The Importance of Photosynthesis and Respiration Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Photosynthesis and Respiration Essay The Importance of Photosynthesis and Respiration Explain how photosynthesis and respiration are linked in order to provide you with energy from the food you eat: Photosynthesis is the process in which certain life forms are able to use sunlight to create energy. This energy is created by making carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll. Plants release large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere as they produce much more than needed during the photosynthesis process. Aerobic respiration is an important process in life as we know it. This process further breaks down molecules and sugars using oxygen. During this process adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is created, used to store and transfer energy to cells throughout the body. (Aerobic respiration, 2010) Photosynthesis and aerobic respiration are both needed for each other to be able to perform their primary functions. One without the other would not work properly. Between both of these processes we receive three main sources; water, carbon dioxide and oxygen. Plants and animals require all three of these in order to live. Carbon dioxide and oxygen are a lot like a circle. Animals need oxygen to live and emit carbon dioxide, while plants need carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates and omit oxygen, thus completing the circle. (Photosynthesis, 2005) During the photosynthesis stage a plant produces oxygen that aerobic respiration will use in order to break molecules, during this process electrons are released creating energy and a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is created. Through ATP, complex molecules are broken down into simple ones, allowing them to be used appropriately. (Photosynthesis, 2005) In the absence of oxygen some cells and organisms can use glycolysis coupled to fermentation to produce energy from the sugar created by photosynthesis: Fermentation allows for the production of energy without oxygen using organic compounds. Fermentation produces ATP with organic compounds like carbohydrates as the electron acceptor instead of oxygen, although less than cellular respiration. Yeast and muscle cells are capable of both cellular respiration and fermentation to harvest energy. When yeast cells are in a non-oxygen placement, the cells are forced to ferment. This is partially what it means when brewers ferment there beer. Our bodies use cellular respiration, to produce ATP, as our primary source of energy during normal activity. Although when we exert large amounts of energy all at once like running sprints would do, the normal cellular respiration would be unable to keep up with the required amount of oxygen to create ATP, therefore fermentation begins to assist making ATP. Cells use enzymes as biological catalysts to increase or accelerate the rate of reactions, such as those in photosynthesis or glycolysis. This allows reactions to occur under conditions that sustain life: An enzyme is simply a catalyst; also something extra that’s only purpose is to speed a process up that would otherwise take a very long time. Our bodies have copious amounts of these enzymes whose only purpose is to speed up needed reactions and bonds between separate chemicals throughout the body. This bonding process is completed through what is known as enzyme substrate interactions. (Enzyme, 2005) An enzyme-substrate is most easily explained as being an extremely specific key whole in which only a specific enzyme has access to, allowing that enzyme to enter the key whole and pushing to molecules into one. An enzyme-substrate complex substrate undergoes a chemical reaction forming a new product. The substrate still has the ability to break away from the enzyme at this point allowing it the ability to form with a different substrate. An enzyme product is simply a solution. The eventual mating of two chemicals to bond together forms a new enzyme product. Enzyme activity is regulated a couple of different ways, one is known as allosteric inhibition and the other is known as competitive inhibition. Competitive inhibitors bind with the active site forcing the substrate to compete with it, hence the title competitive inhibition. Allosteric inhibition is when an ion bonds to something physically on the enzyme, no on the site, changing the shape of the enzyme. (Enzyme, 2005)? References Aerobic respiration. (2010). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. proxy. cecybrary. com/entry/heliconhe/aerobic_respiration Enzyme. (2005). In The American Heritage Science Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. proxy. cecybrary. com/entry/hmsciencedict/enzyme Photosynthesis. (2005). In The American Heritage Science Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. proxy. cecybrary. com/entry/hmsciencedict/photosynthesis

After coming to America Essay -- Essays Papers

After coming to America All people seem to want the same basic things out of life regardless of race or religion. Universally, people want a good job, a healthy family, and a chance for their children to have a better life than the one they have. Families that already possess these things, whether through their own hard work or merely by way of inheritance, rely on the existing power structures within society to ensure that their future happiness continues . But what do people who do not belong to existing power structures turn to in order to secure these things for their families and children? During the course of America's lifetime, million upon millions of people left their homes and families in other countries and traveled to America in the hope of securing a better life -- the American Dream. What they often found was an unwillingness on the part of those already established in America to share society's benefits with them. For many segments of our American society, people substituted a reliance on family, or friends, or even faith alone, to secure these benefits for themselves and their children that was denied them by those possessing economic and political power. Most blacks came to America involuntarily. Sold as slaves in Africa, they were brought to America as laborers. Being slaves, they were legally considered property and thus were excluded from the legal protections that other people living in America were entitled to. Slave marriages were not legally recognized, and parents and children could be separated at the whim of their owners. As Frederick Douglass and countless other narratives by former slaves have shown us, slaves were forced to rely on a network of extended family members and other slaves to ... ...f ethnic communities that make up our cities is a testament to that reliance on friends that supported these groups of immigrants. While relying on friends and community would ensure that their family was both fed and that they had a place to sleep, faith is what kept hope alive in them from day to day. Faith that, one day, society would allow their children to fully participate in this country. And sometimes, as Thomas Aquinas told us, faith is all we have to have. Works Cited Boroff, David. "A Little Milk, a Little Honey: Jewish Immigrants in America." 1966. Oates. 87-97. Burns, James MacGregor. "Reconstruction: The Revolution that Failed." 1981. Oates. 20-29. Foner, Eric. "From Slavery to Freedom: The Birth of the Modern Black Community. 1990. Oates. 4-16. Oates, Stephen B., Ed. Portrait of America. Sixth Ed. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1995.

The Decline of the West

These changes could happen from one day to another. How do you tell your family that their economic situation, all of a sudden, has changed because of your new status as unemployed? Especially when family the family is accustomed to the idea of living the sweet life. The Decline of the West† from 201 0 is about a man who experiences the difficult problems of the economic decline. In the short story â€Å"The Decline of the West†, the narrator Mike lives with his family in the outskirts of London. He just got fired and is now on his way home to pass the news of his recent dismissal.Mike used to work 12 hours a day, but despite the fact that Mike now is unemployed, he looks forward to spent time with his family. He has a rough time tying to tell the truth, and so he ends up arguing with his wife and sons instead. The main character of the short story is Mike. He is a 45-year;old man, father of two, and has until now been working in corporate finance. Mike is a hardworking man, who has provided his family with a lovely house in safe surroundings, plenty of material benefits, and an AU pair, who can take care of the house when he is not there.Mike barely sees his family, and admits lankly that the AU pair sees more to his family than he does himself. â€Å"The AU pair saw more of his house and family than he did -â€Å"1 . The sweet welcoming Mike imagined was far from reality. When Mike arrives home, his wife, Imagine, does not even take the time to say hallo to her husband, but simply just passes him by with a gin and tonic mentioning going up stairs to take a shower. â€Å"Imagine passed him in the hall carrying a gin and tonic, saying she was going upstairs to have a bath†2 This indicates that the marriage might not be as warm and loving as one may think.Mike's marriage does not seem to go well. Imagine is not acknowledging Mike, nor is she interested in him. â€Å"Is it attention you're after? † 3 Mike sees himself as a man that gi ves all he can ever Offer to his family, but they are never satisfied. â€Å"l paid for this with my time, intelligence, and the education the state provided me with†4. Mike's view on him self stands in sharp contrast to the adverse image we get of him from the dialogues. The contrast especially becomes clear in the argument between Mike and his older son, Tom. â€Å"Are you joking? You've done nothing for me† . As the argument is developing it proves out that the children, and the mother or that matter, is very unrealistic when it comes to economy and money. No matter how much they get, it is never enough. Mike has always given his children exactly what they wanted, despite the fact that their joy never lasted long. â€Å"The kids had stopped using it before he'd hardly begun paying for it†6. The narrator in the short story is a first person narrator with a limited point of view to the father. By this we get an insight in the fathers thoughts and speculations. He believed he was good at giving things up†7. We see everything from his point of view, so we have therefore have a colored view n the story. The story is written with the use of Pats. We, as a reader, feel sympathy for Mike. Imagine and the children seem greedy and ungrateful. They are products of the capitalistic consumer society. They are all against Mike and he himself takes position as the victim. He appears to be alone with the knowledge of his famish future situation; however, he does not have the courage to face the consequences.Instead he tries to avoid them. Mike does become wiser on his family unrealistic luxurious lifestyle throughout the story. That happens when he notices Queen Elizabeth Sis's crooked smile on a tote. â€Å"How had he never noticed what a sardonic little Mona Lisa smile the blinded-up monarch wore, mocking even, as if she pitied the vanity and greed the note inspired†8. In the world at large, money is what we worship. We are willingly sac rificing the bond with our family to pursue wealth. Mike has never needed anything in his life.As his father said â€Å"Mike you've been stalked by good fortune your whole life† 9. Now that he is unemployed, he suddenly seems to have lost control of his emotions and life. For a moment he even considers to leave this world and all the financial troubles behind. â€Å"How easy t was to fall, and how tempting it was -? suddenly would be best – to die! † 1 0 First of all â€Å"The Decline of the West' refers to the Collapse of Wall Street in 2008, which had a huge impact on the life of millions of people in the West.The western countries are currently in a critic financial situation. Our society, build upon capitalism and materialism demolished when the nation began to spend more than they could afford. This theme is evident throughout the story. Mike reflects on the lifestyle he, and many others had led in the past couple of years. He considers whether the financi al crisis is a penalty for this. [†¦ ]Nonetheless, like many people, Mike had also worried whether the present catastrophe was punishment for years of extravagance and self- indulgence;[†¦ â€Å"11 The title could also be interpreted as a reference to a moral decline of the modern family. The values of love, and closeness are being replaced by the desire to posses and own everything you could ever dream Of. The love for material has taken over the love for our fellow men. We forget about all that really matters and we are only focusing on buying the latest gadgets and promoting our economical status. The grotesque overcorrection and insatiable love for material goods might have caused severe damage to our traditional social values.Mike and his family is an example of this propensity, so the title might as well refer to the social regression in our culture. The financial crisis has resulted in lots of critical problems, but maybe a financial crisis was exactly what we need ed? This could be a break from our unrealistic expenditure. Money can buy you many things, but the happiness from it is limited. Money can buy you lots and lots of material goods, still eventually you will no longer feel the same excitement bout your purchase.Just like the kids in the short story, you will sooner or later cast-off your bought stuff and set your goals up for a new investment. Money can offer things to make people happy, but it does not mean that money can buy you true happiness. Poor people on the street huddling together to stay warm, that is care, which brings out true happiness. Their situation would improve with a little money, however, in the short story where a wealthy family that cannot live together, where is their happiness? Where is the love? Money cannot buy happiness, nor love.

Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus - The Folly of Dr. Faustus

Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus - The Folly of Dr. Faustus Christopher Marlowes tragedy of Dr. Faustus envelops a realm of theological issues around one mans quest for knowledge. Feeling a university education to be inadequate for his purposes, Faustus makes the ultimate sacrifice possible to quench his thirst for otherworldly wisdom. Yet even though he gains amazing powers and a broad reputation as a man in the know, his quest is incomplete. He actually learns very little. The nature of knowledge involves both the ability to recall facts, dates, events etc. and also the power to assimilate this new information and assign it the appropriate value. When Faustus signs away his soul to Lucifer to gain the service of†¦show more content†¦This is a very subtle debasing of the powers of Faustus that seem to cause him no notice. Perhaps he feels that Mephastophilis exists as such a part of himself that he feels no qualms about taking credit for Mephastophilis actions. To whomever the power may belong, it is Faustus who reaps the benefits. I see many similarities today in the temptation to cheat or plagiarize. Surviving in college consists of constantly adding to ones knowledge base. While there probably are not many students who sign away their souls, there are many that give in to passing off someone elses knowledge as their own. This may be an easy way to get a good grade or impress a professor and one may never pay a penalty, yet our tuition price is basically an exchange of knowledge for money and by not taking advantage of every learning opportunity, we are wasting our own cash. We as Christians are called to honesty, and copying or cheating is certainly not honest. Dr. Faustus has ample opportunity after the contract in which to prove his wisdom through repentance. Sadly, pride obscures his view of several signs that show that the Lord would hear his cries. His first unheeded indication is the direction to fly formed by the congealing blood on his arm. The nervous haste with which Lucifer appears whenever Faustus begins thinking or speaking about God should have alerted the doctor to GodsShow MoreRelatedDr.Faustus as a Tragedy Relevant to All Times1186 Words   |  5 Pagesbad characteristics. The protagonist is socially active, intelligent and a learned man. A tragic play entails both verbal and dramatic irony. Dr. Faustus was perhaps the most well written tragedy of its times and happens to remain so till date. Christopher Marlowe is the founder and the originator of the mature English tragedy. Written in 1586, Dr. Faustus is a part of the age that was famous unprecedented literary activity in England, especially drama. Insofar as the signif icance of the formulationRead MoreA Divided Self: The Many Facets of Faustus2074 Words   |  9 PagesHaving attained all that he desires from the knowledge of man, Marlowe’s character Faustus turns to the only remaining school of thought that he feels he must master which is the art of necromancy. In his pursuits, he manages to summon the devil Mephistopheles, arch demon of hell, and strikes a deal to trade his immortal soul with Lucifer in exchange for being granted an infinite amount of power and knowledge that extends even beyond the limits of human understanding. However in the process of negotiatingRead MoreFaustus, By Dr. Faustus2669 Words   |  11 Pagesoutset, Dr. Faustus is in his study contemplating what academic discipline is the most fulfilling. He reviews a number of disciplines in his mind, such as logic and medicine (which he believes he is already adequately distinguished in), and law and theology (which he believes to have inherent inadequacies). Dr. Faus tus’s route from religion to magic seems to be forcedly cobbled together in order to elicit a certain emotion towards sophists as a whole, and Marlowe laboriously thrusts Dr. Faustus intoRead More Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus3393 Words   |  14 PagesThe Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus The supernatural forces are at once alike and distinct in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus. The supernatural is kind to Prospero and his daughter Miranda in The Tempest, while the devils in Dr Faustus eagerly wait for the day that Faustus would join them in Hell. In both plays, the supernatural provides recurrent waves of sounds and feelings, lending special