Article
Biology
Amanda M. Palecek, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Richard W. Blob
Summary: The study found that the passive adhesive performance of climbing gobies is influenced by species and substrate, with the strongest climbers exhibiting the highest shear pull-off forces on rough surfaces. Therefore, differences in adhesive performance may help explain the ability of species to migrate upstream and invade new habitats.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Thiago R. T. Santos, Vanessa L. Araujo, Anne Khuu, Sangjun Lee, Cara L. Lewis, Thales R. Souza, Kenneth G. Holt, Sergio T. Fonseca
Summary: This study found that fast walking may require non-uniform changes in dynamic stiffness among lower limb joints, with the knee and hip increasing their stiffness at fast speeds. Gender only influenced ankle stiffness, with males having greater stiffness than females.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kevin T. Du Clos, Brad J. Gemmell, Sean P. Collin, John H. Costello, John O. Dabiri, Kelly R. Sutherland
Summary: Many fishes and physonect siphonophores employ distinct swimming modes for routine swimming and predator escape. In this study, the researchers compared the performances of asynchronous and synchronous swimming in the physonect siphonophore Nanomia bijuga. They found that synchronous swimming produced higher speeds and accelerations at the expense of higher costs of transport, while asynchronous swimming had lower energy consumption.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Sport Sciences
Marie M. Moltubakk, Fabienne O. Villars, Melina M. Magulas, Stig P. Magnusson, Olivier R. Seynnes, Jens Bojsen-Moller
Summary: The study found that habitual stretching can increase joint range of motion, decrease passive torque, and alter muscle-tendon behavior with the potential to modify contractile function.
MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS & EXERCISE
(2021)
Review
Biophysics
Richard L. Lieber, Gretchen Meyer
Summary: The majority of skeletal muscle biomechanical studies have primarily focused on its active contractile properties, while its passive biomechanical properties are also clinically significant but not fully understood. This review discusses the passive biomechanical properties of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix (ECM) and suggests aspects of its structural basis. The presence and organization of perimysial cables are highlighted, and the analytical approaches for defining passive biomechanical properties are shown to be complex. Additionally, the appropriate length range for measuring these properties remains unclear. Overall, this review summarizes our current knowledge in these areas and proposes experimental approaches for studying the structural and functional properties of skeletal muscle.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Edwin Dickinson, Melody W. Young, Charles J. Kim, Michael Hadjiargyrou, Michael C. Granatosky
Summary: The ability to securely grasp substrates of variable diameter is critical for arboreal animals. This study examines the pulling and gripping performance of a model parrot species across a range of substrate diameters. The results show that parrots have optimal grip force on small perches, consistent with their preferential perching habits in the wild. Relative to other arboreal specialists, the grasping performance of parrots is comparable, but lower than that of raptorial birds. Further research is needed to understand the adaptive evolutionary context of grasping performance.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Masoud Malakoutian, C. Antonio Sanchez, Stephen H. M. Brown, John Street, Sidney Fels, Thomas R. Oxland
Summary: This study investigated the effects of five muscle biomechanical properties on spinal loading, revealing that changes in passive stiffness, slack sarcomere length, in situ sarcomere length, and specific tension significantly impact intradiscal pressure. The study also found interesting interactions between these parameters.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Baxi Chong, Tianyu Wang, Eva Erickson, Philip J. Bergmann, Daniel Goldman
Summary: This study investigates body-limb coordination in lizards using biological experiments, a geometric theory of locomotion, and robophysical models. The findings suggest that body-wave dynamics in lizards can be described by a combination of standing and traveling waves, and the ratio of these components is inversely related to limb reduction and body elongation. The study also reveals that soil-dwelling lizards propel via terrestrial swimming, similar to sand-swimming lizards and snakes. The research provides insights into the functional constraints of elongation and limb reduction and can contribute to advancements in robot designs.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jasmine A. Nirody, Lisset A. Duran, Deborah Johnston, Daniel J. Cohen
Summary: The study found that tardigrades exhibit key features of walking similar to insects and show flexibility in interleg coordination under different environmental conditions. This suggests functional similarities in walking coordination between tardigrades and arthropods, possibly due to a common locomotor control circuit or independent convergence onto an optimal control strategy.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nikolaos Papachatzis, Samuel F. Ray, Kota Z. Takahashi
Summary: Foot structures impact the leverage in locomotion by ankle muscles. However, the effect of foot anthropometry on the metabolic energy cost of walking remains inconclusive. This study tested the hypotheses that shorter heels and longer halluces are associated with enhanced force potential and reduce the energy cost of walking at faster speeds.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Masoud Malakoutian, Shun Yamamoto, Sandeep Sadaram, Jason Speidel, Jie Liu, John Street, Stephen H. M. Brown, Thomas R. Oxland
Summary: The mechanical properties of lumbar paraspinal muscles, including tangent modulus, slack sarcomere length, and collagen I content, are independent of spinal level, supporting the assumption of similar mechanical properties along a paraspinal muscle group.
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Masoud Malakoutian, Alex M. Noonan, Iraj Dehghan-Hamani, Shun Yamamoto, Sidney Fels, David Wilson, Majid Doroudi, Peter Schutz, Stephen Lewis, Tamir Ailon, John Street, Stephen H. M. Brown, Thomas R. Oxland
Summary: This study investigated the biomechanical and histopathological properties of paraspinal muscles from patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) and predicted the effect of altered biomechanical properties on spine loading.
EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ruotian Du, Long Li, Jing Ji, Yubo Fan
Summary: Understanding how receptor-ligand binding responds to mechanical stimuli is essential for uncovering the molecular mechanisms of physiological and pathological processes and has implications for drug discovery and biomedical applications. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the effects of mechanical factors such as tension, shear stress, stretch, compression, and substrate stiffness on receptor-ligand binding. It emphasizes the importance of synergistic development of experimental and computational methods for fully understanding in situ receptor-ligand binding, and suggests that future studies should focus on the coupling effects of these mechanical factors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Chase T. Kinsey, Olivia McNelly, William C. Bridges, Richard W. Blob
Summary: As frogs undergo metamorphosis, their locomotor performance and survival may be affected. The presence of both tail and limbs might interfere with each other, resulting in better performance when only one system predominates. However, it is unclear if this pattern applies to frogs with different patterns of ontogenetic environmental transitions.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Juan Felipe Sanchez Gutierrez, Mercedes Olaya-C, Jorge Andres Franco, Johana Guevara, Diego Alexander Garzon-Alvarado, Maria Lucia Gutierrez Gomez
Summary: This study used a computational model to simulate the effects of different umbilical cord lengths on early fetal movement dynamics. Results showed that the shortest umbilical cord length significantly increased linear velocity and tension on the fetus body wall.
COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)