Physiological
Control Systems 1
CURRICULUM
(Course
Number: Biology
112311)
Bergen County
Academies
Hackensack, NJ 07601
(201) 343-6000
last update: 9 / 4 / 06
| I. |
Course
Description |
| VII. |
The
core courses Biology
and Advanced Biology at the Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST) , and the Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT) comprise a two year
investigation
of some of the most critical biological topics in modern life. They are
required of all AAST and AEDT students and are taken during the 10th
and
12th grades. They do not comprise a comprehensive sequence. Rather, the
two year effort explores a few topics in great depth. Those students
who
wish to gain a more comprehensive understanding of biology should
select
one or more biology electives such as Epidemiology, Genetics,
Immunology, Molecular
Biology 1-5, Botany, AP Biology, Biology Research, Physiological Control Systems 1
or 2, Virology, Zoology
or others.
Physiological
Control Systems1 (PCS) is an elective, one-trimester course
available
to any BCA student who has completed at least one year of Biology in
good
standing. During the 2006-2007 school year, PCS will be offered during trimesters 1 and 3.
This course is designed for those students who 1) plan
to major in an area of biology in college; 2) wish to explore the
topics
of the the nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems
at an advanced level equivalent to a college
seminar course, or 3) are AEDT 11th grade students. PCS is a
required
core course for all 11th grade AEDT students. PCS is not available to AMST students because they take Anatomy and Physiology during their junior year.
Because
PCS is a core
course for engineering students, its focus is to explore the physiology
of humans from an engineer's point of view.
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| II. |
PCS Course
Goals |
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The
focus of the 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 temperature.
The ultimate goal of the PCS will be to
consider the technological challenges faced by
NASA in the development of space vehicles such as the ones used in the
ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission that were used to carry three humans
into
outer space while maintaining their homeostatic mechanisms that use
negative
feedback control systems.
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
the stimulus and the value of the variable is maintained within an
acceptable
range. In order to understand how engineers succeed with the challenges
of human space flight, the circulatory, endocrine, nervous, renal and
respiratory
systems will be examined from the perspective of how they are used in
control
systems used in the human body to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis
is the maintenance of a constant internal environment.
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The
Engineering Viewpoint
An
emphasis will be made to discuss the importance of understanding these
biological control systems from an engineer's perspective when trying
to
design:
| 1)l |
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
parts for the human body. |
In
PCS we deal with the fundamental principles of basic physiology as a
foundation for thinking about engineering challenges.
Biophysics
Physics
principles involving force, pressure, fluid flow, electron flow,
electrical
potentials, pressure gradients, resistance, viscosity, elasticity, etc.
will be used to explain how:
| 1) |
the
circulatory system works to move blood, |
| 2) |
the
endocrine system sends chemical messages, |
| 3) |
the
nervous system sends electrical and chemical messages, |
| 4) |
the
renal and respiratory systems are used in the management of blood gases
and waste molecules. |
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Anatomy
Anatomical
studies 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 circulatory system because one
can
not discuss its function without knowing the names of its parts.
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| III. |
PCS Course
Outline |
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The
major topics of
discussion are listed below. Details may be viewed in section
IV: Student Objectives.
| 1) |
What
is homeostasis? |
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| 2) |
The Human
Nervous System |
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| 3) |
The Endocrine
System |
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| 4) |
Why
do you have a Circulatory System? |
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| 5) |
The
paths of the respiratory gases |
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| 6) |
The Bulk
Flow relationship
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| 7) |
Cardiac
Output |
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| 8) |
The measurement of blood pressure |
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| IV. |
PCS Student
Objectives |
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The
objectives are
listed in a separate document found at OBJECTIVES |
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| V. |
PCS Methodology |
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The
course is heavily
focused on the necessarily detailed physiological and biophysical
factual
information about homeostasis involving the nervous, endocrine,
circulatory and
respiratory 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. Assessment challenges are described below. |
| VI. |
PCS Assessment
/ Evaluation Procedures |
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In
general assessments given in trimester 1 or 3 are the same, however on
some occasions, scheduling conflicts force alternative plans, so please
check the trimester 1 and trimester 3 assessment websites for specific details. Assessments
of the
students include:
| 1) |
two
take-home Questions
For Your Consideration (QFYC) |
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| a) |
Check the assessments website for specifics.
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| b) |
Check the assessments website for specifics. |
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| 2) |
two
in-class exams (a.k.a. PPAO) (25% each):
| a) |
In-class Personal
Performance Assessment Opportunity (PPAO #1): This
exam is presented as two
styles: A) Combination of 15 multiple
choice questions and B) two essay questions taken from a list of 4
provided
at the beginning of the course. Part A will be given on one day dealing
with the multiple choice questions. Part B will given on the following
class dealing with the essays. (A: 30pts &
B:
70pts)
Click here for details: PPAO #1(Tri1) or PPAO
#1(Tri3) |
| b) |
In-class Personal
Performance Assessment Opportunity (PPAO #2): This
exam is presented as two
styles: A) Combination of 15 multiple
choice questions and B) two essay questions taken from a list of 4
provided
at the beginning of the course. Part A will be given on one day dealing
with the multiple choice questions. Part B will given on the following
class dealing with the essays. (A:
30pts & B:
70pts)
Click here for details: PPAO #2(Tri1) or PPAO
#2(Tri3) |
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Due
dates and values
of each assignment are available at:
DUE
DATES (Tri1) or DUE DATES (Tri3)
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| VII. |
Instructional
Materials |
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This
course covers
six chapters in the textbook with extensive instructor written study
notes
and diagrams.
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