Read the definitions o f four m ore extrem ophiles (1 -4 ). Then choose a

suitable name fo r each extrem ophile using one o r m ore affixes from
Exercises 1 a and 1 e.
An organism th a t:
1 survives best a t tem p e ra tu re s above 8 0 C ______________
2 does n o t like to live in salty c o n d itio n s .____________
3 survives best a t pH 7 . ____________
4 survives best in very high te m p e ra tu re s w ith high m etal concentrations.
7.1 Tiago is a m arine biology student who is studying adaptations in

shrimp living n ear hydrotherm al vents. He is explaining his research to
Nour, a new student in th e lab. Listen to th e conversation and answer the
questions.
1 W hat tw o extrem e co nditions have the ve n t shrim p adapted to?
2 How does Tiago expect th e levels o f m e ta l-binding p roteins to change in the
vent shrim p?
3 How w ill he use th e tw o species o f Rio Formosa lagoon shrim p in his
research?
4 W hat o th e r com pounds is he looking at?
Tiago is just beginning his statistical analysis. M atch th e words or phrases

used in statistics (110) to th e definitions (a -j).
1 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) a a relationship between two factors
2 coefficient \ b small groups which should be representative of a whole population
3 correlation c shows how much variation from the mean there is within the group
4 mean d the average, found by adding all the values together and dividing by the
number of values
5 p-value e the measure of significance, which shows i f it is likely that the variation in
results is just chance
6 regression analysis f the test used to compare whether the means of two groups are equal
7 samples g the test used to produce an equation showing the relationship between two
factors
8 standard deviation ' *_ h the test used to compare whether the mean values of more than two groups
are all equal
9 t-test i the things that change in an experiment
10 variables j a mathematical value which is always written before another value it multiplie
Unit 7 Writing up research 2: presenting data 55

C Tiago has written notes on how to analyse his data. Complete the notes
using the words and phrases in Exercise 2b.
V a ria b le s
D e p e n d e n t; M T ieveis/an-hoxidand- levels
Tndependend-; DiCRerend- sp ecies o f shrimp c a x ver\d- species^
a x lagoon species)
M ai+ipie (1) _____________ Ctom each one d-o accu rad -eiy
re p re s e n d " p o p a lG .d " io n S
S d-a-h s-h cai an a ly s is

I Caicuiad-e (2) _____ MT level Tor each species
U s e (3) _____________ 4-o 4-es4- uhed-her oR
4"her 4-he ^ e a n s o f 4-he
gro up s a r e all ecjuai
CCould do lo4"S oR (4) __________ ^ bud- >nore liKely 4-o ^ a h e
>nis4-ahes)
a R e p e ad - Cor e n z .y ^ e acd-iVid-y Cor e a c h g ro u p
*-*-|_00K Cor louj (5) _____________ 4-0 shouj Significance CuSually <
O.OS)*-*-
3 L ook ad- 4-he (6) ____________ wid-hin each sp ecies - 4-o a s s e s s
variad "i 0n Crowv 4"he tnean L0i4"hin 4"he group
4 Caicuia4-e 4-he (7) ____________ coeCClciend- 4-o see iR 4-here is
a relad -iO n S hip b e d -u e e n M T C 0 n ce n 4 -ra 4 -i0 n a n d and-iO Xidand-
enz.y^e levels.
I C d-here is a correlad-ionj do a (8) ____________ 4-0 pro du ce
a n ecjuad-ion oR 4-he reiad-ionship
CUse 4-hiS 4-0 predicd- levels oR MT Rrcnw and-iOXidand- en 2-y>ues
o r Vice v e r s a )
a Tiago has done some statistical analysis of his results. In pairs, look a t the
tab le below and discuss w hat you think the most interesting results might be.
Hydrothermal vent species Coastal (lagoon) species
Rimicaris Mirocaris Pataemon Palaemonetes
exocuiata fortunata elegans varians
Metal binding MT level 7.30 0.66 1.27 0.27 4.34 0.99 1.65 0.39
protein (m g.g1 w/w protein) a c b c
Antioxidant Cytosolic SOD 2.56 0.66 16.15 + 5.66 5.14 1.58 5.67 1.73
enzymes (U mg1 protein) c a b b
Cytosolic CAT 0.0042 0.0005 0.0048 0.0010 0.0014 0.0005 0.0020 + 0.0005
(mmoles m in 1 mg-1 protein) a a b b
GPx 0.010 0.002 0.040 0.010 0.023 0.004 0.015 0.007
(pmoles min1 mg-1 protein) c a b be
Values follow ed by the same le tte r are n o t significantly d iffe re n t (p > 0 .0 5 ).
56 Unit 7 Writing up research 2: presenting data

Complete the following sentences describing Tiagos results using the
words in the box.
a significantly higher not significantly different from no significant differences

approximately sixfold higher than in the lowest threefold higher in
1 M T levels in R im icaris exo cu lata w e re _________________________ M iro c a ris

fo rtu n a to .
2 M T concentrations in P alaem onetes varians were
_________________________ those in M. fo rtu n a ta .
3 The hydrotherm al vent shrim p R. exoculata e xh ib ited
_________________________ SOD activity.
4___________________________ were found in the a c tiv ity o f cytosolic SOD
between the tw o coastal shrim p species, P. elegans and P. varians.
5 The a c tiv ity o f cytosolic CAT was a p p ro x im a te ly _________________________
the tw o vent shrim p species com pared w ith th e ir coastal counterparts.
6___________________________ GPx a c tiv ity was observed in M. fo rtu n a ta
com pared w ith allthe o th e r shrim p species.
W rite four m ore sentences com paring and contrasting th e d ata in th e box.
Think o f an experim ent you have done. Explain to your partner:

w ha t your variables were
how m any samples you had
w ha t statistica l analysis you needed to do and w h a t tests you used
w ha t significant results you found
Summarising data in visual form

1 Why are visuals used in scientific papers?
2 W hat visuals do people in your fie ld com m only use to show data? Why?
Match th e beginnings and endings o f th e sentences ab o u t setting data in

tables and charts.
1 Tables, graphs, etc. are necessary a be consistent with them.
2 Visual summaries allow j b reduced in size in a paper.
3 Deciding how to present data / c show trends; tables to show exact numbers,
visually makes you /
4 Visuals need to be clear even when d the reader to check the data for themselves.
5 Graphs should be used to 1 e think carefully about what your results mean.
6 Too much information in a visual f to avoid filling up the text with lists of numbers.
7 Use standard symbols and g w ill confuse the reader.
Which advice in Exercise 4 b do youthink is th e best? W h a t o th e r advice

would you give to someone producing visuals to p ortray th e ir data?

Look at the visuals. Complete the labels (1 -1 6 } using the words in the box.
Tables Ria Formosa Rainbow
Seawater
3703 N; 07-17 W 3613' N, 3354'W
365c
column row
T (C)
pH
H.S(mM)
17.3a
8.28n
-
2.8C
l.0c
7.8
-0 .
V
r
j
CO, (mu) <Toc
__________
CH. M - 2.2-2.5C -0
1 Cd M
Cu (/jm)
0.9 - 4.5a
0.02 - 0.053
130c
H0C
0.7
0.0033
Zn (p) 0.02 - 0.03a 160c 0.028
2 ________ Fe (pm) 8 -5 2 b 24000c
2250c
0.0045
^0013
Mn (pM) 2.5-G 3 b
Cl w 750c
Co (pm) 13C <2
Ag (om) 47C 0.023
Ni (pM) 3C <2
Si M 6.9C <0.2
bCaetano era/. (1997).
Two-variable graphs
5
bar chart histogram
3
line graph line of best fit 7
point scatter plot x-axis
y-axis
6
4
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Three-variable graphs
11
key label A .
stacked bar chart F I Liver
I I Muscle
11 -t-t=
I i S----- 1 2---2---- 2-
f T T T T T T T i i r~i
H ill
12
13 12
Ag Cd Cr Cu Fe Mn Ni MT 13
O th e r
caption pie chart scale
14 _____________ 15
15 _____________
16 _____________
hi il. i luilii.ll'unn il i-.l ci ii-.\ '.t.-iii-.

b The statem ents below describe which typ e of visual is best fo r representing
different kinds o f inform ation. Com plete them using th e words in th e box.
bar chart diagram histogram line graph map pie chart scatter plot
stacked bar chart table
It is best to use a:
a ____________ o r to show a com parison between item s
b ____________ to show a co rre la tio n
c ____________ to describe a location
d ____________ o r a ______________ to show p ro p o rtio n s o f a w hole
e ____________ to describe a stru ctu re
f ____________ o r a to show tre n d s
6 3 7.2 Tiago has produced some visuals to depict th e d ata from his research
and is now showing them to Oceane, his supervisor. Look a t th e b ar chart
in Exercise 5a and, using your own words, com plete th e notes on the four
changes O ceane suggests Tiago makes to th e chart.
1 Need to label t h e _________________________
2 Units need to b e _________________________
3 Need a key t o _________________________
4 Use T sym bols t o __________ _______________
b In pairs, role play a conversation between a supervisor and a student.

Student A, you are th e supervisor; look a t the visual on page 8 6 and
suggest ways to improve it. S tudent B, you are th e student; m ake the
corrections S tudent A suggests. Swap roles using th e visual on page 8 7 .
Writing captions for figures

Every visual in a scie n tific p a p e r sh o u ld have a caption. The caption is a s h o rt
te xt which tells the re a d e r w h a t the visual is showing.

1 Should th e caption appear above o r below the visual it describes? Why?
2 W hat kind o f inform a tio n should the caption include?
3 W hat difficulties m ig h t there be when w ritin g a caption in English?
b Read four captions (A -D ) fo r four d iffe re n t figures. Then answer the

questions which follow each one.
A
Fig. 3. The relationship between the weight of shell and strontium concentration in the shell of 6. azoricus from the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge (n = 51).
1 How is the in fo rm a tio n a b o u t sample size represented?

2 Can you see a sim ila rity in the g ram m atical stru ctu re o f caption A and the
underlined p a rt o f caption D?
g
Table 1. Temperature, pH and concentration of chemical species in the end-member fluids of lagoon system Ria Formosa
(South Portugal) and MAR vent field (Rainbow) compared with average seawater (adapted from Caetano etal., 1997;
Douville etal., 2002).
3 Are the results in Table 1 from th e a u th o rs research? How do you know?

4 Which two-word phrase explains the main purpose o f the information in Table 1?

Fig. 1. Thermal tolerances for the three symbiotic species under investigation fAlviniconcha sp.. Ifremeria nautilei and
Bathvmodiolus brevior). For all experiments each temperature was held for 1 h, then the temperature was reduced to the
starting temperature, the animals removed and mortality assessed. If alive, animals were returned to the aquarium and
temperature was increased to the next point.
5 W hat phrase has a sim ila r m eaning to being stu d ie d ?

6 How are the names o f th e organism s presented? Why?
7 W h at info rm a tio n do(es):
a th e underlined p a rt o f th e caption give us?
b th e o th e r p a rts o f th e caption give us?
^ Fio. 2. Metallothionein concentrations (MT) in the edible tissues of hydrothermal (Rimicaris exoculata and Mirocaris
fortunata) and coastal shrimp (Palaemon eleaans and Palaemonetes varians). The data represent average standard
deviation (SD), n = 16. Values followed by the same letter are not statistically different (p > 0.05).
8 W hat phrase has a sim ila r m eaning to the results show ?

9 W hat phrase has a s im ila r m eaning to the sam e fo r the purposes o f the
analysis?
10 Can you see a difference in th e gram m atical stru ctu re o f the underlined p a rt
and th e rest o f the caption?
8 a Captions often begin with a noun phrase which tells th e re a d e r w hat the
visual shows (see captions A and B and th e underlined parts o f captions C
and D above). Remove four words from each sentence ( 1 - 3 ) to m ake noun
phrases.
1 The fig u re depicts the length-frequency o f fo u r samples o f mussels collected
a t three d iffe re n t sites o f the Lucky S trike area.
2 The figure shows the copper concentration in the soft and exoskeleton
tissues o f fo u r shrim p species.
3 The ta b le presents a com parison o f th e physical and chemical characteristics
o f the hyd ro th e rm a l flu id s a t Menez Gwen, Lucky S trike and Rainbow
(adapted from D ouville e t al., 2 0 0 2 ).
b Tiag o s colleague, Nour, has w ritten a caption fo r th e following figure.

Com plete th e caption below with th e words in th e box.
(p < 0.05) B. azoricus expressed Fig. 1 represent values

(1). .The activity of SOD cytosolic and
U
mitochondrial, CAT, total and Se-dependent GPx, and lipid a 2
peroxidation in the gills of (2 ) ______________ exposed to Cu 0.4
pM for 24 h in IPOCAMP and (3 ) ______________ as percentage
of unexposed gills n=10. (4 ) ______________ marked*
(5 ) ______________ a significant difference between contaminated
and control antioxidant enzyme activity or lipid peroxidation levels
(6) ----------
C Look a t N o u rs caption again. Find th re e parts o f th e te x t which should

have brackets (parentheses) added.
d Sketch a graph fo r some d ata you are working on a t th e m om ent or th a t

you have worked on. W rite a short caption which includes all th e necessary
inform ation to help explain th e graph.
60 Unit 7 Writing up research 2: presenting data

^ 7.3 N o u r is asking Oceane ab ou t th e best ways to describe visuals in her
results. In pairs, discuss th e questions ( 1 - 8 ) she asks Oceane. Then listen
and m ake notes on O ceanes answers.
1 Why do I need to w rite d e scriptions o f my charts in the results section if they
can stand alone?
2 If I have negative results, should I include those?
3 Do I need to say w h a t the results mean here?
4 In the results section, do I need to p u t in every ta b le o r ch a rt th a t Ive
produced?
5 Do I need to w rite a b o u t all the visuals I include in the paper?
6 W hat kind o f thing s are key results?
7 When Im describing a figure, do I need to m ention every value?
8 Should I include my statistics?
3 Look a t four graphs N ou r has prepared and read th e two 1

extracts (A and B) from her p a p e r below. Which graphs ( 1 - 4 )
are described in extracts A and B?
A
The SOD, CAT, total and Se-dependent GPx activities and lipid peroxidation
shown as a percentage of unexposed gills of 8. azoricus are shown in
Fig. 1. Cd exposure caused a significant inhibition of SOD (cytosolic and
mitochondrial), CAT and total glutathione peroxidase activity (ANOVA,
p < 0.05), while no significant change in Se-dependent glutathione
peroxidase (p > 0.05) was seen.
g
Elevated temperature changed H2S uptake in the three species tested
differently (Fig. 3A). As temperature increased. H2S uptake in Alviniconcha
s d . decreased, but staved high at the highest test temperature of 37 C.
Alviniconcha sp. clearly had the fastest consumption of FbS. consistently

taking up 3-4 times the quantity per unit tissue compared with the other
species. For I. nautilei, H2S consumption also decreased as temperature
increased. 6 brevior showed a linear pattern of increasing consumption
with temperature as high as 15 C (Regression analysis, R2 = 0.86). Higher
temperatures were attempted with 8 brevior, but any exposure at those 3
temperatures of a sufficient duration to obtain steady rates resulted in
death.
M atch th e underlined words o r phrases in extracts A and B to

a word o r phrase with a sim ilar m eaning (1 - 1 5 ) .
1 affected 8 led to
2 are presented 9 reduction in TemDorature
3 expressed as a proportion o f 10 rem ained a t a high level

4 fell 11 rose
5 had the g rea test rate o f 12 showed a linear relationship of
H2S use 13 up to
6 in com parison to 14 was observed
7 produced 15 whereas no significant difference
W rite a description o f some visual d ata you are working on.

UNIT 8
Organising the results and
discussion sections
Preparing and writing the
results section
Preparing and writing the
discussion section
Organising the results and discussion sections

1 How is the in fo rm a tio n in the results section o f a paper d iffe re n t from the
discussion section?
2 W hy do researchers usually keep the results and discussion sections
separate?
3 W hy m igh t some researchers present the results and discussion to g e th e r as
one section?
4 Some papers include a conclusion section. W h a t is the difference between a
discussion and a conclusion?
b Read th ree extracts from a research paper, ignoring th e highlighted words

and phrases. Then match an extract (A -C ) with th e p a rt o f th e p aper it
comes from : th e m aterials and m ethods section, th e results section o r the
discussion section.
A
The m ajority of the activated carbons exam ined have surface areas ranging
between 900 and 2000 m2/g, and the ratio of micropore volume to total pore
volume ranges between 0.26 and 0.65.
B
The highest storage factor attained is 89 for compacted grain-based activated
carbons from rain sorghum. Therefore, sorghum-based activated carbons will be
effective for natu ral gas storage in the fuel tanks of m otor vehicles.
C
Carbonisation and activation were perform ed in an electrical-resistance furnace
under a steady flow of gaseous KTS. The samples were contained in cylindrical
baskets made from 60 m esh stainless steel gauze.
62 Unit 8 Writing up research 3: results and discussion

C Read the extracts again. Which of the highlighted words or phrases:
a described) changes to the m aterials?
b describe(s) the experim ental process?
c introduce(s) a sign ifica n t result?
d introduce(s) the highest and lowest values th a t were looked at?
e introduce(s) the researchers conclusion?
f make(s) a co nfiden t prediction?
g mean(s) the same as looked a t?
h mean(s) the same as reached successfully?
3 M ax, a chem istry PhD student, is investigating th e developm ent o f carbon-

based electronics. His research focuses on th e possible use o f graphene
in electronics. Before w riting his paper, M a x is reviewing some words
related to his research. Com plete th e definitions ( 1 - 8 ) using th e words
in the box from M a x s list. Then in pairs, try to guess w h at M a x has been
investigating.
Dirac point dope/dopant Fermi level impurity layer property of sth sheet
ultra-thin
uo uuuu0uo u y uuuo uo uuu0ut

1 _________ (adj) very, very thin
2 _________ (n) c l large thin flat (usually rectangular) piece of something
3 -------------------------------------- (n) c l measure of the energy of the least tightly heldelectrons
within c l solid
4_________ (n) cl quality, especially one which means that it can be used
in c l particular way
5 ________________ In) a. substance which is mixed with another substance to
change (usually lower) its quality
6 _________ (n) c l thin sheet of a substance
7 _________ (n) the energy at which cl solid has itslowestelectron density
2 __________ (n/v) an element which is added to a substance to change
its electrical properties; to add an element to a substance to change its
electrical properties
b 8.1 M a x isdiscussing his research with Florence, a new post-doctoral

fellow inth e lab. Listen and choose th e correct word to com plete the
sentences.
1 G raphene is an u ltra -th in layer o f boron / carbon.
2 M a x adds th e dop an t to th e structure of / lays th e dopant onto the
graphene.
3 M a x is cu rre n tly using nitrogen dioxide / F4-TCNQ as the dopant.
4 M ax hopes th a t th e d o p a n t he is cu rre n tly using can reduce the positive /
negative charge from the graphene layer.
5 M ax also w ants to know if th e c u rre n t d o p a n t reacts to a ir / w a te r and heat.
Unit 8 Writing up research 3: results and discussion

Read th e following extract from th e d ra ft o f M a x s
results. Which of a - c below best summarises the
main idea o f M a x s paragraph? W hy are th e other
two options not suitable here?
a Charge n e u tra lity reached a t 0 .8 nm F4-TCNQ
b Effect o f F4-TCNQ on m onolayer graphene F4-TCNQ adheres to Fermi level /
c Fermi level in graphene above Dirac p o in t graphene sheet Dirac cones
Read th e extract again m ore carefully and make

th e following corrections. Doping with F4-TCNQ has an effect on the
1 Two o f the sentences do n o t belong in the results charge of th e graphene layer. The doping level
of the graphene layers was precisely monitored
section. Which ones are they? W here should they
w ith ARPES measurements. For a pure monolayer
be in the paper?
of graphene, the Fermi level is located about
2 Find and correct three verbs in the w rong tense.
0.42 eV above th e Dirac point (Fig. la ). As
Why are they wrong? increasing amounts of F4-TCNQ were deposited,
th e Fermi level moved towards the Dirac point
In pairs, answer th e following questions ab ou t
(Figs. lb - ld ) . Evidently, deposition of F4-TCNQ
th e corrected paragraph in Exercise 3a. activated electron transfer from graphene
1 The purpose o f the firs t sentence is to: toward the molecule thus neutralising the excess
a give the reader in fo rm a tio n a b o u t the negative charge. When a 0.8 nm-thick layer of
molecules is deposited, charge neutrality was
stru ctu re o f graphene
reached. For a thickness of th e molecular film
b describe a key re su lt o f the e xp e rim e n t
above 0.8 nm, no additional shift of the Fermi
c te ll the reader which ta b le o r fig u re has the energy is observed (Fig. le).
evidence fo r the key result
2 W hat is the purpose o f the o th e r sentences in th e paragraph?
Read th e following sentences from th e results section of M a x s paper. They

are not in order. Then decide which two sentences describe a key result in
his experim ent.
a A com parison w ith the n o n flu o rin a te d version o f th e F4-TCNQ molecule,
TCNQ, shows th a t th e charge tra n s fe r increases significantly when the F4 is
present.
b As the te m p e ra tu re increased above 7 5 C, the difference between the
Dirac energy and the Fermi energy also increased,
c Charge tra n sfe r occurs w ith TCNQ, b u t th e Fermi energy always rem ains a t
least 0 .2 5 eV above the Dirac p o in t (Fig. 4a).
d The difference re tu rn e d to the level o f a graphene layer a t 2 3 0 C.
e The F4-TCNQ layer is sensitive to tem perature.
f The m axim um sh ift o f the band stru ctu re is o b tained fo r a TCNQ deposition
of 0 .4 nm (Fig. 4d), b u t no a d d ition a l sh ift is observed fo r higher am ounts of
deposited molecules.
A p a ra g ra p h contains a to p ic sentence a n d one o r m ore s u p p o rtin g sentences.
The top ic sentence contains the m ain idea fo r the p a ra g rap h . In the results
section, the topic sentence o f each p a ra g ra p h should describe a key re s u lt and
the su p p o rtin g sentences sh o u ld p ro vid e a s u m m a ry o f the re le va n t findings
leading to the m ain result. The to p ic sentence is usu a lly the firs t sentence in the
parag raph.
Look a t sentences a - f in Exercise 3d again. The tw o sentences which

described a key result are topic sentences. First, find two supporting
sentences fo r each topic sentence. Then put all th e sentences in o rd er to
m ake tw o paragraphs.

Think ab ou t an exp erim ent you have been working on or th a t you are
fam iliar w ith. W h a t are th e m ost significant results and th e main ideas
you w an t to discuss? W rite topic sentences (only) fo r th e results and the
discussion sections o f a p ap er and put them into a logical order.
Preparing and writing the results section

5 a 8.2 Florence is advising M a x on w riting up th e results
section o f his paper. Listen and com plete M a x s notes with m e m m m m
1 - 3 words you h ear in th e conversation.
only resu lts no in te rp re ta tio n
b Which p a rt o f Florences advice do you think is most useful? o r methodology
Which is least useful fo r you? Why?
* highlight b o th my key and
( 1) ----------------------- findings
th e t e x t t o fo llo w same o rd e r
as th e (2 ) ___________
* make each paragraph r e la t e t o
one o f my (3) ___________.
* include ( 4 ) ------------------------ t o my
visuals in th e t e x t
* be concise (don t use
( 5 ) _____________1
use a c tiv e voice and w r ite in
pa st te n s e
* can use (6 ) ___________ t o
make t h e t e x t c le a re r
c M a x uses th e o rd e r o f his visual d ata to organise th e te x t of
his results section. Put th e words in brackets in th e correct
o rd e r to com plete th e extracts from his results (1 - 4 ) .
1 (shown / as / Fig. 1a / in), fo r a pure m onolayer o f graphene, the Fermi level
is located a b o u t 0 .4 2 eV above the Dirac point.
2 (shows / as / Fig. 1d), when a 0 .8 nm -thick layer o f molecules was deposited,
charge n e u tra lity was reached.
3 (be / in / Fig. 3d / observed / it / th a t / can) as the te m p e ra tu re increased
above 7 5 C, the difference between the Dirac energy and the Fermi energy
also increased.
4 (that / Fig. 3d / shows) th e difference retu rn e d to the level o f a pure
graphene layer a t 2 3 0 C.
M a x wants to com pare and contrast th e doping effects o f TCNQ and

F4-TCNQ. Read th e following d ra ft paragraph and underline th e phrases
he uses to describe a comparison o r a contrast.
In contrast to F4-TCNQ, the nonfluorinated version,TC NQ , showed a fa r

less effective charge transfer, even though the fluorine atoms are not directly
involved in the charge-transfer process. In the case o fT C N Q ,th e electron
affinity was 2.8 eV compared to 5.24 eV fo r F4-TCNQ. W hile charge neutrality
was reached fo r F4-TCNQ, w ith T C N Q the Fermi energy remained at least
0.25 eV above the Dirac point, as shown in Fig. 4.The maximum shift o f the
band structure was obtained fo r a T C N Q coverage o f 0.4 nm (see Fig. 4d), half
that o f F4-TCNQ, and no additional shift was observed fo r higher amounts of
deposited molecules.
Unit 8 Writing up research 3: results and discussion 65

The phrases in bold describe th e results o f a num ber o f o th e r experim ents.
M atch th e beginnings ( 1 - 8 ) to th e endings (a -h ) to com plete extracts from
eight d iffe re n t research papers.
1 At high temperature and high pressure, a differences were seen between the
olivine showed a n o tice ab le--------- activation efficiency of NaOH and KOH.
2 The carbon nanotubes had an extremely \ b differences in the pH and temperature
\ over the 3-month period.
3 For the hydroxide-to-fibre ratio of 4:1, 1 c effect on DNA synthesis and did not
slight i1 interact with the EGF receptor.
4 TAGH had only a minor / d high capacity.
5 The anxiety-related metabolic differences/ e reduced following 1 and 2 weeks of dark
observed in urine were significantly chocolate consumption.
6 There were only marginal V f slower than C. draconoides.
7 The robot demonstrated looping v g drop in strength.
behaviour that was similar to that of the
real moth and was also highly
8 When running horizontally on the high- h successful at locating the odour source.
friction surface T. mauritanica's average
speed was considerably
Look a t th e phrases in bold in Exercise 6 b and find adjectives and adverbs

which express:
a a large degree
b a small degree
Com plete th e paragraphs from th e results section of a p a p e r using the

words and phrases in th e box.
as can be seen in considerably contrast to noticeably thicker resulted in a longer

while
During the rapid heating, the Ni near the Ni/SiC interface reacted with the SiC,
which resulted in carbon atoms moving into the Ni. The carbon atoms then
separated onto the surface of the Ni during the cooling procedure, forming
graphene layers ( 1 ) _____________ Fig. lb. In (2 )______________ the graphene
generated using single-crystalline SiC, the graphene synthesised by this process
is ( 3 ) _____________ easier to remove from the SiC surface.
A slower heating rate ( 4 ) ______________process. As shown in Fig. 4, more
carbon atoms were released into the Ni in a long process. Higher carbon
concentration in the Ni produced a (5 )_____________ carbon nanofilm on
the Ni surface, (6 )______________a lower carbon concentration reduced the
thickness of the carbon nanofilm and formed graphene.
Think ab o u t an exp erim ent you have been working on or th a t you are
fam ilia r with. Use th e topic sentences you w rote fo r Exercise 4 to w rite a t
least one paragraph fo r th e results section of a paper.

Preparing and writing the discussion section
8 a Max is asking Florence fo r advice on w riting up th e discussion section
of his paper. Look a t some o f th e questions M a x asks Florence. Can you
answer any o f them?
1 Should I w ork through my discussion in the same o rd e r I used fo r the results?
2 Can I m ention any new results?
3 Do I need to m ention the results again?
4 Can I refer to o th e r w o rk th a ts been done in the area?
5 In term s o f language, is there anything in p a rtic u la r I should be careful w ith?
b ^ 8.3 Listen to th e conversation and m ake notes on th e answers Florence

gives to M a x s questions.
9 3 Florence advises M a x to use noun phrases. Noun phrases can be used to

summarise a lot o f inform ation efficiently. Read a paragraph from an early
draft of M a x s paper. Then com plete th e sentence from a la te r d ra ft using
the words and phrases in th e box.
d e p o s itio n o f e le c tr o n t r a n s f e r fro m m ovem ent o f to w a rd s
The Fermi level moves towards the The (1}______________the

Dirac point. W hen this happens, it Fermi level (2 ) ______
indicates that F4-TCNQ has been the Dirac point indicates that
deposited. When the F4-TCNQ has (3 )____ __ __ __ F4-TCNQ
been deposited, the electrons are activates (4 )_____________
activated. W hen the electrons are (5 ) graphene
activated, they are transferred from towards the molecule.
graphene towards the molecule.
Complete th e following sentences from th re e m ore research

papers. In each space, w rite th e noun form o f th e word in
brackets o r use of, on o r to.
1 The _ (a b le ). . a gecko.
w a lk . . walls dem onstrates t h a t .
(a ctiva te )_____________the adhesive system im proves the geckos
m ovem ent over sm ooth surfaces.
T h e _____________(fo rm )______________ a CaP la y e r_____________
th e surface allow ed fu rth e r crystal grow th.
A lthou gh th e species M . fo rtu n a ta has a lo w e r____________
(expose) to ve nt flu id s it seems to have a h ig h e r____________
(accum ulate)_____________ m etals in its tissues.
Florence also advises M a x to be concise. In pairs, read The F4-TCNQ layer is stable in
an o th er e xtract from M a x s p ap er on th e right. Then
air, but appears to be temperature
combine th e second and th ird sentences o f th e extract
sensitive. At temperatures above
into one sentence in tw o d iffe re n t ways using:
75 C the energy difference
a a relative pronoun [which, th a t, who, etc.) increases. This increase indicates
b a V E R B - //7 0 that molecular desorption occurs.

d R ew rite th e following extracts from th re e d iffe re n t papers using e ither a
relative pronoun [which, th a t, who, etc.) o r a v e r b -ing.
1 The adhesive a p paratus is only activated on sloped surfaces, n o t on fla t
surfaces even when slippage occurs. This results in g re a tly reduced sp rin tin g
velocity on sm ooth, fla t surfaces.
2 C onsum ption o f d a rk chocolate resulted in the decrease in the stress
horm one cortisol in th e urine. This suggests p o te n tia l benefits o f d ark
chocolate consum ption.
3 On exposure to metals, B. azoricus dem onstrates considerable a n tio x id a n t
enzym atic activity. This reflects a physiological a d a p ta tio n to continuous
metal exposure.
10 Look a t th e paragraph(s) fo r th e results section you w rote in Exercise 7.

W rite a paragraph fo r a discussion section fo r those results.
11 3 The discussion section o f a p ap er often describes lim itations o f th e current

research and w h at experim ents could be done in future. Read th e following
statem en ts ab o u t M a x s research and decide w h eth er they describe a
lim itation (L) or an idea fo r fu tu re research (F).
1 The process o f charge tra n s fe r has n o t been in v e s tig a te d .______
2 LI D esorption m ig h t occur because o f th e te m p e ra tu re used o r because o f
the vacuum _______
3 Try using higher te m p e ra tu re s a t a tm ospheric pressure to see w hat
happens_______
4 Try do p ing w ith o th e r TCNQ-related m olecules_______
5 The graphene sam ple thickness is n o t co n siste n t _
6 F4-TCNQ m ig h t be useful in silicon-based as well as graphene-based
electronics_______
7 Investigate d iffe re n t ways o f applying the F4-TCNQ la y e r.______
b 8.4 Listen to M a x and his supervisor, Dan, discussing th e latest d ra ft of

M a x s paper. Tick th e points from Exercise 11 a they discuss.
12 a Based on D ans suggestion, M a x has w ritten a paragraph fo r his p aper

on lim itations and fu tu re research. Look a t th e underlined phrases.
Which ones express lim itations o f the research and which suggest future
research?
The results presented here indicate that F4-TCNQ has potential as a doping
agent for graphene-based electronics, but further studies are needed. The
findings suggest that an increase in the temperature above 75 C causes
molecular desorption from the graphene surface. However, the process was
carried out in a vacuum, which could be causing the desorption. The results of
the present study might have been different if the process had been carried out
at atmospheric pressure and it would be beneficial to investigate this further.
Another limitation o f the study is the inconsistent thickness of the graphene
samples. Future research should also be encouraged to examine alternative
methods of applying the F4-TCNQ layer. This has the potential to increase the
commercial use of this doping method.
68 Unit 8 Writing up research 3: results and discussion

b Look a t th e phrases below. Which can be used to express lim itations and
which suggestions fo r fu tu re research?
1 The scope o f this study did n o t p e rm it us to exam ine ...
2 Given this lim ita tio n , we do n o t know if/w h e th e r ...
3 It is hoped th a t th is research can serve as a basis fo r fu tu re studies into ...
4 This is a clear lim ita tio n o f the study and raises fu rth e r questions related to ...
5 These results are p relim inary findings and suggest th a t fu rth e r research on ...
C The paragraph below describes th e lim itations and suggestions fo r future

direction o f a study looking a t th e production o f graphene layers. Com plete
the paragraph using th e words and phrases in th e box.
clear given hoped indicates permit raises scope serve as
The study (1 ) _____________ that it is possible to produce large-area graphene

films using a solid-phase-based method. It is (2 ) that this
research can (3 )_____________ a basis for further studies into graphene
synthesis. One limitation of the present research is that the (4 ) _____________
of the study did not (5 ) ______________us to investigate the differences between The s tru ctu re o f graphene
using 6H -S iC and 3C-SiC/Si substrates. ( 6 ) ______________this limitation, we
do not know if this method is selective for the type of SiC substrate. In addition,
the current study did not investigate a range of heating rates. It is possible that
lower temperatures could be used if the process were lengthened. This is a
(7 )_____________ limitation of the study and (8) __ ___________further research
questions related to the possibility of optimising processing conditions to better
control graphene production.
13 a Look a t M a x s concluding p aragraph. Which sentences (1 - 6 ) explain:

a the problem ?
b how o th e r researchers approached the problem and w h a t they found?
c the key fin dings o f the c u rre n t research?
Graphene sheet
(1) Freshly grown graphene displays an excess negative charge. (2) As presented
in several other studies, approaches used to remove this charge have all
displayed practical disadvantages (Riedl et al., 2009; Lohmann, von Klitzing
and Srnet, 2009). (3) However, in a previous paper, it was shown that surface-
transfer doping was a simple and reliable way to dope graphene (Chen et al.,
2009). (4) Recent work has suggested theoretically that F4-TCNQ could have
a doping effect on graphene (Pinto et al., 2009). (5) The present study has
demonstrated the effect experimentally and shown that the excess negative
charge in monolayer graphene can be fully compensated by functionalising
its surface with F4-TCNQ. (6) In addition, we have demonstrated that the
molecular layer is stable when exposed to air, preserved up to 75 C and is
totally reversible at higher temperatures.
b Underline th e language used to re fe r to o th er researchers work.

14 W rite a concluding paragraph fo r th e discussion section o f th e subject
you w rote ab ou t fo r Exercises 7 and 10. Include th e lim itations and future
direction o f th e research.

UNIT 9 I
Writing the introduction
Writing the abstract
Giving a title to your paper
Contacting journals
m e t e o r it e
s u r fa c e
m e t e o r it e
c r a te r
E a rth
Writing the introduction

M ya is doing research into th e pansperm ia hypothesis as p a rt of a
M a s te rs degree in astrobiology. In pairs, use th e diagram and th e words in
th e box below to help you answer questions 1 - 3 . Then com pare your ideas
with th e Answer key on page 114.
1 W hat do you th in k the pansperm ia hypothesis is?
2 How credible do you th in k th e hypothesis is?
3 W hat kind o f evidence w ould su p p o rt this hypothesis?
deep space lichen seeds of life extremophile meteorite UV radiation

harsh conditions protective layer vehicle
M ya has been investigating w h eth er it is possible fo r b acteria and

microorganisms to survive in an environm ent as harsh as th e surface of
M ars. He has been advised to organise th e te x t of his introduction around
five key questions. M atch th e beginnings to th e endings o f th e questions.
What was I approach the problem?
Why was it expect to know after doing the research?
What was already important?
What did I investigating?
How did I known about the subject of my research?
Unit 9 Writing up research 4: introduction and abstract

Read five extracts from th e introduction to M y a s paper, ignoring the
highlighted words fo r now. Which question from Exercise 1 b is each extract
answering? W rite th e questions above th e extracts.
1 ______________________________________________
Such an extrem e en v iro n m en t was th o u g h t to be uninhabitable, b u t m icrobial

ecology studies rep o rted th e presence o f m icroorganism s (A m aral-Z ettler et
al., 2002). C ould th e surface com position o f M ars p ro tec t hfe against radiation?
2 _________________________________________________
A n u m b er o f studies have investigated different extrem e M artian surface

conditions on terrestrial m icroorganism s. N icholson and S chuerger (2005)
reported th a t th e spores o f Bacillus subtilis were able to survive for 19 days
u nder M ars atm ospheric pressure and com position. Saffary et al. (2002),
however, found th a t survival decreased due to ...
................. ......; .. ( v . J
3 __________________________________________________________________________
P o tential habitability in th e subsurface w ould increase if th e overlaying

m aterial did play a protective role.
4 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
F or m any years now, scientists have speculated ab o u t th e possibility o f life on

M ars (K lein et al., 1976; M cKay, 1997). T h e discovery o f liquid w ater on M ars
would increase its habitability ...
5 ________________________________________________________________________
W e re p o rt h ere on o u r studies o f p ro tec tio n by Rio T in to Basin iro n oxides

and hydroxides o n tw o m icroorganism s, AcidithiobaciUiisferrooxidans and
Deinococcits radiodumns, u n d e r sim ulated M ars surface conditions.
A w ell-w ritten introduction usually presents general inform ation ab ou t the

topic firs t before specific inform ation ab ou t th e research. W h a t do you
think is th e best o rd er fo r th e extracts in Exercise 1 c?
Answer th e following questions ab o u t th e extracts in Exercise 1 c.

1 W rite down the hig h lig h te d w ords and phrases which describe:
a a hypothesis / hypothetical situation
b c u rre n t research o r knowledge on a p a rtic u la r to p ic
c general statem ents a b o u t past research
d the results o r conclusions taken from specific past research
2 W h at form o r tense are th e w ords and phrases in a - d above?
Unit 9 Writing up research 4: introduction and abstract 71

Read an extract from th e introduction o f a p ap er ab o u t th e ability of
lichens and microbes to survive in deep space. Ignoring th e gaps, how many
of th e questions in Exercise 1 b can you answer?
Recent a d va nce s in sp a ce te ch n o lo g y ( 1 ) (provide) the p ossibility o f studying the survival o f

d iffe re n t m icroorganism s in the harsh environm ent o f sp a ce (Demets et a l., 2 0 0 5 ; B a g lio n i et a l., 2 0 0 7 ) . So
far, lichens ( 2 ) _______________ (be) the o n ly organism s a b le to survive exposure to such extrem e co n ditions
(Sancho e t a l., 2 0 0 7 ; d e los Rios e t a l., 2 0 1 0 ) .
It is b e lie ve d that, if sufficiently pro te cte d b y m eteorite-like m aterial, m icroorganism s m ay also survive the
jo urney through sp a ce . H ow ever, Brandstafter e t al. (2 0 0 8 ) ( 3 ) _______________ (report) that m icroorganism s
e m b e d d e d in 2 cm thick rocks on the outer surface o f a re-entry capsule, sim ulating the entry o f a meteorite,
( 4 ) _______________ (not survive).
The aim o f this w o rk ( 5 ) _______________ (be) to o b ta in further inform ation on the resistance o f rock-colonising
m ic ro b ia l com m unities a n d lichens to outer sp a ce co n d itio ns, d u rin g the B io p a n -6 flig h t o f ESA on b o a rd a
Russian Foton satellite.
Com plete th e extract by w riting the verbs in brackets in th e correct tense.
Read two sentences which present th e same inform ation in d iffe re n t

ways. In pairs, try to decide w h at th e main difference is between th e two
sentences. Then com pare your ideas with th e Answer key on page 115.
a A m aral-Z e ttle r e t al. (2 0 0 2 ) re p o rte d the presence o f m icroorganism s,
b M icro bia l ecology studies detected the presence o f m icroorganism s (Amaral-
Z e ttle r e t al., 2 0 0 2 ).
C om plete the following sentences with phrases a - d below.

1 We usually use an a u th o r-p ro m in e n t cita tio n w h e n and w h e n _______
2 An in fo rm a tio n -p ro m in e n t cita tio n is usually used w h e n and when
a dealing w ith ideas we wish to explore in a paper

b dealing w ith in fo rm a tio n w hich is n o t controversial
c com paring ideas from a v a rie ty o f sources
d su p p o rtin g a p a rtic u la r p o in t
A num ber of d iffe re n t rep o rting verbs can be used in author-prom inent
citations. Com plete th e definitions using th e rep o rting verbs in th e box.
conclude demonstrate discover hypothesise observe prove suggest
( 1 ) _____________ o r ( 2 ) _____________ : to use an e xp e rim e n t to show th a t

som ething is tru e
(3 ) ____________ . : to carefully watch th e way som ething happens, then record it
(4 ) ! and ( 5 ) : to give a possible explanation fo r
som ething which has n o t been proved
(6 ) : to decide som ething a fte r th in k in g a b o u t it carefully
(7 ) : to fin d o r learn in fo rm a tio n, especially som ething new
In pairs, take turns to ask and answer th e questions in Exercise 1 b ab ou t a

piece o f research you know well. M a k e a note o f your answers.
Use th e notes you m ade in Exercise 5 a to w rite a short introduction to

your research. R em em ber to include au thor-prom inent and inform ation-
prom inent references in your introduction.
Unit 9 Writing up research 4: introduction and abstract
Writing the abstract
1 W hat is the purpose o f an abstract?
2 How can an a b stra c t help a researcher choose which papers to read?
3 W hat info rm a tio n does th e a b stra ct usually include?
4 Why do some people th in k a good a b stra ct is even m ore im p o rta n t in the
in te rn e t age than it was before?
b An ab stract usually contains one o r tw o key sentences from each section

of a paper. Read th e following extracts from M y a s d ra ft abstract. M atch a
section ( 1 - 4 ) to an e x tract (A -D ).
1 In tro d u c tio n 3 R e s u lts______
2 M e th o d 4 D iscu ssio n______
W ith die aim o f evaluating diis possibility tw o m icroorganism s, Acidithitib 'acillus

ferrooxidans, an acidophile, and Deinococcus radiodurans, a rad iatio n -resistan t
m icroorganism , w ere exposed to sim ulated M ars conditions; th a t is, 95% C O 2.7%
N ,, 1.6% A r and 0.6% H 20 w ith a pressure o f 7 m bars. T em p eratu re was set at 150
K and u ltraviolet radiation was in th e w avelength range o f 2 0 0 -4 0 0 n m at. Exposure
was for different tim es u n d er th e p ro tectio n o f 2 and 5 m m layers o f oxidised iron
m inerals. Survival was evaluated by grow ing die organism s on fresh m edia.
T h e resistance o f organism s to extrem e conditions like d ie conditions w hich exist

on th e surface o f M ars u n d e r d ie p ro tec tio n o f a th in m aterial layer increases die
possibility th a t life could exist on M ars.
H e re we re p o rt th a t bo th the 2 and 5 m m diick layers provided en o u g h p ro tectio n

against radiation and M ars environm ental conditions for d ie bacteria to survive
(Figs. 2 & 3).
C u rre n t surface conditions on M ars are extrem ely challenging for life. H ow ever,
N ich o lso n and S chuerger (2005) rep o rted th a t Bacillus subtilis was able to survive for
19 days u n d e r M ars atm ospheric pressure and com position. T h e question is w h eth er
th e re are any features o n M ars th a t could provide p ro tec tio n against th e surface
conditions. O n e possibility is th a t die surface m aterial plays a protective role due to
th e fact th a t it is com posed o f iro n oxides and hydroxides.
C In pairs, decide on th e best o rd er fo r th e extracts (A -D ) in th e abstract.

Give reasons fo r your answer.
7 3 9.1 Svenja, M y a s supervisor, is com m enting on th e d ra ft abstract in

Exercise 6b. Listen to p a rt o f th e conversation and say which section (A -D )
Svenja does not com m ent on.

b 9.1 Listen again and m ark th e following statem ents tru e (T) o r false (F).
1 Svenja th in k s th e reference to N icholson and Schuerger (2 0 0 5 ) is useful.
2 M ya should remove th e in fo rm a tio n on iron oxides and h y d ro x id e s ._____

3 M ya needs to include m ore in fo rm a tio n a b o u t the m ethod in his abstract.
4 Svenja advises M ya to refer to the visuals (figures, tables etc.) in the

a b s tra c t __
5 O verall, Svenja th in ks the a b stra c t is well w ritte n _______
C Look a t Audioscript 9.1 on page 101. Use Svenjas advice to M ya to

im prove th e th re e sections o f th e te x t o f th e abstract in Exercise 6b. Then
com pare your corrected te x t with th e Answer key on page 115.
8 3 M ya uses p articular phrases to signal th e purpose o f each p a rt o f the

ab stract (A -D ) in Exercise 6b. Underline a phrase in th e extracts which
M ya uses to:
1 state the research question
2 present th e hypothesis
3 introdu ce th e m ethod
4 introdu ce key results
b The following phrases can also be used to signal th e purpose o f each p a rt

of an ab stract. Divide th e phrases (a - l) into four groups according to the
functions in Exercise 8 a ( 1 - 4 ) .
a An investigation was g The study provides strong
undertaken to explore ... evidence t h a t ...
b It seems likely t h a t ... h We dem onstrate t h a t ...
c Results show t h a t ... i We expected t h a t ...
d The aim o f the study was to .. j We investigated a new m ethod o f verb -ing
e The data suggest t h a t ... k The m ethod involved wRB-ing
f The present study I ... was found to ...
investigates ...
C The te x t o f an a b stract must be concise. Replace th e underlined words in

extracts 1 - 5 below with th a t o r those.
1 The horm one increased the pow er o u tp u t o f healthy volunteers by 1 6 per
cent a fte r fo u r weeks o f ta k in g the drug. H ealthy volunteers who to o k the
d ru g could also exercise 5 0 per cent longer than control subjects.
2 We com pare p h o tographic exposure from scattered lig h t w ith lig h t from
d ire ct light.
3 The ta rg e t yield is the yield which can be produced in p e rfe ct conditions.
4 S tructures like the stru ctu re s described in th is paper are n o t known in
g lyp to d o n ts recorded before the G reat Am erican B iotic Interchange (GABI).
5 The lith o lo g y o f failed carbonate stra ta differs from the lith o lo g v o f th e ir
basal shear surfaces.
74 Unit 9 Writing up research 4: introduction and abstract

9 a Think ab o u t some research you have done recently. W rite:
one o r tw o sentences which provide the key background to the research
a sentence which states your research question
a sentence which presents your hypothesis
tw o o r three sentences o u tlin in g the main m ethods used
one o r tw o sentences presenting the key results
a sentence which states the key im p lica tio n o f yo u r findings
b Connect these sentences to form a d ra ft o f an abstract. Use th e phrases

in Exercises 8a and 8 b to m ake it clear where each section o f th e abstract
begins. Check your w ork fo r rep etitio n o f words or ideas.
Giving a title to your paper

10 8 Read th e titles o f six research papers. In pairs, decide which titles
you think are m ost helpful fo r th e reader.
1 S taphylococcus aureus H ost Cell Invasion
2 Increase in fr u it size o f a spontaneous m u ta n t o f Gala apple (M alus
x dom estica B orkh.) is fa cilita te d by a lte re d cell pro d u ctio n and
enhanced cell size
3 Large colonial organism s many years ago
4 Does w arm in g a lte r the m etabolic balance o f ecosystems?
5 Cat nap: A study o f M am m alian Sleep Dynamics
6 Genetic Signatures o f Exceptional Longevity in Humans
b Read seven suggestions fo r w riting th e title of a research paper.

Which suggestions should you use to w rite a good title? Which
suggestions dont give good advice?
a M ake it a b o u t 5 0 w ords long
b W rite it as a question
c Begin w ith a phrase like A study o f ... o r A n Investigation into ...
d Include a joke o r play on words
e Include im p o rta n t key w ords fo r in te rn e t search tools
f Include in fo rm a tio n such as th e species studied, the tre a tm e n t used,
etc.
g P resent th e key result
M ya is deciding on a title fo r his p ap er and has w ritten four

alternatives. In pairs, decide which title you think is best.
1 Is there life on M ars?
2 A re th ere any features on M ars th a t could provide p ro te ctio n against
the harsh surface conditions?
3 An investigation in to w h e th e r M a rss surface m aterial could provide
pro te ctio n fo r organism s
4 P rotection fo r A cid ith io b a c illu s fe rro o xid a n s and Deinococcus ra d io d u ra n s
exposed to sim ulated M ars environm ental conditions by surface m aterial

d 9.2 M ya is discussing th e choice of title s with his supervisor, Svenja.
Listen to p a rt o f th e ir conversation and answer th e questions.
1 Which title ( 1 - 4 from Exercise 10c) does Svenja th in k is best?
2 W h at problem does M ya th in k Svenjas preferred title m ig h t have?
3 W hat reason does Svenja give fo r choosing th is title ?
e 9.2 Look a t th e th re e titles in Exercise 10c which Svenja thinks are

unsuitable. Then listen again and m ake a note of:
a t least one reason Svenja gives fo r rejecting the three unsuitable titles.
a t least one piece o f advice Svenja gives M ya a b o u t w ritin g a title .
f Look back a t your answers to Exercise 10a. Have you changed your mind
ab o u t which title s are helpful to th e reader? W h a t exactly is wrong with the
less effective titles? How could they be improved?
11 3 T itle 4 in Exercise 10c was based on th e following sentence from

M y a s paper. Read th e sentence and then answer th e questions below.
T h e data suggest th a t Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans and Deinococcus radiodilrans

are p ro tec ted from exposure to sim ulated M ars en vironm ental conditions by
th e surface m aterial.
In M yas title nu m b e r 4:
a w hich phrase has been rem oved from the sentence?
b why has fro m in are p ro te c te d fro m in th e sentence become fo r in
p ro te c tio n fo r in the title ?
c w ha t has exposure in the sentence become in the title ?
b Read th e key result from four d iffe re n t papers. Then com plete a suitable
title fo r each p ap er ( 1 - 4 ) with a noun in each gap.
1 The findin gs indicate th a t p h o sphorylation can be in h ib ite d by m odifying
lysine and arginine in the myosin re g u la to ry system.
T itle : ______ o f lysine and arginine in the myosin reg u la to ry system
in h ib its ph o sp h o ryla tio n
2 We de m o n stra te th a t th e size d is trib u tio n o f organic p o llu tan ts in the a ir
varies from season to season.
Title: S ea so n a l_____________ o f the size d is trib u tio n o f organic p o llu tan ts in
th e a ir
3 The study provides stro n g evidence th a t m u ltip le sperm factors are required
to activate mouse oocytes.
T itle :_____________ o f mouse oocytes requires m u ltip le sperm factors
4 We found th a t th e m u lti-fu n ctio na l biochip made it possible to
sim ultaneously d e te ct th e tu m o u r suppressor FHIT gene and protein.
Title: S im u lta n e o u s ____________ o f the tu m o u r suppressor FHIT gene and
p ro te in using the m u lti-fu n ctio na l biochip
12 Look a t th e sentences you w rote in Exercise 9a. Use th e key results to

w rite a title fo r a p ap er on your work.
76 Unit 9 Writing up research 4: introduction and abstract

Contacting journals
1 Have you ever published a paper?
2 W hat advice w ould you give to som eone who w anted to g e t an article
published?
Below are eight extracts from an article which gives advice on publishing
your research. M atch th e headings ( 1 - 8 ) to th e extracts (A -H ).
1 W rite yo u r cover le tte r 5 W h a t to do if your p a per is accepted
2 Choose yo u r jo u rn a l carefully 6 Reacting to a jo u rn a ls response
3 S u b m ittin g your p a per 7 W hat happens next
4 Follow the guidelines 8 W h a t to do if your paper is rejected
A B C D
Talk to other researchers Read the journal's Different journals have Keep your cover letter
in your field. They w ill be instructions for authors different rules about short as the editor who
able to suggest journals before you submit. These the number of copies to will read it probably
for your work and w ill are usually available on submit and whether to receives many papers.
know whether the the journal's website. submit electronically or in
journal has any rules that Look at the format of the hardcopy. Make sure your
make it particularly easy. journal's papers. manuscript is submitted
correctly.
E F G H
The journal w ill probably The editor's letter will If the journal rejects your Ask the editor about
contact you to say they clearly explain how you paper, discuss this with the journal's rules about
have received your should revise your paper a colleague. It might be copyright and any other
article. If you do not hear before resubmitting it. If better to submit your conditions. Finally, thank
anything, send the editor any points are not clear, paper to another journal. all those who have
a short email asking for write back to the editor Do not send angry or helped you, letting them
an acknowledgement of asking for an explanation. abusive letters (I). know when and where
receipt and a reference the research w ill be
number. When your published.
paper has been read, the
editor w ill write to you
w ith a decision.
Turn to page 8 8 . Read th e le tte r which M ya has sent to a journal with his
p ap er and answer th e questions.
Using th e corrected le tte r from exercises a and b on page 8 8 as a model,

w rite a cover le tte r to a journal to accompany th e m anuscript submission
o f a research p ap er you have w ritten (or plan to w rite).

Presenting research at a
Giving a paper at a conference

Socialising at a conference
Presenting a poster
Giving a paper at a conference

1 Have you ever presented your research to
your team o r study group? How did you
prepare? Coordinated by the University of Cambridge, Cambridge UK
2 Have you ever given a paper to a large Keynote speakers

audience a t a conference? Zoltan Szabo
European Institute of Malaria
3 Why m ig h t presenting your research a t Research (EIMR)
an in te rn a tio n a l conference be m ore Miremba Kabasomi
Makarere University, Kampala,
d iffic u lt than presenting to yo u r team o r 7tn annual Uganda
study group?
European Malaria Preliminary Programme
Look a t th e online poster advertising Conference A list of other invited speakers
and preliminary session topics
a conference and answer th e following is currently being developed by
questions. July 31 - August 5 the Conference Chair and will be
announced in due course. Please
1 W ho m ig h t be interested in a tte n d in g check back for updates.
th is conference? For further information about us
see www.eimr.org
2 If a researcher applies on 7 May, could
he/she give a p a per a t th is conference? ONLINE REGISTRATION ONLY
www.eimr.org/con7/registration
3 If you were interested in this conference,
Registration is on a strictly first-
how could you fin d o u t more? come, first-served basis.
Application deadlines
4 April for abstract or poster
presentation submissions
7 May for attendees
Registration fees
Academia - 450
Students - 350
Commercial/Industry - 650
78 Unit 10 Presenting research at a conference

Complete the following words and phrases from the poster using the words
in the box.
basis course deadline keynote preliminary presentation registration (x2)

strictly submit updates
1 a p p lic a tio n ________________ 6__________ program m e

2 on a _____________ first-com e, 7 _____________fees
firs t-s e rv e d ________________ 8 t o ____ an a b stra ct
3 _____________speakers 9 in due __________
4 o n lin e _____________only 10 check back f o r _____________
5 p o s te r____________
M atch th e words and phrases ( 1 - 1 0 ) in Exercise 1c to th e definitions (a -j).

a research sum m arised in a visual d is p la y _
b an early plan fo r the conference (some details may change la te r ) _______
c look fo r fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n ______
d money you m ust pay to a tte n d the co n fe re n ce _
e s o o n ______
f the In te rn e t m ust be used to send personal in fo rm a tio n fo r the conference
g the last date th a t personal in fo rm a tio n can be sent to the conference

o rg a n is e rs ______
h the m ost im p o rta n t presenters a t the co n fe re n ce __
i the organisers w ill only accept ap p lica tio n s in the o rd e r they receive them
j to send a w ritte n sum m ary o f yo u r research because you w ant to present a

p a p e r______
The diagram below shows how th e adaptive immune system responds a fte r
vaccination with an a tte n u a te d (weakened) virus. In pairs, discuss w hat you
think th e diagram shows.
1 2 3
VS5I m i
C ' .V 0
j r V n
, virus
antigen antigen-
i
.. ' -j Timmature
ce|,
presenting
cell
killer
T cell
*7 *
LO
4 r - i
E
6
i 1 i i J &
1
1 1
J JQ I 1 0
* T
* l *** * *** 1 b a r?
+++ (T~) j
+*G cytokines >
B-cell
effector Th cell
antibody
memory Th cell macrophage
Unit 10 Presenting research at a conference 79

b M atch th e descriptions ( a - f ) to th e correct parts of th e diagram ( 1 - 6 ) in
Exercise 2 a . The firs t one has been done fo r you.
a When foreign m aterial like b acteria o r viruses is introduced in to the
body, th e im m une system acts to p ro te c t the body against the m aterial.
Vaccination makes th is process happen, so the body is m ore ready to act if
th e same m a te ria l is m et a g a in .______
b Th cells cannot kill infected cells them selves. Instead, they activate and
d ire ct o th e r im m une cells. There are tw o groups o f Th cells: effector Th cells
and m em ory Th c e lls .______
c Effector Th cells secrete cytokines. These are signalling molecules
which stim u la te o th e r cells such as B cells, which produce a ntibodies;
m acrophages, which e a t infected cells; and K ille r T cells, which a ttack
infected c e lls . ______
d The m em ory Th cells on the o th e r hand rem em ber the o riginal antigen
which showed th a t foreign m aterial had entered the body. If they m eet th is
antigen again, th e y can im m e d ia te ly act like effector Th cells. In th is way,
vaccination can prepare the body to respond m ore quickly if there is re
infection w ith th e same v iru s .______
e The im m atu re T cells then develop in to e ith e r H elper T (Th) cells o r K iller
T cells. K ille r T cells can dire ctly a tta ck cells which have been infected by
foreign m a te ria l.______
f A fte r vaccination, antigen-presenting cells (APC) take in th e virus and then
s ta rt th e im m une response by presenting antigens on th e ir surface. Im m ature
T cells bind to the antigen and recognise th a t it is foreign m a te ria l. ______
C M easu ring T-cell responses may be used to show

researchers how successful a vaccine will be. In pairs, can
you think o f (or do you know) a m ethod fo r measuring
T-cell responses?
M ila n is an im m unology PhD s tu d e n t researching T-cell
responses to viral-based m a la ria vaccines. He is presenting
his research a t the 7th European M a la ria Conference a t
M alaria risk No malaria
Trinity College Cambridge.
3 3 10.1 All th e phrases in italics below are a p p ro p ria te when giving a form al
talk on your research. Read extracts 1 -8 . Then listen and underline the
phrase M ilan uses in each one.
1 Good afternoon, everybody. / Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.
2 To sta rt, th a n k you / I d like to s ta r t b y th a n kin g you all fo r com ing to my
ta lk today.
3 I m M ila n P oborski and a t p re s e n t / M y nam e is M ila n P oborski a n d Im a
PhD candidate a t N o rth u m b ria University.
4 I m g oin g to ta lk to d a y / M y ta lk to d a y is a b o u t my recent research
in vestig atin g ...
5 I ll begin b y e xp la in in g / To s ta rt with, I ll explain b rie fly how T-cell responses
6 A fte r that, I ll / I ll go on to describe th e a lte rn a tive m ethod I have been

investigatin g ...
7 Finally, I w ill discuss I I ll conclude b y discussing why th is m ethod could be
useful as a way ...
8 I p la n to ta lk fo r a b o u t 4 0 minutes, leaving p le n ty o f tim e fo r / 1 w ill ta lk fo r
a b o u t 4 0 m inutes and then I ll answ er an y questions a t the end o f my talk.

Match each p air o f phrases ( 1 - 8 ) to th e ir correct function (a - f) below.
N ote th a t one o f th e functions may be expressed with th re e d iffe re n t pairs
of phrases.
a Give instru ctio n s fo r asking questions_____________
b Greet the a u d ie n ce . _________
c Introduce the to p ic o f th e p re se n ta tio n ______________
d Introduce yourself______________
e O u tline th e stru ctu re o f the presentation. ___________
f Thank the audience fo r c o m in g .____________
Look a t A udioscript 10.1 on page 101 where M ilan explains the

organisation o f his presentation to his audience. W h a t do you notice about
the way M ilan is going to organise his talk?
Think o f a piece o f research you have done recently. Use th e words and
phrases in Exercise 3 a to help you plan th e introduction to a presentation
about your research.
10.2 Below are five extracts from th e main p a rt o f M ilan 's presentation.
M atch th e beginnings ( 1 - 5 ) to th e endings (a -e ). Then listen and check
your answers.
1 A number of potential vaccine types have been a counting IFN-7 secreting cells has been the preferred method
developed and to date.
2 As I have already said. b using flow cytometry to detect MIG secretion gives us a more
accurate way of measuring immune responses.
3 As vou can see from this imaae. c I w ill be returnina to those shortly.
4 Let's beain bv lookinq at the size of the malaria d Malaria kills over one million people every year in 109
problem. countries.
5 That's all I have to sav about the vaccine itself. e so now I'd like to move on to lookina at iudaina the response
of the immune system to the vaccine.
The underlined phrases in Exercise 4 a help speakers to organise th e ir

presentation clearly and guide listeners through th e inform ation. W rite the
correct underlined phrase to com plete th e advice below.
Use:
a __________________________ : to introduce a new p a rt o f the ta lk
b : to conclude one p a rt o f the ta lk and then begin
ano th e r
c __________________________ : to refer back to an e a rlie r p a rt o f th e ta lk
d __________________________ : to refer forw ard to a la te r p a rt o f the ta lk
e __________________________ : to refer to a visual aid
^ 10.3 Listen to five m ore extracts from M ila n s presentation. For each
extract (1 - 5 ) , you will h ear a new way o f expressing th e functions in
Exercise 4b. Listen and decide which function (a - e ) best describes each
extract.
Look a t A udioscript 1 0 .3 on page 1 0 2 . Find and underline th e phrases

which express th e functions.
Continue th e presentation plan you began in Exercise 3d. Plan how you
will organise th e body o f your presentation. M a k e sentences fo r your
presentation using th e phrases in Exercises 4 a -4 c . Plan th e visual aids you
will need.

0 a D> 10.4 M ilan has come to th e end o f his presentation. In pairs, look a t the
list (a - e ) and decide on th e best o rd er fo r him to do these things. Then
listen and check your answers.
a le t the audience know his presentation has finished
b D o ffe r the audience the chance to ask questions a b o u t his presentation
c reach a conclusion based on his research
d sum m arise the main points o f his ta lk
e th a n k the audience fo r listening to him
b ^ 10.4 Listen to th e end o f th e presentation again and com plete the

following phrases using between one and th re e words in each space.
1 recap w h a t Ive said.
2 I th e re fo re _________________________ t h a t ...
3 T h a t__________________________ to the end o f my ta lk today.
4 I w ould like to th a n k you f o r __________________________ a tte n tive audience.
5 I w ould be happy t o _________________________ you may have.
7 In pairs, take turns to practise giving th e presentation you have been

p reparing in this section. You may w ant to turn to th e advice on
presentations in Unit 1 Exercise 13 on page 12 to help you. Give your
p a rtn e r feedback on th e ir delivery and th e ir use of th e functional phrases
fo r organising a presentation from Exercises 3a, 4 a and 6 b o f this unit.
Socialising at a conference
8 a In pairs, discuss th e following questions.
1 Have you ever been to a conference? Tell your p a rtn e r
a b o u t yo u r experience.
2 Do you plan to a tte n d any conferences in the near
future?
3 W hat m ig h t be d iffic u lt (apart from giving a
presentation) a b o u t a tte n d in g a conference where the
main (or only) language is English?
b In pairs, look a t th e list of typical conference activities

(a -h ) below and then discuss th e following questions.
1 Which o f these activities have you done (or m ight you
expect to do) a t conferences?
2 Which activities are easier / m ore d iffic u lt fo r you? Why?
3 Do you know any w ords o r phrases which are
a p p ro p ria te fo r these activities?
a m aking arrangem ents fo r coffee, lunch o r an evening
ou t
b asking someone which talks they have been to
c asking someone fo r th e ir opinion on a ta lk
d fin d in g o u t a b o u t where someone w orks and w hat
research they are doing
e asking someone if they are giving a ta lk
f asking someone how successful th e ir presentation was
g introd ucin g yourself o r someone else fo r the firs t tim e
h netw orkin g (m aking useful contacts)

C ^ 10.5 M ila n is s o c ia lis in g a t th e 7 th E uro p e a n M a la ria C onference in
C am b rid ge. L isten to e x tra c ts fro m e ig h t d iffe r e n t c o n v e rs a tio n s M ila n has.
For each co n v e rs a tio n , say w hich a c tiv ity in Exercise 8 b (a -h ) you hear.
S om etim es, m o re th a n o n e c o rre c t a n sw e r is p ossible.
Conversation 1: Conversation 5 : ___ ___
Conversation 2 : ___________ Conversation 6 : __
Conversation 3 : ___________ Conversation 7 : __
Conversation 4 : ___________ Conversation 8 : _
9 a D> 10.5 Look a t th e se n te n ce s fro m th e c o n v e rs a tio n s in Exercise 8c.

C o m p le te th e spaces w ith th e w o rd s in th e box. Then lis te n and check y o u r
answ ers.
about based face forward giving go honest how looking sessions this
turnout
C o n ve rsa tio n 1
(1 ) was it?
Well, to be ( 2 ) it was a b it to o clinical fo r me.
A nd (3) is Freja Pedersen.
So where are you ( 4 ) , Freja?
W hat are you ( 5 ) _____________ at?
C o n v e rsa tio n 4
So are you ( 6) a paper here, M akareta?
Well, how ( 7 ) _____________ you come o u t w ith us to n ig h t?
So, how d id th e ta lk ( 8 ) _____________ ?
Did you get a good ( 9 ) _____________ ?
So which o th e r (1 0 )_____________have you been to today, M ilan?
Its good to fin a lly m eet you, Jacob, and p u t a (1 1 )____________ to the name.
This m ig h t seem a little (1 2 ) _____________ , b u t I wondered w h a t o p p o rtu n itie s
there were in your lab fo r post-doctoral positions.
b In p a irs, ro le p la y som e o f th e co n fe re n ce a c tiv itie s (a - h ) in Exercise 8b.
10 a 10.6 L iste n to e ig h t m o re e x tra c ts ( 1 - 8 ) fro m c o n v e rs a tio n s a t th e

co n fe re n ce an d a n sw e r th e fo llo w in g q u e stio n s.
1 In which extract(s) is someone jo in in g a co n v e rs a tio n ? ___________________
2 In which extract(s) is som eone leaving a co n v e rs a tio n ? ___
b 10.6 L isten a g a in. W h ich o f th e e x tra c ts d o you th in k m ig h t be im p o lite o r

in a p p ro p ria te ? W hy?
11 In p a irs o r g ro u p s o f th re e , p ra c tis e s o c ia lis in g a t a conference. Look a t th e

ro le ca rd s on page 8 7 and use th e lan g ua g e fro m Exercise 9a to h e lp you.

Presenting a poster
12 a In pairs, answer th e following questions.
1 Have you ever a tte n d e d a conference p o ste r presentation
session? If so, did you speak w ith any presenters?
2 Have you ever prepared and presented a p o ste r a t a
conference? If so, did anyone ask you questions a b o u t
your research?
3 W hat do you th in k the key features o f a good p o ste r are?
M ake a list.
b Com plete th e advice below a b ou t p reparing a poster using th e words in th e

box.
abstract colours columns contact font heading number sentences

simple text title white space
B I General points
Give y o u r p o s te r a ( 1 ) w h ic h s u m m a ris e s th e m a in idea.
K eep y o u r p o s te r fo c u s e d and ( 2 ) _____________ so s o m e o n e can
u n d e rs ta n d th e key p o in ts w ith o u t any e x tra e xp la n a tio n .
R e m e m b e r t h a t a p o s te r is a s u m m a ry o f y o u r w o rk - so it's n o t usually
n e c e s s a ry to in c lu d e an ( 3 ) ______________.
D o n t fo r g e t to in c lu d e y o u r n a m e ______ and ( 4 ) ______ in fo rm a tio n .
jfcSS The look of your poster

I A rra n g e in fo rm a tio n in ( 5 ) _____________ .
U se c h a r ts and d ia g ra m s as m u c h as p o ssib le , only u sin g ( 6 ) ---------
to s u p p o r t y o u r visu a ls.
Give ea ch s e c tio n o f y o u r p o s te r a c le a r ( 7 ) _____________ in la rg e typ e .
( 8 ) _____________ e a c h s e c tio n to g u ide re a d e rs th ro u g h y o u r p o s te r.
Leave p le n ty o f (9) _ _ _________a ro u n d ea ch s e c tio n to m a ke th e m s ta n d
o u t m o re easily.
The te x t in your poster

U se p h ra s e s r a t h e r th a n full ( 1 0 ) _____________ .
T ry to keep p h ra s e s s h o rt.
C hoose a (1 1 )_____________ size w h ic h m a k e s th e te x t easy to re a d fr o m a
d is ta n c e o f 1 - 2 m e tre s .
U se d iffe r e n t (1 2 ) ____________ fo r d iffe re n t kin d s o f in fo rm a tio n in th e
p o s te r - b u t re m e m b e r to use th e m c o n s is te n tly .
C You are going to see two examples o f conference posters and decide how
well they have been designed. Do not try to read the te x t on th e posters,
but look a t each one fo r ju st five seconds and think about how it looks.
Then in pairs, answer questions 1 - 3 on your firs t impressions. For poster
A, turn to page 8 9 . For p oster B, turn to page 9 0 .
1 Were the posters well organised?
2 Was the re space around the sections?
3 Could you see th e title and section headings easily?
Which poster do you think was m ore successful? Why?

13 Plan th e design o f a poster to present a piece o f your recent work. Use the
advice and examples in Exercises 12 b and 12c to help you.
14 a 10.7 Poster presenters should be prepared to give a short spoken

sum m ary o f th e main points o f th e ir research. Listen to M ila n s colleague,
M osi, summarising his research and decide w h eth er th e following
statem ents are tru e (T) or false (F).
1 Few researchers have studied the response o f T cells to m alaria vaccines.
2 M osi has been investigating the response o f a d iffe re n t kind o f ce ll________

3 M osi has used both mouse and ra t m odels in his research_______
4 Vaccination changed the num bers o f one typ e o f cell_______
5 M osi concludes th a t T cells are a good m a rke r o f im m une system response
to vaccines_______
b Look a t A udioscript 1 0.7 on page 1 02. M atch th e underlined phrases to

functions 1 - 5 below. One o f th e functions is expressed with two phrases.
1 draw ing conclusions from the re s e a rc h _________________________
2 e xpla ining how the present research is d iffe re n t_________________________
3 e xpla ining previous research in the a re a _________________________
4 h ig h lig h tin g the key re s u lts _________________________
5 in tro d u cin g the m e th o d _________________________
15 a 10.8 Poster presenters should be p rep ared to answer questions from

conference p articip an ts ab o u t th e ir research. Listen to the answers (A -C )
th a t M osi gives to th re e questions from a conference p articip an t. W rite A,
B o r C next to th e correct question.
Could you ju s t clarify how th e NK cells could be affecting T-cell responses?
Can you te ll me w h a t m ethod you used to measure the T-cell and the NK-cell
responses?______
I cant rem em ber w h a t th e difference is between C D 56brieht and C D 56dim NK
cells. Can you rem ind m e ? ______
b A t th e end of each answer, M osi asks a question or makes an o ffe r to the

p articip an t. Put th e words in brackets into th e correct order.
1 (a b o u t/w h a t/th a t/y o u /to /k n o w /is /w a n te d ) them ?
2 (m o re /w a n t/a b o u t/to /k n o w /y o u /if) the specifics o f the protocol o r the

reagents 1 used, (a n /e m a il/m e /ju s t/s e n d ). The address is here, on this
h a ndo ut and on my card.
3 (y o u r/a n s w e r/d o e s /th a t] question?
16 a Using th e p oster plan you created in Exercise 13, plan a tw o-m inute
explanation o f your research.
b P resent your explanation to a p a rtn e r along with your p oster plan. When
you are listening, try to ask one or two questions a t th e end. W hen you
are presenting, answer your p a rtn e rs questions. Be sure to check th a t you
have really answered th e ir question a t th e end.

9 a
CURRICULUM VITAE
C arlos M anuel A lv a re z
P E R S O N A L IN F O R M A T IO N
Address: 3 Woodstock Drive Email: cma007@qmail.com
London Home Phone: 020 8083 8833
SEI7 IW Y Mobile: 07979 122177
Nationality: Spanish
E D U C A T IO N
1994-1999 Instituto El Burgo De Las Rozas, Madrid
1999-2001 Collegio Madrid
Bachillerato
2001-2006 University of Barcelona, Spain
Licenciatura en Ciencas (Equivalent to BSc + MSc) Grade: 8.26/10
Courses studied included:Wetland Plant Ecology; Plant Population Ecology, Plant
Diversity
2003-2004 Exchange student to Bristol University, UK
2005-2006 Final year research project: 'Developing botanical indicators for integrated coastal habitat
management
2008-Present University of Seville
PhD candidate
6 b A
Site MenezGwen Rainbow

T 271-284 185-324 365
PH 4.5 3.4-5.0 2.8

h 2s 1.5 0.6-3.4 1.0
17-20 8.9-28 <16
ch2 1.35-2.63 0.5-0.97 2.2-2.5
Cl 380-400 413-554 750
Si 8.2- 11.2 8.2-16 6.9
Mg 0 0 0
Sr 100 80-130 200
Fe <2-18 70-920 24000
Mn 59-68 77-450 2250
Cu <2 <2-30 140
Zn <2 <2-40 160
Cd <9-12 18-79 130
86 Additional material
Unit 10
11
Additional material 87
Unit 9
14
Dear Dr Tua,
Please find (1) with this letter a (2) draft paper called
Protection for Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and
Deinococcus radiodurans exposed to simulated Mars
environmental conditions by surface material which
I am (3) sending only to you at the International Journal
o f Astrobiology for publication as a full-length article.
The paper demonstrates that a 2 mm thick layer of oxidised iron minerals
provides enough protection against radiation and Mars environmental conditions
for the Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Deinococcus radiodurans to survive.
It (4) gives more information on the work by Ungwe, published in Issue 17 of
the journal. This finding increases the possibility that life could perhaps exist on
Mars. This paper should (5) be interesting for people in astrobiology, planetary
science and extremophile research.
(6) A person who could check the paper is Tom Ungwe (tungwe@ umal.ac.uk)
since, as mentioned, this work further develops his recently published findings
on Acidithiobacillus polyextremophile nature. (7) I dont want M ia Brown of
South Lakes University to review the work.
Thank you for (8) looking at mv article. Please (9) write about this article to me
at the University of the North or by email (mmya@ UOTN.ac.uk).
Yours sincerely,
M ya
M ya M ya (Mr)
Attachments:
M anuscript Protection for Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Deinococcus
radiodurans exposed to simulated Mars environmental conditions by surface
m aterial
Completed Copyright Transfer Form
Has th e le tte r been w ritten in an a p p ro p ria te style?
b Replace th e underlined words and phrases ( 1 - 9 ) in M y a s le tte r with the

m ore suitable phrases in th e box.
address all correspondence concerning this manuscript enclosed extends the research
I would prefer that ... not be approached to referee this research.
knowLedgeable referees for this paper might include
manuscript entitled submitting for the exclusive consideration of
therefore be of interest to those in the field of your consideration of my work
12c
Poster A
ERP measures of material specificity for crossmodal relational memory
Greg Savage1 Blake Johnson1 Megan Willis1 Stuart Lee2 Genevieve McArthur1 M A C Q U A R IE M AC Q U ARIE CENTRE
'M a cq u a rie C e ntre for C o gn itive S cie nce (M A C C S ), M acq ua rie U niversity UNIVERSITY FOR COGNITIVE SCIENCE
2S chool o f P sychology, P sychiatry & P sycho lo gical M edicine, M onash U niversity
The issue Spectral analyses
Unilateral brain disorders can show m aterial 24 healthy S s; 6 subtests: verbal/nonverbal versions o f visual, auditory, and crossm odal pairings G am m a (35-45 Hz) activation fo r crossmodal
specificity on m em ory testing: pairings showed m aterial s p e c ific ity : LH
displayed nonwords (vis NWs) spoken nonwords (aud NWs) crossmodal NW pairs activation larger fo r nonword-nonword pairs,
1 verbally-m ediated testing reliably RH responses larger (trend) fo r dots-tune pairs
left hem isphere (LH) m em ory problems plentron /meldraant/ plentron + /mddraent/
Verbal nonword-nonword pairs
nonverbal" testing assesses right
hem isphere (RH) m em ory problems displayed dot patterns (dots) played melodies (tunes) crossmodal dots-tune pairs
B U T : nonverbal findings are not reliable,

<=C>
posing problem s for neuropsychologists, (synthesised piano) (synthesised piano)
neurosurgeons, and ultimately, patients
Learning phase Testing/ERP phase (32 channel Neuroscan system)

Specific problems 4x6 (6*6)
lest 4x6
4 * (6+6) test items 4 x (6+6) test items
items Horns items
Nonverbal dots-tune pairs
Conceptually:
what counts as nonverbal test material?
designs, faces m ost com m only used
Methodologically:
nonverbal tests can be verbalised
verbal/nonverbal tests are not m atched dols-tuno pairs
known vs novel content
auditory vs visual mode of presentation
recall vs recognition mode of response Memory performance for the six tasks
recognition Item(oils: highly similar; relational memory (oils; romalched pairings
Specific solutions? Temporal analyses Conclusions

Additional m aterial
Conceptually : appeal to cognitive models N1 responses : verbal-nonverbal differences only at bilateral parietal sites (P7, P8) 1 ERPs showed material specificity in
RH: spatial location, m elodic contour M aterial sp e cific ity : LH responses larger for nonwords, RH responses larger fo r dots recognition m em ory fo r both verbal and
LH: orthographic/phonological processing nonverbal materials, matched for novelty,
presentation modality, and testing mode
Methodologically:
use nonverbal materials which ca n t be S ingleton and relational paradigm s both
verbalised; use verbal materials which
aren't im ageable
A show material specificity
match verbal/nonverbal subtests

make all items novel V Clinical m em ory tests should contain well-
matched verbal and nonverbal subtests;
use both visual and auditory modes nonverbal subtests could usefully incorporate
use Yes/No recognition responses only spatial patterns and melodic stim uli
00
\o
IH Unit 10
12c Poster B
I U N IV E R S IT Y O F 8 0 0 Y E A R S
Insect aquaplaning: 1CAMBRIDGE 1 2 0 9 - 2 0 0 9
Wetness-based activation of traps in Nepenthes pitcher plants

Ulrike Bauer and Walter Federle
Pitcher plants use various structures to capture prey
Nepenthes pitchers are highly specialised Different combinations of trapping structures

leaves to attract, capture, retain and digest in 2 forms of N. rafflesiana
a rth ro p o d prey. Specialised trap p in g typical form elongate form
structures include a viscoelastic digestive
fluid, slippery wax crystals and downward-
pointing cells on the inner pitcher wall, and
the pitcher rim (peristome) which causes y f slippeiy peristome y /'
insects to 'aquaplane' when it is wet. We wax crystals y /'
investigated the relevance of individual
structures in the field by comparing two y / ' downward-pointing cells y / '
form s of N . rajflesiana w ith different s/' viscoelastic fluid X
combinations of pitcher traits.
Peristome and wax crystals are relevant for natural prey capture
Eriko: Thatd be great. I doubt theyll Eriko: In the education section, how far
Susana: ... and have you thought about want me, but I might as well give it a go. back should I start? I mean, which school
what youll do once the PhD is finished? And then Im meeting a couple of people should be first? Not elementary school,
from the University of Glasgow at the I assume.
Eriko: I don't think of much else! It's
conference next month. Just for a chat. Susana: Ah, well, another thing here. In
actually rather scary. I know I dont want
to abandon science and become an Susana: Well, it sounds like youre doing CVs, they always write the most recent
accountant, but beyond t h a t ... the right things. So then youd be looking thing first. So in education, your PhD
at a full-time position in higher education comes first, just after the title.
Susana: Well, lets start with a simple
after that? Eriko: So ... w h a t... in publications, the
choice. Academia or industry?
Eriko: Yes. paper I published last is written first,
Eriko: Oh, easy - academia. Ive really
Susana: And all the paperwork doesnt right?
enjoyed the teaching I've done, so I dont
want to give that up. put you off? Susana: Right.
Susana: But in industry you could Eriko: Well. I dont actually mind it that Eriko: Hmm, OK ...
supervise more junior researchers. You much. So no, it doesn't bother me. Susana: ... and as to which education
wouldnt have to give up teaching. Susana: And the money? Youre not to mention, Id start with high school at
Eriko: No, but its different. I find tempted by the salaries in industry? the earliest, nothing before that.
it really interesting to explain quite Eriko: Not at all. Well, maybe a bit. But Eriko: OK, so start with Osaka University.
complex topics. Supervising people there are more im portant things than Susana: Exactly.
would be more practical. I really love money. I know I'm not going to get rich Eriko: And after the education section,
communicating the theory side of things. this way. But industry work? 1 really research experience and then technical
Susana: Well, yes ... but I dont think dont think it s for me. skills, followed by publications ...
working in industry rules that out. It Susana: But its good to know its there Susana: No, no, no - put your teaching
would just be different. You would also as a possibility. experience next, after technical skills,
be out in the field more. Someone would Eriko: Thats true - if things dont work because youll hopefully be doing some
pay you to go to real disasters to try the o u t ... teaching.
robots out. Eriko: OK, so research experience,
Eriko: Hm. That's true. But Im not so
m 1.2
technical skills, teaching experience,
interested in doing that. As long as I 1 And then I'm meeting a couple of publications, OK fine, and then grants
have time to do work on developing people from the University of Glasgow and awards and finally presentations. Is
the robots in the lab, th a ts fine for at the conference next month. that the lot?
me. I do really want to teach though. I 2 But I did my M asters here, part-time, Susana: Yeah, that should be good. So
actually quite enjoy preparing lectures while I was working as a research youll be OK now?
and thinking of creative ways to get the assistant in the lab.
information across. 3 But Im not so interested in doing that. M 1.4
Susana: Really? OK, so assuming you 4 But in industry you could supervise Eriko: OK. Are you ready?
go for academia ... more junior researchers. Carlos: Yes, yes. I am ready.
Eriko: Id like to get a post-doc position 5 I find it really interesting to explain Eriko: You sure? OK? Just stop me if
first. quite complex topics. theres a problem.
Susana: OK. And any idea who you'd 6 I'm going to leave here, though. Carlos: I will, dont worry! OK, good,
like to work with? Or where youre 7 So, basically Ive done everything here. go, go!
looking at?
8 You would also be out in the field more. Eriko: OK then ... here it is ... Hello. My
Eriko: Not really ... Im going to leave name is Eriko Oshima and Im currently
here, though. 1.3 a PhD candidate at Imperial College
Susana: Oh? You dont like London? The Eriko: So if I use the research London. My research
university? experience heading, do I include Carlos: Oh! Eriko ... too fast, I think,
Eriko: No, I do ... but I did my M asters presentations, publications, grants, slow down a little.
here, part-time, while I was working awards, skills and everything ail in there? Eriko: OK, yes ... Hello. My name is
as a research assistant in the lab. And I mean, wont the section be too long? Eriko Oshima and Im currently a PhD
then I transferred to the PhD while Susana: Youre absolutely r ig h t... it candidate at Imperial College London.
still working. So, basically Ive done would be too long. I think this is one My research focuses on developing
everything here, and I really think I of the big differences between a CV in odour-sensing robots. This is useful
should change, move on. English and the resumes most of us because humans have a poor sense of
Susana: Youre quite right. Going learned to write. In a CV you can use a smell, and so we have to rely on other
somewhere else is a very good idea - I lot of different headings for the various methods to ...
hadnt realised youd been here for so sections. So you can have a research
many years. experience heading where you list your 1.5
Eriko: I came on a student visa nine research positions, but then separate Eriko: So how was it, Carlos?
years ago and never went back. Anyway, headings for the other details, the Carlos: Well, you remembered
applications for a couple of interesing publications and so on. everything, and you spoke more clearly,
post-docs at Cambridge close early next Eriko: OK, so let me just check Ive got and not too fast, b u t ...
month. this right. I should start with a personal Eriko: But what?
Susana: They get earlier every year! information heading, and then next is
Carlos: Well, one thing is you sound
I'll look over them before you send them education. Could I just ask one thing
very bored. Your voice is always at the
off, if you like. about that?
same level.
Susana: Sure.
Eriko: So ... ?
Audioscript 91
Carlos: Well, if you listen to English- In the first one, start with a brief Ryuchi: And then they divided them into
speaking people, they stress the summary of the research and then go high and low anxiety groups.
im portant words. They make them on to a second one which gives your M artin a: Uh-huh. And why might that
louder and stronger. opinion. be a problem?
Eriko: And their voice goes up and down Ryuchi: And usually I just read the Ryuchi: Well, it's a problem because it
more? abstract, to find out about the research reduces sample size even more, right?
Carlos: Right. So try to work out which ... so, can I write a critical review if Ive M artin a: Yes, absolutely right.
your im portant words are and stress only read the abstract? Ryuchi: Then on days 1, 8 and 15 they
them. And another thing connected to M artin a : Hm, not really. I mean, took blood and urine samples to look for
this is that you dont pause enough. in terms of the summary, you could changes in cortisol and catecholamines
Eriko: I dont? get pretty much everything from the in the urine and for differences in energy
Carlos: Well, sometimes you do, but not abstract, but it really wont help you to metabolism and gut microbial activities.
always at the right time. do a good critical review. You need to
M artin a : So what youre saying is that
have read and understood the whole
Eriko: So I guess I should plan when to they didnt actually look at changes in
paper properly before you can judge how
pause too. stress levels or reported anxiety?
good it is.
Carlos: Thats a good idea. And there Ryuchi: No. They didnt. And another
Ryuchi: Hmm ... I guess that's true. So
were some words you had problems thing I thought was strange was that
in that case, how should I approach the
with. there was no control group.
reading? What should I read first?
Eriko: Yes, it s really hard for me to say M artin a: There was no control group?
M artin a : Well, of course you should
detect p a rt-' ... 'detect particular ... Ryuchi: No, so they were comparing
read the abstract first to get a
argh! high and low anxiety groups only.
very general idea ... then focus on
Carlos: So I guess you just need to highlighting the key information in the M artin a : So thinking about the
practise those problem words or groups Introduction, Methods, Results, and discussion section - what does that tell
again and again. Discussion. Id draw up a table to fill in us? Do you think they can prove it was
Eriko: Argh! it s so hard! the key points. the chocolate that caused the changes?
Carlos: Why dont you ask an English Ryuchi: Something like this? Ryuchi: Mmm. No, I guess they can't,
speaker to record it for you? Then you M artin a : Yeah, that looks great. really.
can listen and try to copy them. M artin a: Good. So tell me what you
Ryuchi: Is it a good idea to think of
Eriko: Thats a good idea - maybe I can questions I want answered? Like Ive think they would need to do to make this
ask Doug ... done here? a valid study?
M artin a : Yes, it s really good to have Ryuchi: OK, so first, they need a larger
c m 1.6 number of people with the same anxiety
those key questions written down.
Eriko: Hello. My name is Eriko Oshima levels. And then, after that, they should
Theyll help to keep you focused while
and Im currently a PhD candidate at give them either dark chocolate or a ...
youre reading and note-taking.
Imperial College London. My research a ... I forgot the word. What do you call
focuses on developing odour-sensing Ryuchi: Yeah, someone else suggested I
it when you tell some of the participants
robots. This is useful because humans do that. And you mentioned note-taking.
that you are giving them chocolate, but
have a poor sense of smell, and so we Do I need to take notes or can I just
really, you are giving them something
have to rely on other methods to detect highlight the relevant bits of the text?
different?
particular odours. For example, we use M artin a : Well, you could simply
M artin a : A placebo?
trained sniffer dogs to locate people highlight, but it s really im portant when
you write the summary that it's in your Ryuchi: Ah yes, placebo. They should
trapped in buildings, chemical leaks
own words. So if you make notes in your give them either dark chocolate or a
or illegal drugs. However, there are a
own words, that will help you later. placebo.
number of problems with using dogs.
First they cannot communicate exactly Ryuchi: Good point. And Ive added this M artin a : Yes, they should. Good.
what they have detected. But a robot column to make notes on what I think is Ryuchi: Over the long term they should
could. Secondly, it is difficult to tell if an good and bad as I go along. To do the look at stress levels, reported anxiety
animals sense of smell is in some way critique later. and health as well as the metabolic
impaired. But a malfunctioning robot M artin a : Excellent idea. So why dont changes.
would be easily spotted. Third, animals we ... M artin a : Good.
require extensive training with ... Ryuchi: Oh, and the researchers should
not know which group each subject is in.
1.7 Ryuchi: ... So I read the paper, by So its a blind trial.
1 Hello. My name is ... and Im M artin e ta l., and, well, I dont think its M artin a: Yes, I agree completely. So the
currently ... very credible. next thing ...
2 My research focuses on ... M artin a : OK, so can you talk me
3 This is useful because ... through it? EZH 2.3
A For example, ... Ryuchi: OK, so, method. They studied Binh: ... Yes, I have that. OK, so
5 However, there are a number of 30 young healthy adults, and gave them recipient researcher? I assume that is
problems with ... 40 grammes of dark chocolate a day for you, rather than me.
14 days. Alina: Yes, so Dr Alina Piotrowska is fine.
S 3 2.1 M artin a : Hmm, and do you think th a ts Binh: And is the address OK too?
Ryuchi: Martina? Before I start the an effective sample? Alina: Yes, thats fine. So, the material is
review I just want to check a couple of Ryuchi: No, its too small. And I also coming from the Liverpool Tissue Bank,
things. think the trial period is too s h o rt... not good, and you're asking for breast tissue
M artin a : Uh-huh ... long enough to get any real results. microarrays, th a ts fine as well, and
Ryuchi: So first, how long should my M a rtin a : OK, good, carry on. paraffin wax embedded, dobrze, very
review be? Ryuchi: Another thing is that before the good.
M artin a : So, for this one, you should be trial started they assessed their anxiety Binh: OK, so the rest of the form.
able to do it in a couple of paragraphs. levels with a questionnaire. Alina: Well, this work is not through any
M artin a : Uh-huh. industrial partners.
92 Audioscript
Binh: So thats a no here? In the part beetle seems to be able to collect water attending, they seemed to go on for
about existing arrangements? just from fog, not raindrops, so you ever. I could understand for about the
Alina: Thats r ig h t ... and it doesnt have wouldnt need actual rainfall. first 15 minutes, but after that I couldn't
commercial potential, or youre not going Bryn: Yes, I can see t h a t ... keep concentrating and so I would miss
to make money from it at least. They ask Rayna: But to mimic its surface im portant information. The worst time
about that again, just here, so put no in was when someone asked my opinion
Bryn: Sorry, before you go any further,
now. and I had no idea what theyd been
what use do you see for this material?
Binh: Right. Next, so, is this material talking about.
Rayna: Oh, I think it could be useful in,
hazardous? No. 4 Radek
say, refugee camps to collect drinking
Alina: Yes, yes, it is. Any human tissue is water or ... The biggest problem I have at meetings
classed as hazardous. is knowing how formal or informal my
Bryn: But I cant see how it would be
Binh: Even when its fixed? language should be. I'm not really sure
better than the fog-catching nets which
which phrases are slang and things,
Alina: Even when it s fixed. already exist.
you know. Its a real problem when I
Binh: So then does it require BioSafety Rayna: Oh, well, I think nets must be want to disagree with someone, without
Committee Approval? less efficient because of the holes in being rude, or when I want to ask what
Alina: Yes. But not Ethics Committee. them. Surely some of the potentially someone means or stuff like that.
Thats only for live subjects. useful fog blows straight through them?
Binh: Right. So yes for biosafety and no Bryn: Hmm, I suppose so. H a 3.4
for ethics. Rayna: So a lot of water is lost. And Sarah ... so the gecko's ability to stick
Alina: And we already have the as well as creating a material to collect is basically, it s all to do with the forces
BioSafety Approval ... so yes for that water for refugees, another use might be between the setae and the surface.
question. in cooling towers, to recycle the water. Ali: Sorry, Sarah. Could I just ask what
Binh: Oh ... I dont even know what the Bryn: Aha, now that sounds like a kind offerees?
next question means. profitable use. Yes, I can see that. Sarah: Well, for a while, people thought
Alina: Oh, r ig h t... well, one of the Rayna: So do you have any idea how to it could be capillary, but now it seems its
reasons we fill in these MTAs is so it's make this material? I guess we could use mainly Van der Waals forces, with just a
clear who the material and the findings microcontact printing. little bit of capillary force.
belong to. In some cases, even though Bryn: We could, but I feel there must be Ali: Oh, OK.
you do the work, as the tissue is from a simpler way than t h a t ... Sarah: As the gecko moves, the setae
the Liverpool bank, they still have certain are angled so that the spatulae sit flat
rights regarding the data. B H 3.2 against the surface. It seems the setae
Binh: Ah, yes, I meant to ask about that. Rayna: I think we could create a are pushed against the surface and
The forms for the provider say that I material which could be used to harvest then slid back slightly to get maximum
have to give them my raw data when Ive water from fog. sticking force.
finished the project. Is tha t normal? Bryn: Yes, that might be possible, but I Ali: Erm, sorry. Can I just check I
Alina: Yes - so the IP will be held by dont believe it would be any better than understood? So what youre saying is
both us and them together. the lotus-inspired surfaces Meera and that the ability of the gecko to stick is
Binh: IP? Zein are working on. not just because of these spatulae, but
Alina: Intellectual Property. In this case, Rayna: Thats true, but it seems to me because of the whole locomotor system.
who owns the findings in other words. that this would be more efficient. Sarah: Thats exactly right.
Binh: OK. Deepak: So youre clear on the adhesion
Alina: And because you are doing the mechanism now, Ali?
1 Sahal
work but the tissue bank wants copies Ali: Yes, I think so. Sorry, Deepak.
Before I went to the meeting, I thought
of your data, we have to arrange to Deepak: Thats OK. Right, so as I was
my listening and speaking skills were
have a talk about what that means for saying, what Ive been looking at is the
quite good, but when I got there, I
you. That's why they want to know if effect of the geometric asymmetry of
realised how hard it was to listen to so
university students are involved ... so, setae on their mechanical response.
many people. When you're talking one-
you can say yes here to the last question. Ali: Sorry, could you quickly explain
on-one, its easy to follow and join in the
Binh: OK, thank you so much. Erm, Part conversation. But at the meeting, the that? I'm not quite sure what you mean.
B... topic seemed to change before Id had Deepak: Sure. Erm ... so, at first, most
time to understand what had been said. of our studies of setal deformations used
1didnt manage to say anything at all a single cylindrical pillar to simulate a
Rayna: ... So, as I said in my email, I and left totally confused. seta. But then, of course we know from
think we could create a material which images that theyre actually curved.
2 Hitomi
mimics the surface of the beetles wings Ali: And dont stick straight out.
and so could be used to harvest water In Japan, we let one person finish what
theyre saying before we start to speak. Deepak: Of course. We did look at
from fog.
Its polite. At the first meeting I went to, forces with the pillar at an angle too, not
Bryn: Yes, that might be possible, but just sticking out perpendicular to the
everybody seemed to talk at the same
I don't believe it would be any better surface. But what I mean is it was always
time. People weren't even interrupting
than the lotus-inspired surfaces Meera straight, not curved.
politely. They just talked over the top
and Zein are working on. In fact, what
of each other. It got louder and louder. Ali: OK, sorry, you were saying.
you are proposing seems to double the
I wanted to join in, but there was no Deepak: Anyway, because we know
work - youd need a hydrophobic and a
chance for me to say anything. At the now that they are curved, weve been
hydrophilic surface.
next meeting, I was more confident, but comparing a curved model with the
Rayna: Thats true, but it seems to me it was still hard for me to speak when straight pillars. So, what we've found
that this would be more efficient. someone else was already talking. is
Bryn: In what way? 3 Sam Ali: Erm, could I jump in and ask a
Rayna: OK, as far as I'm aware, the M ost meetings in my department question? Why are you focusing on forces
lotus-inspired materials collect actual are quite short, only about 30 to 45 in one setae ... one seta on its own?
droplets of water, drops of rain. But this minutes long, but when I first started
Audioscript 93
n 3.5 Dominique: So I thought next maybe might also find it difficult to reproduce
Deepak: So as Sarah was just saying you could look at the adsorption of the data if you change too many factors.
before Ali interjected, the bottom of the hydrogen onto some of the porous You might be able to just look at the
gecko's foot is covered in ridges, which carbon materials youve been creating. papers you mentioned and see what they
themselves are covered in many, many Silvana: OK, and do you have any idea found to be the optimal conditions, and
setae. The setae have flattened ends, about how I could do that? then try to replicate those to start with.
spatulae, which when aligned correctly Dominique: Well, I think you need to You can always adjust them later.
with the surface, allow the gecko to stick, first come up with a list of the variables Silvana: OK, Ill do that, and maybe
via the Van der Waals forces we were that could influence the uptake. Ill have a talk to Mauritz about the
talking about, Silvana: Well, I guess what is probably adsorption protocols hes been using.
Ali: No, Ive got that, but what I mean is, most im portant is the porosity of the
carbon fibres.
M l 4.2
why just focus on one set-seta? It seems
to me that you need more than t h a t ... Conversation 1
Dominique: And what would affect that?
Deepak: Of course. Well, measuring the A: Right, the liquid has collected in the
Silvana: Well, from the work Ive done
forces of one seta, whether the adhesive flask.
so far, it seems that the temperature
or shear forces ... those are the forces ... they were carbonised at makes a B: So now, you can simply use litmus
Ali: No, I know what they are ... big difference to porosity - lower paper to check that it is in fact pH
temperatures are better. neutral.
Deepak: OK, well, our analysis of the
forces allows us to show the differences Dominique: OK, so one variable A: OK ... so ... that looks red to me ...
between asymmetric, curved pillars and you could look at is carbonisation Conversation 2
straight, to show why the curved ones temperatures. A: And then I was going to use the
are more suitable for gecko adhesion. Silvana: So perhaps I should look geiger counter to check for radiation.
Obviously we can then scale that up to at the 1273 kelvin and 973 kelvin B: No, that wont work. You cant
the whole animal. temperatures. really detect gamma rays with a
Dominique: Good, so what else? geiger counter. You need to use the
Silvana: Well, erm, actually, Im not scintillation counter for that.
Ali: Sorry, I dont think I expressed A: Oh, r ig h t... but the geiger counter
sure ...
myself clearly. It seems to me that is OK for measuring beta radiation,
something is missing here. Surely its Dominique: Think about how you would
activate the fibres. right?
im portant that the setae are part of a
Silvana: Activate the fibres? Ah, OK, B: Yes, sure. For beta radiation its fine.
gecko.
well, from the literature Ive read its Conversation 3
Sarah: Deepak, I think what Ali is
saying is that for the gecko to stick to generally the case that people have been A: And so we record the membrane
the ceiling, the whole gecko has to be activating them with either potassium or potential at a single point on the
involved. It doesnt stick simply because sodium hydroxide. So I guess that could axon through the stages.
its setae are curved, or because the be another variable. B: And how do you do that?
spatulae are aligned in a particular Dominique: Excellent. Anything else? A: Oh, by using an oscilloscope we can
direction. Am I right, Ali? Silvana: Another hydroxide? create a trace of how the voltage
Ali: Yes, thanks, Sarah. Yes, what I Dominique: No, that wasnt what I was changes through the different phases,
wanted to say is that, from what I thinking of. rising, falling and undershoot. See, it
understand, the whole system needs to Silvana: Erm ... produces this arc.
be working together for the gecko to stick. Dominique: How much of the hydroxide Conversation 4
Deepak: Ah yes, I see. Sorry, Ali, youre did they use? A: Just put the sample into the
quite right. Yes, we do need to do some Silvana: Oh, er, Im not sure actually. spectrometer.
more work at the whole animal level, Sorry. Its been a while since I looked at B: Uh-huh ...
if we want to find some technological the papers. A: So this will measure the intensity
application for this research. Thats of the blue-green light that passes
Dominique: Mmm ...
one of the reasons were trying to get through ... and that will allow
someone from the zoology department Silvana: In fact, now I think about it,
Ive got a feeling they might have used you to work out the haemoglobin
to collaborate with the group. To bring concentration.
that larger perspective to things. different ratios. I should go back and
check. B: Right. That seems pretty
Dominique: So ... straightforward.
1 Well, for a while, people thought it Silvana: Sorry? Conversation 5
could be capillary, but now it seems Dominique: So in your next set of A: So we could look at BMI, but instead
its mainly ... experiments? Variables? were measuring body fat and were
2 So youre clear on the adhesion using these calipers to do t h a t ... like
Silvana: Ah ... I see, I could make
mechanism now, Ali? this.
different ratios of hydroxide to carbon
3 Thats OK. Right, so as I was saying, fibres another variable. Sorry, that B: OK, so basically the distance between
what Ive been looking at is the effect wasnt very clever of me, was it? So them is measuring the fat thickness.
of the geometric ... anyway perhaps I could start with A: Yeah, its really simple.
4 Anyway, because we now know that looking just at a couple of different Conversation 6
they are curved, weve ... ratios, say 4 to 1 and 10 to 1. A: So you were using that piece of
5 Erm, could I jump in and ... Dominique: Excellent. equipment to test the subjects hand
Silvana: And how about looking at grip. What is it called?
S H 4.1 different heating rates ... or the nitrogen B: The hand dynamometer? The one
Dominique: Good ... so that all sounds flow rate? Should I vary those too? they squeeze?
great. Youre really on track. Dominique: Hmm, ideally yes, but I A: Yeah, that one. Dynamometer? So
Silvana: Thanks. think whats going to happen is youll that measures force or torque, right?
have too many variables and the results B: Yes, thats right.
will become too difficult to analyse. You
94 Audioscript
Conversation 7 Silvana: But I'm not sure what the tube M au ritz: I know someone who used to
A: So this is a seismograph? should be made from, or even sizes for do something similar to this. She had
B: Well, actually it's a seismometer. that matter. a, maybe metre and a half, quartz tube,
Theyre both used to measure M au ritz: I know someone who used to but it was quite narrow, less than
movement - motion - though. do something similar to this. She had 10 centimetres. Id guess at maybe 6 to
a, maybe metre and a half, quartz tube, 7.5 centimetres across. Why dont you
A: So the difference is ... ?
but it was quite narrow, less than try that to start with?
B: Well, with a seismograph you get a
10 centimetres. Id guess at maybe Silvana: Sure. So, Ill just note those
drawing, a trace. The seismometer
6 to 7.5 centimetres across. Why don't dimensions down - 1.5 metres and
just measures ... it doesnt draw.
you try that to start with? 10 centimetres.
Conversation 8
Silvana: Sure. So, Ill just note those M au ritz: No, Id use less than
A: So we can tell how smooth the dimensions down - 1.5 metres and 10 centimetres. Between 6 and 7.5.
surface is by measuring the 10 centimetres. Silvana: Oh, OK. So then the furnace
interference pattern of the two waves
M au ritz: No, Id use less than needs to be linked to a temperature
of light.
10 centimetres. Between 6 and 7.5. controller. Thats up here.
B: OK, so you use the interferometer
Silvana: Oh, OK. So then the furnace M au ritz: And doesnt heating rate play
for that?
needs to be linked to a temperature a role here?
A: Right, for measuring the wavelengths controller. Thats up here. Silvana: Yes, it does. But Dominique
and their interference when they
M au ritz: And doesnt heating rate play suggested picking just one rate initially.
encounter one another.
a role here? The papers Ive looked at suggest
Silvana: Yes, it does. But Dominique 5 kelvins a minute, up to 1025 kelvins,
suggested picking just one rate initially. and then constant for an hour, so Im
Silvana: Mauritz, do you have time
to talk to me about your adsorption The papers Ive looked at suggest planning to stick with that.
protocols? Dominique suggested that I 5 kelvins a minute, up to 1025 kelvins, M au ritz: Hmm, personally I think
talk to you. and then constant for an hour, so I'm slightly longer would be better. I think
planning to stick with that. you should maintain the temperature for
Mauritz: Sure, just let me set this ...
OK, so what is it youre going to be M au ritz: Hmm, personally I think 75 minutes.
doing? slightly longer would be better. I think Silvana: Great. OK, so Ill go for 75
you should maintain the temperature for minutes at temperature.
Silvana: OK, well, Ive been working on
75 minutes. M au ritz: And then it ju s t ...
a plan for the activation of carbon fibres.
Im going to start off with fibres which Silvana: Great. OK, so Ill go for 75
have been carbonised at two different minutes at temperature.
temperatures. And then Im going to M auritz: And then it just cools naturally? Silvana: ... Ive done a bit more reading,
activate each one with either potassium Silvana: I think so. I havent included going back to some papers I read at
or sodium hydroxide, at two different any cooling apparatus here, so I'll try the start and looking a b it more at the
ratios. And then after that Ill look at relying on natural convection first, and if detail, and Ive had a talk to Mauritz,
hydrogen adsorption. it doesnt work, I can add some kind of and to Padma, about the protocols, so I
cooling mechanism later on. think I'm basically ready to go now.
Mauritz: Sounds good. OK, so first you
would need to do the activation. M au ritz: Great. So whats this on the Dominique: OK, so lets talk through
left? what you think might happen, from what
Silvana: Yeah. I was thinking of simply
youve read.
mixing the fibres with the hydroxides in Silvana: Thats the nitrogen cylinder.
pellet form, at the relevant ratios. Therell be a constant flow of nitrogen. Silvana: Well ...
Mauritz: Ratios based on weight or I was planning on running it through at Dominique: Start with what you know
volume? 500 mils a minute, through the entire best, the carbonisation temperatures.
Silvana: Oh, weight of course. heat treatment. Silvana: OK, so from what I've been
M au ritz: Well, it really sounds like you doing, I know that carbonisation
Mauritz: Just checking!
have that all worked out. It looks like it temperature has an effect on porosity.
Silvana: I think the literature suggests
should work. And you have the washing Dominique: Uh-huh ...
2 grammes of fibres with the relevant
and drying figured out? Silvana: And so if lower temperatures
amount of hydroxide, so I think Ill try
using those quantities first. Silvana: Yeah, again from what Ive read, increase porosity, the fibres which are
the best thing to do ... carbonised at lower temperatures will
Mauritz: OK, so what ratios are you
probably adsorb more hydrogen.
going to use? 1B I 4.4 Dominique: That makes sense. So the
Silvana: 4:1 and 10:1. But then they Silvana: Heres a quick sketch I made next variable was going to be which
need to be heated ... of what I was thinking of. On the inside, hydroxide you use. Any idea what will
Mauritz: OK, fine. And have you I thought I should have the sample on a happen there?
thought about the set-up for that? tray in an inner tube. Silvana: Well, I really don't expect there
Silvana: Yeah, a little bit. Heres a quick M au ritz: The trays steel? to be any difference between the sodium
sketch I made of what I was thinking of. Silvana: Mmm yes. Or ceramic. Im and potassium hydroxides.
On the inside, I thought I should have not sure yet, but I figure as long as its Dominique: Oh ...
the sample on a tray in an inner tube. unreactive it should be OK. Silvana: Well, I mean, I dont know that,
Mauritz: The trays steel? M au ritz: I guess, but if I were you, Id its just a guess, but I dont expect a
Silvana: Mmm, yes. Or ceramic. Im use steel. The ceramic trays tend to be a difference because they both seem to
not sure yet, but I figure as long as its bit bigger. be pretty good activators from what Ive
unreactive it should be OK. Silvana: OK, thanks. And then the inner read. Saying that though, I havent found
Mauritz: I guess, but if I were you, Id tube is surrounded by a tube furnace, any literature which compares the two
use steel. The ceramic trays tend to be a which you can see here. directly. Im actually really interested to
bit bigger. M au ritz: Uh-huh. see if there is a difference.
Silvana: OK, thanks. And then the inner Silvana: But Im not sure what the tube
tube is surrounded by a tube furnace, should be made from, or even sizes for
which you can see here. tha t matter.
Mauritz: Uh-huh. Audioscript 95
Dominique: Yes, that should be Chuyu: Can you give me an example? temperature at high pressure didnt
interesting. And the ratios? Thabo: Mmm. So here, in the second reduce yield strength.
Silvana: Hmm, well, my prediction is and third sentences, youve got 'The Lucia: Really? I thought the minerals
that the higher ratio will lead to better powdered mineral sample was placed would all be affected by temperature.
activation of the fibres and I think better into a tube of rolled rhenium. The I mean to some degree, at least.
activation will allow more adsorption. rhenium tube was loaded into a ceramic Chuyu: Well that's what I expected too,
But actually, Ive been thinking about octahedron. but it seems I was wrong ...
this a lot and Im wondering if I should Chuyu: Yes ...
do a wider variety of ratios - maybe add Thabo: So it would be better to say ESI 5.4
in a 6 to 1, giving three variables there. F irst... the powdered mineral sample Lucia: Really? I thought the minerals
What do you think? was placed into a tube of rolled rhenium, would all be affected by temperature.
Dominique: 1 can see how it would which was then loaded into a ceramic I mean to some degree, at least.
be useful, but I think to start with you octahedron. Chuyu: Well thats what I expected too,
should concentrate on just the two, while Chuyu: Ah, I see. So this one would but it seems I was wrong. I guess there
you perfect the method, and then you be ... are a couple of possibilities. The first is
can fill in the gaps later. that the sample needs to be heated to
Silvana: OK, Ill stick with just the two H53 5.3 an even higher temperature ... Ive gone
for a start. Chuyu: So let me tell you about my up to 873 kelvins but perhaps what I
Dominique: And hopefully youll have results, and then we can have a look at need to do in the next run is increase the
some data ready for when I get back yours. temperature even more. I can get it up to
from my trip. We can meet again then to Lucia: So what did you find? 1073 kelvins without any trouble but Im
look at it. not sure I can go any further.
Chuyu: Well, so far. Ive looked at the
upper mantle olivine and the lower Lucia: Uh-huh.
E H 5.1 mantle perovskite. And then I've also Chuyu: Another possibility is that the
Chuyu: ... Ive just finished writing it, so done a couple of runs with wadsleyite pressure needs to increase. Perhaps with
could you look at it before I show Lucia? and ringwoodite from the transition a higher pressure, temperature would
Thabo: Of course. So its a summary of zone, but Im having some issues ... Im have an effect.
the way the multi-anvil works? getting weird and inconsistent results. Lucia: But you cant get it any higher,
Chuyu: Kind of. Its the process I use to Lucia: Well tell me about the ones can you?
measure the mineral strength, so yes, youre happy with for a start, and then Chuyu: I can, but 1 would need to use
including the multi-anvil. we can try to work out whats going on the Diamond-anvil cell to do that.
Thabo: Right. OK. Well, the first thing with the others. So? Lucia: OK. And is there another
I can see is that you need to make sure Chuyu: Right, well, firstly I thought possibility?
you use linking words, to make your that the differential stress in all of the Chuyu: Yes, that this is a real result. Ive
stages clear. samples would go up as the pressure run the experiment numerous times with
Chuyu: Do you mean things like firstly, increased ... and it did for olivine and a few different samples and the results
secondly? Well th a t should be easy for perovskite. In fact, there was a clear Im getting really do seem to suggest
enough. linear relationship until the sample that the yield strength of perovskite is
Thabo: Yes, some of those, but also yielded. Then it reached a plateau. unresponsive to temperature.
things like then, after tha t and all Lucia: So the differential stress after
those kinds of sequence words. that is actually the yield strength of the ESI 5.5
Chuyu: Right, OK. sample. Chuyu: But then the ringwoodite. Its a
Thabo: Not too many, though. And you Chuyu: Right. And, as I expected, the transition zone mineral, so I expect it to
might find that when you do that your perovskite was the strongest. It yielded act like wadsleyite.
sentences seem a little short, and the later than olivine. Lucia: So again, kind of halfway between
language could be a bit repetitive. Lucia: Uh-huh. olivine and perovskite?
Chuyu: So I need to find other words to Chuyu: But what was really interesting Chuyu: Mmm. But its causing me no
say the same thing? though was when the samples were also end of problems. I mean, I haven't done
Thabo: Well, you could do, but I was heated. much with it, but so far the results are
thinking more that you will need to Lucia: In what way? all over the place. Look.
combine sentences. Chuyu: OK, well, I expected that Lucia: Mmm, I see what you mean. That
Chuyu: Can you give me an example? increasing the temperature would reduce doesnt look too good.
Thabo: Mmm. So here, in the second yield strength. Chuyu: Not too good? Its a disaster!
and third sentences, youve got The Lucia: So the mineral would yield at Lucia: So what do you think is going
powdered mineral sample was placed a lower pressure if the temperature wrong?
into a tube of rolled rhenium. The increased? Chuyu: Well, Ive got a couple of ideas.
rhenium tube was loaded into a ceramic Chuyu: Right. And th a ts what did Lucia: Yes?
octahedron. happen with the olivine. In fact, its Chuyu: Well, firstly, the samples Ive
Chuyu: Yes ... strength went right down as the been using might not be ringwoodite at
Thabo: So it would be better to say temperature went u p . all.
'F irst... the powdered mineral sample Lucia: By how much? Lucia: How so?
was placed into a tube of rolled rhenium, Chuyu: Well, when the pressure was Chuyu: Well, look at this set of results.
which was then loaded into a ceramic maintained at 10 gigapascals, increasing Lucia: Hmm. It looks like youre using
octahedron.' the temperature to 873 kelvins reduced olivine again. Could the samples have
Chuyu: Ah, I see. So this one would be ... the yield strength to less than a fifth of been switched by accident, maybe?
what it was at ambient temperature.
Chuyu: Well, maybe. But I doubt its
Lucia: A fifth? Wow, th a ts pretty olivine. But it could be something else
Thabo: Well, you could do, but I was amazing. very similar. Forsterite, maybe?
thinking more that you will need to Chuyu: Yes, but possibly more surprising
combine sentences. Lucia: Yeah, its possible. But I really
was that the perovskite seemed resistant think its unlikely.
to temperature. Even increasing the
96 Audioscript
Chuyu: Yeah, I do too. But Ive sent it off Chuyu: Yes, and I guess you can also Tom: Sure. Lets have a look then. Well,
fora composition analysis anyway. Just share things with people in other labs the diagrams nice and clear.
to rule it out. So my second idea is instantly, instead of waiting for meetings Kimiko: Really? Oh, thanks.
Lucia: Hang on. Im sure I remember ... or to write something up. Tom: But first of all you need to explain
Thabo talking about strange results just M ayumi: Yes, it s even better than briefly what's happening, what you did,
like this a few months ago. He reckoned sending an email because they can see in each stage.
the machine needed recalibrating. everything all at once - the protocols, Kimiko: Is the diagram not clear
Maybe thats the problem. all the data, images, everything is there enough?
Chuyu: Mmm, yes, I guess if my together. And another thing tha ts really
Tom: The diagrams much clearer if you
measurements arent coming from great is that you can search your own lab
know something about the process. But
the same base point then there could book, and also if you refer to a particular
not everyone who reads this paper will,
be problems. But Im sure there were compound or reagent, you can link to
so you should definitely include a short
technicians here just a couple of weeks its details on the web. You don't have to
description.
ago checking and adjusting it. note all its details down yourself.
Kimiko: OK. Id better do that, then.
Lucia: You could be right. It was just a Chuyu: Yes, and you dont need to worry
thought. about rules for crossing things out or Tom: Why dont you talk me through it
leaving empty spaces or being sure and make some notes as you go? Then
Chuyu: Mmm. But actually, now you
to date everything. I assume tha ts all you can write it up properly later.
mention it, a calibration issue is a
possibility. I have to admit that im done automatically, you know, like the Kimiko: Thanks, Tom. So, the basic idea
not the most careful about properly highlighting of the changes you've made? is that we can use carbon nanotubes,
recalibrating between runs. I mean, I M ayumi: That's right. CNTs, to send a drug right to where its
usually reset and adjust it before I start needed. Thats why some people call it a
Chuyu: It sounds great in theory ... but
a series, but I dont always do it between 'magic bullet.
I guess the packages are set up in one
every sample. I kind of figure it shouldnt particular way. It might not really be Tom: Uh-huh.
get too far from standard. good for the research you're doing. Kimiko: To do this, first we coat the
Lucia: Chuyu! M ayum i: Well, tha ts true, but in most surface of the tube with a chemical
Chuyu: Yeah, now you mention i t ... cases you can customise the book to receptor. For instance, if we want to
your groups specifications ... although target a tumour which overexpresses
tha ts a b it more of a problem here than folic acid, then we attach folate receptors
A: So to assess the reaction to C02, I used it was in my last lab. to the surface of the nanotube.
5 miligrams of char in the TGA pan. Chuyu: Hmm. But from a security point Tom: Because folate receptors bind to
B: Uh-huh, and the same heating rate as of view, its just so much safer. Theres folic acid?
last time? no risk of leaving your lab book on the Kimiko: Yes. And then we encapsulate
A: No, this time I heated it from room train. the drug in the tube. This is the part
temperature to 378 kelvins. M ayum i: When we were using paper I'm most interested in. Up to now, a
books, we were never allowed to take lot of different methods to get things
B: Sorry, let me jo t that down. Room
them out of the lab ... ever. In fact, they into the cell have been tried, but Im
temp, to 378 kelvins.
couldnt even be left on your desk at looking at just one of them in my paper.
A: Yeah, and then held for 30 minutes. OK, so if you look here at the first part
night. They had to go into a safe.
B: 30? So tha ts a change from last of the diagram ... once the drug is
time. It was just 20 minutes before. Chuyu: Mmm, I guess security really was
encapsulated, we use a cap to close the
much tighter there.
A: Thats right. OK, so then I heated at open end so the drug can't escape.
20 kelvins a minute to 873 kelvins H i 5 .8 Tom: And that's when we take the
and then reduced it to 1 I had to use one in my last lab, for the capsules?
7 kelvins a minute to 1473 kelvins. security. Kimiko: Yes. You can swallow them or
B: Great, so 20 kelvins a minute then 2 You should try one. you could have them injected, or even
down to 7 kelvins a minute. And the inhaled.
gas you used? 3 If you have e-notebooks, everyone can
share their information so easily. Tom: OK. So then theyre in the body,
A: Well, it was a mixture of high purity shooting to the target?
C02 and nitrogen. 4 You don't need to worry about rules
for crossing things out. Kimiko: Uh-huh, and if theyre properly
B: And the C 02 concentration? functionalised, they should arrive. After
5 When we were using paper books, we
A: Oh, erm, 25% I think ... let me check were never allowed to take them out that, the capsule is internalised by the
... yeah, 25%. cell.
of the lab ... ever.
Tom: And how does that happen?
H 6.1 Kimiko: Through receptor-mediated
Chuyu: So, Mayumi, Ive been thinking Kimiko: Hi, Tom. Do you have a endocytosis. Then the tube opens up
about switching to an e-notebook, but moment? in order to let the drug out. There are
I've never seen anyone use one. How is it? different ways of doing this, but I use
Tom: Sure, Kimiko. What can I do for you?
Mayumi: Oh, it s so much easier. But biodegradable caps. The cap dissolves
Kimiko: Erm ... Im just trying to write
really? People here dont use them? I and then ...
up my paper and, erm, I wondered if you
had to use one in my last lab, for the Tom: And then the drug can start doing
could look through it for me?
security. Its excellent. You should try one. its work?
Tom: Sure. Ive got a b it of time now, as
Chuyu: Ah yes. That was a commercial Kimiko: Exactly ... its released from the
lab, wasnt it? Im not surprised that the it goes. Was there anything in particular
you wanted me to look at? tube and starts to act.
security was much tighter there.
Kimiko: Not really. Its my first draft, so Tom: Well, that sounds fine so far,
Mayumi: But it would work really well Kimiko. If I were you, Id write that up first.
here, too. If you have e-notebooks, just any advice you could give me would
be really helpful. Kimiko: And then can I get you to look
everyone can share their information
at the rest?
so easily. You dont have any problems
trying to read someone elses notes. Tom: Sure, no problem.
Kimiko: Thanks, Tom. Ill see you later.
Audioscript 97
IM 6.2 Kimiko: But why? I thought when I 7 Isolated young mice squeak repeatedly
talked about an experiment Id done, I at frequencies of 45 kilohertz to
1 To do this, first we coat the surface of
should use the past. 8 8 kilohertz, until their mother comes
the tube with a chemical receptor.
Tom: Well, tha ts true, but here youre and returns them to the nest.
2 If we want to target a tum our which
talking about the process in general. 8 In a similar form of these experiments,
overexpresses folic acid, then we
Its not about one particular experiment conventional, 50-nanosecond laser
attach folate receptors to the surface
youve done. pulses were used.
of the nanotube.
Kimiko: Right. So, the general process
3 And then we encapsulate the drug in EMM 6.5
is in the present, but when I go on to
the tube. a A quarter
focus on my experiments, on filling the
4 Once the drug is encapsulated, we nanotubes, I should use the past. b Fifteen percent
use a cap to close the open end so the
Tom: Exactly right. Like here, the c One point three five six
drug cant escape.
nanotubes are ingested. Id take out this d Two million, nine hundred and five
5 After that, the capsule is internalised sentence though - the examples of the thousand, seven hundred and forty
by the cell. ways to ingest the tubes. I mean its true, e Five times ten to the nine
6 I use biodegradable caps. The cap but its not really relevant to the focus of
dissolves and then ... f Minus thirty-five
your research. Never include information
the reader doesn't need to understand g Ten to the power of six
B 6.3 your work. Even if its interesting. h Ten thousand, eight hundred and
Tom: OK, so Kimiko: OK. Then this next sentence
ninety-three
Kimiko: Oh my goodness! Look at should be passive, I guess. The target i Minus fifty-seven
all that underlining! My English is so site is located by the nanotube. j Seventeen and five eighths
terrible! Tom: Well, actually, no. Your original k Nought point nought nought three
Tom: Oh Kimiko! No, no, its fine! Really! sentence is fine. Some verbs can have a 1 Five million, ninety thousand and
Kimiko: But ... non-human subject, so you dont need nineteen
Tom: I was looking at style, rather than to use passive. Like locate to here, or
grammar, the grammars fine. Just look internalises in the next sentence. The
at all the parts I havent underlined! target cell internalises the nanotube is 1
Look, this first sentence is really nice. It completely fine. a three quarters
gives a really good overview of the aim of Kimiko: E r ... so why have you b five eighths
the whole process. underlined it? c four ninths
Kimiko: OK ... Tom: Well, its fine if you're talking about
d ten to the power of seven
Tom: OK, so, style: like here I noticed target cells. But in your text you've been
talking about nanotubes all the time, so e ten to the power of minus nine
that youve used too many sequencing
words. Its OK to use some but youve that should be your subject. 2
got firstly, secondly ... even fifth. I used Kimiko: So I should use passive, then? a per cent
to do the same thing. Its better to just To bring nanotubes to the beginning of b times
write in order and only use words like the sentence. c minus
then when you really need to. Youll get Tom: Exactly. 3
more natural at it in time. So I'd cut all Kimiko: OK, and this last one should one point three five six ... one thousand,
those words if I were you. be the nanotube is internalised by da- three hundred and fifty-six
Kimiko: Maybe as I read more papers da-da?
Ill write better. Tom: Ha-ha! Right! So anyway lets have m 6.7
Tom: Definitely, definitely. OK, the next a look ... Arnie: So, you were more successful
thing is that youve said I functionalise this time, Kimiko. Run me through what
the surface. Remember to keep the S S 6.4 you did. And particularly what you did
writing objective. It shouldnt m atter who 1 As this was a dosage of differently.
does the experiment, the result should 0.1 6 6 miligrams of fluoride per Kimiko: So, this time I think the tubes
be the same. So dont use T or We in kilogram body weight, the equivalent I used were more consistent in size.
your write-up. amount needed to achieve a similar 2 0 -5 0 micrometres in length, with an
Kimiko: So what should I say instead? peak in a 2 0 kilogram child would be average diameter of 500 nanometres
Tom: Use passives instead. So here 3.33 miligrams of fluoride. and the wall thickness was
The surface of the nanotubes is 2 The sensitivity of the assay was Arnie: Ah, sorry, if we could just go back
functionalised. You see what I mean 0.2 picomoles. a moment. The average diameter was
about style? Actually, there is just one, 3 The output impedance is about 500 nanometres. So what was the range
literally one, grammar mistake though. 0.02 ohms at the 5 volt end and 0.1 exactly?
Youve said for target a tum our which ohm at the 15 volt end of the range. Kimiko: The range, yes, uh, the EM
da-da-da but it should be to target. You 4 Six-amp three-core mains flex is used images showed them being between 300
use to and the verb to say why you do for the mains input which connects and 700 nanometres, but sometimes the
something. straight to the p.c.b. tubes get deformed so they might have
Kimiko: Oh! 5 Inserting a few atoms of been slightly narrower than that.
Tom: Hey, come on - one mistake is potassium makes the compound a Arnie: Hmm. See if you can get that
really pretty good. superconductor which, below a critical even more standardised next time, if
Kimiko: I guess. What about this one? temperature of about 19 kelvins, possible.
It should say the drug molecules were conducts electricity with no resistance. Kimiko: OK. Ill just make a note of that.
encapsulated not I encapsulated, right? 6 This shows that where two moles of Arnie: And the wall thickness?
Tom: Erm, where are we? Oh yes. Yes, hydrogen gas combine with one mole Kimiko: Erm ... on the 29th it was
yes, it should be passive. But it should of oxygen gas to form two moles of 20 nanometres, but this time it was a bit
also be in the present tense, not the past. liquid water, at a pressure of one less, at 15 nanometres.
atmosphere and a temperature of Arnie: Right, so last time you had
298 kelvins, the enthalpy change is problems getting the tubes onto the
minus 571.6 kilojoules. slides. That went better this time?
98 Audioscript
Kimiko: Yes, much. I suspended the
tubes in the 2 -propanol and then used
mm 7.2 Oceane: Definitely, I mean, theyre an
Oceane: OK, so lets have a look at
im portant part of finding the answer to
dielectrophoresis to get them onto the your questions.
these charts.
slide. The 2-propanol just dries away. Nour: Right, well I have a couple of
Tiago: Which do you want to start with?
Arnie: And that worked? those. So then do I need to say what
There are a lot.
Kimiko: Yes, really well. the results mean here? Or is that in the
Oceane: Well, as theyre all bar charts
Arnie: OK, so we dont need to change discussion?
so far, lets look at the MT one first and
anything there. Oceane: No, no, no. In this section, you
then any changes we make to it can
Kimiko: No, not at all. So after that, just probably be made on the others too, I should just highlight the main trends of
like last time, I put a drop of the beads expect. key differences. Any interpretation comes
suspended in ethylene glycol at one end in the discussion section, as you said.
Tiago: OK, here it is.
of the tube. The beads were the same as Nour: Good, thats what I thought.
Oceane: Right, so your scale is good,
before - 50-nanometre diameter - but OK, so in the results section, do I need
the chart looks a good size.
this time I used 1 to 3 beads to liquid to put in every table or chart that Ive
Tiago: And for the antioxidant levels, is produced?
instead of 1 to 1 like last time.
it OK to have different scales?
Arnie: Aha! Oceane: No, because some of your
Oceane: Yes, of course. Imagine how it charts will not really show anything of
Kimiko: And this time I used the glass would look otherwise. Right, but what
micropipette, as you suggested ... and interest. Look, what I would do is this.
you havent done is label your axes. You First, take all your charts and choose
then I dipped the end of the tube in the need to do that.
drop and it just filled the tube. Just by which ones show im portant findings.
; capillary action. Tiago: So just with what it measures? Then, decide which order you should
MT levels on the y-axis and the location describe them in to present your results
Arnie: So we were right. It can be done on the x, or do I need the species? logically.
| that way.
Oceane: Flang on. Remember that the Nour: OK, so choose them, then order
Kimiko: it seems so. And after the liquid
units for the MT levels also need to be them. And number them then?
evaporated, we had plenty of beads still
included. Oceane: Yes. Remember - tables and
1in the tube.
Tiago: So I need to say the MT level, figures are numbered separately.
( Arnie: Great. So what now? milligrams per gram of protein? Nour: Yeah.
Kimiko: Well, I think that the overall Oceane: Right. If tha ts what your unit is.
j length of the tube maybe affects the Oceane: While youre working out the
g rate, and it might also depend how Tiago: Yeah. order, make a note of what the key
| much of the tube is in the solution. Im Oceane: Now, the shading you have results depicted in the charts are. Look
I not sure, but I guess ideally Id look at used is good. Itll reproduce well in print. at getting a couple of points for each
that next. Tiago: And Ive made sure theyre chart. Theyre what you talk about in the
consistent across all the graphs. results section.
Arnie: That sounds like a good idea. Let
jmeknow how you get on. Oceane: Great. But you do need to have Nour: OK, so do I need to write about
a key, to show what your colours mean. I all the visuals I include in the paper?
I 7.1 know youve put tha t in the caption, but Oceane: Yes. Any table or graph which
j Nour: So what is it that you work on, a key is essential all the same. is shown in the paper also needs an
[Tiago? Oceane didnt really explain to me. Tiago: OK, tha ts not a problem. Ill add explanation in the text of the results
Tiago: Oh, right. Well, Im looking a key to each one. section.
I at how shrimp have adapted to the Oceane: OK, something else you need Nour: Right. And in the same order
I hydrothermal vent environment. To to add to your charts is an indication of theyre numbered too, I guess?
I the high temperatures and the metal your standard deviation. I assume what Oceane: Yes.
f concentrations. youve plotted is the mean? Nour: So this might be a silly question,
Nour: Shrimp. Right. And what are you Tiago: Yes. So I should add those Ts on but what kind of things are key results?
measuring? I mean, how do they adapt? top of the bars? Oceane: Well, in general, youre looking
Tiago: Oh, so Ive been looking at Oceane: Yes, tha ts certainly one at things that are interesting because
metallothionein levels. effective way of doing it. And youve theyre similar, or because theyre
Nour: And they are the metal-binding already highlighted those results that are different. You might have values that
proteins, right? not statistically significant. Thats great, are very high or low ... or interesting
Tiago: Yes, exactly. So Im expecting Tiago. correlations.
vent shrimp to show higher levels, Tiago: Thanks. Nour: Hmm, r ig h t... and then when Im
to be able to deal with the high Oceane: Just make sure you mention describing a figure, do I need to mention
concentrations. Oh, I should have said, that th a ts what it shows in the caption. every value?
I'mcomparing two vent species from the Tiago: OK, I will. And while were on the Oceane: Absolutely not. As I said, make
Rainbow field and two lagoon species subject of captions ... notes on the key results only. Another
from the Rio Formosa lagoon. They're, thing to remember is that you shouldnt
like, my control. include raw numbers. You can talk about
Nour: Right. And are you looking at Nour: So Oceane, theres something I means, about percentages, that's OK,
antioxidants as well? Theyre usually dont understand. Why do I need to write and remember to include units. People
Important, arent they? descriptions of my charts in the results sometimes forget.
Tiago: Yes, yes I am. Four different types section if they can stand alone? Nour: And should I include my
of antioxidant enzyme. Oceane: Thats true, they do stand statistics?
Nour: And how is it going? What are alone. But the text highlights the key Oceane: Well, one mistake people often
your results looking like? results. A chart might show a few make is to use whole sentences to talk
Tiago: Oh, well, Ive collected quite different things; the text points out about the statistics. What you should do
alot of raw data and Ive just started which are the most important. is put the test name and the p-value in
doing my analysis. But Im getting some Nour: OK, that makes sense. And parentheses after the result.
interesting results. Anyway, what is it another thing, what about results I
youre focusing on, Nour? wasnt expecting? If I have negative
results, should I include those?
Audioscript 99
wm 8.1 M ax: Follow the order of the visuals, Florence: Well, that's a tricky one. You
right. Thats good advice. certainly dont need to mention all the
Max: OK, so what Im trying to do is to
dope graphene to make it more useful Florence: Yeah, so it s like writing a results in detail, but youre right, you
story. It kind of develops step by step. might need to make a reference to them.
for electronics.
Florence: Right, so when we dope
First step, then second step based on M ax: So how can I include that
silicon we add boron, phosphorus, the results found in the first step, and information, but without repetition?
something like that, actually into the so on. Its also helpful to paragraph Florence: Well, you can use noun
your text so that each paragraph is phrases. Thats a quick and easy way to
crystal structure to change its properties.
Are you doing the same? clearly related to one of your research sum up your results without having to
questions, or a part of your research describe them all over again.
M ax: Well, yes and no. I mean, of course question.
Im adding something to try to change its M ax: Right, I see. So Im not actually
M ax: So Id have, say, one paragraph repeating the results, more summarising
properties.
about the stability of the layer in them further. And can I refer to other
Florence: But?
air, another about its reaction to work tha ts been done in the area?
M ax: But because the graphene is really temperature? Is th a t what you mean? Florence: Oh sure. It's good to tie your
just an ultra-thin layer of carbon, Im Florence: Yes, exactly. And make sure in
trying to just put the dopant onto the work in to what others say to support
your te xt that you include references to your interpretation. O r to other work
sheet. the relevant visuals. youve done.
Florence: And youre using ... ? M ax: So by saying figure 1, table 2, M ax: And in terms of language, is there
M ax: Well, Ive tried gold and nitrogen things like that. anything in particular I should be careful
dioxide, but Ive only had mixed results. Florence: Yes, phrases like as shown in with?
So recently I've been working with F4- figure 1' are really useful. Florence: Well, the most difficult thing
TCNQ.
M ax: And language tips? I think is being concise; not using too
Florence: Ah, right.
Florence: Oh, well, being concise - not many words. But th a ts always a problem
M ax: So really Ive been trying to using too many words - is the thing I for me too, actually.
work out a couple of things. First, I just find most difficult. Erm, what else? Oh,
needed to see if doping graphene with I usually end up with lots of passives,
F4-TCNQ could neutralise the excess but Dan always says to include as much Dan: Yes, this looks good, Max, but 1
negative charge. active voice as possible. think you should add a short section on
Florence: Mmm ... limitations and your future plans.
M ax: Right, so different to the method.
M ax: I mean, it certainly seemed Florence: Mmm, yeah. And use past M ax: And thats part of the discussion?
theoretically and experimentally tenses. Oh, and something else he Dan: Yes, just a paragraph at the end
possible, but it hadnt been done. says is try not to be repetitive in your is fine. Just before your concluding
Florence: And it worked? structures. I often do that. paragraph.
Max: Yeah, it seems to have. Ill let you M ax: Right, th a ts great, Florence. M ax: So what kind of thing would I say?
have a look at some of the data to see Thanks. Dan: OK, well one of the things you
what you think. Florence: One last thing. It is OK to use mentioned here is that increasing the
Florence: Sure! Thatd be great. And did subheadings, if it makes things clearer annealing temperature seems to cause
you look at the stability of the dopant? - for example, if you have done a few desorption.
Max: Yeah, tha t was the second thing. experiments and have a few different M ax: Yes, above 75 degrees.
Really, it was whether it was air and sets of results. Dan: Yes, but it could be that annealing
temperature resistant that I was initially M ax : Oh, right. I didn't know that. I in a vacuum is playing a role. I mean,
interested in. But I have a couple of dont think Ill need headings, but Ill it may well be that you need higher
other ideas now. keep it in mind. temperatures at atmospheric pressure to
Florence: It sounds really interesting. Id remove the layer.
love to look at the draft when its ready. i 8.3 M ax: Oh, yeah. Id thought about that
M ax: So, my discussion section should but I thought if I mentioned it I should
8.2 explain how my results relate to my really do the experiment.
Florence: So some things th a t you hypothesis; what they mean? Dan: But then you'd never get the paper
need to remember when writing the Florence: Yes, so for example you could done ... and it would be a very long
results section are, well, first, as I said talk about how the fluorine groups are paper if you covered all the possibilities.
when I looked at the draft paragraph, im portant for electron transfer. That No, its fine to say that's something to be
you should only present the results. would be an interpretation. looked at, but start doing it as soon as
W ithout any interpretation, without any M ax: OK. So, in terms of the order - possible, before someone else does it.
methodology. should I work through my discussion in M ax: All right. So another thing thats
Max: Yes, I've got that now. the same order I used for the results? maybe a problem is that I cant get the
Florence: OK, so the next thing to think Florence: Yeah, definitely. You need to graphene samples totally consistent. You
about is being sure you highlight both basically comment on all the results you can tell from the spectroscopy data that
your key findings ... and any secondary mentioned, in the same order, and say there are slightly different thicknesses.
ones, too. People sometimes only put in what they mean. Dan: Mmm.
the main finding, but theres often more M ax: And can I mention any new results M ax: I dont think its a big issue, and
which is interesting. in this part? Or just the ones Ive already Im not sure how to get around it, but it
Max: Great, so how do I order them? written about in the results section? is a bit of a problem.
Florence: OK, so what Id do is prepare Florence: If its a result worth Dan: Well, perhaps ... but I think it's
the figures and tables, to summarise mentioning, it should be in the results. basically inevitable.
the data ... and then basically think M ax: And do I need to mention the M ax: Yeah.
about the most logical order to present results again? I assume not, but dont
that data. Thats the order your results Dan: So, do you have any other ideas
I need to remind the reader what the for extending the work?
section should follow. Or at least thats results were, before I interpret them?
how I do it.
100 Audioscript
M ax: Oh, absolutely. Something else I S 9.2 Svenja: Yes, youre right, being too
want to do is look at a way of applying technical isnt good - but this isnt
M ya: So, I have a few ideas for titles
the F4-TCNQ layer. This time, I used jargon, it s detail. And again, 'an
sketched out, but I dont know which is
evaporation, but Im wondering if we investigation into tells us what you did,
best.
could just dip the sample in an F4-TCNQ not what you found. Try to avoid starting
solution. Svenja: OK, lets have a look then.
with phrases like an observation o f
Right, well, this first one, 'Is there life on
Dan: Yes, its worth a try. or a study of. Your next suggestion
Mars?, is no good.
Max: Yeah, I think so. I mean, if it works Protection for Acidithiobacillus
M ya: Yeah, I didn't think it would really ferrooxidans and Deinococcus
you'd be able to take a ready-made
be suitable, but I thought it was good radiodurans exposed to simulated Mars
graphene object, dip it in the solution
to have something catchy, jokey though, environmental conditions by surface
and alter its electronic properties. Its
with a fun reference. material is much, much better.
definitely got potential.
Svenja: Well, I don't know if th a ts true M ya: But a bit too long?
wm 9.1 really. Look at it this way, will all your
Svenja: No, I don't think so. I mean, it
Svenja: That all looks good, Mya. Youve intended audience understand the
tells us about the key finding - what you
really done a good job. Now, the abstract. reference youre making? If they do, well,
found, in what organisms, under what
they'll chuckle ... but if they dont get the
Mya: OK, here it is. So basically what conditions - it's probably the best of the
joke, all youre left with is an extremely
I did was take the most important lot. It really does encapsulate what the
vague title.
sentences from each of the sections and content is ... yes, its the best.
put them in order. M ya: Thats true, I guess.
M ya: So maybe it's a good idea to write
Svenja: Yes, th a ts a good way to start. Svenja: And looked at another way, who out what the key finding is and then use
As you write more, youll be able to write is going to find it when theyre searching that to form the title?
the abstract independently, but th a ts a the online journals?
Svenja: Yes, often youll then just need
good technique at first. M ya: Well, someone who searches life to use more nouns ... to make it more
Mya: Oh, good. and Mars? like a title and less like a sentence.
Svenja: So, here you have a nice clear Svenja: But would someone in the field
background to the topic. Thats a good search for such vague terms? Your title H 10.1
first sentence. But you should never needs to contain the im portant keywords M ilan: Good afternoon, everybody.
reference other peoples work in an that someone would search for - I'd like to start by thanking you all for
abstract. otherwise it wont be found. coming to my talk today. My name is
Mya: Really? But if I dont refer to other Mya: OK, so how about my second Milan Poborski and Im a PhD candidate
work, doesnt that make my work seem one: 'Are there any features on Mars at Northum bria University. Im going
less relevant? Less credible? that could provide protection against to talk today about my recent research
the harsh surface conditions?? It's got investigating the possibility of detecting
Svenja: No, not at all. Youll reference
the idea of Mars, protection, the harsh the secretion of the cytokine MIG, or
them in the introduction. The abstract
conditions ... CXCL9, as a way to measure vaccine-
should be very general - not focused on
Svenja: Yes, thats true, but its still induced T-cell responses. The research
particular evidence.
rather vague. It seems that what youve was done in the context of a phase 1
Mya: Right. Just in the introduction and vaccine trial of a recombinant viral vector
done here is just use your research
discussion then. vaccine. To start with, Ill explain briefly
question as your title.
Svenja: Well, mainly there, yes. All right how T-cell responses have generally
M ya: I thought that would be a good
... so next you mention your research been assessed and outline some of the
idea. I mean, that tells people what I was
question ... good ... th a ts a nice clear reasons why this method is imperfect.
looking at.
phrase to use. After that, Ill describe the alternative
Svenja: Yes, but that title could have
Mya: Oh, good. method I have been investigating, and
been written before you did the research
Svenja: And youve narrowed things present the results I have obtained
... and anyone can ask a question.
down to which kind of protective using this method. Finally, I will discuss
What you can do now though, after
condition you are looking at. Oh, but why this method could be useful as a
your studies, is give us an answer to
don't go into so much detail here. I way to measure vaccine-induced T-cell
the question. So instead of using the
mean, is it really the composition of the responses. I plan to talk for about 40
question you asked as your title, write
surface which has an effect? minutes, leaving plenty of time for
a statement telling the reader what
Mya: Oh, erm ... I dont know. questions at the end of my talk.
your key result was. Thats much more
Svenja: Well, just leave the first part and informative. H 10.2
take away from 'due to the fact onwards. Mya: So this one - An investigation into 1 A number of potential vaccine types
Mya: OK, so next Ive summarised the whether Marss surface material could have been developed and I will be
method. provide protection for organisms - returning to those shortly.
Svenja: Thats good, and you have is better. It explains the key finding.
2 As I have already said, counting
another good introductory phrase there I mean, it kind of sums up the content. interferon-gamma secreting cells has
... but you have included way too much Svenja: Well, it does to an extent, but been the preferred method to date.
detail. All this about the composition, its still a little imprecise. Protection for
3 As you can see from this image,
temperature and radiation can go. organisms? For dogs? Cats? Flumans?
using flow cytometry to detect MIG
Mya: Yes, I guess if someone wants to M ya: For some organisms? secretion gives a more accurate way of
know all that detail, they can read the Svenja: Why not tell us which ones? measuring immune responses.
method. Its often good to include details like the 4 Lets begin by looking at the size of
Svenja: OK, next problem is you've got species studied, or if youre focusing on the malaria problem. Malaria kills
a reference to your figures here. one field location, the place - things over one million people every year in
Mya: Yeah, the line graphs of exposure like that are important. Also protection. 109 countries.
time and growth. Protection from the rain? Say what
5 Thats all I have to say about the
Svenja: Dont include references to theyre protected from.
vaccine itself, so now Id like to move
figures in the abstract either. M ya: Oh. I thought it would be on to looking at judging the response
Mya: R ig h t... and how about the confusing if I used too many technical of the immune system to the vaccine.
language, is that OK? terms.
Audioscript 101
H H 10.3 Conversation 4 7 Id better go and find my colleague.
1 As I mentioned earlier, there are a Freja: Milan, do you know Makareta? 8 Im Jose-Luis. Whats your name?
number of different vaccine types, but She used to do parasitology at UND, too.
M ilan: No. Hi.
H 10.7
the one I have been working with is an
attenuated viral vaccine developed by M ak a re ta : Nice to meet you, Milan. Participant: Hi, excuse me. Yes, urn, I
the ... was just wondering, could you tell me a
M ilan: So are you giving a paper here,
bit about your work here?
2 The immune response to the vaccine Makareta?
has been measured using the ex vivo Mosi: Oh, hello, yes of course, well, we
M ak a re ta : Oh, well, I gave it yesterday
interferon-gamma ELISPOT, which has know that viral-based malaria vaccines
... late in the afternoon, unfortunately. could contribute to the prevention of the
had some problems, and I'll deal with Conversation 5
this point later. disease and most studies so far have
M ilan: So Makareta, have you been to focused on describing antigen-specific
3 Weve looked at the methodology Cambridge before? T-cell responses to these vaccines. Mv
used, so now lets turn to the results.
M ak a re ta : No, it's my first time. It research though focuses on changes in
4 In fact, the charts here indicate that seems nice though. Not that Ive been Natural Killer cell populations which may
detecting MIG by flow cytometry and out much. act directly as anti-malarials, or could
RT-PCR is actually more sensitive than be influencing the T-cell responses. In
M ilan: Well, how about you come out
detecting interferon-gamma with these this study, human volunteers, who had
with us tonight? A group of us are going
methods. not had malaria, were vaccinated with a
to go to a restaurant.
5 Next well look at the potential viral-based vaccine, and then the T-cell
M ak a re ta : Yeah, that sounds good.
application of this alternative method. and NK-cell responses were measured.
Look, sorry, Milan, but I have to go. I
said Id meet a friend to help her practise As vou can see in this chart, numbers
E m 10.4 of CD56bri6bt lymphocytes increased
her talk. Ill see you later on though.
M ilan: So let me recap what Ive said. significantly following vaccination, while
Many methods are currently being Conversation 6
the number of CD56dim cells did not
investigated to measure the immune M ilan: Freja! Ive been looking for you. increase. The second graph shows that
response to the malaria vaccines under So, how did the talk go? Did you get a there was no significant correlation
development. Using MIG as a marker good turnout? between the CD56 populations and the
has the potential to increase sensitivity, Freja: Yes, it was fine. I was so nervous, antigen-specific T-cell responses. It seems
without needing to increase the volume though! But I had quite a few people - then that measuring antigen-specific T
of blood needed. I therefore believe not too many - and I got some really cells is more meaningful than NK cells
th a t intracellular staining for MIG could good questions, so that was helpful. as an indicator of immune response in
be used alongside current methods And I can relax and enjoy the rest of the these vaccination regimens.
to detect vaccine-induced T cells. That conference now. Participant: Interesting, interesting.
brings me to the end of my talk today. I Conversation 7 Just one thing though. Could you just
would like to thank you for being such an M ak a re ta : So which other sessions have clarify how the NK cells ...
attentive audience and I would be happy you been to today, Milan?
to answer any questions you may have. H U 10.8
M ilan: Oh, well, I didnt go to anything
Thank you. A
this morning, because I wanted to have a
as 10.5 final practice before I did mine. Mosi: The im portant difference here
is the way the two cell types contribute
Conversation 1 M ak a re ta : Fair enough.
M ilan: But this afternoon, after Id been to the immune response. As I was just
Milan: And which session did you say mentioning to the gentleman here,
youd just been to? to support Mosi with his poster, I went
to a couple on vaccine development. One CD56briel,t cells produce a range of
Mosi: I dont think I did! I went to Zak cytokines which stimulate other cells.
was by Joan Cummings ...
Meyers paper on blood-stage vaccines. They are not killers themselves. The
Conversation 8
M ilan: Ah, yes. The abstract for that CD56dim cells, however, are cytotoxic, so
one looked interesting. How was it? M ilan: Its good to finally meet you, they are actually killer cells. Is that what
Jacob, and put a face to the name. I've you wanted to know about them?
Mosi: Well, to be honest it was a bit too
just been reading a lot of your labs
clinical for me. I thought it was going to B
work on TNF receptors and malaria
be about vaccine development. Mosi: Yes, of course. The T-cell
protection.
M ilan: Oh, and it wasnt? Thats what I responses were measured using ex
Jacob: Ah, excellent. And you said you
thought from the a b stra ct... vivo ELISPOT. The NK-cell population
were at Northumbria, Milan? Do you was determined by flow cytometry and
Conversation 2 work with Percy Grey? intracellular staining. If you want to know
M ilan: Sorry ... erm, excuse me, do you M ilan: Yes, th a ts right. Erm, Jacob,
mind if I join you? more about the specifics of the protocol
this might seem a little forward, but I or the reagents I used, just send me
Freja: No, no, not at all. wondered what opportunities there were an email. The address is here, on this
Jacob: Jacob Sachs. in your lab for post-doctoral positions ... handout and on my card.
M ilan: Im Milan Poborski. I mean, Ill be handing in soon, so
C
Jacob: And this is Freja Pedersen. hopefully ...
M osi: Sure. So I mentioned two kinds
M ilan: Nice to meet you, Freja. n i o .6 of NK cells; those which are CD56briel,t
Conversation 3 1 Excuse me for interrupting. I really and those which are CD56dim. The bright
M ilan: So where are you based, Freja? enjoyed your talk. kind dont actually kill, despite the
Freja: Oh, I was at UF with Jacob, but name. What they do is secrete cytokines
2 Oh, Ive just noticed the time. Good
Im at UND now. like interferon-gamma which can then
luck tomorrow.
stimulate the helper T cells. Does that
M ilan: Ah, right. And what are you 3 Nice talking to you. Ill see you around. answer your question?
working on? Parasitology, right? 4 I want to talk to you.
Freja: Yeah, thats right. And you, Milan? 5 Im going now.
What are you looking at?
6 Sorry to interrupt.
102 Audioscript
GLOSSARY
This glossary contains useful words and phrases from the texts and audioscripts. The numbers in brackets refer to the unit(s)
in which they appear. Key: v = verb; n = noun; adj = adjective; adv = adverb; cc = collocation [a collocation is a common
combination of words]; sby = somebody; sth = something
W ord D efinition Translation 1
achieve (1, 6) v to succeed in finishing something (especially something difficult)
activate (4, 8 , 9) v to cause something to start
adapt (to sth) v to change something according to a different environment or for a different
(1 ,4 , 5, 7, 9) purpose
adaptation ( 1 ,7 ,8 ) n the process (or the result of a process) of changing according to a different
environment or for a different purpose
adhesive (3) n glue
adj something th a t can be glued
adjust (4, 5) v to change something slightly
adsorb (4, 9) v to hold molecules of a gas o r liquid on the surface
alloy (4) n a metal th a t is made by mixing two o r more metals or a metal and another
substance
alter (8 , 9) v to change something, usually slightly
alternative n a different plan o r method which can be used instead of another one
(3, 4, 8 , 9, 10) a dj something th a t is different from something else
am bient tem perature cc room tem perature or the normal tem perature o f a particular object or
(5) environment
amperage (6 ) n the strength of an electrical current measured in amperes
antigen (10) n a substance th a t causes an immune response in the body, often by the
production of antibodies
anxiety (2 , 8 ) n an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry
apparatus (4, 5, 8 ) n equipment o r tools for a particular purpose
approach (1, 2, 4, 8 , 9) v 1 to deal with something 2 to speak to, write to, o r visit somebody in order
to do something
n a method of doing o r thinking about something
aquarium (7) n a man-made environment where fish, other water animals and plants can
be kept and studied
arrange a meeting (3) cc to organise a meeting
assess (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9) v to judge or decide the amount, value, quality or importance of something
assessment (2) n a judgm ent o r decision about the amount, value, quality or importance of
something
attenuated (10) adj weakened
automatically (5) adv independently (without human control)
availability (1) n the fact th a t somebody is free to work, be contacted, go to meetings, etc.
(be) affected (by sth) cc to be changed o r influenced by somebody o r something
(5, 7)
(be) attentive (to sth) cc 1 interested 2 listening carefully
(10)
(be) composed (of sth) cc to be formed or made from something
(4, 9)
(be) involved (in sth) cc 1 to be included 2 to be made a part o f something
(1, 2, 5, 8 )
(be) made up of (sth) cc to be composed o f or formed from something
(3)
(be) of interest (to sby) cc interesting
(7)
Glossary 117
Word Definition Translation
(be) on track (4) cc making progress and likely to succeed
(be) relevant (to sth) cc connected with what is happening o r being discussed
(1, 2, 3, 4, 6 , 8 )
(be) representative (of cc sharing characteristics or features which are typical of a group of people,
sth) (7) situations o r things
(be) resistant (to sth) adj not affected, influenced or damaged by something
(5, 7, 9)
(be) selective (for sth) cc choosing some things but not others, often for a reason
(8 )
(be) sensitive (to sth) adj affected, influenced o r damaged by something
( 1, 8 , 10)
(be) unresponsive (to adj not responsive to something (= does not react to something)
sth) (5)
benchwork (1) n work done in the laboratory rather than in the natural environment
benefit (4) n a good or positive effect
bind (to sth) (6 , 7, 10) v to stick to, combine with, o r form a bond with something
blind tria l (2) cc a type of clinical tria l where the patient and researcher do not know which
patients are receiving the medicine and which a placebo
break down (into sth) v to reduce into smaller parts
(3)
calibrate (5) v to set a machine to a standard scale
capsule (6 , 9) n a small container
carry out (2, 5, 6 , 8 ) v to do or complete something, especially something you have planned to do
characteristic (5, 7) n a typical o r noticeable quality of somebody or something
classify (sth as sth) v to divide things into groups according to the ir type
(2, 9)
clinical trial (2) cc a controlled test of a new drug on human subjects
clone ( 1) v to create a genetic copy of a plant o r animal
n a genetic copy of a plant o r animal th a t has the same gene as the original
plant or animal
coat (sth with sth) v to cover something with a thin layer of something
(3, 5, 6)
collaborate (with sby on v to work with somebody for a specific purpose
sth) (3)
come up with (4) v to suggest o r thin k of an idea or plan
comment (on sth) v to say o r write something which expresses an opinion
(1 ,8 , 9)
commercial application cc a way to use a device, finding etc. which could make money for a company
(commercial use)
(1 ,2 , 6 , 7, 8)
commonly (6 , 7) adv usually
complicated (3) a dj 1 formed of many different parts 2 difficult to understand
composition analysis cc a procedure to discover what something is made of
(5)
compound (3, 5, 6 , 7) n a substance formed from a combination o f two o r more elements
concentrate a solution cc to make a liquid or substance stronger by removing water from it or by
(4) adding more solute
concentrate (on sth) v to focus your attention on something
(1 ,4 )
concentration n the strength o f a solution, especially the amount of solute in a fixed
(1 ,4 , 5, 6 , 7, 8) volume o f solvent
condense (3, 4, 6 ) v to change state from a gas to a liquid
118 Glossary
W ord D efinition Translation
conduct (4, 5, 6) v to transm it heat or electricity through a substance
considerable (6 , 8) adj of large or noticeable importance
consistent (6 , 7, 8 ) adj always the same or always behaving in the same o r a sim ilar way
constant (4) adj staying the same and not changing
consumption n the amount of something used
(2, 7, 8 , 9)
contain v 1 to have something inside something else 2 to include something
(3, 4, 5, 6 , 8 , 9)
contaminated (7, 9) adj not clean o r not pure (pure = not mixed with anything)
control group (2 ) cc a group in an experiment which do not receive the treatm ent, procedure
etc.
controversial (9) adj causing disagreement or discussion
convection (4) n the transfer of heat in a gas or liquid by the heated part moving upwards
critique (2) n a report which examines somebodys work or ideas very carefully
cross (sth) out (5) v to draw a line through a te x t or picture, usually because it is wrong
cytokine (10) n a protein released by a cell which has an effect on other cells or on the
communication between cells
deal with (7, 9, 10) v to take action in order to solve a problem
depict (7) v to represent o r show something in a diagram, picture or story
detect (1 ,3 , 4, 9, 10) v to discover something using special tools and/or a special method
device (2 , 3, 6 ) n an object or machine th a t has been designed for a specific purpose
diffract (4) v to cause light to divide into the various colours of the spectrum
diffraction (5) n the spreading of light into its various colours as it passes through a small
opening
dilute (4, 6 ) v to make a liquid o r other substance less concentrated (weaker) by mixing it
with something else
dimension (1, 4) n a measurement of something in a particular direction, especially its height,
length o r width
dip (sth in sth) (6 , 8 ) v to put something into a liquid for a short time
dissolve (4, 5, 6 , 7) v 1 (of a solid) to be absorbed by a liquid 2 (of a liquid) to absorb a solid
distribution (1, 9) n the amounts or the way in which things are divided o r spread out in a
place
do a run (5) cc to complete an experiment
dosage (6) n an amount of something needed for a specific purpose
dummy (2) adj not real
du rab ility ( 1) n hardness or the ab ility to remain undamaged for a long time
effective adj successful a t achieving a specific result
(1, 2, 3, 7, 8 , 9)
embed (2, 5, 6 , 9) v to fix something into a substance
enhance (3, 9) v to improve the quality, amount or strength of something
enthalpy (6) n the total am ount o f heat o r chemical energy in a system
enzyme (1, 7) n a chemical substance which causes a chemical reaction to happen o r to
happen faster w ithout changing itself
equation (7) n a mathematical statement
essential (7) adj necessary
evaporation (8 ) n the process or the result of a process of a liquid becoming a gas
evidence (2, 3, 8 , 9) n one o r more reasons to believe th a t something is o r is not true
exclude (3) v 1 to stop something becoming a part o f something else 2 to not include
something
Glossary 119
expand (5) v to increase
experimental set-up cc the equipment and procedures used in an experiment
(4,5)
exposure (to sth) n experiencing something (often something harmful or unpleasant) by being
(4, 7, 8 , 9) in a particular place o r situation
extreme (7, 8 , 9) adj very large in am ount or degree
field (1) n an area of activity, interest or study
fieldwork (1) n research done in the natural environm ent not in the laboratory
filte r (sth) out (6) v to remove something from something else
flex (6 ) n a cable which carries an electric current to a piece of electronic equipment
focus (on sth) v to give a lot of attention to somebody or something
(1, 3, 6 , 8 , 9, 10) n the main point of interest
follow-up (3, 5) n a furthe r action connected with something th a t happened before
functionalise (6) v to make functional o r to adapt o r prepare something for a specific purpose
fuse together (6 ) v to join or become combined
gather (1) v to collect different things, often from different places or people
generate (1, 2, 5, 8) v 1 to cause something to exist 2 to produce energy in a particular form
genetically engineered cc a living thing whose genetic structured has been changed for a particular
organism (4) reason or purpose
gills (7) n the organ which fish and other water creatures use to take in oxygen
give (sth) a go (1) cc to try to do something which may o r may not be successful
give (sth) up (1) v to stop doing something
graduate (1) n a person who has completed a course of study such as a degree from a
university o r college
grind (into a powder) v to break a solid into extremely small pieces
(6 )
habitat (1 ,4 ) n the natural environment of a living creature
hang on (5, 7) v to w ait for a short time
harvest (sth from sth) v to collect something
(3)
have an effect (on sth) cc to influence something
(2, 4, 5, 8 , 9)
hormone (2, 4, 8 , 9) n a chemical substance produced in the body th a t controls the activity of
certain cells or organs
host (2) n an animal or plant on o r in which another organism lives
hydraulic (5) adj operated by o r involving the pressure of a liquid
hydrostatic (5) adj relating to fluids which are not moving o r to the pressures they produce
hydrothermal vent (7) cc a gap in the floor o f the ocean which produces a flow o f warm water
hypothesis (2, 4, 9) n an idea o r explanation for something which is based on known facts but
has not yet been proved
identical (2) adj exactly the same or very sim ilar
impedance (6 ) n a measure of the power o f a piece of electrical equipm ent to stop the flow
of a current
impede (1) v to slow down a process or make something more difficult to do
im plication (9) n the effect th a t an action will have on something else in the future
im purity (8 ) n a low quality substance th a t is mixed with something else and makes it
less pure
in the context o f ( 10) cc when a particular situation or condition exists
in vitro (2) adv happening in artificial conditions such as a test tube
in vivo (3, 10) adv happening in a living organism
120 Glossary
incidence (of sth) (4) n 1 the frequency a t which something happens 2 an event
inconsistent (5, 8 ) adj if something is inconsistent, different parts of it do not agree, or it does
not agree with something else
incubation (6) n a process which allows something to be kept at a constant tem perature for
a particular amount of time
indication (7) n a sign th a t something is true, exists, o r is likely to happen
indicator (of sth) n something th a t shows what a situation is like
( 1, 10)
inevitable (8 ) adj certain to happen, something th a t cannot be prevented
influence (3, 4) v to have an effect on something or someone
informative (9) adj providing a lo t of useful information
in hib it (2, 9) v to prevent something from happening o r to slow down a process
inspire (3) v to give somebody the idea for something
institution (1, 2) n a large and im portant organisation, such as a university or a bank
internalise (6 ) v to bring inside
interpret (2) v to decide on the most likely meaning o f something
interpretation (7, 8 ) n an understanding or explanation of a situation or thing
in te rrup t (3, 4, 10) v 1 to stop a person from speaking for a short period by something you say
or do 2 to stop something from happening for a lim ited amount of time
isolate (5, 6 , 9) v to separate something from other things, often things tha t are normally
combined
jargon (9) n special words or phrases used by particular groups o f people, especially in
the ir work
join in (3, 10) v to become involved in an activity (such as a conversation)
keep (sth) in mind (8 ) cc to remember a fact or piece of inform ation when you are making a
decision
lengthen (8 ) v to make longer
linear (5, 7) adj 1 relating to a relationship between two things th a t is clear and direct 2
consisting of o r related to lines
link (4, 5) n a connection between two people, ideas o r things
load (sth into sth) (5) v to put something into something (usually a machine)
long-term ( 1, 2) adj continuing for a long tim e into the future
look through (6 ) v to read something quickly
magnitude (3) n the large size o r importance of something
mesh (6 , 8 ) n a piece of material like a net with small spaces in it, made from wire,
plastic o r thread
metabolic (2, 8 , 9) adj connected to chemical processes of the body
m icrobiota (2) n the microorganisms that live in a particular part of the body
mimic (3) v to copy the way in which someone or something behaves
m ixture (of sth) (5) n a substance made from a combination of substances
m ortality (7) n the number o f deaths in a group in a particular period of time
motion (3, 4) n 1 the act o r process of moving 2 an action o r a movement
m ulti-disciplinary (3) adj of an activity which involves different subjects of study (such as physics
and chemistry)
narrow (sth) down (9) v to make a num ber or list of things smaller and clearer by removing things
th a t are least im portant or least likely to happen
navigate (1) v to find a way over an area of land or water
negotiate terrain ( 1) v to manage to travel over a difficult physical environment
network (2) v to meet people who might be useful to know, especially for your work or
studies
Glossary 121
W ord Definition Translation
nozzle (5) n a narrow opening at the end of a tube which allows gas or liquid to be
delivered to a particular place
numerous (5) adj many
objective (6) adj based on facts and not influenced by personal feelings or beliefs
obstacle (1) n 1 something tha t prevents movement 2 a process which makes something
more difficult to do
odour (1, 8) n a smell
one-on-one (3) adj a meeting between two people, usually between a teacher and a student
online forum (2) n a place on the Internet where people can leave messages o r discuss
particular subjects with other people
optim al conditions (4) cc the perfect environment for something to happen
organism (4, 6 , 7, 9) n a single living plant, animal, virus etc.
orient (3) v to move something so th a t it rests in a particular location or points in a
particular direction
outcome (1 ,5 ) n a result
outline (1, 10) v to give the main facts about something
ou tput (6 , 9) n an am ount of something produced by a process
overview (of sth) (6) n a short description of something which provides general inform ation
w ithout details
participant (2, 4, 10) n a person who takes part in an activity
peer review (2) cc a critical review o f research by experienced professionals
permanent ( 1) adj lasting for a long tim e or forever
phase (1, 4, 8 , 10) n any stage in a series of events or in a process of development
physiology (1, 2) n (the scientific study of) the way in which the bodies of living things work
place (3, 5, 6 ) v to put something in a particular position
placebo (2) n a substance given to someone who is told th a t it is a particular medicine,
either to make them feel as if they are getting better or to compare the
effect of the particular medicine when given to others
porous (4) adj describes something tha t has many small holes, so liquid or gas can pass
through it
precipitation (5) n when a solid substance is produced from a liquid during a chemical process
preferred method (10) cc the method usually used
presence (of sth) (3, 9) n when something is found in a particular place
proportion (7) n the number o r am ount of a group or part of something when compared to
the whole
propose (sth to sby) (4) v to suggest a possible plan or action for other people to consider
prospective cc a study in which one group of people who receive a particular treatm ent
observational study (2) are followed over tim e and compared with another group of people who did
not receive the treatm ent
protein (2, 5, 6 , 7, 9) n an organic combination of amino acids
protocol (2, 4, 5, 10) n 1 a set of rules for doing something 2 the method to be followed when
doing a scientific experiment
provide an insight (into cc to give a clear understanding of something
sth) (2)
publication (1, 9) n the process o f presenting research to the scientific community, usually in a
journal
pulse (6 ) n an am ount o f sound, light, or electricity th a t continues for a short tim e and
is usually repeated
pulsed (3) adj happening for repeated, short periods of time, rather than working
continuously
pump (sth) up (5) v to fill something with a gas or liquid
122 Glossary
purify (6) v to remove d irty or harmful substances from something
purity (5) n the quality or state of being pure or clean
put (sby) off (doing) cc 1 to make someone dislike something or someone 2 to persuade
(sth) (1) someone not to do something
randomised (1) adj by chance and not according to a plan
range (between n' and v to have an upper and a lower lim it
n2) (from n ' to n2) (6 , 8 )
range (of sth) n 1 the amount, number o r type of something between an upper and a lower
(2, 6 , 8 , 9, 10) lim it 2 a set of sim ilar things
rapid (5, 8 ) adj fast or sudden
ratio (of sth to sth) n the relationship between two groups or amounts, which shows how much
(4, 5, 6 , 8 ) bigger one is than the other
raw data (2, 7) cc experimental results which have not yet been analysed
reach a plateau (5) cc to come to a point at which change o r development stops
read up on a topic (3) cc to research a subject in detail
reagent (5, 10) n a substance used in a chemical reaction to detect, measure, examine, or
produce other substances
recap (10) v to repeat the main points o f an explanation or description
receptor (6 , 8 , 10) n a molecule in a ceil or on the surface of a cell which something (e.g. a
hormone, a drug) can bind to
relate (to sth) v to find or show a connection between two o r more things
(2, 3, 4, 5, 8)
rely on (1, 4) v to need a particular thing in order to do something
replicate (1, 4) v to make or do something again in exactly the same way
reproduce the data (4) cc to get the same results as before by repeating an experiment
requirem ent (5) n something tha t must be done
reset (5) v to prepare a machine so th a t it can be operated in a particular way o r to
return it to its original settings
resistance (to sth) n showing little or no reaction to a process o r to a particular situation
(6 , 8 , 9)
response (to sth) n 1 a reaction to a process 2 a formal answer to a question or suggestion
(3, 4, 5, 9, 10)
rinse (with sth) (6) v to remove a substance from something o r clean something using a liquid
rule (sth) out (1,5) v to decide th a t something is impossible o r will not happen
run (sby) through (sth) cc to tell someone about something so th a t they can give the ir advice or
(6 ) opinion on it
run (sth) through (sth) v to pass a gas or liquid through something
(4, 6)
saturate (5) v to add one substance to another until no more can be added
scale (7) n the size o r level of something
scale (sth) up (3) v to increase the size, am ount o r importance of something, usually a process
schedule (1) v to arrange a meeting o r other activity for a particular tim e or day
schematic view (5) cc an image showing the main parts of something in a simple way
secrete (10) v to produce and release a liquid
sense ( 1) v to experience or detect physical things
n an ability to understand, recognise or react to something, especially
something th a t can be seen, heard, tasted, smelled or felt
sensitive inform ation cc secret information
(2)
sequence word (5) cc words which show the order in which something happens (e.g. then, after
that)
Glossary 123
shear force (3) cc stress applied parallel to a surface of a material
significant (7, 8 ) adj 1 im portant or noticeable 2 probably caused by something other than
chance
simulate (1, 3, 4, 9) v to do o r make something in a sim ilar or the same way as something else
simultaneous (9) adj happening at the same time
sketch (sth out) v to make a drawing or give a short description of something using only a
(4, 7, 9) few details
slide (3) v to move o r cause to move easily over a surface
slide (6 , 7) n a small piece of glass on which you can put something in order to look at it
through a microscope
soil (1) n the material on the surface of the earth in which plants grow
solubility (5) n the ability to be dissolved to form a solution
specialism (2) n an area within a subject of study such as molecular biology in biology
species (2, 7, 8 , 9) n a set of animals or plants in which members share sim ilar characteristics
specimen (5) n 1 something shown o r examined as an example 2 a typical example of
something
speculate (about/on v to guess the possible answer to a question o r cause o f a situation
sth) (9)
speed (1, 6 , 8 ) n how fast something happens o r moves
stable (1, 8 ) adj not likely to move o r change or react
stage (1, 4, 5, 6 ) n a part of an activity or process
stain (2, 5, 6) v to add a reagent or a dye (dye = a substance used to change the colour of
something) to a specimen in order to make it easier to see a particular thing
through a microscope
stand alone (7) v to be presented separately
stand out ( 10) v to be very noticeable
stick (to sth) (2,3,4) v to cause something to become fixed
stick with (4) v to continue to do something in a way th a t you have used before
subm it (sth) to (sby) cc to give o r offer something for a decision to be made by others
(1, 2, 9, 10)
subsequent (5) adj happening after something else
sufficient (9) adj enough for a particular purpose
supervise ( 1) v to watch a person or activity to make certain th a t everything is done
correctly
surface area (8 ) cc the total amount of space the outside surface(s) of an object covers
suspension (6) n a liquid m ixture which contains very small pieces of solid material
take (sth) up (7) v to absorb something or to use something
talk (sby) through (sth) cc to explain a procedure to someone in the correct order
(2, 4, 6)
target (6 , 9) v to direct something to a particular location
n a place you want to reach
technique (2, 3, 9) n a way o f doing an activity
texture (3) n the quality of a surface: the degree to which a surface is hard, soft,
smooth, rough etc.
th a t makes sense (4, 7) cc tha t is a good idea
theoretically (8 ) adv in a way th a t agrees with some rule or hypothesis
threshold (6) n the level at which something starts to happen or have an effect
to some degree (5) cc to a certain amount, partly
124 Glossary
W ord Definition Translation
tolerance (7) n the amount of pain, heat, difficulty etc. which something can suffer w ithout
being harmed
track (3) v to follow the movement of something
transfer (from sth to v to move (someone or something) from one place to another
sth)
(1 ,3 )
transition zone (5) cc the part of the Earths structure located below the crust and upper mantle
but above the lower mantle
treatm ent (1, 3, 4, 9) n a particular chemical, procedure or situation etc. which is given to one
group in an experiment to see how th a t group is affected
trend (7) n a general pattern of development o r change in a situation or in the way
something behaves
trial (2) n a test, usually over a lim ited period of time, to discover how effective or
suitable something is
trigg er (3) v to make something start suddenly
tum our (2 , 6) n a mass of cells which are not normal
ultraviolet radiation (9) cc energy with wavelengths shorter than light we can see, but longer than
X-rays
undergo (3) v to experience a powerful force or something unpleasant
uninhabitable (9) adj not suitable or possible to live in
uptake (4, 6 , 7) n the rate o r act o f taking something in
urine (2 , 8 ) n a waste liquid from the body
use (sth) alongside (sth) cc to use with o r at the same tim e as something else
(10)
vaccination (10) n the process of giving someone a substance which prevents them from
getting a disease
vague (9) adj not clear in shape or meaning
vapour (3, 6 ) n gas o r extremely small drops o f liquid
verify (2, 5) v to prove o r to make certain th a t something exists o r is true
vibratory (3) adj making small movements very quickly
vice versa (7) adv used to show th a t what you have just said is also true in the opposite
situation
visible spectrum (4) cc the part of the whole energy range th a t we can see
volunteer (9, 10) n a person who agrees to do something
work (sth) out v to do a calculation to get an answer to a question or to do o r develop
(1 ,3 , 4, 5, 7, 8 ) something in a particular way
w rite (sth) up (6) v to write something in a complete o r final form using notes you have made
yield (5) v to change shape because of the force on an object
yield strength (5, 9) cc the amount of stress which can be put on an object before it changes
shape
your firs t impression (of cc your firs t feeling, opinion or idea about something or someone
sth) ( 10)
your intended audience cc the people who some particular inform ation has been prepared for
(9)
zone (5) n an area o r region which has a particular feature o r characteristic th a t
makes it different from other parts
Glossary 125
Cambridge English for a very thorough representation of the basic
requirement of presenting scientific analyses
Scientists
D r A nd rew Sugden, Science International
I believe it does an excellent job at portraying
everyday situations in the lab and I especially
enjoyed the audioscript, which I think is an
accurate representation of conversations
Tamzen Armer between a student and his/her adviser.
Series Editor: Jeremy Day D an ie la Robles, P h D student, M olecu lar B iology
For the FREE online Teacher's Book and photocopiable activities,

go to www.cambridge.org/elt/englishforscientists
Cam bridge English for Scientists is for intermediate The course can be used in the classroom or
to upper intermediate level (B1- B2) learners of for self-study and is suitable for scientists
English who need to use English in a scientific studying or working in a wide range of scientific
research or study environment. disciplines. The course also includes a glossary
of useful vocabulary.
This short course (4 0 -6 0 hours teaching tim e)
uses practical tasks to develop the language and
Cam bridge English f o r ... is a series of short
communication skills needed by student and
courses for different areas of English for
professional scientists from all disciplines.
Specific Purposes. W ritten for professionals
Each of the ten units relates to one or more by professionals they combine the best in ELT
case studies based on real published research. methodology with real professional practice.
Practical skills include:
applying for research funding Tam zen A rm e r (BSc Anatomical Sciences,
writing for publication CELTA, DELTA) has professional experience
presenting and socialising at a conference as a scientific researcher at the Institute of
Neurology, London and the Christie Hospital,
Manchester. She currently teaches English at the
University of Canberra, Australia.
Academic Cambridge English for

Professional i C a m b r id g e
Vocabulary English Online P U N IV E R S IT Y P R E S S
Engineering
www.cambridge.org
www.cambridge.org/elt/pro 9780521154093
M ich ae l M cC arthy
Felicity O 'Dell
ISBN: 978 0 521 71518 8 9 780521 154093 >

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Skills Language focus Texts

Planning a career in Talking about your career path Listening

Communicating with Recognising different styles of Listening

Doing a literature review Linking sentences in writing (1) Listening

Describing approaches to Making suggestions and plans Listening

Describing a process Describing experimental Listening

Analysing data Prefixes and suffixes (3) Listening

Organising the results Organising writing in paragraphs Listening

Writing the Reporting the work of other Listening

Giving a paper at a Helping an audience understand the Listening

Additional material page 86 Glossary page 117

Planning a career in science

M an y scientists continue th e ir education in o th er countries. The tab le

H igher edu cation for scien ce in the US

Qualification Category Duration Place of study

A sso ciate of Science u n d e rg ra d u a te 2 y ea rs co m m u n ity college or

D octoral d eg re e (PhD) g rad u a te 3 to 8 y ears u n iv ersity o r g rad u a te

' * Students w h o have already c o m p le te d an

A sso ciate (A S ) deg ree can b e c o m e a B a chelo r

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

C Look a t th e underlined phrases in Audioscript 1.2 on page 9 1 . Put th e

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

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

Unit 1 Getting started in research 7

APPLICATION FORM a. an explanation o f Kou III do research and

Read Eriko's com pleted project summary on page 9.

Unit 1 Getting started in research

M atch each highlighted section in th e summary (A -F ) to th e correct

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

Com plete th e project summary by an other researcher below using the

Consumer interest in wines produced in organic vineyards has increased significantly

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

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

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

9 3 In pairs, look a t an extract from th e CV o f a student, Carlos, on page 8 6 .

10 Unit 1 Getting started in research

One of my research focuses was to

* pvOtftiAceA <keSro\~i)e.A pvo-files * <ny\<n\yse.A PW e U 1W 01- ivvhev-nnv\i\<70

C Rewrite th e following sentences as bullet points.

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

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

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

11 Think ab ou t a job o r a scholarship you would like to apply fo r and then

Unit 1 Getting started in research 11

d 1.5 Listen to Carloss feedback. Com plete th e notes below.

e 1.6 Listen to Eriko practising th e introduction to her presentation again.

12 Unit 1 Getting started in research

1 Hello. M y name is ... and Im cu rre n tly ...

2 M y research focuses on ...

3 This is useful because ...

4 For example, ...

5 However, there are a num ber o f problem s w ith ...

Complete the phrases in Exercise 13 f with information th a t is true for you.

Phone and video conferencing are both common fo r interviews and

application form comfortable position facing late

CONFERENCE CALL INTERVIEWS

Before your interview During your interview

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

Unit 1 Getting started in research 13

Writing a critical review m

MKentlf |Hl|lllcii III? business; i 'DIARMUIDJEFFREYS

J ^ B U N mo NThrtntth.il icrms torrvertetauic andeffect

Communicating with scientific communities