An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study intended to usually last two years. It is considered to be a greater level of education than a high school diploma or GED. The first associate degrees were awarded in the U.K. in 1873 before spreading to the U.S. in 1898. They have since been introduced in a small number of other countries.
Monocytes are the largest of the white blood cells. These are the cells that 'clean up' our blood the most. Monocytes also employ phagocytosis to 'eat' foreign particles, bacteria and dead neutrophils.
White blood cells are blood components that protect the body from infectious agents. Also called leukocytes, white blood cells play an important role in the immune system by identifying, destroying, and removing pathogens, damaged cells, cancerous cells, and foreign matter from the body. Leukocytes originate from bone marrow stem cells and circulate in blood and lymph fluid.