The eNotes Blog If Youre Going to Procrastinate, You Better Do ItRight

If Youre Going to Procrastinate, You Better Do ItRight A little unorthodox advice from a fellow studentour intern. There’s winter, spring, summer, and fall†¦ And then there’s midterm season. For us quarter-system kids, the time is now. (For you semester kids, don’t pity us- they’re coming for you.) If you’re in college, you know this is one of the worst times of the year. It feels like you’re being pummeled by hail until you’re curled up in the fetal position and simultaneously being burned by blaring sunlight shining through holes in the ozone. And   then maybe being stung by a jellyfish. Somehow, we prevail, though, and keep on chugging through until the next exam season rolls around. We’re really awesome when it comes to making it out alive. What we aren’t good at is studying â€Å"efficiently.† If you are not a procrastinator, congratulations. You’re awesome. I respect you. I literally don’t know how you do it, and I don’t think I ever will. But I want to give you some props. So, here. ::gives props:: Most of us though†¦ we’re world class procrastinators. Spoiler alert: I’m not going to write about ways to change procrastination behaviors. For us tried and true procrastinators, changing the habit is not a process that can occur over night (like cramming)- it’s going to take a lot of work. MTV Intervention style work. And since you’re likely already amidst the test season, there’s no turning back now to try and fix your situation, because you’ve already dug yourself a nice, fat hole. So for the 95% of the population that falls prey to this habit, I thought I’d talk about some ways to really get the most out of your procrastinating. If you’re going to procrastinate, you might as well do it well and with style. These tips will make you the talk of the library. Television. You could catch up on all those sitcoms you watch. But if you want to up your game, you should really start watching a new show entirely. For maximum exploitation of this procrastination period, I would recommend shows that have at least 3 seasons, can be watched on Netflix or HBOgo and even Hulu (if you don’t mind the obnoxious advertisements about car insurance). If you don’t have subscriptions to these sites, the person next to you probably does. Make new friends†¦and then exploit them for their subscriptions. Go through your list of New Years Resolutions and try to bring them all to fruition in an expedited fashion. Need to be healthier? Why not spend 7 hours at the gym taking every class they offer that day, or maybe hang out in the produce section of the grocery store, carefully selecting the fruits and vegetables you need to create the healthy feast you’re about to cook (which will take another 3 hours). Want to travel more? Get on a bus and just, you know, get off at a random stop. Then find your way home (This can also help with a â€Å"get to know the city you live in† resolution). StumbleUpon. Get an account. Waste an entire afternoon. Excellent. YouTube. Don’t stop. We all get caught up in the recommended videos in that darned sidebar. Why fight it? Watch all of them. Especially the tutorial and challenge ones, which you must obviously watch and also perform yourself. Oh! And read the troll comments. You have to read the troll comments. N64. You don’t even need to get off your couch for this one. Those hobbies you dropped back in the day because, I don’t know, band became â€Å"un-cool† and your art teacher scared you- pick them up again, and do them until you are just as good as you were back in the day. Clarinets are going to be making such a huge comeback. Sleep Read for pleasure. Les Miserables is over 1000 pages, and then there’s always encyclopedias and the dictionary. Buy the entire contents of your nearest grocery or convenience store, and eat each item in succession. No one can eat and study at the same time. It’s scientific fact. You can even do this one with friends. Remember all those things you had to do that you kept putting off that don’t have to do with school? They’re lookin’ pretty good right now. Who doesn’t love laundry? And then you just cram. Cram like the wind. Do anything you can to stay awake and absorb every bit of that information you didn’t even take in when it was first presented to you in lecture (because you were sleeping). Caffeine is your friend, water (thrown at face) is your friend, uncomfortable chairs are your friends, is your friend (shameless plug). Your bed is your enemy, pillows are your enemy, thoughts about things that aren’t your exam are your enemy. You know the drill. You’ve got it down pat. Really, though†¦ you should try not to procrastinate. You won’t learn as much. †¦ But if you do procrastinate, I mean†¦ just do it right. In life, you really should always give your all. You don’t want to be the kind of person who only gives 50%. It’s time to step it up and reach your true potential. You came to college for a reason, right? Procrastinate like it’s what you were born to do. I have to go watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, now (it’s the extended edition), so I’ll leave you with this one line to rule them all: I have faith in you.

Bacterial Reproduction and Binary Fission

Bacterial Reproduction and Binary Fission Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms that reproduce asexually. Bacterial reproduction most commonly occurs by a kind of cell division called binary fission. Binary fission involves the division of a single cell, which results in the formation of two cells that are genetically identical. In order to grasp the process of binary fission, it is helpful to understand bacterial cell structure. Bacterial Cell Structure Bacteria have varying cell shapes. The most common bacteria cell shapes are spherical, rod-shaped, and spiral. Bacterial cells typically contain the following structures: a cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, plasmids, flagella, and a nucleoid region. Cell Wall: An outer covering of the cell that protects the bacterial cell and gives it shape.Cytoplasm: A gel-like substance composed mainly of water that also contains enzymes, salts, cell components, and various organic molecules.Cell Membrane or Plasma Membrane: Surrounds the cells cytoplasm and regulates the flow of substances in and out of the cell.Flagella: Long, whip-like protrusion that aids in cellular locomotion.Ribosomes: Cell structures responsible for protein production.Plasmids: Gene carrying, circular DNA structures that are not involved in reproduction.Nucleoid Region: Area of the cytoplasm that contains the single bacterial DNA molecule. Binary Fission Most bacteria, including Salmonella and E.coli, reproduce by binary fission. During this type of asexual reproduction, the single DNA molecule replicates and both copies attach, at different points,  to the cell membrane.  As the cell begins to grow and elongate, the distance between the two DNA molecules increases. Once the bacterium just about doubles its original size, the cell membrane begins to pinch inward at  the center. Finally, a  cell wall  forms  which separates the two  DNA molecules and divides the original cell into two identical daughter cells. There are a number of benefits associated with reproduction  through binary fission. A single bacterium is able to reproduce in high numbers at a rapid rate. Under optimum conditions, some bacteria can double their population numbers in a matter of minutes or hours. Another benefit is that no time is wasted searching for a mate since reproduction is asexual. In addition, the daughter cells resulting from binary fission are identical to the original cell. This means that they are well suited for life in their environment. Bacterial Recombination Binary fission is an effective way for bacteria to reproduce, however, it is not without problems. Since the cells produced through this type of reproduction are identical, they are all susceptible to the same types of  threats, such as environmental changes and  antibiotics. These hazards could destroy  an entire colony. In order to avoid such perils, bacteria can become more genetically  varied  through recombination. Recombination involves the transfer of genes between cells.  Bacterial recombination is accomplished through conjugation, transformation, or transduction. Conjugation Some bacteria are capable of transferring pieces of their genes to other bacteria that they contact. During conjugation, one bacterium connects itself to another through a protein tube structure called a pilus. Genes are transferred from one bacterium to the other through this tube. Transformation Some bacteria are capable of taking up DNA from their environment. These DNA remnants most commonly come from dead bacterial cells. During transformation, the bacterium binds the DNA and transports it across the bacterial cell membrane. The new DNA is then incorporated into the bacterial cells DNA. Transduction Transduction is a type of recombination that involves the exchange  of bacterial DNA through bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. There are two types of transduction: generalized and specialized transduction. Once a bacteriophage attaches to a bacterium, it inserts its genome into the bacterium. The viral genome, enzymes, and viral components are then replicated and assembled within the host bacterium. Once formed, the new bacteriophages lyse or split open the bacterium, releasing the replicated viruses.  During the assembling process, however, some of the hosts bacterial DNA may become encased in the viral capsid instead of the viral genome. When this bacteriophage infects another bacterium, it injects the DNA fragment from the previously infected bacterium. This DNA fragment then becomes inserted into the DNA of the new bacterium. This type of transduction is called generalized transduction. In specialized transduction, fragments of the host bacteriums DNA become incorporated into the viral genomes of the new bacteriophages. The DNA fragments can then be transferred to any new bacteria that these bacteriophages infect.