PHYSIOLOGY LOGIC EXERCISES
to
PHLEX your mental muscles
Dr. Miriam Frommer
Department of Physiology
University of Sydney
1
INDEX OF CONTENTS
What is PHLEX?
Exercise categories
Extra notes on additional material
Concept maps with triggers
Practical classes covered (order performed may vary)
Model:
 Human cardiovascular system (BP)
In vitro:
 Electrophysiology of nerve
 Skeletal muscle mechanics
In vivo:
 Human nervous system –Senses
 Human nervous system –Reflexes
 Human respiratory system
 Human endocrine system
Simulation:
 Gastrointestinal physiology
 Renal physiology
Links to Answers (time delay before activation)
Exercise category 4
Extra notes on additional material (some answers)
Concept maps with triggers
2
Online resources (links to related topic areas)
A.
No Frills Generic Skills Guide
 General Introduction
 9 Questions
 Exercises on Data Handling: Statistics&Graphs
 Exercises Preparatory to Writing Essays
and Reports: Logical Thinking
 Exercises Testing Concepts: Force&Velocity,
Resistance&Flow
 Answers to Exercises
 Appendix B “Data Analysis”
 Appendix D “Concept Mapping”
 Appendix E “Confusing Terms”
B.
No Frills Statistics Skills Guide
 General Introduction
 5 Questions
C.
FLERT (Flexible Report Writing Template)
 Help with Report Writing
 Help with Report Content
D.
Post-tests
Answers with explanations
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What is PHLEX?
PHLEX is a follow-up to the No Frills Generic Skills Guide (NFGS), focusing
on the need to support students in the logical thinking necessary to substantiate and
test the hypotheses they formulate before each practical class, as well as explain
discrepancies between their predicted and observed results. It should help the
development of the generic skill of clear communication, encompassing the
knowledge, practical and thinking skills which are often very poorly developed in a
number of science students.
The 8 practicals covered are: electrophysiology of nerve; skeletal muscle
mechanics; human nervous system (reflexes & senses), cardiovascular, respiratory,
and endocrine systems; gastrointestinal and renal physiology.
Since the NFGS Guide used the blood pressure practical as the example of
how to approach experimental design, PHLEX will begin with this practical to
illustrate how different types of exercises can be incorporated into students’ learning.
However students should follow the order in which their practicals are carried out.
There are 5 exercises for each practical; these should be done chronologically
so that understanding is progressively built up and the links between the theoretical
and the experimental aspects become consolidated. Some answers to these and other
exercises will be provided online when sufficient time has elapsed after the relevant
class for them to have been attempted.
Exercise categories
1) Confusing terms glossary (of paired similar terms)
2) Misconception MCQs (and best explanations) with answers
3) Logical fallacies (and how to avoid them)
4) Sequences which make sense (as a concept map)
5) The three most important facts (for introduction/discussion of a
report)
Exercises 1) to 3) vary somewhat but 4) and 5) have a fairly standardized format. The
topics covered in these are summarized in the table below.
Specific topics per practical
Practical
Blood pressure
Nerve
Muscle
Reflexes/Senses
Respiration
Endocrine
Gastrointestinal
Renal
4) Sequences
Standing up
Errors in description
Isotonic force production
Stretch reflex/ Pacinian corp.
Rebreathing expired air
Carbohydrate ingestion
Protein ingestion
Water ingestion
5) Facts/Relationships
BP & postural change
CAP & inter-electrode distance
Active force & muscle length
CAP & stimulus strength/2pt discrimin.
Alveolar gases & ventilation
Blood glucose & carbohydrate type
Gastric secretion & drugs
Urine osmolality & diuretics
4
Extra notes on additional material
Once the questions in the 5 exercise categories have been attempted, it will
have become apparent where there are gaps in a student’s knowledge and
understanding. The most common of these are addressed in the extra notes provided,
which focus especially on particularly difficult, more mathematical concepts and
inter-relationships. Some of this material is in the form of questions and answers, and
it is important to attempt to work out an answer first, before reading the one supplied.
Extra notes are preceded each time by the following statement:
When answering some of the questions on xxxx activity, the concepts
below may be relevant.
Specific topics per practical
Practical
Blood pressure
Nerve
Muscle
Reflexes/Senses
Respiration
Endocrine
Gastrointestinal
Renal
Additional material
Systolic/diastolic pressures, ejection, TPR, HR, resistance & flow
Myelin/size & resistance/capacitance, threshold, population code,
CAP, CV/saltatory conduction, excitability/refractory periods
Isometric/isotonic recording, muscle dimensions & force/velocity,
in vivo vs in vitro stimulation
EMG interpretation, pupillary reflex pathways & blocking drugs
Gaseous equilibria, gas stores, breathing higher O2 concentrations
Insulin-cation interactions, hormones & pregnancy maintenance
Luminal stimuli for gastric secretion, saliva & pancreas secretions
Salt & water transport, differential effects of diuretics
Concept maps with triggers
Concept maps provide a very powerful tool for summarizing relationships
between physiological variables, and are employed throughout this course. Each
practical has at least 2 concept map exercises associated with it, and each exercise
contains a trigger to provide useful clues which help focus on the influence of
particular variables. Although not all of these will have been under experimental
control, they may nonetheless be important in determining the final status of the
physiological variable. Suggested map solutions will be provided online; some
overlap with additional material content in the previous table. Different types of maps
are illustrated because of their usefulness, not all drawn strictly according to the rules.
Specific topics per practical
Practical
Blood pressure
Nerve
Muscle
Reflexes/Senses
Respiration
Endocrine
Gastrointestinal
Renal
Concept map 1
Posture, baroreceptors & BP
Nerve characteristics & CAP
All influences on force
All influences on stretch reflex
Receptive field
Ventilation & alveolar gases
Thyroid hormone & heat
Protein & gastric secretion
Influences on renal pressures
Concept map 2
Bike riding & BP
Nerve characteristics & CV
All influences on velocity
All influences on pupil reflex
Temperature perception
Inhaled gases & ventilation
Insulin resistance & tolerance
Acid chyme & neutralization
Influences on renal salt & water
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