BME 444 – Biomedical Controls

Course Information

Lectures: 11:00–12:15 TX, Brevard 305
Office: Brevard 237
Office hours: Reserve a time on my calendar or email me for an appointment.
Textbook: None; Course notes provided
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 5, 12:00–3:20 PM

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Define signal and system
Describe control system characteristics
Model biomedical systems in the time and frequency domain
Determine the response of a biomedical system given an input
Analyze biomedical systems for stability
Design control systems given system specifications
Use MATLAB to solve control systems problems

General Information

If you have questions during reading, solving homework problems, writing up assignments, studying for exams, etc., send me an email with the question. I will respond to all students, “A student asked the following question…” so you will not be identified. Office visits are also welcome.

Homework Guidelines

Homework is due by the beginning of class on the due date.

You will lose points if the grader cannot read or follow your work. Make it neat, organized, and legible.

Homework is assigned to help you practice applying the principles you learn in class. Upload pictures/electronic copies of your HW to Blackboard. Late homework will receive a maximum grade of 50%. After 24 hours, late HW will receive a grade of 0%.

Follow the homework guidelines to receive full credit.

~~Use the following file naming convention for files uploaded to Blackboard: [last name]-[first initial]-HW[number] (example: walker-g-HW5)~~Use any filename you want.

Grades

The grades in this course are calculated from homework, exams, and the final. The breakdown is:

Assessment	Percentage
Homework	10%
Exams	52.5%
Final	37.5%

Final grades will be assigned based on the following scale:

Percentage	Letter
[100, 93]	A
(93, 90]	A-
(90, 87]	B+
(87, 83]	B
(83, 80]	B-
(80, 77]	C+
(77, 73]	C
(73, 70]	C-
(70, 60]	D
(60, 0]	F

Course Schedule

Lesson	Date	HW	Handouts
1. Intro to physical systems	Jan 20		Notes(PDF)
2. DEs of electrical systems	Jan 22		Notes(PDF)
No class — ice storm	Jan 27
No class — ice storm	Jan 29
No class — ice storm	Feb 03
No class — ice storm	Feb 05
3. DEs of mechanical systems	Feb 10		Recap Notes(PDF)
4. DEs of mechanical systems cont’d	Feb 12	HW1 Due Feb 19 Key	Notes(PDF)
5. DEs of fluid systems	Feb 17		Notes(PDF)
6. State Space	Feb 19	HW2 Due Feb 26 Key	Notes(PDF)
7. State Space cont’d	Feb 24		Notes(PDF)
8. Numerical Simulation MATLAB	Feb 26	HW3 Due Mar 01 11:59PM Key	Notes(PDF)
Exam 1	Mar 03		IO
9. Transient analysis	Mar 05	HW4 Due Mar 22 11:59PM Key	Notes(PDF)
Spring Break	Mar 10
Spring Break	Mar 12
10. Transient analysis cont’d	Mar 17		Notes(PDF) Video
11. Frequency response	Mar 19	HW5 Due Mar 26 Key	Notes(PDF)
12. Frequency response	Mar 24		Notes(PDF)
13. Block Diagrams; Physiological Systems	Mar 26	HW6 Due Apr 02 Key	Notes(PDF)
14. Static Analysis MATLAB	Mar 31		Notes(PDF)
15. Lung model; Feedback	Apr 02		Notes(PDF)
16. Lung model; Controllers	Apr 07		Lsn 15 summary Notes(PDF)
17. Controllers; SS Error	Apr 09	HW7 Due Apr 21 Key	Notes(PDF)
Exam 2	Apr 14		IO
18. Stability	Apr 16		Notes
19. Example: Glucose Homeostasis 1	Apr 21	HW8 Due TBD Key	Notes Model
20. Example: Glucose Homeostasis 2	Apr 23	HW9 Due TBD Key	Notes
23. Example: PID Tuner	Apr 28	Due TBD	Notes
24. Review	Apr 30		Final Exam IO

AI Use

I encourage you to use AI as a tool to learn the material, but do not use it to perform your work for you. I’ve assembled some tips on using AI for engineering work.

University of Mississippi Policies

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines for academic integrity outlined in the University of Mississippi Policy for Academic Conduct and Discipline. Cases of misconduct will be addressed according to the procedures outlined in the Policy. Your signature on any submitted work implies that you have neither given nor received unauthorized aid.

Student Disabilities

Accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with the Office of Student Disability Services at 234 Martindale, 662-915-7128.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes. Read the Credits and Grades Policy (ACA.AR.200.003) and the Guidelines for Class Attendance Policy (ACA.AR.200.004) for more information. If you anticipate an excused absence on a due date, please notify me so that we can agree on an alternate due date.