Biological Feedback Research Articles

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING IN BIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK MODE FOR CORRECTION OF THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STATE IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

The aim: The current study aimed to examine the possibility of correction of the psychophysiological state of the undergraduate students by diaphragmatic breathing sessions in the biological feedback mode utilizing heart rate variability. Materials and methods: The study enrolled 86 students 18 to 20 years old. Assessment of the functional state of the ANS was performed bycardiointervalography (CIG) and analysis of the spectral indices of HRV by the hardware-software complex "Cardiolab" (КAI Medica, Ukraine). A complex assessment of the autonomic homeostasis was performed using IARS calculated by a special algorithm. Assessment of the psychophysiological state of students was performed by questionnaires. Results: Among the examined population, 45% of students were in the state of satisfactory adaptation, 43% - in the state of functional tension, and 12% - in the state of unsatisfactory adaptation. Students with poor level of adaptation and depletion of regulatory mechanisms had higher heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressure, and RR compared to the students in the state of satisfactory and strained adaptation. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the average intensity of psychosomatic complaints has significant differences between groups with varying degrees of tension of regulatory mechanisms.

The Effectiveness of Various Types of Psychological Correction of Anxiety in Primary School.

At various stages of the development and education of children, there are psychoemotional difficulties that create prerequisites for impairment of the development of the child’s personality. The timely detection of difficulties in schoolchildren and therapeutic efforts are important for the formation of a psychologically healthy personality. The study of the effectiveness of various remedial techniques for childhood anxiety has therefore become theoretically and practically significant. The purpose of our study is to determine the effectiveness of various types of such therapeutic efforts: social and psychological training, a method of biological feedback, and Sandplay for the indicators of childhood anxiety among younger schoolchildren. The study was conducted in the school of Magadan, northeast of Russia (9–10-year-old students, n = 43). We used a standardized method of Multidimensional Assessment of Child Anxiety which included 10 scales. The following therapeutic efforts were used: sociopsychological training (SPT), biofeedback method (BFB), individual and group Sandplay. Students of group I (n = 12) participated only in the SPT. Students of group II (n = 11) participated in the SPT and underwent a course of training in self-regulation using the BFB method. In therapy work with the students of group III (n = 20), the SPT, BFB, individual and group Sandplay were used. In group I, after the therapy sessions, a significant decrease in anxiety was observed in 3 of 10 scales (2, 6, 7; p < 0.05). In group II, it was seen in 5 scales (1, 3, 6, 7, 8; p < 0.05). In group III, significant improvements took place in 7 scales (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10; p < 0.01–p < 0.05). The present study has shown the different efficacy of applying the remedial techniques separately and in combination. The use of the therapy methods, in the complex, enhances the impact on the types of child anxiety.

THE ROLE OF NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS IN CHILDREN WITH ENCOPRESIS OPERATED ON FOR ANORECTAL ABNORMALITIES

After clinical and neurophysiological examinations of 22 patients with developmental anomalies of the rectum and anus, who suffered of fecal incontinence of type III and who were operated in the Vladimirsky Moscow Region Clinical Institute, a modern approach to the diagnostics of neuromuscular disorders has been proposed. A particular attention was paid to the sacral plexus and its branches. A detailed examination of the sexual nerve and its functions was made using a St. Mark disposable rectal electrode. The optimal evaluation of motor potentials from the thigh muscles under transrectal stimulation of the sacral plexus was made; findings of EMG diagnostics were compared too. The researchers backgrounded an optimal modality for treating this pathology: not only surgical tactics, but also patient’s reserve capabilities in restoring lost functions using EMG biological feedback.

Synchronous biological feedbacks in parrotfishes associated with pantropical coral bleaching.

Biological feedbacks generated through patterns of disturbance are vital for sustaining ecosystem states. Recent ocean warming and thermal anomalies have caused pantropical episodes of coral bleaching, which has led to widespread coral mortality and a range of subsequent effects on coral reef communities. Although the response of many reef-associated fishes to major disturbance events on coral reefs is negative (e.g., reduced abundance and condition), parrotfishes show strong feedbacks after disturbance to living reef structure manifesting as increases in abundance. However, the mechanisms underlying this response are poorly understood. Using biochronological reconstructions of annual otolith (ear stone) growth from two ocean basins, we tested whether parrotfish growth was enhanced following bleaching-related coral mortality, thus providing an organismal mechanism for demographic changes in populations. Both major feeding guilds of parrotfishes (scrapers and excavators) exhibited enhanced growth of individuals after bleaching that was decoupled from expected thermal performance, a pattern that was not evident in other reef fish taxa from the same environment. These results provide evidence for a more nuanced ecological feedback system-one where disturbance plays a key role in mediating parrotfish-benthos interactions. By influencing the biology of assemblages, disturbance can thereby stimulate change in parrotfish grazing intensity and ultimately reef geomorphology over time. This feedback cycle operated historically at within-reef scales; however, our results demonstrate that the scale, magnitude, and severity of recent thermal events are entraining the biological responses of disparate communities to respond in synchrony. This may fundamentally alter feedbacks in the relationships between parrotfishes and reef systems.

Weathering rates in Swedish forest soils

Abstract. Soil and water acidification was internationally recognised as a severe environmental problem in the late 1960s. The interest in establishing “critical loads” led to a peak in weathering research in the 1980s and 1990s, since base cation weathering is the long-term counterbalance to acidification pressure. Assessments of weathering rates and associated uncertainties have recently become an area of renewed research interest, this time due to demand for forest residues to provide renewable bioenergy. Increased demand for forest fuels increases the risk of depleting the soils of base cations produced in situ by weathering. This is the background to the research programme Quantifying Weathering Rates for Sustainable Forestry (QWARTS), which ran from 2012 to 2019. The programme involved research groups working at different scales, from laboratory experiments to modelling. The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the variation in published weathering rates of base cations from different approaches in Sweden, with consideration of the key uncertainties for each method; (2) assess the robustness of the results in relation to sustainable forestry; and (3) discuss the results in relation to new insights from the QWARTS programme and propose ways to further reduce uncertainties. In the study we found that the variation in estimated weathering rates at single-site level was large, but still most sites could be placed reliably in broader classes of weathering rates. At the regional level, the results from the different approaches were in general agreement. Comparisons with base cation losses after stem-only and whole-tree harvesting showed sites where whole-tree harvesting was clearly not sustainable and other sites where variation in weathering rates from different approaches obscured the overall balance. Clear imbalances appeared mainly after whole-tree harvesting in spruce forests in southern and central Sweden. Based on the research findings in the QWARTS programme, it was concluded that the PROFILE/ForSAFE family of models provides the most important fundamental understanding of the contribution of weathering to long-term availability of base cations to support forest growth. However, these approaches should be continually assessed against other approaches. Uncertainties in the model approaches can be further reduced, mainly by finding ways to reduce uncertainties in input data on soil texture and associated hydrological parameters but also by developing the models, e.g. to better represent biological feedbacks under the influence of climate change.

The Effect of Physical Exercise on Controlling Balance among the Visually Impaired Elderly using Auditory-Vibratory Alarming Feedback Device.

Introduction : The quality of stability, which refers to balance, is defined as the power to maintain center of mass in relation to base of support. Considering the fact that elderly who are visually impaired encounter problems related to keep balance and its effect on their social activities, the aim of the current research was to study the effect of physical exercise on using audio-vibratory alarming feedback device on controlling balance among the visually impaired elderly. Materials and Methods: Thirty visually impaired elderly, whose impaired was confirmed using Snellen chart and opticians devices, were randomly chosen and divided into two groups of physical exercise and physical exercise with using biological feedback device. The exercise was of two types of tasks, standing alone or walking along with kinetic and thinking tasks. The elderly chosen for this test participated in posttest and pretest balance assessment using stabilometer. The groups exercised for 12 weeks and twice a week. To analyze the data, we used independent t and repeated measures ANOVA tests. Results : Physical exercise with and without using biological feedback device had significant effect on balance in visually impaired elderly (P = 0.001). Based on the independent t test, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the effect on balance at posttest test; and the group of exercise with using device showed a better performance related (P = 0.035). Conclusion: Doing exercises using alarming biological feedback device can improve balance criteria. In this regard, multi-sensory manipulations based on substitution and adapting approaches can lead to even better results, and increase the effectiveness.

A Device for the Rehabilitation Therapy of Patients with Motor Pathology Using Mechanotherapy, Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation of the Spinal Cord, and Biological Feedback

A device − Biokin − for the rehabilitation of patients with neurological motor impairments was developed, with the capacity to provide mechanotherapy in combination with transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and biological feedback. The Biokin device includes a mechanical unit for moving the patient’s lower limbs, a Biostim-5 five-channel stimulator for transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation, a biological feedback unit, and a control and switching unit; the system is controlled by computer. The device can be used in therapeutic, therapeutic-prophylactic, and scientific research facilities or at home.

Exposure of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357 to the Environmental Toxin, 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxin, Results in a Hyper Aflatoxicogenic Phenotype: A Possible Role for Caleosin/Peroxygenase (AfPXG).

Aflatoxins (AFs) as potent food contaminants are highly detrimental to human and animal health. The production of such biological toxins is influenced by environmental factors including pollutants, such as dioxins. Here, we report the biological feedback of an active AF-producer strain of A. flavus upon in vitro exposure to the most toxic congener of dioxins, the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The phenotype of TCDD-exposed A. flavus was typified by a severe limitation in vegetative growth, activation of conidia formation and a significant boost in AF production. Furthermore, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in fungal protoplast was increased (3.1- to 3.8-fold) in response to TCDD exposure at 10 and 50 ng mL–1, respectively. In parallel, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were, respectively, increased by a factor of 2 and 3. In contrast to controls, transcript, protein and enzymatic activity of caleosin/peroxygenase (AfPXG) was also significantly induced in TCDD-exposed fungi. Subsequently, fungal cells accumulated fivefold more lipid droplets (LDs) than controls. Moreover, the TCDD-exposed fungi exhibited twofold higher levels of AFB1. Interestingly, TCDD-induced hyperaflatoxicogenicity was drastically abolished in the AfPXG-silencing strain of A. flavus, suggesting a role for AfPXG in fungal response to TCDD. Finally, TCDD-exposed fungi showed an increased in vitro virulence in terms of sporulation and AF production. The data highlight the possible effects of dioxin on aflatoxicogenicity of A. flavus and suggest therefore that attention should be paid in particular to the potential consequences of climate change on global food safety.

Transcriptome analysis revealed the mechanism of the metabolic toxicity and susceptibility of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate on adolescent male ICR mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The prevalence of adolescent type 2 diabetes mellitus (A-T2DM) is increasing year by year. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widely used plasticizer, could exacerbate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study aimed to investigate the metabolic toxicity, susceptibility and mechanism of DEHP exposure to A-T2DM. DEHP was administered orally (0, 0.18, 1.8, 18, and 180mg/kg/day) for 3weeks to adolescent normal mice (A-normal mice) and established A-T2DM mice. The results of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels showed that the susceptibility of A-T2DM mice to DEHP exposure was more significant than that of A-normal mice. DEHP, interfering with glucose and lipid metabolism of A-normal and A-T2DM mice, caused the body weight increase of A-normal mice and decrease of A-T2DM mice. Besides, DEHP could cause more injury of cardiovascular, hepatic and renal function to A-T2DM mice than A-normal mice. Hepatic transcriptome analysis revealed that DEHP exposure interfered with the biological feedback adjustment of endocrine and metabolic system in A-T2DM mice and then led to the development of T2DM. According to the transcriptome results, insulin signaling transduction pathway was applied and researched by immunoassay. It was discovered that DEHP reduced insulin sensitivity and disturbed insulin signaling transduction, glucose utilization, lipid synthesis and protein synthesis. Collectively, DEHP could disturb the endocrine and metabolic functions and increase the insulin resistance in adolescent mice. Moreover, the adolescent T2DM mice are more sensitive to DEHP-induced endocrine and metabolic toxicity than the healthy adolescent mice.

Comparative prospective study of biofeedback therapy and neuromuscular electrical stimulation in rehabilitation of patients with pelvic floor dysfunctions

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of the combined effects of biological feedback (BFB therapy) and electroimpulse stimulation (EIS) in rehabilitation of patients with pelvic floor dysfunctions. Materials and methods. A comparative prospective study included 235 women with clinical and ultrasound signs of genital prolapse stages I-IV according to POP-Q. The observation program was completed by 209 patients who were divided into group 1 with stage I-II prolapse and group 2 with stage III-IV prolapse. Vaginal extraperitoneal vaginopexy with installation of mesh implant was performed in group 2 patients before inclusion in the study. Lifestyle modification was recommended for all patients. In each group, patients were divided into subgroups of control and treatment (BOS-therapy and EIS). Group 1: subgroup A - control (n=47), subgroup B - treatment (n=56); group 2: subgroup C - control (n=49), subgroup D - treatment (n=57). Index of influence on the quality of life (IQOLI) and parameters of ultrasound were evaluated.Results. After a year of observation, in subgroup A, the IQOLI decreased by 5%, in subgroup B by 64% ( p< 0.05); in subgroup C, IQOLI decreased by 32%, in subgroup D - by 63% of the initial value ( p <0.05). In subgroup B, there was a statistically significant decrease in the size of the anterior urethro - vesical angle during the Valsalva test and in rotation of the alpha angle under load, leveling or reducing signs of genital prolapse in all patients. In subgroup A, the ultrasound parameters did not change, the dynamics of the prolapse stages were not noted. After a year of the program, the size of the anterior urethro - vesical angle at rest statistically significantly decreased in subgroups C and D. In subgroup D, the rotation of the alpha angle during loading, the size of the anterior urethro - vesical angle during the Valsalva test, and the smoothness of the beta angle at rest also decreased. In subgroup C, 4 (8%) cases of recurrence of genital prolapse were recorded; in subgroup D, no relapses were observed ( p =0.023).Conclusion. In patients with genital prolapse, both I-II stages and III-IV stages after surgical treatment, the use of biofe - edback therapy and EIS are more effective than the standard recommendations for lifestyle modification with regard to reducing IQOLI and changing ultrasound parameters. Adherence to rehabilitation program was 89%.

Coloured Algebras and Biological Response in Quantum Biological Computing Architectures

This paper reports about progress in two areas towards quantum computing architectures with elements inspired from biological controls, as proposed in an earlier paper. The first area is about exploiting mathematical results in coloured algebras, which, combined with the colouring of particle flows, would reduce the decoherence and enhance the decidability in the quantum processing elements; definitions are being recalled, with the required assumptions and results. The second area is to provide experimental results, and a patented biological feedback process in synapse , about light and acoustic excitations in a live animal species to enhance reactivity; the experimental set-up is characterized , the measurement results provided, and the implications are explicated for quantum processing elements approximating a synapse. A paragraph on open issues explains how the results in the two areas will be combined and will help in the design a very early compiler version.

A Systematic Scoping Review of Surgically Manipulated Adipose Tissue and the Regulation of Energetics and Body Fat in Animals.

Surgical manipulations of adipose tissue by removal, or partial lipectomy, have demonstrated body fat compensation and recovered body weight, suggesting that the body is able to resist changes to body composition. However, the mechanisms underlying these observations are not well-understood. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an update on what is currently known about the regulation of energetics and body fat after surgical manipulations of adipose tissue in small mammals. PubMed and SCOPUS were searched to identify n=64 eligible studies. Outcome measures included: body fat, body weight, food intake and circulating biomarkers. Surgeries performed included: lipectomy (72%) or transplantation (12%) in mice (35%), rats (35%), and other small mammals. Findings suggested that lipectomy did not have consistent long-term effects on reducing body weight and fat since regain occurred within 12–14 weeks post-surgery. Hence, biological feedback mechanisms act to resist long-term changes of body weight/fat. Further, whether this weight and fat regain occurred due to “passive” and “active” regulation under the “set-point” or “settling-points” theories cannot fully be discerned due to limitations in study designs and data collected. In conclusion, the regulation of energetics and body fat are complex and dynamic processes that require further studies of the interplay of genetic, physiological, and behavioral factors.

Hard Limits and Performance Tradeoffs in a Class of Antithetic Integral Feedback Networks.

Feedback regulation is pervasive in biology at both the organismal and cellular level. In this article, we explore the properties of a particular biomolecular feedback mechanism called antithetic integral feedback, which can be implemented using the binding of two molecules. Our work develops an analytic framework for understanding the hard limits, performance tradeoffs, and architectural properties of this simple model of biological feedback control. Using tools from control theory, we show that there are simple parametric relationships that determine both the stability and the performance of these systems in terms of speed, robustness, steady-state error, and leakiness. These findings yield a holistic understanding of the behavior of antithetic integral feedback and contribute to a more general theory of biological control systems.

Deep multiphysics: Coupling discrete multiphysics with machine learning to attain self-learning in-silico models replicating human physiology.

The objective of this study is to devise a modelling strategy for attaining in-silico models replicating human physiology and, in particular, the activity of the autonomic nervous system. Discrete Multiphysics (a multiphysics modelling technique) and Reinforcement Learning (a Machine Learning algorithm) are combined to achieve an in-silico model with the ability of self-learning and replicating feedback loops occurring in human physiology. Computational particles, used in Discrete Multiphysics to model biological systems, are associated to (computational) neurons: Reinforcement Learning trains these neurons to behave like they would in real biological systems. As benchmark/validation, we use the case of peristalsis in the oesophagus. Results show that the in-silico model effectively learns by itself how to propel the bolus in the oesophagus. The combination of first principles modelling (e.g. multiphysics) and machine learning (e.g. Reinforcement Learning) represents a new powerful tool for in-silico modelling of human physiology. Biological feedback loops occurring, for instance, in peristaltic or metachronal motion, which until now could not be accounted for in in-silico models, can be tackled by the proposed technique.

Efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with penetrating moxibustion for postpartum stress urinary incontinence

To compare the clinical effect differences between electroacupuncture (EA) combined with penetrating moxibustion and the biological feedback training of pelvic floor muscle for postpartum stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Sixty patients of SUI who had delivery 42 days ago were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. The observation group was treated with EA and penetrating moxibustion. EA was applied at Ciliao (BL 32) and Huiyang (BL 35), combined with acupuncture at Qihai (CV 6), Zhongji (CV 3), Zigong (EX-CA 1), Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6); penetrating moxibustion was performed on abdomen and lumbosacral area. The control group was treated with biological feedback training of pelvic floor muscle. Both the groups were treated once every other day, 3 times per week for continuous 6 weeks. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICI-Q-SF), 1 h urinal pad test and pelvic floor muscle strength were tested before and after treatment; the efficacy was evaluated after treatment and at 6-month follow-up visit. Compared before treatment, the ICI-Q-SF score and 1 h urine leakage were significantly reduced after treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), and the reduction in the observation group was superior to that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the pelvic muscle strength of muscle fibers Ⅰand Ⅱ were significantly increased after treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), and the differences between the two groups had no statistical significance (P>0.05). After treatment, the cured rate and total effective rate were 70.0% (21/30) and 96.7% (29/30) in the observation group, which were superior to 33.3% (10/30) and 70.0% (21/30) in the control group (P<0.01); in the 6-month postpartum period, the cured rate and total effective rate were 63.3% (19/30) and 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, which were superior to 30.0% (9/30) and 66.7% (20/30) in the control group (P<0.05). EA combined with penetrating moxibustion could improve the urinary control ability, relieve the symptoms of urinary incontinence and have a better long-term effect in patients with postpartum SUI, which is superior to biological feedback training of pelvic floor muscle.

МЕСТО СИНХРОННОГО ПЕРЕВОДА В СИСТЕМЕ ВИДОВ ПЕРЕВОДА И ЕГО ОСОБЕННОСТИ

The article is devoted to the problems of classifying translation types. In particular, the author identifies the place of simultaneous translation in this system and analyses its peculiarities. Domestic and foreign linguists suggest different foundations for classifying translation types. The author clarifies them and suggests his own vision of this problem. The originality of the study lies in the fact that the researcher emphasizes the necessity to consider psychological factors influencing a translator’s activity. Special attention is paid to the formation of translators’ stress tolerance for working in different translation situations. In this connection, the author identifies the prospects of studying the biological feedback method as a means to overcome the negative influence of stress in the process of translation.

Основные средства формирования и коррекции постуральных механизмов у дошкольников с нарушениями опорно-двигательного аппарата

The article investigated the problem of using the basic means for the formation and correction of postural mechanisms in preschool children with musculoskeletal system disorder. First of all, this refers to the means of physical education, i.e. special exercises performed by the child independently or under the guidance of a teacher. As the basis for the exercises selection and systematization was taken ontogenetic principle of the biological systems sequential formation of child's body, which are part of the postural aplomb system (vestibular, visual, proprioceptive and oculomotor).Exactly the basis of this ontogenetically predetermined sequence of the necessary equilibrium system structures formation were selected and classified that sections of corrective physical exercises aimed at purposeful development and correction of the balance function in preschool age children with movement disorders. Among them were the following sections: vestibular exercises without visual control, vestibular-visual exercises, vestibular-visual-supporting-rectifying exercises, vestibular-visual-proprioceptive-supporting exercises and exercises for oculomotor function. In the classification of the development means and equilibrium function correction in preschoolers, the principle of amplification was applied, when the following more perfect one was added to each previous in the ontogenetic function of postural aplomb, the next more perfect one was added and so on until the complete integration of exercises reflecting the training of all five channels of the postural aplomb system of the child. To improve the equilibrium function of the child, then these exercises can be formed into specially organized postural modes, depending on the characteristics of postural deficiency in an individual child or a typological subgroup of children. Particular attention is paid in the article to stabilometric training based on biological feedback in the process of implementing the corresponding training games using the stabilometric platform “Stabilan”. It is final phase of the equilibrium function training that makes it possible to most effectively integrate the activities of all five channels of the postural aplomb system to ensure stable dynamic stability of the child. Key words: physical exercises, postural mechanism, correction, postural motor mode, preschool children.

Features of the use of stable platforms with biological feedback in various socially significant diseases

The article presents research data on the features of the use of stable platforms with biological feedback in various socially significant diseases.

Global environmental changes impact soil hydraulic functions through biophysical feedbacks.

Although only representing 0.05% of global freshwater, or 0.001% of all global water, soil water supports all terrestrial biological life. Soil moisture behaviour in most models is constrained by hydraulic parameters that do not change. Here we argue that biological feedbacks from plants, macro-fauna and the microbiome influence soil structure, and thus the soil hydraulic parameters and the soil water content signals we observe. Incorporating biological feedbacks into soil hydrological models is therefore important for understanding environmental change and its impacts on ecosystems. We anticipate that environmental change will accelerate and modify soil hydraulic function. Increasingly, we understand the vital role that soil moisture exerts on the carbon cycle and other environmental threats such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, wildfires, regional precipitation patterns, disease regulation and infrastructure stability, in addition to agricultural production. Biological feedbacks may result in changes to soil hydraulic function that could be irreversible, resulting in alternative stable states (ASS) of soil moisture. To explore this, we need models that consider all the major feedbacks between soil properties and soil-plant-faunal-microbial-atmospheric processes, which is something we currently do not have. Therefore, a new direction is required to incorporate a dynamic description of soil structure and hydraulic property evolution into soil-plant-atmosphere, or land surface, models that consider feedbacks from land use and climate drivers of change, so as to better model ecosystem dynamics.

Architectural Principles for Characterizing the Performance of Antithetic Integral Feedback Networks

SummaryAs we begin to design increasingly complex synthetic biomolecular systems, it is essential to develop rational design methodologies that yield predictable circuit performance. Here we apply mathematical tools from the theory of control and dynamical systems to yield practical insights into the architecture and function of a particular class of biological feedback circuit. Specifically, we show that it is possible to analytically characterize both the operating regime and performance tradeoffs of an antithetic integral feedback circuit architecture. Furthermore, we demonstrate how these principles can be applied to inform the design process of a particular synthetic feedback circuit.