Biophysics – questions for medical students (exam-2011)
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System and biological system. Characteristics of biological systems.
Characterize physical values describing thermodynamic systems
Give an example and characteristize reversible processes
Describe quasistatic processes – examples
Give examples of thermodynamic stimuli and laws describing irreversible
processes
6. Characterize 1st and 2nd principle of thermodynamics
7. Give definitions of state and path functions
8. Discuss all meanings of entropy
9. Characterize the criteria of reversibility of processes
10. Give and discuss the examples of thermodynamic work
11. Characterize thermodynamic coupled processes
12. Analyze the coupling of processes based on the example of biochemical
reactions
13. Describe state of equilibrium and stationary states
14. Write an equation describing the production of entropy in a system which is
in the stationary state of third order
15. Balance the change in entropy during the spontaneous adoption of ordered
structure by biological systems
16. Living organism as an open system in the stationary state (2nd principle of
thermodynamics)
17. Discuss the properties of ATP as a perfect energy carrier
18. High- and low-energy compounds. Role of ATP in the flow of energy
19. Describe chemiosmotic theory of ATP formation
20. Compare information and entropy (Maxwell’s Demon)
21. What you mean by code, information capacity of a system, information
capacity of a memory, information overload, relative entropy of information
22. Characterize the diagram of information flow. Discuss the velocity of
information flow
23. Give examples of information processing in the body – analog, digital, and
analog-digital
24. Give a difference between steering and regulation of information flow
25. Methods of information processing in nature (examples)
26. Describe feedback coupling (transmission functions, oscillation systems)
27. Draw and interpret a diagram of a system in which autoregulation of
information flow occurs
28. What you mean by homeostasis and ability of biological systems to regenerate
and compensate
29. Lipid phase transition (factors that influence the transition)
30. Dynamics of the lipid bilayer (domain formation)
31. Asymmetrical distribution of lipids in the cellular membrane (biological
significance)
32. Liposome characteristics
33. Characterize water transport through lipid bilayer
34. Characterize transport systems operating in biological membranes
35. Describe a mechanism of active transport based on the selected example
36. Draw a diagram illustrating the work of sodium-potassium pump and
describe a mechanism
37. Characterize parameters describing the facilitated diffusion transport
38. Models of facilitated diffusion
39. Discuss the cooperation of transport systems during the production of
hydrochloric acid in the stomach
40. What you mean by a diffusion coefficient and membrane permeability
41. Derive the equation describing osmotic pressure
42. Characterize channels and carriers of ions produced by antibiotics in
biological membranes
43. Explain and give examples of uniport, symport and antiport
44. Describe clathrin and caveolin vesicles and discuss their role in endocytosis
45. Discuss the cooperation of transport systems during the production of
hydrochloric acid in the stomach
46. Explain a mechanism by which the resting potential is generated in cells
47. What you mean by Donnan’s equilibrium
48. Compare equations of Nernst and Goldman – substantiate their legitimacy
49. Describe the types of ion channels
50. Characteristics of the sodium channel
51. What you mean by direct and indirect gating
52. Explain the mechanism of the formation of action potential
53. Discuss ways of information processing by neural networks
54. Discuss memory mechanisms
55. Compare the temporal kinetics of action potentials of various cells (neural
cells, skeletal muscle cells, cardiac muscle cells) and that of the sinoatrial node
56. Discuss how the depolarization wave moves along the nerve fiber
57. Characterize differences between excitatory and inhibitory synapses
58. Discuss the pressure and velocity gradients in the circulatory system.
Explain influence of gravity.
59. Interpret the flow continuity principle and Bernoulli’s law and their
significance
60. Discuss factors affecting blood viscosity
61. What blood viscosity coefficients can you name?
62. Discuss the significance of geometric factor to blood flow
63. Characterize the pulse wave and heart sounds
64. Interpret Poiseuille’s law
65. How can you evaluate work and power of the heart
66. Discuss the equation of sound wave and its basic parameters
67. Characterize acoustic resistance of the wave and reflection coefficient
68. Characterize the audibility limits, sensitivity threshold, pain threshold, and
alteration threshold
69. What is the function of the external ear?
70. What is the function of the middle ear?
71. Characterize the Helmholtz theory of the analysis of sound in the internal ear
72. Characterize the Bekesy theory in relation to hearing
73. The role of basilar membrane in the analysis of sound
74. The role of sensory internal and external cells in the analysis of sound
75. Transmission of sound from the middle to the internal ear
76. Discuss what the change of mechanical signal into electrical signal in sensory
cells
77. The resolving power of the eye – describe affecting factors
78. Describe types of photoreceptors and their threshold of sensitivity (photopic
and scotopic vision)
79. Characterize types of ion channels in the photoreceptor
80. Characterize cooperation of systems of ion transport during the excitation of
photoreceptor
81. What is the role of G proteins in the vision process
82. Color vision – creation of color based on the example of equipotential white
(the BGR color triangle)
83. Response of glial cells to excitation with light
84. Cooperation of photoreceptors in color vision
85. Characterize spatial vision
86. Characterize methods of ultrasounds generation
87. Characterize properties of ultrasounds, particularly their biological effects
88. Describe basics of echo ultrasonography
89. Characterize basics of Doppler ultrasonography
90. What you mean by infrasounds and vibrations. Characterize their biological
effects
91. Mechanism of lung ventilation
92. Draw and describe pressure-volume hysteresis
93. Describe laws regulating the gas exchange
94. Characterize influence of pressure on the body
95. Describe effects of accelerations on the body
96. What is the influence of temperature on the body? Describe ways of heat
returning
97. Draw and interpret a thermoregulation system
98. Characterize sources of ionizing radiation
99. Give definitions of values describing the doses of ionizing radiation (Grey,
REM, rad)
100. Describe radiation stages
101. What kind of free radicals are formed during water radiolysis
102. Describe biological sweepers of free radicals and illustrate by reactions
103. Quantitative characteristics of direct effect of ionizing radiation
(radiosensitivity)
104. Quantitative characteristics of indirect effect of ionizing radiation
105. Post-radiation changes in the nucleic acids
106. Chromosome aberrations upon irradiation (biodosimeter)
107. Basics of radioprotection (chemical radioprotectors)
108. Types of radical reactions
109. Factors affecting radiosensitivity
110. Basics of the oxygen effect
111. Post-radiation changes in the nucleic acids
112. Reasons for high susceptibility of cells to irradiation