Browsing Faculty of Arts and Sciences by Keyword "biomechanics"
Now showing items 1-17 of 17
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The Biomechanics and Evolution of High-Speed Throwing
(2012-10-31)Throwing with power and accuracy is a uniquely human behavior and a potentially important mode of early hunting. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, do occasionally throw, although with much less velocity. At some ... -
BMP Signaling Controls Buckling Forces to Modulate Looping Morphogenesis of the Gut
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017-02-13)Looping of the initially straight embryonic gut tube is an essential aspect of intestinal morphogenesis, permitting proper placement of the lengthy small intestine within the confines of the body cavity. The formation of ... -
A collisional perspective on quadrupedal gait dynamics
(The Royal Society, 2011)The analysis of terrestrial locomotion over the past half century has focused largely on strategies of mechanical energy recovery used during walking and running. In contrast, we describe the underlying mechanics of legged ... -
Fatigue Alters in Vivo Function Within and Between Limb Muscles During Locomotion
(Royal Society, The, 2009)Muscle fatigue, a reduction in force as a consequence of exercise, is an important factor for any animal that moves, and can result from both peripheral and/or central mechanisms. Although much is known about whole-limb ... -
Foot-propelled swimming kinematics and turning strategies in common loons
(The Company of Biologists, 2018-08-20)Loons (Gaviiformes) are arguably one of the most successful groups of swimming birds. As specialist foot-propelled swimmers, loons are capable of diving up to 70 meters, remaining underwater for several minutes, and capturing ... -
The Human Gluteus Maximus and its Role in Running
(The Company of Biologists, 2006)The human gluteus maximus is a distinctive muscle in terms of size, anatomy and function compared to apes and other non-human primates. Here we employ electromyographic and kinematic analyses of human subjects to test the ... -
Investigation of the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Patterning, Morphogenesis, and Tubule Interconnections during Mammalian Kidney Development
(2013-02-19)The formation of a continuous tubular network in the mammalian urinary system requires the interconnection of two epithelial populations with distinct cellular origins. The proximal component of the renal network is the ... -
Leg muscles that mediate stability: mechanics and control of two distal extensor muscles during obstacle negotiation in the guinea fowl
(The Royal Society, 2011)Here, we used an obstacle treadmill experiment to investigate the neuromuscular control of locomotion in uneven terrain. We measured in vivo function of two distal muscles of the guinea fowl, lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and ... -
Morphological and kinematic basis of the hummingbird flight stroke: scaling of flight muscle transmission ratio
(The Royal Society, 2011)Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are widely known for their insect-like flight strokes characterized by high wing beat frequency, small muscle strains and a highly supinated wing orientation during upstroke that allows for lift ... -
Pigeons Steer Like Helicopters and Generate Down- and Upstroke Lift During Low Speed Turns
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011)Turning is crucial for animals, particularly during predator–prey interactions and to avoid obstacles. For flying animals, turning consists of changes in (i) flight trajectory, or path of travel, and (ii) body orientation, ... -
Soft Hip Exosuit Optimization for Improving Mobility in Healthy Young Adults and Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
(2022-06-06)For decades, academia and industry have explored opportunities for rigid exoskeletons to improve mobility in a variety of populations. However, in the last 5-10 years the community has shifted focus and begun designing ... -
Tensioning the Helix: A Mechanism for Force Generation in Twining Plants
(Royal Society, The, 2009)Twining plants use their helical stems to clasp supports and to generate a squeezing force, providing stability against gravity. To elucidate the mechanism that allows force generation, we measured the squeezing forces ... -
Trabecular Bone in the Bird Knee Responds with High Sensitivity to Changes in Load Orientation
(Company of Biologists, 2006)Wolff’s law of trajectorial orientation proposes that trabecular struts align with the orientation of dominant compressive loads within a joint. Although widely considered in skeletal biology, Wolff’s law has never been ... -
Understanding Generalization, Credit Assignment and the Regulation of Learning Rate in Human Motor Learning
(2013-02-20)Understanding the neural processes underlying motor learning in humans is important to facilitate the acquisition of new motor skills and to aid the relearning of skills lost after neurologic injury. Although it is known ... -
Undulatory Locomotion in Freshwater Stingray Potamotrygon Orbignyi: Kinematics, Pectoral Fin Morphology, and Ground Effects on Rajiform Swimming
(2012-11-02)Fishes are the most speciose group of living vertebrates, making up more than half of extant vertebrate diversity. They have evolved a wide array of swimming modes and body forms, including the batoid elasmobranchs, the ... -
Undulatory locomotion of flexible foils as biomimetic models for understanding fish propulsion
(The Company of Biologists, 2014)An undulatory pattern of body bending in which waves pass along the body from head to tail is a major mechanism of creating thrust in many fish species during steady locomotion. Analyses of live fish swimming have provided ... -
Upper body contributions to power generation during rapid, overhand throwing in humans
(The Company of Biologists, 2014)High-speed and accurate throwing is a distinctive human behavior. Achieving fast projectile speeds during throwing requires a combination of elastic energy storage at the shoulder, as well as the transfer of kinetic energy ...