Writing Skills

A while back Welcometomylair1 asked a question about saving project settings so they would persist from one run to the next. In my reply I outlined a way to extend the existing SessToken.txt file to save project settings as well as the session token. G-Factor suggested a simpler way of doing this using VB’s inbuilt application settings facility. In this step we look at this.

1. Saving the value of a control’s property.

For example the Text property of a TextBox.

TextBoxes are handy controls which are commonly used to hold settings for your project, e.g. marketId, sample frequency, etc. For this exercise drag a TextBox from the ToolBox onto the TestForm and rename it to tParam (or anything you like).

With this TextBox selected so that its properties appear in the "Properties" widow, expand the (ApplicationSettings) node. Click on (PropertyBindings) then click (...) to show the "Applications Setting for tParam" form. Select the Text property then click (New...) in the property’s associated drop down list window to show the "New Application Setting" form. Enter these settings:

DefaultValue: 123
Name: Param1
Scope: User

Click OK, OK. With this procedure we have bound the tParam.Text property to an application setting we have created named Param1. Think of an application setting as being a special variable whose value is retained from one run to the next.

Now run the project. Notice that the default value we entered appears in the TextBox. Change this value to something else (e.g. 456), then close the form to stop the project running. Re-run the project and notice that the new value is now in the TextBox. Thus the TextBox always retains the most recently entered value. We have achieved this without writing any code.

2. Saving any value.

The application settings can be used to retain any value you like. You can create a new setting by clicking "BetfairX Properties" on the Project menu to show the Properties form. Select the "Settings" tab. Here you will see all the settings used by the project, including Param1 which we added above. You add a new setting by adding a new entry to the table. For example, add the name Param2, having value "This is Param2". This setting becomes a property of the My.Settings object and can be accessed from anywhere in you code with:

My.Settings.Param2

To demonstrate, put this code in Sub TestForm_Load:

Code:

.....

Print("Last run: " & My.Settings.Param2) 'Previous run time

My.Settings.Param2 = Now 'Re-assign the setting

Print("This run: " & My.Settings.Param2) 'Current run time

.....

and run the project a few times. You will see that Param2 initially holds the previous run time.

Note:

We could have used an application setting to hold the session token rather than storing it in the auxiliary file SessToken.txt.

Two "scopes" are available. With "User" scope the values of the settings apply only to the current (Windows) user. With "Application" scope the settings values apply to all users.

Step 1. Build a Test Form

Step 2. Connecting to the Global service

Step 3. Saving the Session Token

Step 4. Typical API call: getActiveEventTypes

Step 5. Accessing an Exchange API

Step 6. Unpacking Response Strings

Step 7. Restrictions of the Free API

Step 8. Using a Call Timer

Step 9. Making Async API Calls

Step 10. Calling getCompleteMarketPricesCompressed

Step 11. A Look at Multithreading

Step 12. Getting a List of Runners

Step 13. Enabling gzip Compression

Step 14. Calling getMarketPricesCompressed

Step 15. Using TreeView to show events and markets

Step 16. Unpacking Removed Runners

Step 17. Sorting Runner Info Arrays

Step 18. Horse Racing - Today’s Card

Step 19. Placing a Bet

Step 20. Monitoring Bet Status

Step 21. Cancelling a Bet

Step 22. Changing the bet size and price

Step 23. Changing a Bet

Step 24. Calling getMarketTradedVolumeCompressed

Step 25. Accessing Australian Markets

Step 26. Array fundamentals

Step 27. Understanding Object References

Step 28. Placing Multiple Bets with placeBets

Step 29. Adding controls to a form at run time

Step 30. Saving your project’s settings

Writing Skills

Writing Abstracts

I. Definitions

1. An abstract is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points covered, concisely describes the contents and scope of the writing, and reviews the contents of the writing in abbreviated form.

2. An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work, usually academic in nature, which is published in isolation from the main text and should therefore stand on its own and be understandable without reference to the longer piece. It should report the essential facts of the latter and should not exaggerate or contain material that is not there.

Writing in chemistry is similar to writing in other disciplines in that your paper must have a clear purpose that explains why you are writing, a thesis statement or main idea that defines the problem to be addressed, and background information wherever necessary. In addition, you should include evidence in the form of figures, graphs, and tables to support your argument. Ideally, the abstract can be thought of as one or two sentences from each section of the paper that form a cohesive paragraph that summarizes the entire paper. The abstract should be single spaced unless you receive other instructions from your professor.

When writing an abstract, you should avoid too much experimental detail (e.g. concentration of stock solutions used) or preliminary results (i.e. "raw" data). In addition, make certain that the purpose of the experiment is stated clearly and early in the abstract. Ideally, it should be stated in the first or second sentence.

Purpose

Its purpose is to act as a reference tool (for example in a library abstracting service), enabling the reader to decide whether or not to read the full text.

Reasons

Two common reasons for writing an abstract are

- to summarize a longer piece of work published as a journal article, thesis, book or web page, an existing article for the purposes of a journal,

- to submit an application to write a paper for a conference.

II. Qualities of a Good Abstract

An effective abstract has the following qualities:

• uses one or more well developed paragraphs: these are unified, coherent, concise, and able to stand alone.
• uses an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the article, paper, or purpose, results, conclusions, and recommendations in that order.
• follows strictly the chronology of the article, paper, or report.
• provides logical connections (or transitions) between the information included.
• adds no new information, but simply summarizes the report.
• is understandable to a wide audience.
• often uses passive verbs to downplay the author and emphasize the information. Check with your teacher if you're unsure whether or not to use passive voice.

III. Two types of abstracts are typically used:

1. Descriptive Abstracts

· tell readers what information the report, article, or paper contains.

· include the purpose, methods, and the scope of the report, article, or paper.

· do not provide results, conclusions, or recommendations.

· are always very short, usually under 100 words.

· introduce the subject to readers, who must then read the report, article, or paper to find out the author's results, conclusions, or recommendations.

Proceed in the following way:

- Make a list of all the topics covered in the research paper that need to be talked about.

- Descriptive abstracts are short! No more than 100 words.

- Simply introduce the subject to the reader.

- Revise your abstract a few times to make sure it is clear and concise and that it reads in the same voice as the paper.

2. Informative Abstracts

· communicate specific information from the report, article, or paper.

· include the purpose, methods, and scope of the report, article, or paper.

· provide the report, article, or results of the paper, and conclusions.

· are short - from a paragraph to a page or two, depending upon the length of the original work being abstracted. Usually informative abstracts are 10% or less of the length of the original piece (from 150 to a maximum of 200 words).

· allow readers to decide whether they want to read the report, article, or paper.

Proceed in the following way:

- Summarize your paper. The summary should be thorough, but brief.

- Start by making a list of all the information the reader should know just by reading the abstract.

- Tell why someone should care about your research. What you were trying to find and why it matters is a good place to start. What hole is your research filling?

- Explain the nature of the work performed, especially if it was a scientific experiment. The details of your apparatus, materials, or experiment may go in your main paper, but explain enough of the basics that someone would need to know to understand what you have done.

- Outline any hypotheses or theories advanced in the paper.

- Leave out any tables, complicated explanations, etc. The reader can find those in the paper.

- Include the findings, results, or conclusions of your paper. This is not a murder mystery, so there is no need to reserve the conclusions for the end.

- What are the larger implications of your findings?

- Proofread your abstract and have somebody else proofread it for you. Does it make sense? Is everything clearly stated? Is it thorough but concise? Is it in an appropriate style?

IV. Structure of a Typical Abstract

Almost all scientists agree that an informative abstract should have the following five parts:

• Introduction. This is where you describe the purpose for writing your paper or doing research. The abstract begins by stating the main objective of the experiment/report in one or two sentences. Why should anyone care about the work you did? You have to tell them why. If you made an invention or developed a new procedure how is it better, faster, or cheaper than what is already out there? Motivate the reader to finish the abstract and read the entire paper.
• Problem Statement. Identify the problem you solved or the hypothesis you investigated.
• Procedures. The name of the methods used to complete the work is cited. Specifics about the materials used or set-up details are not included in the abstract. In most cases, one to three sentences should be sufficient for describing the methods. What was your approach for investigating the problem? Don't go into detail about materials unless they were critical to your success. Do describe the most important variables if you have room.
• Results. The experimental findings are reported next, in the most concise and direct manner possible. The length of this section of the abstract varies depending on the nature of the experiment. What answer did you obtain? Be specific and use numbers to describe your results. Do not use vague terms like "most" or "some."
• Conclusions. The conclusion section is a concise analysis and interpretation of the results of the work. This section should make an impact on the reader so that it is clear what the outcome of the scientific work is and what it means. State what your science project or invention contributes to the area you worked in. Did you meet your objectives?

· Using keywords. Using keywords is a vital part of abstract writing, because of the practice of retrieving information electronically: keywords act as the search term. Use keywords that are specific, and that reflect what is essential about the paper. Put yourself in the position of someone researching in your field: what would you look for? Consider also whether you can use any of the current "buzz words".

V. Things to Avoid

• Avoid jargon or any technical terms that most readers won't understand.
• Avoid abbreviations or acronyms that are not commonly understood unless you describe what they mean.
• Abstracts do not have a bibliography or citations.
• Abstracts do not contain tables or graphs.
• For most science projects, the abstract must focus on the latest research, and give only minimal reference to any earlier work.
• If you are working with a scientist or mentor, your abstract should only include procedures done by you, and you should not put acknowledgements to anyone in your abstract.

How to Meet the Word Limit

Most authors agree that it is harder to write a short description of something than a long one. Here's a tip: for your first draft, don't be overly concerned about the length. Just make sure you include all the key information. Then take your draft and start crossing our words, phrases, and sentences that are less important than others. Look for places where you can combine sentences in ways that shorten the total length. Put it aside for a while, then come back and re-read your draft. With a fresh eye, you'll probably find new places to cut. Before you know it you will have a tightly written abstract.

VI. Sample Abstracts

Sample A

Conversion Of Optically Active Acid-Esters To Ester-Acid Chlorides Without Loss Of Optical Activity
Sean Purdy (Senior, Chemistry), Mason Marsh (Senior, Chemistry)
Stephen Flowers (Junior, Biology), Brenda Benfield (Junior, Biology)
Advisor: Dr. George B. Trimitsis, Chemistry

It has been reported in the literature that attempts to convert optically active acid-esters to their corresponding ester-acid chlorides by standard procedures is often accompanied by loss of optical activity. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a suitable experimental procedure for the conversion of methyl (R)-3-methyl glutarate (1) to the corresponding ester-acid 2 with preservation of optical purity. A number of suitable reagents and reaction conditions for accomplishing this goal will be discussed. The present investigation also sought to develop an accurate and convenient assay for determining the enantiomeric excess of compounds 1 and 2. Although ¹NMR can be used for this purpose, it was found that GC-MS offers a number of distinct advantages. A comparison of the two analytical procedures will be presented.

Sample B

Using Melting Point to Determine the Identity of an Unknown Organic Acid

Martha A. Hass
Albany College of Pharmacy, Organic Chemistry Lab
Tuesday Morning Section
June 15, 2002

The identity of an unknown organic acid was determined. The compound was taken from a list of twenty, known organic acids, each with different melting points. An experimental melting point was determined for the unknown compound using a Fisher-Johns melting point apparatus. The thermometer of the apparatus was calibrated using benzoic acid as a standard. An experimental melting point (calibrated) of 184°C for the unknown acid was measured. This value most closely correlated with the literature melting point of p-anisic acid, one of the possible twenty compounds on the list. None of the other compounds on the list had melting points within 5°C of the experimental melting point. The unknown was identified as p-anisic acid. Experimental determination of the melting point of an unknown compound is useful for identifying the compound.

Sample C

Rapid methods to detect organic mercury and total selenium in biological samples

Dong-Ha Nam and Niladri Basu* Chemistry Central Journal 2011, 5:3 doi:10.1186/1752-153X-5-3 13 January 2011

Organic mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant of concern and selenium is believed to afford protection against mercury risk though few approaches exist to rapidly assess both chemicals in biological samples. Here, micro-scale and rapid methods to detect organic mercury (< 1.5 ml total sample volume, < 1.5 hour) and total selenium (Se; < 3.0 ml total volume, < 3 hour) from a range of biological samples (10-50 mg) are described.

For organic Hg, samples are digested using Tris-HCl buffer (with sequential additions of protease, NaOH, cysteine, CuSO4, acidic NaBr) followed by extraction with toluene and Na2S2O3. The final product is analyzed via commercially available direct/total mercury analyzers. For Se, a fluorometric assay has been developed for microplate readers that involves digestion (HNO3-HClO4 and HCl), conjugation (2,3-diaminonaphthalene), and cyclohexane extraction. Recovery of organic Hg (86-107%) and Se (85-121%) were determined through use of Standard Reference Materials and lemon shark kidney tissues.

The approaches outlined provide an easy, rapid, reproducible, and cost-effective platform for monitoring organic Hg and total Se in biological samples. Owing to the importance of organic Hg and Se in the pathophysiology of Hg, integration of such methods into established research monitoring efforts (that largely focus on screening total Hg only) will help increase understanding of Hg's true risks.

Tasks and Activities

Assignment I. To make sure your abstract meets the requirements and you have not forgotten or left out anything it is recommended to apply the checklist provided below. If everything is OK you should answer ‘Yes’ to every question. If any question gets a ‘No’ answer, you should carefully study the failure and improve your piece of writing. Apply this to one of the sample abstracts.

Assignment II. You have a number of words and word collocations which belong to different parts of the abstract structure. Analyze which part they belong to and classify them according to the correct categories in the table below. Can you add some more words?

It is necessary that a more thorough study of the phenomenon should be done.., The primary aim of the study is to test ..., Particular attention is given to the optimal operating conditions…, The results obtained for both ketones studied are found to be very valuable for further research…, The problem was studied (a study was made of...)…, The process involved heating and was followed by quick cooling…, Finally the substance is washed, dried and weighed…, The object of the experiment is to describe ..., The paper studies some photochemical characteristics of the substances concerned…, The chief purpose of the investigation is to establish ..., The remarkable characteristic of the resulting compound is its resistance to aging and specific electrical insulating properties…, The conclusion is made that these mixtures have several advantages over others…

Assignment III. Apply the knowledge you have just acquired to a particular piece of writing:

1. Find three or four written abstracts from some papers you have read as part of your home reading assignment. It is important that you have actually read most of the papers.

2. Diagram each abstract into the 5 parts above.

3. Discuss with your group mates how each abstract meets or does not meet the above criteria. Some good abstracts may not perfectly match the criteria.

4. Discuss how they could be improved or why their choice is appropriate to the work and/or results in this paper.

5. Choose an abstract to improve and work on a computer or on paper to rewrite it. You can insert specifics that make the abstract correct, engaging and exclusive!

Assignment IV. Write an abstract for your project (e.g., your current or previous term paper), regardless of the status of the project. You should diagram the abstract and present it in class.

Even if the project is only half way through, you can write an optimistic abstract in which all the experiments or proofs turn out perfectly. Ask your scientific supervisor or the teacher in charge of the course to help you identify what the problem is and why it is important.

Date: 2014-12-21; view: 2142