Section 3.

4 • Steady-State Analysis Using SIMULINK 45

L Muscle:
L = Lo-G Mfe

Figure 3.4 The point of intersection (E)

between the "muscle" and "spindle + spinal
cord" plots yields the steady-state operating
point of the muscle stretch reflex system.

The above considerations point to a third but nongraphical way of arriving at the same
answer: simultaneous solution of the algebraic equations represented by Equations (3.13)
through (3.15). Eliminatingfa and Ie from these three equations, we obtain the equilibrium
solution (L 3 ) for L:

(3.17)

Substituting Equation (3.17) into Equation (3.16) yields the equilibrium solutions (fa3 and
le3) for the afferent and efferent neural discharge frequencies, respectively:

GsLo
(3.18)
fa3 = 1 + GMGCG S
GcGsLo
(3.19)
Ie3 = 1 + GMGCG S

3.4 STEADY-STATE ANALYSIS USING SIMULINK

In systems that contain several components, graphical solution of the steady-state operating
point may prove to be somewhat laborious. Furthermore, if these components are nonlinear,
simultaneous solution of the corresponding algebraic equations could be difficult. In such
situations, it may be useful to solve the problem through numerical means. In this section, we
illustrate how a steady-state analysis may be conducted using SIMULINK.
We tum once again to our simple model of the muscle stretch reflex. In the present
example, however, we will assume a nonlinear relationship to represent L versus Ie for the
muscle component:

(3.20)
46 Chapter 3 • Static Analysis of Physiological Systems

For simplicity, we have scaled all variables involved (L, fa, and Ie) to their corresponding
maximum values, so that scaled variables will range between 0 and 1. To represent the
spindle, we assume another nonlinear expression:

fa = 0.6Leo. 5L (3.21)
Finally, for the spinal cord, we will assume a simple linear gain:

t; =fa (3.22)

For reference purposes, we first deduce the steady-state operating point of this system using
the graphical procedure described in the previous section. Figure 3.5 shows, on the same set
of axes, a plot of the muscle characteristics (Equation (3.20» superimposed against a plot of
the combined characteristics of the spindle and spinal cord (Equation (3.21) and Equation
(3.22) combined). The intersection, labeled E, represents the steady-state operating point of
this system; here, L = 0.58 and j, = 0.47.
The SIMULINK implementation of the above model, labeled "ms rflx . mdl ", is
shown in Figure 3.6. The three system components, representing the spinal cord, muscle,
and spindle, are linked together in a closed loop. The spinal cord component takes the form of
a simple linear gain function (with gain = 1). To represent the nonlinear muscle character-
istics, we employ the Fen block from the Nonlinear blocks library. This block allows us
to custom-design any mathematical relation using MATLAB-styled expressions. The
MATLAB expression corresponding to Equation (3.20) is
1 - u"5/(O.5"5 + u"5)

1.0 ~--o--=:::=-----------------~

Muscle
(Plant)

0.8
Spindle+
SpinalCord
(Feedback element
+ Controller)

0.2

0.0 4-'-...J.-L.J'--r-oL-...LJ"..,I~...L.-I--I""""""~~~""""""""-I....oIo.""""'-~""T'""'-'L...L.-oL.~"""""""'""r""-'~

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

Efferent Neural frequency, fe (arbitrary units)

Figure 3.5 Steady-state solution for muscle stretch reflex model with nonlinear char-
acteristics. The equilibrium point is labeled E.
Section 3.4 • Steady-State Analysis Using SIMULINK 47

where "u", the default inputvariable name, representsji. The samekind of Fcn blockis used
to represent the spindle characteristics. Here, the corresponding MATLAB expression is

0.6 *u *exp(O.5 *u)

where u (again, the default input variable name) now represents L. Since this SIMULINK
implementation solves the system of equations, Equations (3.20) through (3.22), in an
iterative fashion, an "initial guess" of the solution has to be made. We achieve this by
introducing an initial "impulse" into the closed loop. This is done by using a Pulse
Genera tor blockfrom the Sources library. The periodof the pulse is set to a value(15s)
larger than the duration (i.e., simulation time = lOs) for which the simulation will be run.
The "impulse" is approximated by using a very shortpulse duration by setting the duty cycle
in the Pulse Generator block to 0.75%. The magnitude of the pulse can be set to some
arbitrary number; we have chosen a value of unity in this case. A Scope block is positioned
to display how L would behave as a function of "time" (which translates into iteration
number, since this is a steady-state, and not dynamic, analysis). Sincewe are interested in the
final steady-state operating point, we introduce an XY Graph block to plot L versus h at
every iteration. Figure 3.7 shows the results of one simulation, using a total simulation
duration of "10 s" and time step of "0.01 s". In Figure 3.7a, L can be seen to start off at its
initial condition of 1 and very rapidly converge to its steady-state solution of 0.58. In Figure
3.7b, where L is plottedagainsth, the solution begins at point (1,1)and follows a straight line
trajectory to end at the final steady-state point wherej, = 0.47 and L = 0.58. This solution is
consistent with the reference solution obtained graphically (see Figure 3.5).
In the sections that follow, we will perform steady-state analyses of threephysiological
control models. The purpose is not only to show further examples of the analysis procedures
that we have been discussing, but also to demonstrate to the reader that steady-state analysis
can yield important insights into the integrative physiology of the system in question.

L vaf.

JUlIl t----_
Pulse
Generlltor1

f.
feu)

Spinal Cord
MUlCle

fa L

Spindle

Figure 3.6 SIMULINK program "ms rflx . mdl " used for steady-state analysis of the
muscle stretch reflex model.
48 Chapter 3 • Static Analysis of Physiological Systems

0.95

0.9

0.85

0.8

...J 0.75

0.7

0.65

0.6
l'------~-----.-- ----~---~--__I ..

0.55

0.5
o 4 10
(8) Time (sees)

xv Plot

0.9

0.8
en
·x
ct Figure 3.7 Sample simulation results from
>- 0.7 the SIMULINK model of Figure 3.6. (a)
0.6 After short initial transient, L settles quickly
to its steady state value of 0.58; (b) L (Kaxis)
0.5 is plotted against Ie (X-axis). Starting from
0.4 0.6 0.8 initial conditions at (1,1), the system heads
X Axis for its final steady-state operating point at
(b)
Ie = 0.47 and L = 0.58.

3.5 REGULATION OF CARDIAC OUTPUT

The fundamental notion underlying cardiac output regulation was best summarized by S.W.
Patterson, H. Piper, and E.H. Starling (1914) in what is commonly called Starling s Law. They
stated in their classic paper that

The output ofthe heart is equal to and determined by the amount ofblood flowing into the heart,
and may be increased or diminished within very wide limits according to the inflow.

In other words, in the steady state, the venous return, which is determined primarily by the
mechanical properties of the systemic circulation, is always equal to the cardiac output, which
is a function of many factors affecting the pumping ability of the heart.