Biology for engineers and other non-biologists

Assignment 3 (Week 3) solutions

The correct option is highlighted

1. The proteins that help in the packaging of the DNA are? 1 mark

a) Enzymes
b) Albumin
c) Immunoglobulins
d) Histones

2. Water is flowing into a leaky 20 L bucket at a rate of 60 L h-1. At the same time, the bucket
leaks water at a rate of 10 ml min-1. How long will it take to fill the bucket? Choose the
option closest to your answer. 2marks

(a) 4 minutes
(b) 8.6 minutes
(c) 20.2 minutes
(d) 0.33 minutes.

Solution:

The net rate at which the bucket is being filled with water = rate at which water flows
into it (input) – rate at which the bucket leaks

= 60 L h-1 - 10 ml min-1 = (1000 – 10) ml min-1 = 990 ml min-1 = 0.99 L min-1.

20 𝐿
Therefore, the total time required to fill the 20 L bucket = = 20.2 𝑚𝑖𝑛
0.99 𝐿 𝑚𝑖𝑛−1

3. Which of the following statements is true? 1 mark

a) E.coli takes longer to divide than human cells

b) Prokaryotes have histone proteins to pack the DNA
c) Human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes
d) Eukaryotic DNA is always condensed in the form of chromosomes

4. A bioreactor with a working volume of 1 m3 is inoculated with an organism at a cell

concentration of 1 g L-1. The organism does not exhibit a lag phase and has a specific
 growth rate of 0.25 h-1. How long should the culture proceed for, to finally harvest 15 kg
of the organism? 2 marks

(a) 10.8 hours

(b) 4.3 hours
(c) 8.2 hours
(d) 20 hours

Solution:

Fifteen kilogram of biomass is to be harvested from 1 m3 media. Therefore, the cell

concentration at this point of time would be = 15 kg m-3.

The time taken to achieve this biomass concentration must be calculated here.

Recall from the course that, in batch growth, time t required to obtain a particular cell
concentration xt when inoculated with a cell concentration x0 (at time t = 0) is given by:
1 𝑥
𝑡 = 𝑡0 + 𝜇 ln(𝑥 𝑡 ) , where to is the lag phase period.
0

𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡0 = 𝑧𝑒𝑟𝑜

𝑥0 = 1 g L-1 = 1 kg m-3

µ = 0.25 h-1

𝑥𝑡 = 15 kg m-3

Substituting all the values in the above equation,

1 15
𝑡 =0+ ln( )
0.25 1
𝒕 = 𝟏𝟎. 𝟖𝟑 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔

5. The correct order of phases in eukaryotic cell cycle is? 1 mark

a) G2  S  G1  Mitosis
b) G1  Mitosis  S  G2
c) G1  S  G2  Mitosis
d) G1  G2  Mitosis  S

6. Choose the correct option 2 marks

 (a) Down’s syndrome: An extra chromosome 21
(b) Thalassemia : Sickle shaped red blood cells
(c) G6PD deficiency: Deficiency of glucose - 6 - phosphatase enzyme
(d) All of the above

7. If the somatic cell of an organism has 20 pairs of chromosomes, what is the number of
chromosomes in its sperm cell? 1 mark

a) 20 pairs
b) 40
c) 20
d) 40 pairs

8. A healthy father (XY) and a mother (XX) suffering from G6PD deficiency have children.
Which of the following can be expected in terms of this disease? 2 marks

(a) All boys have the disease

(b) All girls are carriers for the disease
(c) No girls will have the disease
(d) All of the above

Solution: Recall from the course that, G6PD is an X linked ‘recessive’ disorder

XGXG (mother with disease) x XY (healthy father)

Carrier girls (XXG ) or boys with disease (XGY) ………. (possible outcomes)

Since the girls will have at least one unaffected X from the father, and the disease is an X
linked ‘recessive’ disorder, they will only be carriers and the disease will not manifest in
them. Thus the correct option is ‘all of the above’.

9. The specific growth rate is non zero in which phase of batch growth 1 mark

(a) Stationary phase

(b) Logarithmic phase
(c) Lag phase
(d) Both (b) and (c)
10. The process of division of the cytoplasm is called? 1 mark

a) Diapedesis
b) Cytokinesis
c) Karyokinesis
d) Telekinesis