Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Keyword
-
- Locomotion (4)
- Biomechanics (3)
- Arthropod (2)
- Biology (2)
- Blaberus discoidalis (2)
-
- Cockroach (2)
- Insect (2)
- Muscle (2)
- Running (2)
- Work loop (2)
- Anuran (1)
- Arthropods (1)
- Computer model (1)
- Deep sea squids (1)
- Electromyography (1)
- Escape jet locomotion (1)
- Feeding (1)
- Force (1)
- Gait (1)
- Integument (1)
- Kassina maculata (1)
- Mechanics (1)
- Motor control (1)
- Neural control (1)
- Oval squids (1)
- Particle image velocimetry (1)
- Propulsion mechanics (1)
- Skin (1)
- Snake (1)
- Stride frequency (1)
- Publication Year
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Biomechanics
Energy Neutral: The Human Foot And Ankle Subsections Combine To Produce Near Zero Net Mechanical Work During Walking, Kota Z. Takahashi, Kate Worster, Dustin A. Bruening
Energy Neutral: The Human Foot And Ankle Subsections Combine To Produce Near Zero Net Mechanical Work During Walking, Kota Z. Takahashi, Kate Worster, Dustin A. Bruening
Journal Articles
The human foot and ankle system is equipped with structures that can produce mechanical work through elastic (e.g., Achilles tendon, plantar fascia) or viscoelastic (e.g., heel pad) mechanisms, or by active muscle contractions. Yet, quantifying the work distribution among various subsections of the foot and ankle can be difficult, in large part due to a lack of objective methods for partitioning the forces acting underneath the stance foot. In this study, we deconstructed the mechanical work production during barefoot walking in a segment-by-segment manner (hallux, forefoot, hindfoot, and shank). This was accomplished by isolating the forces acting within each foot …
Locomotor Loading Mechanics In The Hindlimbs Of Tegu Lizards (Tupinambis Merianae): Comparative And Evolutionary Implications, K. Megan Sheffield, Michael T. Butcher, S. Katharine Shugart, Jennifer C. Gander, Richard W. Blob
Locomotor Loading Mechanics In The Hindlimbs Of Tegu Lizards (Tupinambis Merianae): Comparative And Evolutionary Implications, K. Megan Sheffield, Michael T. Butcher, S. Katharine Shugart, Jennifer C. Gander, Richard W. Blob
Academic Services Faculty and Staff Publications
Skeletal elements are usually able to withstand several times their usual load before they yield, and this ratio is known as the bone’s safety factor. Limited studies on amphibians and non-avian reptiles have shown that they have much higher limb bone safety factors than birds and mammals. It has been hypothesized that this difference is related to the difference in posture between upright birds and mammals and sprawling ectotherms; however, limb bone loading data from a wider range of sprawling species are needed in order to determine whether the higher safety factors seen in amphibians and non-avian reptiles are ancestral …
Loading Mechanics Of The Femur In Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Tigrinum) During Terrestrial Locomotion, K. Megan Sheffield, Richard W. Blob
Loading Mechanics Of The Femur In Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Tigrinum) During Terrestrial Locomotion, K. Megan Sheffield, Richard W. Blob
Academic Services Faculty and Staff Publications
Salamanders are often used as representatives of the basal tetrapod body plan in functional studies, but little is known about the loads experienced by their limb bones during locomotion. Although salamanders’ slow walking speeds might lead to low locomotor forces and limb bone stresses similar to those of non-avian reptiles, their highly sprawled posture combined with relatively small limb bones could produce elevated limb bone stresses closer to those of avian and mammalian species. This study evaluates the loads on the femur of the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) during terrestrial locomotion using three- dimensional measurements of the ground reaction force …
Kinematic Evidence For Superfast Locomotory Muscle In Two Species Of Teneriffiid Mites, Grace C. Wu, Jonathan C. Wright, Dwight L. Whitaker, Anna N. Ahn
Kinematic Evidence For Superfast Locomotory Muscle In Two Species Of Teneriffiid Mites, Grace C. Wu, Jonathan C. Wright, Dwight L. Whitaker, Anna N. Ahn
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
Locomotory muscles typically operate over a narrow range of contraction frequencies, characterized by the predominant fiber types and functional roles. The highest documented frequencies in the synchronous sound-producing muscles of insects (550 Hz) and toadfish (200 Hz) far exceed the contraction frequencies observed in weight-bearing locomotory muscles, which have maximum documented frequencies below 15-30 Hz. Laws of scaling, however, predict that smaller arthropods may employ stride frequencies exceeding this range. In this study we measured running speed and stride frequency in two undescribed species of teneriffiid mites from the coastal sage scrub of southern California. Relative speeds of both species …
Swimming Dynamics And Propulsive Efficiency Of Squids Throughout Ontogeny, Ian K. Bartol, Paul S. Krueger, Joseph T. Thompson, William J. Stewart
Swimming Dynamics And Propulsive Efficiency Of Squids Throughout Ontogeny, Ian K. Bartol, Paul S. Krueger, Joseph T. Thompson, William J. Stewart
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Synopsis Squids encounter vastly different flow regimes throughout ontogeny as they undergo critical morphological changes to their two locomotive systems: the fins and jet. Squid hatchlings (paralarvae) operate at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers (Re) and typically have rounded bodies, small fins, and relatively large funnel apertures whereas juveniles and adults operate at higher Re and generally have more streamlined bodies, larger fins, and relatively small funnel apertures. These morphological changes and varying flow conditions affect swimming performance in squids. To determine how swimming dynamics and propulsive efficiency change throughout ontogeny, digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) and kinematic …
In Situ Muscle Power Differs Without Varying In Vitro Mechanical Properties In Two Insect Leg Muscles Innervated By The Same Motor Neuron, Anna N. Ahn, Kenneth Meijer, Robert J. Full
In Situ Muscle Power Differs Without Varying In Vitro Mechanical Properties In Two Insect Leg Muscles Innervated By The Same Motor Neuron, Anna N. Ahn, Kenneth Meijer, Robert J. Full
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
The mechanical behavior of muscle during locomotion is often predicted by its anatomy, kinematics, activation pattern and contractile properties. The neuromuscular design of the cockroach leg provides a model system to examine these assumptions, because a single motor neuron innervates two extensor muscles operating at a single joint. Comparisons of the in situ measurements under in vivo running conditions of muscle 178 to a previously examined muscle (179) demonstrate that the same inputs (e.g. neural signal and kinematics) can result in different mechanical outputs. The same neural signal and kinematics, as determined during running, can result in different mechanical functions, …
Mechanical Properties Of The Integument Of The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis (Serpentes: Colubridae), Gabriel Rivera, Alan H. Savitzky, Jeffrey A. Hinkley
Mechanical Properties Of The Integument Of The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis (Serpentes: Colubridae), Gabriel Rivera, Alan H. Savitzky, Jeffrey A. Hinkley
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The evolution of the ophidian feeding mechanism has involved substantial morphological restructuring associated with the ability to ingest relatively large prey. Previous studies examining the morphological consequences of macrophagy have concentrated on modifications of the skull and cephalic musculature. Although it is evident that macrophagy requires highly compliant skin, the mechanical properties of the ophidian integument have received limited attention, particularly in the context of feeding. We examined mechanical properties of skin along the body axis in Thamnophis sirtalis (Colubridae). Data were collected from tensile tests and were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and post-hoc multiple comparison …
Walking And Running In The Red-Legged Running Frog, Kassina Maculata, Anna N. Ahn, E Furrow, Andrew A. Biewener
Walking And Running In The Red-Legged Running Frog, Kassina Maculata, Anna N. Ahn, E Furrow, Andrew A. Biewener
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
Although most frog species are specialized for jumping or swimming, Kassina maculata (red-legged running frog) primarily uses a third type of locomotion during which the hindlimbs alternate. In the present study, we examined Kassina's distinct locomotory mode to determine whether these frogs walk or run and how their gait may change with speed. We used multiple methods to distinguish between terrestrial gaits: the existence or absence of an aerial phase, duty factor, relative footfall patterns and the mechanics of the animal's center of mass (COM). To measure kinematic and kinetic variables, we recorded digital video as the animals moved …
A Motor And A Brake: Two Leg Extensor Muscles Acting At The Same Joint Manage Energy Differently In A Running Insect, Anna N. Ahn, Robert J. Full
A Motor And A Brake: Two Leg Extensor Muscles Acting At The Same Joint Manage Energy Differently In A Running Insect, Anna N. Ahn, Robert J. Full
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
The individual muscles of a multiple muscle group at a given joint are often assumed to function synergistically to share the load during locomotion. We examined two leg extensors of a running cockroach to test the hypothesis that leg muscles within an anatomical muscle group necessarily manage (i.e. produce, store, transmit or absorb) energy similarly during running. Using electromyographic and video motion-analysis techniques, we determined that muscles 177c and 179 are both active during the first half of the stance period during muscle shortening. Using the in vivo strain and stimulation patterns determined during running, we measured muscle power output. …
Energy Absorption During Running By Leg Muscles In A Cockroach, Robert J. Full, Darrell R. Stokes, Anna N. Ahn, Robert K. Josephson
Energy Absorption During Running By Leg Muscles In A Cockroach, Robert J. Full, Darrell R. Stokes, Anna N. Ahn, Robert K. Josephson
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
Biologists have traditionally focused on a muscle's ability to generate power. By determining muscle length, strain and activation pattern in the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis, we discovered leg extensor muscles that operate as active dampers that only absorb energy during running. Data from running animals were compared with measurements of force and power production of isolated muscles studied over a range of stimulus conditions and muscle length changes. We studied the trochanter-femoral extensor muscles 137 and 179, homologous leg muscles of the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs, respectively. Because each of these muscles is innervated by a single excitatory motor axon, …
Static Forces And Moments Generated In The Insect Leg: Comparison Of A Three-Dimensional Musculo-Skeletal Computer Model With Experimental Measurements, Robert J. Full, Anna N. Ahn
Static Forces And Moments Generated In The Insect Leg: Comparison Of A Three-Dimensional Musculo-Skeletal Computer Model With Experimental Measurements, Robert J. Full, Anna N. Ahn
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
As a first step towards the integration of information on neural control, biomechanics and isolated muscle function, we constructed a three-dimensional musculo-skeletal model of the hind leg of the death-head cockroach Blaberus discoidalis. We tested the model by measuring the maximum force generated in vivo by the hind leg of the cockroach, the coxa-femur joint angle and the position of this leg during a behavior, wedging, that was likely to require maximum torque or moment production. The product of the maximum force of the leg and its moment arm yielded a measured coxa-femur joint moment for wedging behavior. The …