HUBS1404 Cheatsheet · Biomedical Science Part 2 · Memory Aid Planner
University of Newcastle · memory aid planner for the final exam. Semester 2 final exam period, 16–27 November 2026. Full HUBS1404 study guide →
A4 landscape · side 1Print at 100% · planning copy only
HUBS1404
Biomedical Science Part 2 · Memory Aid Planner
University of Newcastle · Semester 2 2026
Full guide + ask Sia about HUBS1404
SIDE 1 · PLAN YOUR OWN A4MEMORY AID PLANNER · mechanisms → rules → predictionown work only
1 · Exam Map course outline · S2 2026
Tests 30%Mid 30%Final 40%
Final: formal multiple choice examination on all course material; 40%; must be attempted.
Permitted materials · verbatim“This is a RESTRICTED OPEN BOOK examination covering ALL course material. A memory aid can be brought into the exam; this will be collected by Examinations / does not leave the exam venue. Format: 1 x A4 sheet; both sides; drawings permitted, own work; any size font.” (HUBS1404 course outline, Semester 2 2026)
Use this as a plan: remake the high-risk arrows, ratios and contrasts in your own notes/work. Prioritise relationships you reverse under pressure.
Default MCQ route: identify the compartment, trace the first effect, then predict downstream change. Front figure.
2 · Cardiac Order CH 01 · map + FAQ
Conduction and pumping are ordered; an ECG records electrical activity, not valve motion or contraction strength. CH 01 fig. 1.
Claim
Correct discriminator
Valves
Open/close with pressure differences; preserve direction, do not create pressure.
Wall thickness
Ventricles eject; left ventricle serves higher-resistance systemic circuit.
Autonomic input
Modulates nodal rate/conduction; does not create intrinsic rhythmic capacity.
Keep routes separate: body → right atrium → right AV valve → right ventricle → pulmonary valve → lungs → left atrium → left AV valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → body. Autorhythmic cells initiate/conduct; contractile cells turn excitation into force.
Exam move If a site is delayed, keep upstream events intact and shift downstream activation; do not erase the already initiated atrial event.
Two-point rule: one pressure is insufficient. Flow requires an upstream-to-downstream difference. If both pressure difference and resistance change, calculate the quotient.
At fixed pressure difference, a modest radius increase can greatly increase flow because resistance falls steeply. CH 02 fig. 1.
Vessel
Exam-value function
Elastic artery
Accepts pulsatile ejection; supports movement between beats.
Arteriole
Adjustable radius → powerful local and systemic resistance control.
Capillary
Thin exchange interface; huge total area → low average velocity.
Vein
Large compliant volume; valves + muscle/respiratory effects aid return.
Scale check Write vessel / organ bed / systemic. A local resistance rise does not alone determine mean arterial pressure.
4 · Exchange Forces CH 02 · overview
Name the direction before the force: hydrostatic and retained-solute osmotic effects act across plasma–interstitium boundaries.
Trap: venous-return aids move existing blood volume; they do not generate new blood. Pressure, velocity, resistance and cross-sectional area are related but not interchangeable.
Local versus systemic: one tissue can dilate to meet metabolic demand while another constricts. Whole-body arterial pressure depends on cardiac output and the combined resistance of parallel beds; slower fluid-volume control changes the amount available to circulate. High systemic pressure therefore does not guarantee good perfusion through a narrowed downstream bed.
Compartment rule: atmospheric, alveolar and intrapleural pressures are not synonyms. Compare only the pressures that drive the event.
6 · Gas Exchange CH 04 · map + FAQ
Each gas follows its own partial-pressure gradient; opposite directions across one membrane are compatible. CH 04 fig. 1.
V/Q = alveolar ventilation ÷ pulmonary perfusion
Pattern
Read it as
Ventilation ↓ relative to perfusion
Low V/Q; stream oxygenation impaired.
Ventilation with almost no perfusion
Dead-space-like behaviour.
Perfusion without effective ventilation
Shunt-like behaviour.
Do not collapse levels: diffusion across a thin, large-area barrier ≠ carriage by haemoglobin ≠ delivery by blood flow. Exercise raises tissue O₂ use and CO₂ production, then ventilation and cardiac output respond together.
Failure site: thick barrier alters diffusion; reduced haemoglobin alters carriage; low flow alters delivery. Identical V/Q ratios need not mean identical absolute transfer when both V and Q differ.
7 · Digestion → ATP CH 05 · map + FAQ
Digestion supplies absorbable molecules; catabolic redox pathways transfer energy into gradients; ATP couples it to work. CH 05 fig. 1.
Boundary / route
Question to ask
Lumen → epithelium
Was the nutrient digested and absorbed?
Epithelium → blood/lymph
Which transport route carries it?
Circulation → cell
Can target tissue take it up?
Inside cell
Oxidise, convert or store?
Shared network, different entry: glucose can be oxidised, stored as glycogen or synthesised onward; fatty acids enter central pathways after beta oxidation; amino acids need nitrogen handling before carbon skeleton use.
Trap Digestion is not cellular respiration. Successful absorption does not prove uptake or oxidation.
8 · Fed ↔ Fasting CH 06 · map + worked
State changes fuel traffic rather than flipping every pathway fully on or off. CH 06 fig. 1.
Fed
Postabsorptive / fasting
Intestinal delivery; insulin pattern; immediate oxidation; glycogen and reserve synthesis.
Glycogen support → gluconeogenesis; fatty-acid mobilisation; ketone availability rises over time.
Route discriminator: pancreatic exocrine products travel by ducts to intestine; endocrine hormones enter blood. Portal blood delivers absorbed nutrient to liver; bile uses a ductal route.
Totals before shares: an internal contribution can rise while total supply falls if absorbed delivery falls by more.
Fasting order: declining intestinal delivery → shorter-interval glycogen support → gluconeogenesis → greater fatty-acid reliance → rising ketone availability. Hormonal signals act through different receptors and time courses.
9 · Renal Mass Balance CH 07 · map + worked
Assign the compartment and direction before the sign. Filtration enters nephron fluid; reabsorption returns to blood; secretion adds to tubule. CH 07 fig. 1.
Put this high on your own sheetExcretion = filtered − reabsorbed + secreted Clearance = urine concentration × urine flow ÷ plasma concentration
If only this changes
Direct effect
Reabsorption inhibited
More stays in tubule → excretion rises.
Secretion rises
Excretion rises; can exceed filtered load.
GFR high
More volume enters nephrons; not equal to urine flow because later transport intervenes.
Sequence: renal corpuscle → proximal region → loop → distal region → collecting system. Early changes alter the load delivered downstream; distal/hormonal regulation can modify the final urine response.
10 · Water Logic CH 08 · FAQ
Draw compartments first: concentration cannot automatically be converted into total amount or volume.
The medullary gradient provides the osmotic setting for water conservation when collecting segments are sufficiently permeable. Low conserving signal can leave more water in tubular fluid and produce more dilute urine.
Trap Small urine volume does not by itself prove concentrated urine; compare solute with water.
Filtration barrier: water and suitable small solutes enter Bowman’s space; cells and most large proteins are retained normally. GFR is volume entering nephrons per time, not final urine flow. Interpret clearance only after asking whether the substance is freely filtered, reabsorbed or secreted.
11 · Acid–Base Clocks CH 08 · worked + FAQ
pH = −log₁₀[H⁺]. A tenfold [H⁺] rise lowers pH by 1; a twofold rise lowers it by about 0.30. CH 08 fig. 1.
Initiator
Primary direction
Ventilation ↓
CO₂ retained → respiratory acidic shift.
Ventilation ↑
CO₂ removed → respiratory alkaline shift.
Non-respiratory primary change
Classify as metabolic; compensation does not rename origin.
Decision rule Primary variable → direction → time available → compensation. Never name the disorder from its compensation.
12 · Reproduction Loop CH 09 · evidence boundary
Layer
What to label
Central
Neural-endocrine signal to pituitary level.
Pituitary
Blood-borne output to responsive gonadal tissue.
Gonad
Local function + steroid/peptide products at distant targets.
Feedback
Usually stabilising; reinforcing only in its specified state/phase.
Sequence: production → maturation → release → transport → fertilisation → division/movement → implantation. Attach location and time; later structures cannot cause earlier events.
13 · Defence Layers CH 10 · map + FAQ
Barriers and innate recognition precede antigen handling, matched lymphocyte expansion, effectors, resolution and memory. CH 10 fig. 1.
Innate
Adaptive
Rapid; encoded recognition of recurring microbial/damage patterns; barriers, cells and mediators.
Diverse receptors; context-dependent activation; clonal expansion; antigen-specific effectors and memory.
Re-exposure: memory speeds matched adaptive response; it does not replace barriers or innate response. Not all lymphocytes secrete antibody.
A4 landscape · side 2Drill before the final · planning copy only
HUBS1404
Biomedical Science Part 2 · Drills & Fast Recall
University of Newcastle · Semester 2 2026
Full guide + ask Sia about HUBS1404
SIDE 2 · DRILL BEFORE THE EXAMWHICH IS TRUE? · calculate → contrast → explain the first causal linkall course material
14 · MCQ Decoder all chapters · FAQ
Answer at the earliest broken link. Real terms can still form a false option when compartment, direction, scale or timing is wrong.
False: ratio shows mismatch, not which term changed.
Small urine volume proves high concentration.
False: concentration needs solute relative to water.
Memory replaces innate defence later.
False: re-exposure layers matched memory onto early defence.
Option audit: circle the noun naming the compartment, underline the changed variable, and mark ↑/↓ beside the earliest link. If two choices share the same endpoint, prefer the one that preserves the correct route and timing. A downstream true fact cannot rescue an option whose first causal link is false.
Explain-aloud frame“The changed variable is __ in __. The first direct effect is __ because __. Over __ time, __ compensation can __; therefore option __ is true.”
Error log Label every miss: vocabulary · direction · compartment · scale · calculation · timing.
15 · Cardiac Timing Drill CH 01 · worked
Use the conduction order while calculating: 60 ÷ 75 = 0.80 s; 60 ÷ 100 = 0.60 s; the cycle is 25% shorter. CH 01 fig. 1 + worked example.
Rate trap Convert beats/min to seconds per cycle before interpreting the mechanism. From 75→100 bpm: 0.80→0.60 s; reduction = 0.20/0.80 = 25%. A shorter cycle limits filling time.
Which is true? Flow falls from 5 to 4 despite ΔP rising; resistance dominates the quotient. Radius is a powerful resistance control. CH 02 fig. 1 + worked example.
Stem change
First line to write
Valve failure
Altered direction/pressure loading before symptom.
Arteriolar constriction
Radius ↓ → resistance ↑ → local perfusion tends ↓ if gradient fixed.
Many capillaries in parallel
Total cross-sectional area ↑ → average velocity ↓.
Sanity: equal upstream/downstream pressures give no directed bulk flow. Dilation lowers resistance, but realised flow still depends on the gradient. Velocity is not total organ flow.
Short-answer frame “Although ΔP rose by __, R rose from __ to __; because flow is their quotient, flow __.”
17 · Ventilation Application CH 03 · worked
A: 500 mL × 12/min. B: 300 mL × 20/min. Dead space = 150 mL.
Minute
Alveolar
A
500×12 = 6000 mL/min
(500−150)×12 = 4200
B
300×20 = 6000 mL/min
(300−150)×20 = 3000
Pattern A delivers 1200 mL/min more fresh gas beyond dead space. Subtract dead space before multiplying.
Mechanics check: shallow breathing uses more of each breath in dead space. If compliance, airway radius or pleural coupling changes, identify that relation before predicting ventilation.
Capacity trap: a capacity containing residual volume cannot be measured simply by collecting only gas entering and leaving the mouth.
18 · V/Q & Gas Traps CH 04 · worked + FAQ
Region A V/Q = 4/5 = 0.80; B = 2/4 = 0.50, so B has poorer ventilation relative to blood flow. The ratio alone does not identify the cause. CH 04 fig. 1 + worked example.
Which is true?
Resolution
O₂ and CO₂ cannot cross one membrane in opposite directions.
False: each follows its own partial-pressure gradient.
A diffusion defect and low haemoglobin capacity are the same failure.
False: barrier transfer versus blood carriage.
Exercise response begins with lung activity.
False: working tissue O₂ use ↑ and CO₂ production ↑; integrated supply responds.
Reduced alveolar ventilation causes a renal disorder.
Exercise: tissue O₂ use ↑ and CO₂ production ↑ → gradients/unloading change → local flow, cardiac output and ventilation rise. Ventilation without adequate circulation cannot deliver O₂.
Explain-aloud frame“At the __ boundary, gas __ moves from __ to __ because its own partial pressure is higher at __. Blood then carries it by __.”
19 · ATP Accounting CH 05 · worked
Supplied model: 6 substrate units; 2 ATP early + 8 ATP later per unit.
Early = 6×2 = 12 ATP Later = 6×8 = 48 ATP Total = 60 ATP Shares: 12/60 = 20%; 48/60 = 80%
Use values supplied in the question and add each contribution once: 12 early + 48 later = 60 ATP. CH 05 fig. 1 + worked example.
Pathways: catabolism breaks substrates; anabolism builds and needs energy; oxidation is electron loss. Cytosolic glycolysis and later oxidative phosphorylation are distinct steps.
Direction fixes the arithmetic: 120 filtered − 95 reabsorbed + 15 secreted = 40 mg/min excreted. CH 07 fig. 1 + worked example.
Which is true? Inhibiting reabsorption raises excretion if other terms are fixed. Secretion can make excretion exceed filtered load. Urine flow does not equal GFR because downstream transport acts.
22 · pH Application CH 08 · worked
Given: [H⁺] rises from 40 to 80 nmol/L.
Ratio = 80 ÷ 40 = 2 ΔpH = −log₁₀(2) ≈ −0.301 Therefore pH falls by about 0.30; it is not halved.
Doubling [H⁺] from 40 to 80 nmol/L lowers pH by log₁₀(2) ≈ 0.30. CH 08 fig. 1 + worked example.
Time / cause
Which is true?
Immediate
Protein and phosphate buffers can act first.
Short regulatory interval
Ventilation can alter CO₂ removal.
Slower
Renal H⁺ secretion and buffer recovery/generation contribute.
After compensation
Name remains based on initiating respiratory/metabolic change.
Cause/compensation: ventilation ↓ retains CO₂ → respiratory acidic shift; ventilation ↑ removes CO₂ → respiratory alkaline shift. A non-respiratory primary change is metabolic. Compensation does not rename it.
23 · Development Sequence CH 09 · worked
Invented stage model: 120 → 90 → 54 → 45 cells.
Transition
Retention
120 → 90
90/120 = 75%
90 → 54
54/90 = 60% (lowest)
54 → 45
45/54 = 83.3%
Overall
45/120 = 37.5%
Keep source, target, feedback and sequence visible while comparing transition percentages with overall retention. CH 09 fig. 1 + worked example.
Explain-aloud frame“Stage __ occurs in __ after __. Its transition retention is __/__ = __%, while overall retention uses the original denominator: __/__ = __%.”
Primary fold = 3000/200 = 15-fold Later fold = 20,000/800 = 25-fold Final-total ratio = 20,000/3000 = 6.67×
Place the calculation on the response timeline: primary 15-fold; later matched response 25-fold and 6.67× the final total. CH 10 fig. 1 + worked example.
Which is true?
Resolution
Innate means random.
False: encoded recognition of recurring microbial/damage patterns.
Antigen contact activates every adaptive pathway.
False: matching, context and supporting signals matter.
Every lymphocyte secretes antibody.
False: B-cell descendants may; other lymphocytes coordinate, kill or persist as memory.
Bigger inflammation is always better.
False: judge threat control and collateral tissue damage.
Timeline: barrier → local recognition/mediators → recruited cells → antigen handling → matched expansion → effectors → resolution → memory. Re-exposure keeps early innate stages but changes matched adaptive history.
25 · Final Fast-Recall Grid CH 01–10
Prompt
Write / say first
Cardiac
Electrical site → pressure/mechanics → flow.
Haemodynamics
Two pressures; ΔP/R; local or systemic?
Ventilation
Muscle → volume → Pᴀʟᴠ vs Pᴀᴛᴍ → flow.
Gas exchange
Gas-specific gradient; V/Q; diffusion vs carriage.
Metabolism
Compartment; carbon/electron route; state; total.
Renal
Filter − reabsorb + secrete = excrete.
Acid–base
Primary variable; direction; time; compensation.
Reproduction
Source → target → feedback; location + sequence.
Immunity
Barrier → innate → matched expansion → memory.
Own-page priority: signed relationships → denominators/balances → compartments → time chains → one worked number per calculation → error traps. Remove prose clear from arrows.
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