Note: This unit version is currently being edited and is subject to change!
CHNG5602: Cellular Biophysics (2021 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | CHNG5602: Cellular Biophysics (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Postgraduate |
| Faculty/School: | School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
A/Prof Dehghani, Fariba
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| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | None. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | Students will be given a good background in the physics of biological processes. Students will understand the differences between thermodynamically closed and open systems and its relevance to cells and other biological systems. Students will be provided with an introduction to the thermodynamics of irreversible and evolutionary processes of relevance to biology. Students will be introduced to the statistical mechanics of self assembly and equilibrium structures and its relevance to biology at the molecular level. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Department Permission | Department permission is required for enrollment in this session. |
| Timetable: | CHNG5602 Timetable | |||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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| T&L Activities: | Independent Study: Library and Internet research |
Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| Demonstrations and practice in applying fundamental concepts in Biophysics to the design of processes in the field of biotechnology and related bioengineering areas. | Sustainability, Safety & Risk (Core Chemical Engineering Part 4) (Level 5) |
| Research assignments in thermodynamics, temperature, cytoskeletons, and electrochemical cell and membrane processes | Broad-Based Inquiry & Research (Level 5) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Sustainability, Safety & Risk (Core Chemical Engineering Part 4) (Level 5)| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Assignment: There are 4 assignments. These assignments are individual assignment submissions, hand written except for software programs, tables and graphs generated from software, e.g. spread sheets. 1. Assignment 1 will focus on the thermodynamics for a finite number of entities. This assignment is worth 10% of your overall assessment. 2. Assignment 2 will focus on the temperature of a finite number of entities. This assignment is worth 10% of your overall assessment. 3. Assignment 3 will focus on physicochemical characterisation of cytoskeletons. This assignment is worth 15% of your overall assessment. 4. Assignment 4 will focus on the electrochemical characterisation of cells and membrane potentials. This assignment is worth 15% of your overall assessment. Take home exam: This will be an open-book exam. A student must get 40% in the final exam to pass the unit, regardless of the sum of his/her individual marks. Take home exam: The take-home exam will be comprised of several questions covering the course work. Answers will be hand written except for software programs, tables and graphs generated from software, e.g. spread sheets. The exam is worth 40% of your overall assessment. A student must get 40% in the final exam to pass the unit, regardless of the sum of his/her individual marks. There may be statistically defensible moderation when combining the marks from each component to ensure consistency of marking between markers, and alignment of final grades with unit outcomes. Final assessment grade will be based on overall performance in assignments and exam as a whole. |
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| Grading: |
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| Policies & Procedures: | See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. |
| Prescribed Text/s: |
Note: Students are expected to have a personal copy of all books listed.
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Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Lecture/Tutorial: Introduction to cellular physiology, thermodynamics and functionality |
| Week 2 | Lecture/Tutorial: Probability theory, disorder and entropy for a finite number of entities |
| Week 3 | Lecture/Tutorial: Thermodynamic relationship between Entropy and Temperature |
| Week 4 | Lecture/Tutorial: Thermodynamic relationships between Entropy, Work and Chemical mixtures |
| Week 5 | Lecture/Tutorial: Maxwell identities, osmosis and application to red blood cells |
| Week 6 | Lecture/Tutorial: Application of statistical mechanics to self-assembly of molecular structures |
| Week 7 | Lecture/Tutorial: Molecular self-assembly of bilayers and proteins into bilayers |
| Week 8 | Lecture/Tutorial: Electrostatic properties of charged molecules in cells and cell membranes (Dielectric exclusion and ion partitioning) |
| Week 9 | Lecture/Tutorial: Drift and diffusion of ions in membrane systems (Donnan Equilibrium, Goldmann Katz Equation) |
| Week 10 | Lecture/Tutorial: Action potential (Hodgkin and Huxley Equations) |
| Week 11 | Lecture/Tutorial: Active transport (vectorial chemistry)and proton transporting ATP synthase protein (reversible molecular-engine) |
| Week 12 | Lecture/Tutorial: Revision based on requests from students |
| Week 13 | Take home exam |
| STUVAC (Week 14) | Assessment Due: Take home exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Professional Communication (Level 5) | No | 0% |
| Creative Team Culture (Level 5) | No | 0% |
| Broad-Based Inquiry & Research (Level 5) | Yes | 0% |
| Solution Development and Testing (Level 5) | No | 0% |
| Problem Identification and Analysis (Level 5) | No | 0% |
| Sustainability, Safety & Risk (Core Chemical Engineering Part 4) (Level 5) | Yes | 100% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
