The class took a 50-item test over the content of Chapter 2 & 3: Basic chemistry and cell structure/processes. Using an item analysis, 30 questions were discarded as too easy or too difficult. An additional six questions were discarded because they did not not discriminate between the high and low quartiles. Thus, I used the scores on fourteen valid questions to rank order the class. Assuming the lowest scores were D's and the highest (100) was an A+, I assigned letter grades based on natural groupings. Then I assigned numerical grades corresponding to the school's standard grading scale. This method of adjusting,or "curving", the grades resulted in all students receiving a higher grade than their raw score on the entire 50-question test
   Most importantly, this item analysis identified the following areas of content that separates the class into two groups - those that are getting the material and those that are getting left behind.

Proteins are genrally denatured by breaking hydrogen bonds. This will be important in understanding activation-deactivation of enzymes.

Simple sugars are monomers, primarily glucose, and are called simple carbohydrates. The formula is C₆H₁₂O₆.

Rate of diffusion is influenced by (1) distance (2) concentration (3) molecular weight. No external energy is involved in transport - only random molecular motion.

You should be able to figure out that lysosomes are found in macrophages because "lysis" means "destroying" and macrophage emans "big eater". You were expected to figure this out based on your knowledge of prefixes, roots and suffixes.

Albumin's role is to maintain osmotic pressure, so it is never filtered or otherwise leaves the blood under normal conditions.

A phsyiologically isotonic solution would be 0.9% NaCl or 1.8% glucose. NaCl has 2x the osmolarity of glucose because it ionizes into two particles for each molecule while glucose remains one particle in solution.

Filtering force in the body is blood pressure. We will only talk about atmospheric pressure later, in relation to diffusion of gases in the lungs.

Osmsosis involves water only. Therefore, movement of an organic molecule can not be by osmosis. Water moves toward the areas of highest ion or salt concentration.

Proteins are moved in vesicles which are continuously forming from and merging with membranes. This is a way to move proteins between cells, instead of sending them through channels like ions.

ATP has two high energy bonds - period.

Organic molecules are: lipids, carbohydrates (CHO), nucleic acids and proteins.

Membranes are a phopholipid bilayer with imbedded proteins. Imbedded cholesterol provides stability. The membrane surface has glycolipids and glycoproteins collectively called a glycocalyx.

Polymers are produced from monomers by dehydration synthesis which is an energy consuming or endothermic (endergonic) reaction.