The Laws of Thermodynamics in Biological Systems

The laws of thermodynamics are important unifying principles of biology. These principles govern the chemical processes (metabolism) in all biological organisms. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known ​as the law of conservation of energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It may change from one form to another, but the energy in a closed system remains constant. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that when energy is transferred, there will be less energy available at the end of the transfer process than at the beginning. Due to entropy, which is the measure of disorder in a closed system, all of the available energy will not be useful to the organism. Entropy increases as energy is transferred. In addition to the laws of thermodynamics, the cell theory, gene theory, evolution, and homeostasis form the basic principles that are the foundation for the study of life. First Law of Thermodynamics in Biological Systems All biological organisms require energy to survive. In a closed system, such as the universe, this energy is not consumed but transformed from one form to another. Cells, for example, perform a number of important processes. These processes require energy. In photosynthesis, the energy is supplied by the sun. Light energy is absorbed by cells in plant leaves and converted to chemical energy. The chemical energy is stored in the form of glucose, which is used to form complex carbohydrates necessary to build plant mass. The energy stored in glucose can also be released through cellular respiration. This process allows plant and animal organisms to access the energy stored in carbohydrates, lipids, and other macromolecules through the production of ATP. This energy is needed to perform cell functions such as DNA replication, mitosis, meiosis, cell movement, endocytosis, exocytosis, and apoptosis. Second Law of Thermodynamics in Biological Systems As with other biological processes, the transfer of energy is not 100 percent efficient. In photosynthesis, for example, not all of the light energy is absorbed by the plant. Some energy is reflected and some is lost as heat. The loss of energy to the surrounding environment results in an increase of disorder or entropy. Unlike plants and other photosynthetic organisms, animals cannot generate energy directly from the sunlight. They must consume plants or other animal organisms for energy. The higher up an organism is on the food chain, the less available energy it receives from its food sources. Much of this energy is lost during metabolic processes performed by the producers and primary consumers that are eaten. Therefore, much less energy is available for organisms at higher trophic levels. (Trophic levels are groups that help ecologists understand the specific role of all living things in the ecosystem.) The lower the available energy, the less number of organisms can be supported. This is why there are more producers than consumers in an ecosystem. Living systems require constant energy input to maintain their highly ordered state. Cells, for example, are highly ordered and have low entropy. In the process of maintaining this order, some energy is lost to the surroundings or transformed. So while cells are ordered, the processes performed to maintain that order result in an increase in entropy in the cells/organisms surroundings. The transfer of energy causes entropy in the universe to increase.

Essay William Carlos Williams and His Imagist Poetry

William Carlos Williams and His Imagist Poetry Modernism and Imagism, two movements in literature ,which were developed in the 20th century .At the beginning of the decade ,modernism was a revolution of style .Crime, depression, and materialism filled this era. Musician, artists,and writers broke away from technique to create a new art.Also, imagism brought fragmental and chaotic life where nobody felt secure and happy.After that,modernism was related with decent and realistic art form.The modernist artists like Edwin Dickinson and a painter Arthur Dove looked for an object of inspiration ,individual vision and the value of immediate†¦show more content†¦According to Encyclopedia of World Biography ‘’ about her interest in art, which became ,as he says, his own’’ and we could read from the same reference ‘’it was his mother who shaped the man himself and the verse he actually created’’. At the first time, William became fascinated by visual art and was concerned in shapes and objects while he was observing his mother during a little painting or ‘’an outdoor study of a twig of yellow and red crab-apples from a nail’’(3). Williams was not only fascinated for painting but also for poetry and prose where his experience abroad and got to know Ezra Pound and Charles Demuth to help him find his own style of writing. As a schoolboy he spent two years in Switzerland and Paris and during his medical studies he visited Germany, Great Brit ain, and other European countries. When William was in Paris , he developed a part of his imagination by simple activity and observation. However, Europe was the kind of artistic movement and of new thoughts which gave him entrance to gain experience in modern art. While being in college , William foundShow MoreRelatedWilliam Carlos Williams : An Influential Poet1181 Words   |  5 Pagesimpacted by these movements was William Carlos Williams. His rapidly changing work changed for the better and caused him to become an influential literary figure. A literary experimenter and innovator, William Carlos Williams, was a busy and hardworking poet. William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, NJ on September 17, 1883. He was introduced to literature and the arts, especially Shakespeare, at a fairly young age. Williams became a doctor and fulfilled his passion every day, which was servingRead MoreImagism in Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore1601 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophy do Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore share? A) Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore were all modernist poets. Modernist poetry deals with experiment and innovation. All three were imagists, though at a later stage, William Carlos Williams started disagreeing with Ezra Pound. Ezra Pound Ezra Pound was the most aggressive of the modernist poets, who made â€Å"Make it new!† his battle cry. He turned to classical Chinese poetry as his source for inspirationRead MoreThe Pure Products Of America1395 Words   |  6 PagesDr. Shaheen Literary Analysis The pure products of America What is the American Dream? In the poem, To Elsie, William Carlos Williams asks us the many questions lurking beneath the pavement of our perception behind the American dream: what are the ‘pure products of America’ and what is the reality of this imagined concept? Through the use of texture and form, Williams perfectly depicts with cynical aptitude the recycled degradation of society. In To Elsie, a depraved America is personifiedRead MoreThe American Dream during the Time of the Imagist Movement2357 Words   |  9 PagesI, too, dislike it. Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in it, after all, a place for the genuine (Twentieth-Cenutry 231). The time of the imagists was a time of change. Sometimes that change was and other times it wasnt so good. They fought for freedom, refering to African Americans and the fight for civil rights. They changed the rules on how to write. They even made such a lasting impression that the way of writing continued past the time period and changed intoRead MoreAmerican Literature in the Period between 1914-1945887 Words   |  4 Pageshad many changes from World War I and II, the stock market crashing in the 1920’s, therefore leading to economic depression. This became an inspiration to many of the literary writers. Many writers such as Robert Frost Susan Glaspell and William Carlos Williams be gan to celebrate the modern developments while many others lamented on them, or they began to believe that many old literary forms would not be able to work for these new times and were so inspired by the endless possibilities of creatingRead MorePoetry Essay Compare Contrast: Williams vs. Frost2255 Words   |  10 PagesHonors Professor M. Essay #1 Poetry Compare Contrast Due: February 20, 2011 Life Must Go On William Carlos Williams and Robert Frost are known as two of the greatest poets of their time and still highly regarded as two of the best poets of all time. Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California according to The Associated Press. William Carlos Williams was born in 1883 in RutherfordRead More Message of Hope in Eliots The Waste Land, Gerontion, and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock2426 Words   |  10 Pagesrevolutionary, yet he revolutionized the way the Western world writes and reads poetry. Some of his works were as imagist and incomprehensible as could be most of it in free verse, yet his concentration was always on the meaning of his language, and the lessons he wished to teach with them. Eliot consorted with modernist literary iconoclast Ezra Pound but was obsessed with the traditional works of Shakespeare and Dante. He was a man of his time yet was obsessed with the past. He was born in the United StatesRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 Pagesreligious and territorial aspirations - Native American oral literature / oral tradition - European explorers’ letters, diaries, reports, etc., such as Christopher Columbus’s letters about his voyage to the â€Å"New world†. - Anglo (New England) settlers’ books, sermons, journals, narratives, and poetry Native American / American Indian oral literature / oral tradition creation storiesï ¼Ë†Ã¨ µ ·Ã¦ º Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼â€° trickster talesï ¼Ë†Ã¦  ¶Ã¤ ½Å"å‰ §Ã¨â‚¬â€¦Ã¤ ¼  Ã¥ ¥â€¡Ã¯ ¼â€° rituals / ceremoniesï ¼Ë†Ã¥â€¦ ¸Ã¤ » ªÃ¯ ¼â€° songs / chantsï ¼Ë†Ã¦â€º ²Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼â€° Anglo Settlers’ Writings HighlyRead MoreModernist Elements in the Hollow Men7051 Words   |  29 Pagesreaders. T.S. Eliot, who always believed that in his end is his beginning, died and left his verse full of hidden messages to be understood, and codes to be deciphered. It is this complexity, which is at the heart of modernism as a literary movement, that makes of Eliot’s poetry very typically modernist. As Ezra Pound once famously stated, Eliot truly did â€Å"modernize himself†. Although his poetry was subject to important transformations over the course of his career, all of it is characterized by many unifying

Sexual Dysfunction free essay sample

Sexual arousal disorders affect women and men. With this disorder men find it difficult to obtain or keep an erection while women there is the inability to lubricate enough to complete the sex act. Sexual arousal disorders were previously known as frigidity in women and impotence in men, though these have now been replaced with less judgmental terms. Impotence is now known as erectile dysfunction, and frigidity is now described as any of several specific problems with desire, arousal, or anxiety. Women may encounter persistent difficulties becoming sexually excited or sufficiently lubricated in response to sexual stimulation. This dysfunction can occur after a woman has been functioning normally over the years. Oral sex and masturbation are the only times when women with this dysfunction can become lubricated. Some women find vaginal lubrication easier or existent with one partner over the other. This can lead to other sexual dysfunctions in women such as hypoactive sexual desire disorder and orgasmic disorders. We will write a custom essay sample on Sexual Dysfunction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the regular or repeated inability to obtain or maintain an erection. Analyzing erectile dysfunction allows you to decipher the causes. Obtaining full erections at some times, such as when asleep (when the mind and psychological issues, if any, are less present), tends to suggest the physical structures are functionally working. Psychological and physical factors contribute to this dysfunction which include stress, levels of fatigue, gender identity, health, and other individual attributes and experiences. Drugs Neurogenic disorders: which include injuries to the brain or spinal cord Psychological causes: performance anxiety, stress, mental disorders etc psychological problems, negative feelings. Surgery such as radiation therapy, or surgery of the bladder, colon, rectum or prostate Ageing which it is four times higher in men in their 60s than in men in their 40s Kidney failure Diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS). Lifestyle: smoking is a key cause of erectile dysfunction. Smoking causes impotence because it promotes arterial narrowing. Treatments for these dysfunctions include medication, sex therapy, behavioral psychotherapy and physical. Sex therapy focuses on correcting sexual misinformation, the importance of improved partner communication and honesty, anxiety reduction, sensual experience and pleasure, and interpersonal tolerance and acceptance. One for of physical therapy that can be done during intercourse is called the â€Å"squeeze technique† . this technique is used to prevent premature ejaculation. When a man feels that an orgasm is imminent, he withdraws from his partner. Then, the man or his partner gently squeezes the head of the penis to halt the orgasm. After about 20-30 seconds, the couple may resume intercourse. The couple may do this several times before the man proceeds to ejaculation. Medication treatment is used along with psychotherapy which can include the following medication for the specific dysfunction: clomipramine and fluoxetine for premature ejaculation papaverine and prostaglandin for erectile difficulties hormone replacement therapy for female dysfunctions Viagra, a pill approved in 1998 as a treatment for impotence

Kubla Khan Essays (532 words) - Kublai Khan, British Poetry

Kubla Khan In 1798, a poet named Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote the poem called "Kubla Khan". In his preface, he stated that he had dreamt the poem, and wrote it down just as it was "preserved". The speaker also stated that the poem is merely a fragment, it is not complete. "With the exception of about eight or ten scattered lines and images" that had been lost in the transition between sleep and being awake. In the first stanza, it seemed that the speaker was talking of a far away land, Xanadu. Kubla Khan was the leader of this land. This land had a sacred river running through it. It had many spots of greenery around it with forests that were almost "ancient". In lines one and two it says, "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree". What could that mean? It could perhaps imply that Kubla Khan is a leader of some type, and he lives in a "stately" palace. The speaker used the word dome instead of palace. Perhaps in his dream he saw a dome as big or a stately as a palace, and that is where Kubla Khan lived. In the second stanza, the speaker goes on to describe the land of Xanadu. He says that there is a cedar forest that is haunted by a "woman wailing for her demon-lover." "A mighty fountain momently was forced... ...Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail... ...It flung up momently the sacred river... ...And ?mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war!" It seems, in lines 17-31, that there could possibly be a war started. It is never said why the war was started or if there in fact is really a war, but after that sequence of lines the speaker goes into another rant. He said that there was a "sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice." It is not understood what the voice is trying to get across to the reader in this line. It is known that ice does not exist in the sun, at least not for long, so does this mean that there is not really a dome at all? After talking about the dome, the mask speaks of a damsel in the pleasure dome. The damsel was playing the dulcimer. The persona also says how the damsel could win his heart by playing the instrument. After those few off-set lines, the speaker goes on to say that he would build the dome in the sky, and that all that heard about it would see it there and yell "beware, beware!" To whom they would yell this is unclear. The last couple of lines seem to be talking about Kubla Khan. ..."His flashing eyes, his floating hair..." He must have been a sight to see. The voice also says that he "drank the milk of paradise." That could potentially mean that he lived a life of luxury and was a very mighty leader. In research done with help of the World Wide Web, it was found that Samuel Coleridge was addicted to a drug much like today's Acid. Could that signify that Mr. Coleridge might have been on a "trip" when he wrote this poem, and that is why it remained unfinished and a fragment? Or quite possibly, it could be that Mr. Coleridge was just dreaming of the wonderful world of Kubla Khan.