Sunday, February 05, 2006
Biology Essay Question on Organic Compounds
Discuss the biological importance of each of the following organic compounds in relation to cellular structure and function in plants and animals.
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates contain carbon atoms so they are considered organic. Carbohydrate examples would be sugars, cellulose, starches, and gums. Animals use carbohydrates as there main energy source for survival. Most foods that animals use contain carbohydrates. Animals don't just eat raw carbohydrates! Carbohydrates are created by photosynthetic plants. Carbohydrates contain only the molecules: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a specific ratio, usually 1:2:1.
Proteins are everywhere in your body: cell membrane, fingernails, blood, toenails, stomach. Proteins are molecules made by the ribosomes. Ribosomes can make enzymes that are also proteins. Enzymes break down things. Any word that has the -yme prefix is an enzyme. Enzymes can be used to break down particles engulfed by phagocytosis. A disease called tae-sacs is when there is a mutation in the DNA that prevents the body from producing an enzyme to break down the fat that surrounds the brain. Since the fat is never broken down the brain is squeezed to death.
Nucleic Acids are DNA and RNA tRNA, mRNA, and I think there is one more. These are used to code for the information to make a protein. For an example HTML is used to code for a webpage just like DNA is used to code for a protein. Every three letters or base pairs in your DNA code for an amino acid. The 20 different amino acids combine in different combinations to form proteins.
To make a protein, first the DNA has to be at the ribosome in order for it to work. But the DNA cannot leave the nucleus. So a polymerase enzyme enters the nucleus and separates the helix structure of the DNA. RNA base pairs bind to the DNA that needs to be copied. RNA is disposable this way it is allowed to leave the nucleus. The copy is taken to the ribosome where the protein is made. Amino acids are attached to tRNA. This tRNA contains base pairs that want to bind to the base pairs of the RNA. When they join together, then the amino acids on the tRNA come loose and they join together to form a protein.
Lipids are fats, phospholipids and steroids. A fat is consisted of Glycerols and fatty acids. Glycerol is a type of alcohol and contains three carbons. Fats are used to insulate the human body from terrible environments. Bears eat lots of food before the winter, they store it as fat and hibernate during the winter. All of this fat can serve as an energy source or it can be used as an insulation to keep them warm during cold weather. Phospholipids are almost the exact same thing as fats except they contain two fatty acids rather than three.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Analysis - Isreal Palestine Conflict
1. Quotes of the people are one of the factual evidence presented. Like these quotes, “We refuse to participate in air force attacks on civilian populations.”
“We refuse to continue harming innocent civilians.”
“We will continue to hunt terrorist . . . We have no intention of harming civilians.” Proper nouns are also factual. Examples: Dan Halutz, West Bank, Gaza, Hamas, Palestine, Israel, Ariel Sharon, Yiftach Spector, and numerous others.
2. The basic idea of what they are talking about. The writer of this article assumes everyone knows that there is a conflict with Israel and Palestine. Maybe he is assuming this because this conflict has occurred for many years.
3. This article favors Israel because of the most dominant topic presented. The petition explains to the general the refusal of participating in air strikes on Palestine lands infested by innocent civilians. The Israeli reserve pilots are the ones that presented the petition, so this side of the conflict is favored, I think.
4. The final statement describes a deadly incident. Israeli forces enter the Boureij refugee camp in Gaza and exchange fire with others. Two killed from the camp and 6 Israeli soldiers wounded.
5. There was an opinion I think presented by the author of the article.:
“The region has been relatively quiet for the past two weeks, but daily violence persists.”
Because there is no factual evidence shown in that sentence, I think the author put his opinion there based on ideas or background information he/she had.
Ch. 8: Nationalist Revolutions Sweep the West
Revolution in Haiti
St. Dominque is also known as Haiti.
The Fight for Freedom
August 1791 – An African slave named Boukman raised to call for a revolution.
Within a few days 100,000 slaves rose in a revolt.
A leader emerged, Toussaint L’Ouverture, ex-slave.
Became a skilled general and diplomat.
He moved into Santo Domingo and freed the slaves after taking control of the territory.
January 1802 – 16,000 French troops landed in St Domingu to despose Toussaint.
Toussaint was seized and sent to prison in the French Alps.
In the cold mountain jail he died 10 months later (April 1803)
Haiti’s Independence
Toussaint’s general Jean-Jacques continued after Toussaint in the fight for freedom.
January 1, 1804 General Dessailines declared the colony an independent country.
Latin America Sweeps to Freedom
The top people in society were the Peninsulares. These were men who had been born in Spain.
These are the only people that can hold high office in Spanish Colonial Government.
Creoles are Spaniards born in Latin America.
The Philosophers of Industialization
Laissez-faire Economics
In Nov. 1776 Adam smith signed a decree ordering a capitalism, this closes all ports stopping trade/communication between Great Britain and other European countries.
This plan of action called “” made Europe self-sufficient
This can destroy Britain’s commercial/industrial economy.
Not very efficient, smugglers still managed to bring goods from Britain to Europe
Not everyone followed the Blockade. Napoleon’s brother Louis, who was the king of Holland, defied the policy.
Blockade weakened British Trade but did not destroy it.
Britian responded with its own blockade.
British navy stronger, more likely to make blockade work. Europe navy weak, blockade more likely to not work.
American ship stopped by British blockade.
Americans angered, declared war on Britian in 1812.
Continental System hurt Napoleon more than enemies
Weakened economies of France
Malthus and Ricardo
Napoleon made a second costly mistake (1808)
Portugal Ignored Continental System so Napoleon sent army through Spain to invade Portugal. Spanish people protested and rioted. So Napoleon desposed Spanish King and put his brother Joseph on the throne.
This infuriated the Spanish people because they were happy with there current situation.
For five years (1808-1813) Spanish peasants known as guerrillas struck at the French armies in Spain.
They could not be defeated easily. They attack French then run. The British sent troops to help the guerrillas attack.
During this Peninsular War 300,000 French troops were lost. This weakened French Empire
Nationalism, the concept were people were loyal to their country was weakening Napoleon.
Spanish guerrillas, Germans and Italians and other conquered people turned against the French.
