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PCS Details:

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Course Goals The focus of Physiological Control Systems (a.k.a., PCS) is an exploration of how the human body controls itself to maintain a stable internal environment with the special emphasis of an engineer's perspective. The course examines both physiological and nonliving (engineered) control systems that use negative feedback control systems. For instance we will compare control systems used by the human body and by engineers to maintain a human body’s or an oven’s, or even a house's temperature.  The ultimate goal of the PCS will be to consider the technological challenges faced by biomedical engineers as they try to emulate the capabilites of the human body via bionic devices such as artificial retinas (visual sensors) or cochlea (acoustic sensors), or simply interface with the human body with prosthetic arms or legs. One of simplest challenges is to learn how the body uses its nervous system to keep control over its internal condition.  In this process, the idea of negative feedback is essential. Click image to learn more about bionic ears. A negative feedback control system for a variable, such as temperature, requires: 1. a sensor to detect the presence and condition of the sensed variable, 2. a method of communicating (a.k.a. an afferent pathway) the status of the variable to a control center, 3. a control center (a.k.a. an integrating center) that accumulates sensor input and compares the status of the variable under control to a standard desired value known as a set-point, 4. a method of communicating (a.k.a. an efferent pathway) “decisions” from the integrating center out to mechanisms (a.k.a. effectors) that will change the status of the variable, 5. effectors which create a response which changes the system to oppose the direction of any changes in the variable (a.k.a. a stimulus). As you may have surmised, a negative feedback control system is also known as a stimulus-response system in which the response is opposite to the stimulus and the value of the variable is maintained within an acceptable range. Due to our limited time together, our main focus will be the human nervous system and how its components are used in the human body to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal environment. The Engineering Viewpoint

Many times I have heard a pre-engineering student ask: Why do I need to learn biology? My answer focuses on the challenge of a large percentage of engineering tasks which is to design and build some product that will influence the way we live.  In many cases these products, if they fail, may place our lives in jeopardy.  So my answer is:  How can you build something for a human if you do not undersatnd what a human is? Of course what a human is, is very involved with HOW a human functions.  How a human works is called physiology and that is what this course is all about. An emphasis will be made to discuss the importance of understanding physiological control systems from an engineer's perspective when trying to design: 1. micro-environments needed to maintain a human body in a hostile environment (e.g.  a submarine, an airplane, a space ship, or even a space suit) or 2. replacement or enhanced parts for the human body. In PCS we deal with the fundamental principles of basic physiology as a foundation for thinking about engineering challenges. In this course, the feature film Awakenings will be analyzed to learn about the role of neurotransmitters in the brain. Biophysics Physics principles involving force, pressure, fluid flow, electron flow, electrical potentials, pressure gradients, resistance, viscosity, elasticity, etc. are important concepts essential for understanding how the human body functions.  In this course, the concepts of diffusion, electron flow, electrical potentials, and resistance will be used to explore the way nervous system communicates information from sensors and to effectors such as muscles and glands. Anatomy Anatomical structures will be required as needed, but will NOT be a focus. In other words, students do not memorize all the names of the bones in the body, but are expected to know all the parts of the nervous system because one can not discuss its function without knowing the names of its parts. To learn structure without the associated functions is worthless for an engineer.

PCS Course Outline:

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1)		What is homeostasis?
2)		The Human Nervous System
3)		The Endocrine System

PCS Student Objectives:

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Click on any neuron to view the Student Objectives

PCS Course Activities:

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The course is heavily focused on the necessarily detailed physiological and biophysical factual information about homeostasis involving the nervous, endocrine, and circulatory systems.  This focus is needed in order to analyze the problems associated with the construction of any engineered product or environment that interacts with living organisms. As a consequence, the format of classroom activities throughout the PCS course is lecture and discussion.  A special feature will be the viewing and analysis of the film Awakenings starring Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro. Assessment challenges are described below.

PCS Assessments:

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PCS Resources:

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Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function, 8th ed. by Vander, Sherman and Luciano, 2002
About the book:	About the authors and Dr. DeWitt:

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