BIOLOGY ESSAY QUESTIONS

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Answer five of the seven essay questions (no extra credit for extra work)

 

Each essay question is worth 20 points. Response should be at least 150 words long. Sentences should be well developed, show logical and independent critical thinking, understanding of the concepts and their application to provided case studies/scenarios. Answers should be written in your own words.

 

1. While working at an excavation, an archeologist found several small skull bones. She examines the frontal, parietal, and occipital bones and concludes that the skull belonged to a child not even one year old. How can she tell the child’s age from examining the bones? Explain the importance of her finding in relationship to the infant’s postnatal development.

 

2. Michael is a thirty year old salesman who spends approximately 4 days each week traveling to visit with customers in his region. During his routine physical he casually mentions to his physician that he seems to be sweating more profusely than normal and most rooms that once were comfortable are now too “hot”. Michael also reports that he seems to be losing weight even though his appetite has increased. He also complains that he has a shortened attention span and that he always wants to be moving around. Despite the fact that he feels fatigued, Michael claims to have difficulty sleeping and seems to have more frequent bowel movements, occasionally accompanied by diarrhea. The physician checks Michael’s medical history and finds that indeed he has lost 15 pounds since his last physical.

 

Results of Michael’s physical examination and tests performed by endocrinologist concluded that Michael had Grave’s disease, a form of hyperthyroidism believed to be autoimmune in nature. Michael was presented with a number of possible treatment options. After considering all the options, especially the possible effects of radiation on gamete development, Michael chose surgical removal of the thyroid gland. Following successful surgery, Michael was prescribed synthetic thyroid hormone to ensure that his body was receiving adequate thyroid hormone and told to return within 2 months for a follow-up evaluation of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations. He was also cautioned to carefully monitor his calcium intake.

 

a. Thyroid hormones exert their effects on cells in a manner similar to steroid hormones; describe the mechanism of action of thyroid hormones.

 

b. Why would an imbalance in thyroid hormones have such widespread effects on the body?

 

3. Charlie is badly burned in a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July. When he reaches the emergency room, the examining physician determines the severity of the incident as a third-degree burn. What therapeutic measures is the physician likely to recommend? What are the major concerns with third-degree burns? Are third-degree burns more or less painful than the second-degree burns? Explain.

 

4. E.M.S. went to bed about 11 PM after a busy evening of entertaining friends and family. He was awakened at 2 AM with chest pain that radiated to his left shoulder, arm and fingers. His son took him to the emergency room, where he was immediately given oxygen by mask and nitroglycerin. His chest pain was relieved in about 39 minutes. An ECG revealed evidence of myocardial ischemia but no evidence of a myocardial infarction. He was admitted to the cardiac intensive unit for further evaluation.

 

a. What’s the most likely cause of the pain (what’s the name of the condition and what causes it)?

 

b. What kind of medication is nitroglycerin and why does it help to relieve the pain? What are other treatment options for this condition?

 

c. Define the underlined terms.

 

5. Until recently, 6-year-old Billie had no apparent health problems. About 1 week ago, she started to lose weight despite a healthy appetite. She urinated frequently and complained of being tired. Her mom noticed that she was very thirsty and was getting up in the middle of the night to urinate. On examination, her blood sugar was elevated. She was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes mellitus.

 

a. Which homeostatic mechanism is not properly functioning?

 

b. Explain the physiology of this disease, what’s going wrong? Be specific.

 

c. What can happen if the diabetes is not controlled?

 

6. Keith is a college student. He is extremely busy studying and working part-time. Keith sleeps in late and therefore does not take time for breakfast. He rushes off to class. At lunch he has time for only French fries. When he gets home from school, he eats canned corn (only corn, nothing else) and washes it down with water. Then, he goes to work, only to start the same routine the next day.

 

When Keith is confronted about his poor diet, he responds, “The French fries are a good source of carbohydrates. Since they are fried in oil, I get my daily requirement of fat. At supper time, I eat corn and it has a lot of amino acids in it.” You, a medical student, suggest that Keith see a doctor. Keith complies and makes an appointment with a doctor. The doctor’s report looks like this: Keith is pale and underweight, his urine and blood pH are low, and the ketones in the urine and blood are high. The Na+ concentration in the blood is low. Keith seems to have possible nerve problems. The doctor explains that Keith is pale due to anemic conditions brought on by the poor diet. With a poor protein diet, Keith’s erythrocytes may not be making adequate hemoglobin. Because his diet is very low in carbohydrates, his body is metabolizing fat, which is causing the weight loss. By products of fat metabolism are ketones, which are acidic. This accounts for the increase in ketones in the urine and the blood and a drop in the pH. A drop in blood pH will inhibit the small intestine from putting Na+ into the bloodstream. Sodium ions are necessary for proper nerve function. In short, Keith needs to begin eating well-balanced meals.

 

a. Why is corn considered to be an incomplete protein?

 

b. How are ketones formed?

 

c. How are sodium ions involved in the nervous system?

 

d. How does this scenario relate to fad diets?

 

7. Analyze the need of climbers of Mt. Everest to set up camps at various levels and stay in those camps for a predetermined amount of time before proceeding with their climb to the top of the mountain.

 

 
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Essentials of the Living World

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Lab 1 Worksheet – Intro to Biology Name _____________________

Objective: The objective of this lab is to introduce you to the study of Biology including how living organisms are classified into groups.

Reading Assignment: Read 15.6 and 15.7; The Kingdoms of Life and Domain: A Higher Level of Classification from the textbook Essentials of the Living World. There is a pdf of a power point for this lab.

Living organisms have many similarities, and many differences. For this worksheet you need to analyze the characteristics of organisms to determine which category they are in.

Fill out the following table, listing the domain and kingdom the organism belongs to and indicating if the organism has each structure (yes or no). You can find information in your book, in the power point for Week 1 or on the internet.

Data Table 1. Organization of Living Things

Domain

Kingdom

Cell Membrane

Cell Wall

Nucleus

Multicellular

E coli

Yeast

Paramecium

Volvox

Moss

Rose

Earthworm

Dragonfly

Use information from the Power Point to answer the following questions.

List one characteristic that E. coli shares with mushrooms.

List one characteristic that is different between E. coli and yeast.

List one characteristic that yeast share with earthworms.

List one characteristic that is different between mushrooms and moss.

List one characteristic that is different between E. coli and paramecium.

List one characteristic that rose bushes share with dragonflies.

This semester you will be labeling photographs, both from the internet, and photographs that you take. To practice this, take a photograph of a living organism. Add a total of three labels to the photograph including the name of the organism and two separate structures. Insert the photograph here. There are instructions on how to resize and label photographs in the Week 1 folder.

Open the pdf Research and Scientific Method . We will do this lab next week. This week you need to generate data. Look at the figures on page 10 measuring height, wingspan, forearm and forearm and hand. To measure a subject’s forearm, have the person bend his/her arm and measure from the elbow to the wrist bone. To measure a subject’s forearm, have the person bend his/her arm and measure from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger. Report these measurements on 5 subjects (can include yourself) and report them on the worksheet.

Data Table 2. Testing the Hypothesis

Individual

Age

Sex

Height (inches)

Wing span (inches)

Proportion

1

2

3

4

5

Height (inches)

Wingspan (inches)

To calculate the proportions divide

List proportions to two decimal places.

Once you have completed the worksheet you need to submit it using Blackboard.

Take Lab Quiz 1. This quiz covers the information from sections 15.6, 15.7.

 
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BIOMEDICAL ASSIGNMENT

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University of Strathclyde

Department of Biomedical Engineering

BE900 Tissue Mechanics Assessment #2

Unconfined Compression of biphasic and viscoelastic media

Body tissues are often modelled as being viscoelastic or biphasic. Since cellular activity depends on the mechanical environment, it is important to understand the mechanics of each type of material. You are required to submit a short report (no more than 1000 words and 8 figures) on the unconfined compression of biphasic and viscoelastic media. Using FEBio, please analyse the mechanics (stress, strain, fluid pressure etc.) of a 10 mm diameter and 3mm height cylindrical tissue in unconfined compression. You should compare two different materials:

1. Biphasic: The material should have an isotropic elastic solid phase, defined by E = 100 MPa, n=0.3, and a constant permeability of 1 x 10-15 m4/Ns. Take solid volume as 0.2.

2. Viscoelastic: The material should be based on isotropic elasticity, defined by E = 100 MPa, n=0.3. Coefficient 1 should be 0.5 and relaxation time 1 = 100. All other parameters should be left at their default values (G2-G6 = 0, t2-t6 = 1).

In class, it was shown that the relaxation modulus for a 3 parameter solid may be written as

= ‘ + ) + ,-.

This may be expressed as:

= ‘ 1 + ) ‘ +

, -. = 1 + 1+

, ,)

where ‘ = , 0. 01 = 1 and ) = 1. The value of 1 and 1 have been chosen to approximately make

the time history of the axial stress similar to that of the biphasic tissue. Please note they will not match perfectly.

Each cylinder of material should be subjected to axial unconfined compression to -0.1 strain at -0.01 s-1 by an impermeable, rigid platen. You are required to analyse, compare and contrast the mechanics of each material in the ramp phase and until equilibrium.

 

 

 

Your report should contain the following sections:

Introduction (5%): Provide a very brief introduction. The introduction should finish with precise aims and objectives of the activity.

Methods (20%): The methods section should fully describe your model. Include information regarding the mesh, materials, boundary and loading conditions along with anything else you think relevant.

Results (40%): Use appropriate figures to help you describe the mechanics of each material in unconfined compression. Every figure must be cited and described in the text, highlighting the important aspects of the figure.

Discussion (30%): Compare and contrast the materials and discuss the implications of this difference when describing the cellular stress environment.

Conclusion (5%): A short conclusion will suffice.

Hand in deadline: Noon, Monday 17 April

I will activate an online submission through the class page on MyPlace.

You should submit your report and two .feb files: one for the viscoelastic material and one for the poroelastic medium.

PLEASE NOTE:

• There is not one perfect model. Many models will achieve the aim, but some will be better than others.

• The more nodes and elements you have, the longer the solution time. The smaller the element size, the more accurate the solution. However, too many and you may be waiting hours/days for a solution. Think about how to use symmetry to reduce the problem’s geometry.

• You can use a bias in your mesh, if you wish, to concentrate nodes and elements in regions of steep gradients of fluid pressure.

Marks will be deducted if:

• Your report is late (see Penalties in the handbook) • Your report is < 750 words, or > 1250 words (0.1% per word) • You include more than 8 figures (5% per figure). Note, using a numbering system such as Figure

3a and Figure 3b will not enable to have more figures. This will still be counted as two figures. • You do not communicate in clear English. Technical clarity is of utmost importance.

You will receive a mark of zero if there is evidence of collusion or plagiarism for ALL those involved. I advise you NOT to share your electronic files with anyone. When you leave a computer, ensure you log out. You may chat and discuss the coursework, but the creation of the .feb files, along with the written report must be uniquely your own work.

 
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2100 Anthropology Exam.

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ATH2100L LAB 5: READING

 

DIRECTIONS: Please read the materials that follow and then complete the Lab 5 Quiz on PILOT.

 

By the time you finish reading these materials, you should be able to answer the following questions about primates:

1. What ancestral traits do primates share with other mammals?

2. What derived traits characterize primates compared to other mammals?

3. What is the value of studying primates to understand human evolution?

 

Primates are mammals (and therefore, so are you!)

Taxonomic classification organizes organisms based on shared characteristics due to common ancestry. The Linnean classification system is a nested hierarchy that becomes more exclusive with each taxonomic level (for example, a phylum contains more groups than a class and so on). Below is the taxonomic classification for modern humans.

 

Linnean Classification of Human

 

GENERAL KINGDOM Animalia (we’re ANIMALS)

(inclusive)

PHYLUM Chordata (we’re animals with SPINAL CORDS)

 

CLASS Mammalia (we’re a kind of spined animal MAMMALS)

 

ORDER Primates (we’re a type of mammal called a PRIMATE)

 

FAMILY Hominidae (includes us and apes, aka HOMINIDS)

 

GENUS Homo (this is us and closely related enchephalized bipeds)

SPECIFIC

(exclusive) SPECIES Homo sapiens (we’re a special group called HUMANS)

 

From this classification, we see that modern humans are grouped within the order Primates which falls within the class Mammalia. This means that humans are primates, a special type of mammal that shares a common ancestry with OTHER mammals. As a result of this ancestry, primates and mammals share many ANCESTRAL TRAITS.

 

Mammals are diverse. On the surface, it may seem hard to find similarities between humans and a dog or cat, etc. However, we all share traits found in our common mammalian ancestor that indicate a closer evolutionary relationship among all animals grouped within the Class Mammalia than other animals.

 

 

Mammalian characteristics

 

1. Homeothermy/endothermy: Mammals have the ability to regulate body temperature. This means mammals can adapt to different climates.

 

2. Heterodonty: Mammals have different types of teeth. Mammals have four kinds of teeth with different shapes and characteristics: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Other animals, such as crocodiles and sharks are homodonts (the teeth are all the same).

 

http://inside.ucumberlands.edu/academics/biology/faculty/kuss//courses/Digestive%20system/HomodontHeterodont.jpg

 

3. Viviparity: Mammals have internal gestation and give birth to live young (there are a few exceptions). Young are then dependent upon the mother for milk produced by mammary glands.

 

4. Pentadactyly: Mammals have five fingers and toes. The basic structure of the mammalian “hand” and “foot” is similar, but many groups have modified this condition (i.e. ungulates have hooves, felids have paws with claws). Primates retain the primitive structure of pentadactyly.

http://www.evolutionnews.org/Panda%27s%20Thumb.jpg

5. Brain: The mammalian brain tends to be larger for body size compared to other vertebrates. Mammals also have a unique area of the brain known as the neocortex. The neocortex is involved in higher level functions such as spatial reasoning and sensory perception. This area reaches its greatest expansion among primates.

 

 

What makes primates different from other mammals?

 

Primates are defined by a group of features, known as DERIVED TRAITS. Derived traits are modified from the ancestral (in this case, mammalian) condition. The tricky thing about ancestral and derived traits is that their status (or polarity) depends on the context. For example, if we are comparing mammals and primates, the features below are considered DERIVED. However, if we are comparing different groups of primates, those same features are considered ANCESTRAL because all primates share them.

 

In the next lab, you will explore more in-depth what distinguishes primates from other mammals. Here are a few key features of primates:

 

1. Vision: Vision is the most important sense for most primates. They have forward-facing eyes and stereoscopic vision. This means that a primate’s eyes are located in the front of the skull. This allows the fields of vision to overlap, and provides depth perception (very important if you primarily live in the trees). Furthermore, the primate eye socket features post-orbital closure or a post-orbital bar. You will explore this characteristic more in Lab 6.

 

2. Hands, feet, and limbs: Primates retain the ancestral condition of pentadactyly. They also have prehensile (gripping) fingers and toes, nails instead of claws (with some exceptions), tactile pads, and an opposable thumb. Primates also have very flexible and generalized limbs that allow us to locomote (move) in many different ways.

 

3. Brains and speed of growth: As mentioned above, primate brains are more complex than other mammals, and our brains tend to be larger than expected for body size (this is seen to the extreme among hominins). Primates also feature longer gestation periods and slower postnatal growth than most other mammals.

 

The utility of non-primates for understanding evolution

 

Non-human primates (NHP) are fascinating because they are so like us in both appearance and behavior (and many are very cute!) NHP studies help us to understand:

a) the relationship between dental and skeletal form and their behavioral functions (to reconstruct things like locomotion, group structure, and diet in fossil species),

b) the evolutionary underpinnings of some of our behaviors (tool use, group living, social politics, etc.)

c) evolutionary processes, adaptation, and speciation.

 

HOWEVER, we have to remember that extant NHP are not “living fossils,” and they were evolving and changing long before hominins (our ancestors) ever came on the scene. Therefore, we must be cautious in our use of NHP as analogies for hominin evolution.

 

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