Red blood cells are unique in that they lack a nucleus and are functionally just "bags of hemoglobin." They are among the most specialized cells, doing little else but transporting oxygen in the blood.

The choice indicating protein support for the membrane may have also been tempting, and is true. This characteristic, however, is shared by other cells of the body. Also remember that red blood cells are produced by red bone marrow (and sometimes the liver), while certain white blood cells mature in the thymus.

Hyperventilation is a classic example of a process that can cause alkalosis, or basicity of the bloodstream. Hyperventilation can cause a net loss of CO₂. Low levels of CO₂ can cause respiratory alkalosis via reduction of carbonate in the blood. Lactate—also known as lactic acid—is a product of anaerobic respiration, and decreases blood pH. Increased levels of urea and creatinine indicate renal acidosis, a form of metabolic acidosis, which occurs when the kidney does not remove enough acid from the body. 

Placing erythrocytes in a hypertonic solution would cause them to shrink and burst, becuase water from the erythrocytes would move from high to low concenration (inside the cells to the outside hypertonic environment). Albumin and bicarbonate would have no effect, because they are normal components of blood. Placing them in a hypotonic solution would cause them to swell up.

The normal pH of blood is around 7.3, which means blood is normally slightly basic. A truly neutral pH is 7.0. Whenever the pH of blood is under 7.3 (not 7.0) it is considered acidosis, and so our answer is either 7.2 or 6.8.

The AB⁺ blood type is known as the "universal recipient" type, therefore, people with any blood type can donate to an AB⁺ individual.

As for the incorrect answers, a person with O^- blood has the "universal donor" type, and can only receive blood from other O^- individuals. Erythroblastosis fetalis, also known as hemolytic disease of the newborn, cannot occur during a woman's first pregnancy because her body has not yet produced anti-Rh antibodies. Finally, Rh factor presence is a genetically dominant condition.

Human blood contains 55% plasma and 45% cells. The cells include erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells), and thrombocytes (platelets). Plasma is largely composed of water, protein (albumin), and clotting factors.

Note that blood serum is simply blood plasma with the clotting factor elements (fibrinogen) removed.

Thromboplastin is released when damage occurs to a tissue. Prothrombin and fibrinogen are both present in the blood. When thromboplastin interacts with the blood, it converts prothrombin to its active state, thrombin. Thrombin then cleaves fibrinogen, converting it to its active state, fibrin. Fibrin is exceptional at forming cross-linked mesh-like interactions, and in doing so traps passing blood cells and plasma proteins. This blockage and accumulation of blood elements becomes the clot.

When centrifuged, blood will divide into three parts: the plasma layer, the buffy coat layer, and the red blood cell layer. The plasma layer contains albumin, immunoglobulins, and blood clotting factors. The buffy coat is composed of leukocytes, and the red blood cell layer is composed of erythrocytes.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are considered to be "bad cholesterol" because it transports fat molecules to arteries and attracts macrophages, leading to atherosclerosis. Alternatively, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is considered to be "good cholesterol" because it removes fat molecules from macrophages, decreasing the risk of atherosclerosis.

Coagulation Factor II (prothrombin) is a protein produced in the liver. Prothrombin is modified after translation to produce thrombin. Thrombin is an enzyme that catalyzes coagulation reactions and results in reduced blood loss. Factor II deficiency is an autosomal recessive mutation that can result in defects in blood clotting.