23 Things is a suite of 23 self-paced online modules that cover a range of topics from video editing to basic coding. Each module or 'thing' consists of information, interactive activities, and invitations to try out various open and free software applications and technologies. The modules have been created using H5P and can be downloaded individually as a single H5P file, modified and re-used under a CC-BY-SA license - simply click on the 'reuse' link at the bottom of each module.
Interactive Physiology 10 System Suite
You probably have a general understanding of how your body works. But do you fully comprehend how all of the intricate functions and systems of the human body work together to keep you healthy? This course will provide that insight. By approaching the study of the body in an organized way, you will be able to connect what you learn about anatomy and physiology to what you already know about your own body.
Finally, we wanted to develop a suite of products around each practical and release not just written OERs but also accompanying code, data, images, and videos, all under open licenses. We reasoned this was one important way to increase the impact of the project. For example, educators without the resources to buy recording equipment could at least reuse our data and code to graph and analyze electrophysiology recordings with their students.
The first practical is designed to teach students the basics of EMG recording, carried out at the end of the musculoskeletal system module. The background written information reinforces physiology concepts seen in class, as well as the application of basic physics concepts seen in other coursework. It begins with a description of how muscle-bone-joint complexes function as lever systems. Students are encouraged to think back to the three types of classical lever system and find corresponding examples of these in the human body. This involves visualizing biomechanics and how the relative position of bones, joints, muscles, and loads will affect movement. The written documentation goes on to reinforce concepts such as how muscle structure affects tension development, length-tension relationships, and the energy requirements for muscle contraction. We then describe the basics of EMG recording, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of invasive versus surface recording, and the basic bipolar differential recording configuration. Study questions prompt students to think about where they will need to place electrodes to record from different muscles and what potential limitations they might encounter.
In module 3 of their human physiology course, students learn about the cardiovascular system and carry out a practical to record their ECG before and after exercise. The background written information begins with a description of how the heart performs external mechanical work. Students are encouraged to visualize the heart as a single-chamber pump with inflow and outflow valves, and examine the pressure-volume relationships similar to the way one would with an internal combustion engine 66 . Students learn about sequential pressure and volume changes in different chambers of the heart during the cardiac cycle, and how to graph this with a pressure-volume loop. The documentation goes on to describe the electrical activity of specialized populations of cells in the heart, including the ionic basis of APs in these cells. Discussing cardiac muscle activity also encourages students to think back to module 2 of the human physiology course when we discussed contraction mechanisms in this muscle type. Finally, we describe the basics of ECG recording, including how the summation of individual potentials leads to the extracellularly recorded events, different recording configurations, and the importance of electrode placement.
In module 5 of their human physiology course, students learn about the respiratory system, an important part of which is understanding the mechanics of breathing. How do respiratory muscles expand or contract the thoracic cavity and change pressure gradients? How does the participation of different muscles change when respiration is normal versus forced? And to relate back to the musculoskeletal module, how is respiratory muscle contraction related to electrical activity?
This paper presents architecture of a collaborative computation environment based on a Grid infrastructure, used as a support for large scientific virtual organizations. The environment consists primarily of a collaboration-supporting user interface, workflow system capable of submission of jobs to the Grid and a Grid-based data management suite. A prototype of such an environment is deployed and tested for a flood forecasting system. The system consists of workflow system for executing simulation cascade of meteorological, hydrological and hydraulic models, data management system for storing and accessing different computed and measured data, and a set of web portals. 2ff7e9595c