| biological control systems | a control system capable of maintaining homeostasis within a cell or organ system in a living creature.
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| effector | organ or body part that responds to stimulation by an efferent neuron (e.g., skeletal muscle in a withdrawal reflex).
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| gain | refers to the amount of correction that a control system is capable of achieving.
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| homeostasis | the maintenance of a constant internal environment.
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| integrating center | the portion of a biological control system that processes the information from the receptors and issues an appropriate response relative to its set point.
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| negative feedback | describes the response from a control system that reduces the size of the stimulus, e.g., an elevated blood glucose concentration causes the secretion of insulin which, in turn, lowers the blood glucose concentration.
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| receptor | in the nervous system, a receptor is a specialized portion of an afferent neuron (or a special cell attached to an afferent neuron) that is sensitive to a form of energy in the environment; receptor is also a term that applies to unique proteins on the surface of cells that can bind specific hormones or neurotransmitters.
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| steady-state | describes the tendency of a control system to achieve a balance between an environmental demand and the response of a physiological system to meet that demand to allow the tissue (body) to function over a period of time.
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