Short Essay

Question 2: Life depends upon special properties of water. Describe how living things depend on a particular property of water. What would happen if water did not have this property?

Answer 2:

*It is just a short essay on water its properties and should be answered in its entirety. I have included an example as well so look at that for help. This should relate to microbiology in a way because this is for a microbiology class. I am attaching a rubric as well.

Question: Describe the cellular components of blood. What is the function of each of the different components? How do they function to maintain homeostasis?

Answer: The human body contains about 5L of blood. Blood consists of about 55% plasma. Plasma is about 90% water and the other 10% contains proteins, salts, O2, CO2, nutrients, wastes and hormones that need to be transported throughout the body. The other 45% of blood contains different components that function in helping the body maintain a homeostatic state. These components include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

One component of the blood is red blood cells which are also called erythrocytes. They contain carbohydrate molecules of their surface that determine the blood type of the individual which includes type A, B, AB, or O. Each cell also contains about 250 million molecules of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein that contains iron which transports oxygen throughout the body. Red blood cells are disk-shaped with an indention in the middle to increase surface area for gas exchange. They have more room to carry the hemoglobin proteins because they do not have nuclei and organelles. Oxygen diffuses into red blood cells by binding to the hemoglobin proteins as they pass through the capillary beds in the lungs and is diffuses out of the cells in the capillaries of the systemic circuit.

An adequate amount of red blood cells are vital to the body in order to maintain a homeostatic state. Too low amounts of red blood cells or the hemoglobin protein that they carry can cause serious conditions such as anemia. Anemia causes a person to feel fatigued because their body cells are not receiving and adequate amount of oxygen. Anemia is can result from blood loss, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, cancers, and a hemoglobin gene mutation.

Another important component in the blood is white blood cells which are also called leucocytes. They contain nuclei and organelles but do not contain the hemoglobin protein like red blood cells. White blood cells are important in helping the body maintain its homeostatic state. They can fight infections and cancer in the body. White blood cells can be found in the interstitial fluid where many infections are combated, as well as in the circulatory system. The amount of white blood cells increases when there is an infection present.

The last component in blood is platelets which are also called thrombocytes. Platelets are fragments of cytoplasm from larger cells in bone marrow. They also aid in keeping the body in a homeostatic state by forming blood clots when the epithelium lining a blood vessel gets damaged. Platelets attach to the damaged vessel and form a cluster that will seal a minor injury. They also discharge clotting factors that can convert fibrinogen protein in blood plasma into fibrin protein that forms a clot also known as a scab on the skin. It is important that platelets function properly because the body needs to be able clot in order to maintain a homeostatic state. Hemophilia is caused by mutations in genes that make clotting factors. Hemophilia is serious disease because a person can bleed to death from a minor injury. Too much blood clotting can cause a thrombus blood clot that can turn into an embolus clot if it lodges in an artery and can cause a heart attack or stroke.

The knowledge of what components are in blood and how they function to maintain a homeostatic state will aid me when I am a healthcare professional. If I had a patient that was diagnosed with sickle-cell disease I would be able to explain their condition to them. Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells become crescent-shaped, instead of their normal disk-shape with an indention in the middle. This shape results from mutation of hemoglobin chains in red blood cells. The mutated hemoglobin molecules cannot be oxygenated properly in the capillaries of the lungs and deoxygenated properly in the capillaries of the systemic circuit. This results in a low oxygen concentration in the blood causing the sickle shape. The sickle-shape disrupts the red blood cells function so the body is not able to maintain a homeostatic state. Sickle cell disease can cause serious problems throughout the body because the abnormal red blood cells can block blood vessels or can damage the body’s organs due to their shape.

I.Level of
Understanding/

Completeness of Answer
Did you convey an

understanding of the
lesson content?

Did you provide a
complete answer to the

question?

0
There is no
evidence of student
understanding and
does not answer the
question.

1 – 23
There is evidence in the
response that the student
has some understanding.
Student answers the
question partially but not
adequately.

24 – 35
There is evidence in the
response that the student has
a basic understanding of the
question and answers
adequately.

36 – 40
There is evidence in the
response that the student has
a full and complete
understanding of the
question. Student answers
the question in an
exemplary fashion.

II. Use of Examples and
Supporting Details

Did you use relevant and
inclusive examples to

demonstrate
understanding of

content?

0
No examples or
details are
provided.

1 – 5
Minimal example(s) have
been used and supporting
details minimally
effective.

6 – 8
Most of the concepts
include example(s) and the
supporting details are
generally thorough.

9 – 10
Relevant and inclusive
examples as well as
supporting details that
demonstrate an integration
of concepts.

III. Critical Thinking
and Application of

Information
Is your application a
detailed description of
how the lesson content is
relevant to your life?

0
No relevancy or
application is
included.

1 – 17
Brief description of how
the concept relates to the
student’s personal life
(non-majors) or career
(majors).

18 – 27
Nearly complete description
of how the concept is or will
be relevant and useful or
applicable to the student’s
personal life (non-majors)
or career (majors).

28 – 30
A detailed description of
how the concept is or will
be relevant and useful or
applicable to the student’s
personal life (non-majors)
or career (majors). The
application reveals insight
into the scientific principles.

IV. Organization
Did you maintain a
strong sense of purpose
and organization?

0
Drifts completely
in terms of purpose
and organization to
the point of
disarray.

1 – 5
Strays in terms of purpose
and organization to the
point of distraction.

6 – 8
Is primarily presented in a
purposeful and well-
organized manner.

9 – 10
Maintains a strong sense of
purpose and organization
throughout.

V. Use of Accurate
Scientific Terminology

Did you use scientific
terminology correctly and
concisely throughout
your response?

0
The use of accurate
scientific
terminology is not
present in the
response or is used
incorrectly.

1 – 5
Uses scientific
terminology incorrectly at
times, or in such as way
as to not demonstrate an
understanding of the
material.

6 – 8
Uses scientific terminology
correctly, demonstrating a
basic understanding of the
material and strengthening
the response.

9 – 10
Uses scientific terminology
correctly and concisely
enhancing the response.
The use of terms indicates a
thorough understanding of
the material.