PHYSIOLOGY

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F Bowser-Riley

Pre-requisites

BI 20B2 and BI 25B2.

Co-requisites

BM 3006 or SR 3001.

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

This course takes homeostasis and environmental physiology as major themes. Lecture material ranges from cellular processes to the whole organism and interactions with the environment. Emphasis is placed on mammalian and human physiology. The course starts by considering cell volume regulation, intercellular communication, acid-base balance and the maintenance of a constant internal milieu. This is followed by thermal balance, exercise physiology, and the problems posed by extreme environments (altitude, zero gravity, and depth). Lecture and seminar material is accompanied by microcomputer-based problem solving sessions and practical classes.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour tutorial and 1 four to eight hour laboratory per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (80%) and continuous assessment based on laboratory project (20%). Resit:

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G T A McEwan

Pre-requisites

BM 3006

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

This course deals with epithelia that act as selectively permeable barriers or perform specific transport functions. The course considers the problems of transport of water, ions and nutrients across epithelia; membranes by passive and mediated systems. The contributions to transport includes examination of transcellular and paracellular routes and the roles of tight junctions. Tight and leaky epithelia are exemplified by the properties of amphibian skin and bladder and mammalian intestinal and renal epithelia. Barrier functions are studied in relation to gastric and airway epithelia.

Structure

6 week course - 3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour seminar and 1 eight hour laboratory session.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute written examination paper (70%) and continuous assessment - essay and laboratory practicals (30%). Resit:

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A M Rajnicek

Pre-requisites

BM 3006

Overview

A major focus of the course is the substantial degree of “plasticity” which occurs in the development of the nervous and muscular systems and in the mechanisms governing transmission between these two tissues. The basic cell biology of the developing nervous system is explored. Topics covered include: what initiates nervous system formation, how do nerves grow, how do they move, how do they transport materials over long distances intracellularly, how do they communicate with each other, what environmental signals regulate these activities and how and what happens when these tissues are damaged and are required to regenerate?

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour seminar, 1 two-hour laboratory demonstration over 6 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (70%) and continuous assessment - essay (30%). Resit:

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Dr D J MacEwan

Pre-requisites

BM 4004

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

A ten week research project is undertaken and the student learns laboratory and literature research techniques and presents a thesis. The thesis is defended in an oral presentation. Students gain extensive experience of data acquisition and databases using microcomputers.