Functional morphology of the Andean climbing catfishes (Astroblepidae,Siluriformes): Alternative ways of respiration,adhesion, and locomotion using the mouth

Astroblepidae or “climbing catfishes” encompass a single genus of species living in high altitude rivers in the Andes of South America. They are characterized by a specialized head morphology closely resembling their better known, widely radiated sister family Loricariidae, or armored suckermouth catfishes. Existent data show that even though both families share important traits, there are some striking differences as well. Albeit poorly known, Astroblepus species possess a duplicated gill opening, and have the ability to climb vertical rocks or waterfalls. In this study, morphological and kinematic data are combined to yield insights into the functions of the mobile elements of the astroblepid head, and to compare head morphology and biomechanics with those of Loricariidae. We found that, even though there is substantial similarity in head structure of both families, there are major differences in functionally important structures. These include a different lower lip muscle configuration, an alternative oral valve system, and an incurrent gill opening only found in astroblepids. Kinematic analyses confirm that the astroblepid suckermouth, freed from its inhalatory function, offers advantages for climbing in the high‐altitude environment, and is used alternately with the extremely mobile pelvic girdle, in a crawling, nonundulatory motion. J. Morphol. 274:1164–1179, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Kinematic motion of the anterior cruciate ligament deficient knee during functionally high and low demanding tasks

The purpose of this study was to determine whether mechanical adaptations were present in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient knees during high-demand activities. Twenty-two subjects with unilateral ACL deficiency (11 males and 11 females, 19.6 months after injury) performed five different activities at a comfortable speed (level walking, ascending and descending steps, jogging, jogging to a 90-degree side cutting toward the opposite direction of the tested side). Three-dimensional knee kinematics for the ACL-deficient knees and uninjured contralateral knees were evaluated using the Point Cluster Technique. There was no significant difference in knee flexion angle, but an offset toward the knee in less valgus and more external tibial rotation was observed in the ACL-deficient knee. The tendency was more obvious in high demand motions, and a significant difference was clearly observed in the side cutting motions. These motion patterns, with the knee in less valgus and more external tibial rotation, are proposed to be an adaptive movement to avoid pivot shift dynamically, and reveal evidence in support of a dynamic adaptive motion occurring in ACL-deficient knees.     

Modeling and dynamic simulation of astronaut’s upper limb motions considering counter torques generated by the space suit

Extravehicular activity (EVA) is an inevitable task for astronauts to maintain proper functions of both the spacecraft and the space station. Both experimental research in a microgravity simulator (e.g. neutral buoyancy tank, zero-g aircraft or a drop tower/tube) and mathematical modeling were used to study EVA to provide guidance for the training on Earth and task design in space. Modeling has become more and more promising because of its efficiency. Based on the task analysis, almost 90% of EVA activity is accomplished through upper limb motions. Therefore, focusing on upper limb models of the body and space suit is valuable to this effort. In previous modeling studies, some multi-rigid-body systems were developed to simplify the human musculoskeletal system, and the space suit was mostly considered as a part of the astronaut body. With the aim to improve the reality of the models, we developed an astronauts’ upper limb model, including a torque model and a muscle-force model, with the counter torques from the space suit being considered as a boundary condition. Inverse kinematics and the Maggi-Kane’s method was applied to calculate the joint angles, joint torques and muscle force given that the terminal trajectory of upper limb motion was known. Also, we validated the muscle-force model using electromyogram (EMG) data collected in a validation experiment. Muscle force calculated from our model presented a similar trend with the EMG data, supporting the effectiveness and feasibility of the muscle-force model we established, and also, partially validating the joint model in kinematics aspect.     

Effect of caudal fin height on swimming kinematics in the mackerel Scomber scombrus L.

Geometry of the caudal fin of the mackerel Scomber scombrus was modified to examine the effect of the height of the fin on swimming kinematics. Mackerel with reduced caudal fin height had significantly shorter stride length and higher tail beat amplitude compared with the control having an intact caudal fin ( P  < 0·005).     

中医推拿（滚）法生物力学研究——手法运动学实测及分析中医推拿（滚）法生物力学研究——手法运动学实测及分析中医推拿（滚）法生物力学研究——手法运动学实测及分析中医推拿（滚）法生物力学研究——手法运动学实测及分析

目的 实测中医推拿（滚）法的运动过程,归纳（滚）法手法运动学的主要特征.方法 邀请推拿领域的专家,在其手背上选取标记点,拍摄专家进行（滚）法推拿时的动态影像并提取坐标数据.将坐标系建立在测试者手法运动初始时刻的手上,并对坐标和时间进行归一化,用统计的手段对数据进行分析、归纳.结果 描绘了（滚）法手法的三维运动轨迹、位移-时间关系图、速度-时间关系图和旋转角-时间关系网,根据其运动学特点提出了14个特征时间点,并采用聚类分析方法对14个特征时间点进行归并,最终定量得到了具有共性的（滚）法手法的5个特征时刻,将（滚）法周期划分为四个具有不同运动特点的阶段,并提出（滚）法有持续1/5-1/4左右的时间具有作用面积大、作用力度大的特点.结论 从（滚）法特征时刻入手,对其运动学特征进行了归纳总结.提取了（滚）法运动学中的共性特征,得到了一些定量的结果.     

Kinematics of prey capture in the tailed frog Ascaphus truei (Anura: Ascaphidae)

The kinematics of prey capture by Ascaphus truei was investigated. High-speed films (100 fps) of 13 successful and one unsuccessful prey capture sequences from six adult frogs were analysed. Ascaphus , the sister group of all living frogs, shares several aspects of feeding kinematics, including rotation of the tongue pad about the mandibular symphysis and mandibular bending during mouth opening and closing, with more derived frogs such as Bufo marinus. The times required for tongue retraction, mouth opening and closing are similar in Ascaphus and Bufo. However, because Bufo is much larger and protracts its tongue much farther than Ascaphus , the velocities of tongue retraction, mouth opening and mouth closing are relatively lower in Ascaphus than in Bufo. Differences in prey capture between Ascaphus and Bufo marinus are (1) the distance of tongue protraction is less in Ascaphus (±0.5 cm) than in Bufo (c. 2 cm); and (2) lunging of the whole body is more pronounced in Ascaphus. Prey capture is highly variable in Ascaphus. An intraoral transport sequence is sometimes (7 of 14 observations) inserted into the prey capture cycle before the completion of mouth closing. The gape cycles range from 80–150 ms for sequences with no oral transport and from 130–280 ms for sequences with oral transport. Also, the time required for tongue retraction is significantly longer in the unsuccessful capture attempt. This variability is generally greater than that observed during prey capture in salamanders, and suggests that frogs and salamanders may differ in the importance of sensory feedback in coordinating prey capture.     

In-vivo analysis of sliding distance and cross-shear in Bi-cruciate retaining total knee arthroplasty

Polyethylene remains the most popular bearing material for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Despite its widespread use, wear continue to be one of major factors implicated in revision surgery. Sliding distance, cross-shear, and contact stress are the major factors influencing polyethylene wear. As previous studies have either relied on wear simulations, computational modeling, or in vitro measurements to quantify sliding distance and cross-shear, in vivo subject-specific sliding distance and cross-shear after bi-cruciate retaining (BCR) TKA has not been previously reported. The objective of this study was to quantify the 6°-of-freedom (6DOF) in vivo kinematics, sliding distance, and cross-shear in BCR TKA patients during gait. Twenty-nine unilateral BCR TKA patients performed level walking on a treadmill under dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) surveillance. Cumulative normalized sliding distances between the lateral and medial compartments did not change significantly (p > 0.05) during the gait cycle. Although the total normalized sliding distance was similar between the lateral and medial compartments, the cross-shear at the lateral compartment differed significantly from that at the medial compartment (p < 0.001). Significant differences in the relative length positions of the peak sliding distance and cross-shear were found between the lateral and medial bearing components. The flexion-extension motion of the reconstructed knee was more associated with the linear displacements (anterior-posterior, R² = 0.6; lateral-medial, R² = 0.8, proximal-distal, R² = 0.7) than the angular displacement (varus-valgus, R² = 0.18; internal-external rotation, R² = 0.28). Despite some differences in peak sliding distance and cross-shear positons, our results suggest similar articular contact patterns between the lateral and medial compartments in BCR TKA patients during gait. The data could provide insights into understanding the potential wear patterns in BCR TKAs.