Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Positive Feedback

In course

ME-323: Chemical process control

Provide the students with basic notions and tools for the modeling and analysis of dynamic systems. Show them how to design controllers and analyze the performance of controlled systems. ...

Description

This lecture explains the concept of positive feedback in nature, using examples such as childbirth and fruit ripening to illustrate how it differs from negative feedback. Positive feedback mechanisms amplify a signal rather than counteracting it, leading to specific one-time behaviors.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Ljubisa Miskovic

Ljubisa Miskovic earned his Ph.D. degree in Automatic Control from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) under the co-supervision of Dominique Bonvin and Alireza Karimi, in 2006. He pursued his postdoctoral studies at the Centre for Systems Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Universite Catholique de Louvain with Michel Gevers before moving to the laboratory of Vassily Hatzimanikatis at the EPFL. In 2010, he became a research scientist. His research interests include systems biology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, data-driven control design, system identification, stochastic processes and estimation theory.

Official source

Related concepts (29)

Negative feedback

Negative feedback (or balancing feedback) occurs when some function of the output of a system, process, or mechanism is fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output, whether caused by changes in the input or by other disturbances. Whereas positive feedback tends to lead to instability via exponential growth, oscillation or chaotic behavior, negative feedback generally promotes stability. Negative feedback tends to promote a settling to equilibrium, and reduces the effects of perturbations.

Feedback

Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to feed back into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled carefully when applied to feedback systems: Simple causal reasoning about a feedback system is difficult because the first system influences the second and second system influences the first, leading to a circular argument.

Pituitary gland

In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland (or hypophysis cerebri) is an endocrine gland. In humans, it is about the size of a chickpea and weighs, on average, . It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The hypophysis rests upon the hypophyseal fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae).

Childbirth

Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million human births globally. In the developed countries, most deliveries occur in hospitals, while in the developing countries most are home births. The most common childbirth method worldwide is vaginal delivery.

Anterior pituitary

A major organ of the endocrine system, the anterior pituitary (also called the adenohypophysis or pars anterior) is the glandular, anterior lobe that together with the posterior lobe (posterior pituitary, or the neurohypophysis) makes up the pituitary gland (hypophysis). The anterior pituitary regulates several physiological processes, including stress, growth, reproduction, and lactation. Proper functioning of the anterior pituitary and of the organs it regulates can often be ascertained via blood tests that measure hormone levels.

Related lectures (39)

Endocrinology: General Structure and Hormone Production

Explores the anatomy and hormone production of the endocrine system, focusing on T3, T4, aldosterone, glucocorticoids, and adrenaline.

Histology Practice: Hypophysis Microscopy

Delves into the practical aspects of histology, focusing on the microscopic examination of the hypophysis and its surrounding tissues.

The Tumor Microenvironment: De Palma

Explores the tumor microenvironment, stromal components, cell interactions, and the impact of inflammation on cancer promotion.

Introduction to Feedback Control Systems: Concepts and Applications

Covers the principles of feedback control systems and their applications in various fields.

Model Reference Method: PID Regulator Design