A Ton of Crap (135 page)

Precursor Messenger RNA
A single strand of messenger RNA, which is considered immature, is known as the precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA). Precursor Messenger RNA is created by the process of transcription within the nucleus of a cell by a DNA template. Upon being processed, the precursor messenger RNA turns into the mature messenger RNA, or simply, the messenger RNA. After being processed, the new strand of mRNA is exported from the nucleus and translated into the protein, thus starting the cycle.

ENDANGERED LANGUAGES

Sarikoli
The Sarikoli language is a southeastern Iranian language and a member of the Pamir language group. The language is spoken in China by the Tajik people. In China, it is known as the “Tajik language” even though it is not the language spoken in Tajikistan. There are currently around 20,000 speakers of Sarikoli, with most living in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of southern Xinjiang Province, and others living close to the Pakistan-Chinese border in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir. Even though Sarikoli is related to the Wakhi language, the two are not mutually intelligible.

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

Recognizing Israel
Many Palestinians want Hamas to recognize Israel so that peace can be negotiated. Though Hamas recognizes that Israel exists, they refuse to recognize the land as a Jewish state and do not plan on making peace. Leaders from the United States and Europe have refused to work with Hamas or provide any aid to Palestine until Hamas has recognized Israel and disarms. Even though a large majority of Palestinians want peace, Hamas has refused to listen to them, and will not recognize Israel and will not give up on an Islamic Palestinian state.

EDITING STRATEGIES

Proofreading
Once you have made any changes that needed to be done, your last step is to proofread. There are several steps one can take during the proofreading process. First, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. If punctuation is not your strong suit, make sure to check every sentence for punctuation errors. One very effective way to proofread is to read what you’ve written from bottom to top and from right to left. By doing this, mistakes will stick out like a sore thumb. You should also scan your paper all the way through for any typos. Reading your writing out loud will also give new insights into your writing and help you spot any errors.

LOGARITHMS

Applications of Logarithms
Logarithms have very real applications in both math and non-math subjects alike. The nautilus, for example, is a cephalopod that has a large shell. The chambers of the shell are approximate copies of the last chamber that are scaled by a constant number. This same idea can be found in mathematics, and it is known as the logarithmic spiral. Logarithms are used to measure the strengths of earthquakes (which is known as the Richter Scale) and how bright stars are. They are even used in psychology (where Hick’s law uses a logarithm to explain the time it takes a person to choose an alternative and the amount of choices they are faced with).

RNA

RNA Therapeutics
Scientists have realized the significance of RNA in many ways. Not only can the molecule be tested with new drugs, but it can provide insight into the formation of diseases. New therapies and treatments are being created based on RNA. RNA acts as a messenger and informs cells (cancer or normal) what proteins to make. Scientists are attempting to have RNA disrupt the message of cancer before it is made. Others are attempting to create an mRNA sequence that will bind to oligonucleotides that will target a therapeutic protein.

ENDANGERED LANGUAGES

Chuvash
The only surviving language of the Oghur branch, Chuvash is a Turkic language that is spoken in the Chuvashia region of Russia (where it is an official language). The writing system of Chuvash is based on Cyrillic. Chuvash is spoken by 1,640,000 people. Even though Chuvash is a Turkic language, it is not mutually intelligible with other Turkic languages. Other languages of the Oghur branch include Turkic Avar, Khazar, Bulgar, and maybe Hunnic.

1. What was operation Defensive Wall?
   

   1. A series of terrorist attacks launched by Hamas on Israel
      
   2. Israel’s reoccupation of land in the West Bank that had been relinquished to Palestinians
      
   3. Israel’s allowing the Palestine Liberation Organization to enter the Gaza Strip and West Bank
      
   4. An operation where the British stopped immigration of the Jewish people to Palestine
      

2. What did the Balfour Declaration of 1917 state?
   

   1. Britain wished to turn Palestine into a national home for the Jewish people.
      
   2. Britain wished to turn Israel into a national home for the Arab people.
      
   3. The United States wished to turn Palestine into a national home for the Jewish people.
      
   4. The United States wished to turn Israel into a national home for the Arab people.
      

3. Which of the following is an example of editing?
   

   1. Changing
      ’s
      to
      s’
      
   2. Changing a semicolon to a colon
      
   3. Changing a sentence that reads as clichéd or hackneyed
      
   4. Correcting a misspelled word
      

4. Which of the following is an example of proofreading?
   

   1. Replacing a comma with a semicolon
      
   2. Changing a sentence that had no meaning into one that has meaning
      
   3. Replacing words with words that incite emotion
      
   4. Using words that relate to the audience
      

5. What does log
   _b
   (
   m
   ) + log
   _b
   (
   n
   ) equal?
   

   1. log
      _b
      (
      m-n
      )
      
   2. log
      _b
      (
      m/n
      )
      
   3. log
      _b
      (
      m
      +
      n
      )
      
   4. log
      _b
      (
      mn
      )
      

6. What does n • log
   _b
   (
   m
   ) equal?
   

   1. log
      _b
      (
      mn
      )
      
   2. log
      _b
      (
      mn
      )
      
   3. log
      bn
      (
      mn
      )
      
   4. log
      bn
      (
      m
      )
      

7. What does ribosomal RNA do?
   

   1. It targets cancer cells.
      
   2. It creates polypeptides.
      
   3. It turns immature mRNA into mature mRNA.
      
   4. It carries amino acids into the developing protein.
      

8. What process does the small interfering RNA take part in?
   

   1. Translation
      
   2. RNA interference
      
   3. Transcription
      
   4. RNA therapy
      

9. Which of the following is an Aboriginal language of Australia with a total of five speakers remaining?
   

   1. Chuvash
      
   2. Sarikoli
      
   3. Dyirbal
      
   4. Votic
      

10. Which of the following is a Turkic language that had influences from the Hebrew language?
    

    1. Votic
       
    2. Karaim
       
    3. Chuvash
       
    4. Sarikoli
       

ANSWER KEY: b, a, c, a, d, b, b, b, c, b

Note: Page numbers in
bold
indicate category topic lists. Page numbers in italics indicate quizzes.

Afrikaans,
279
, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286

Albanian,
75
, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82

Algebra (basic),
131
, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138

Algebra (linear),
139
, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146

Algebra (modern),
147
, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154

Alice in Wonderland,
219
, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226

Alphabet,
25
, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32

American Revolution,
107
, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114