scholarly journals Swimming Turned on Its Head: Stability and Maneuverability of the Shrimpfish (Aeoliscus punctulatus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F E Fish ◽  
R Holzman

Synopsis The typical orientation of a neutrally buoyant fish is with the venter down and the head pointed anteriorly with a horizontally oriented body. However, various advanced teleosts will reorient the body vertically for feeding, concealment, or prehension. The shrimpfish (Aeoliscus punctulatus) maintains a vertical orientation with the head pointed downward. This posture is maintained by use of the beating fins as the position of the center of buoyancy nearly corresponds to the center of mass. The shrimpfish swims with dorsum of the body moving anteriorly. The cross-sections of the body have a fusiform design with a rounded leading edge at the dorsum and tapering trailing edge at the venter. The median fins (dorsal, caudal, anal) are positioned along the venter of the body and are beat or used as a passive rudder to effect movement of the body in concert with active movements of pectoral fins. Burst swimming and turning maneuvers by yawing were recorded at 500 frames/s. The maximum burst speed was 2.3 body lengths/s, but when measured with respect to the body orientation, the maximum speed was 14.1 body depths/s. The maximum turning rate by yawing about the longitudinal axis was 957.5 degrees/s. Such swimming performance is in line with fishes with a typical orientation. Modification of the design of the body and position of the fins allows the shrimpfish to effectively swim in the head-down orientation.

Author(s):  
Christopher B. Ruff ◽  
Ryan W. Higgins ◽  
Kristian J. Carlson

Long bone diaphyseal cross-sectional geometries reflect the mechanical properties of the bones, and can be used to aid in inferences of locomotor behavior in extinct hominins. This chapter considers all available long bone diaphyseal and femoral neck cross-sections of specimens from Sterkfontein Member 4, and presents comparisons of these section properties and other cross-sectional dimensions with those of other early hominins as well as modern samples. The cross-sectional geometry of the Sterkfontein Member 4 long bone specimens suggests some similarities to, but also interesting differences in, mechanical loading of these elements relative to modern humans. The less asymmetric cortical bone distribution in the Sterkfontein femoral necks is consistent with other evidence above indicating an altered gait pattern involving lateral displacement of the body center of mass over the stance limb. The relatively very strong upper limb of StW 431 implies that arboreal behavior formed a significant component of its locomotor repertoire. Bipedal gait may have been less efficient and arboreal climbing more prevalent in the Sterkfontein hominins.


1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (16) ◽  
pp. 2189-2195 ◽  
Author(s):  
C T Farley

The goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that maximum running speed is limited by how much mechanical power the muscular system can produce. To test this hypothesis, two species of lizards, Coleonyx variegatus and Eumeces skiltonianus, sprinted on hills of different slopes. According to the hypothesis, maximum speed should decrease on steeper uphill slopes but mechanical power output at maximum speed should be independent of slope. For level sprinting, the external mechanical power output was determined from force platform data. For uphill sprinting, the mechanical power output was approximated as the power required to lift the center of mass vertically. When the slope increased from level to 40 degrees uphill, maximum speed decreased by 28% in C. variegatus and by 16% in E. skiltonianus. At maximum speed on a 40 degrees uphill slope in both species, the mechanical power required to lift the body vertically was approximately 3.9 times greater than the external mechanical power output at maximum speed on the level. Because total limb mass is small in both species (6-16% of body mass) and stride frequency is similar at maximum speed on all slopes, the internal mechanical power output is likely to be small and similar in magnitude on all slopes. I conclude that the muscular system is capable of producing substantially more power during locomotion than it actually produces during level sprinting. Thus, the capacity of the muscular system to produce power does not limit maximum running speed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (12) ◽  
pp. 1869-1885 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Roberts ◽  
N.A. Hill ◽  
R. Hicks

Many amphibian tadpoles hatch and swim before their inner ears and sense of spatial orientation differentiate. We describe upward and downward swimming responses in hatchling Xenopus laevis tadpoles from stages 32 to 37/38 in which the body rotates about its longitudinal axis. Tadpoles are heavier than water and, if touched while lying on the substratum, they reliably swim upwards, often in a tight spiral. This response has been observed using stroboscopic photography and high-speed video recordings. The sense of the spiral is not fixed for individual tadpoles. In ‘more horizontal swimming’ (i.e. in directions within +/−30 degrees of the horizontal), the tadpoles usually swim belly-down, but this position is not a prerequisite for subsequent upward spiral swimming. Newly hatched tadpoles spend 99 % of their time hanging tail-down from mucus secreted by a cement gland on the head. When suspended in mid-water by a mucus strand, tadpoles from stage 31 to 37/38 tend to swim spirally down when touched on the head and up when touched on the tail. The three-dimensional swimming paths of stage 33/34 tadpoles were plotted using simultaneous video images recorded from the side and from above. Tadpoles spiralled for 70 % of the swimming time, and the probability of spiralling increased to 1 as swim path angles became more vertical. Tadpoles were neutrally buoyant in Percoll/water mixtures at 1.05 g cm(−)(3), in which anaesthetised tadpoles floated belly-down and head-up at 30 degrees. In water, their centre of mass was ventral to the muscles in the yolk mass. A simple mathematical model suggests that the orientation of tadpoles during swimming is governed by the action of two torques, one of which raises the head (i.e. increases the pitch) and the other rotates (rolls) the body. Consequently, tadpoles (i) swim belly-down when the body is approximately horizontal because the body is ballasted by dense yolk, and (ii) swim spirally at more vertical orientations when the ballasting no longer stabilises orientation. Measurements in tethered tadpoles show that dorsal body flexion, which could produce a dorsal pitch torque, is present during swimming and increases with tailbeat frequency. We discuss how much of the tadpole's behaviour can be explained by our mathematical model and suggest that, at this stage of development, oriented swimming responses may depend on simple touch reflexes, the organisation of the muscles and physical features of the body, rather than on vestibular reflexes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 3024-3035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Li Hsu ◽  
John P. Scholz ◽  
Gregor Schöner ◽  
John J. Jeka ◽  
Tim Kiemel

This study tested the hypotheses that all major joints along the longitudinal axis of the body are equally active during quiet standing and that their motions are coordinated to stabilize the spatial positions of the center of mass (CM) and head. Analyses of the effect of joint configuration variance on the stability of the CM and head positions were performed using the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) approach. Subjects stood quietly with arms folded across their chests for three 5-min trials each with and without vision. The UCM analysis revealed that the six joints examined were coordinated such that their combined variance had minimal effect on the CM and head positions. Removing vision led to a structuring of the resulting increased joint variance such that little of the increase affected stability of the CM and head positions. The results reveal a control strategy involving coordinated variations of most major joints to stabilize variables important to postural control during quiet stance.


2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (14) ◽  
pp. 2149-2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Van Buskirk ◽  
S.A. McCollum

Many tadpoles respond to insect predators by developing deeper, and sometimes longer, tails. It has been assumed that the larger tail enhances aspects of swimming performance, because deep-tailed tadpoles survive well when confronted with hunting predators. We tested this hypothesis using both naturally occurring and surgically created variation in tail morphology of Hyla versicolor tadpoles. We measured swimming performance (maximum speed, time to reach a 2.5 cm radius, and angle of escape) and morphology (size and shape of the body and tail) in 288 tadpoles, of which half possessed the predator-induced morphology and the other half were from predator-free ponds. Large tadpoles swam faster than small ones, and shape was significantly correlated with size-corrected swimming performance. The fastest tadpoles had relatively shallow bodies and tail fins, and short tails; there was no difference in swimming performance between predator-induced and no-predator tadpoles. We performed an experiment to create independent variation in tail depth and length by surgically manipulating tail shape in 270 tadpoles. Three tail-length treatments reduced the length of the tail fin by 21 %, 34 % and 55 %; three tail-depth treatments reduced the maximum depth of the tail fin by 11 %, 34 % and 59 %; two additional treatments controlled for the effects of anaesthesia and surgery. The angle of escape was unaffected by surgery. Maximum speed and minimum escape time were both significantly impaired by the high-removal treatments, but showed no evidence of decline until 30 % of the tail (length or depth) was removed. These results suggest that the relatively deep tails in predator-induced tadpoles (approximately 10 % deeper than in no-predator tadpoles) do not improve performance in burst swimming. Thus, predator-induced tadpoles are less vulnerable to predation for reasons other than enhanced swimming performance.


Author(s):  
T.B. Ball ◽  
W.M. Hess

It has been demonstrated that cross sections of bundles of hair can be effectively studied using image analysis. These studies can help to elucidate morphological differences of hair from one region of the body to another. The purpose of the present investigation was to use image analysis to determine whether morphological differences could be demonstrated between male and female human Caucasian terminal scalp hair.Hair samples were taken from the back of the head from 18 caucasoid males and 13 caucasoid females (Figs. 1-2). Bundles of 50 hairs were processed for cross-sectional examination and then analyzed using Prism Image Analysis software on a Macintosh llci computer. Twenty morphological parameters of size and shape were evaluated for each hair cross-section. The size parameters evaluated were area, convex area, perimeter, convex perimeter, length, breadth, fiber length, width, equivalent diameter, and inscribed radius. The shape parameters considered were formfactor, roundness, convexity, solidity, compactness, aspect ratio, elongation, curl, and fractal dimension.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-275
Author(s):  
Yury N. Razoumny ◽  
Sergei A. Kupreev

The controlled motion of a body in a central gravitational field without mass flow is considered. The possibility of moving the body in the radial direction from the center of attraction due to changes in the kinetic moment relative to the center of mass of the body is shown. A scheme for moving the body using a system of flywheels located in the same plane in near-circular orbits with different heights is proposed. The use of the spin of elementary particles is considered as flywheels. It is proved that using the spin of elementary particles with a Compton wavelength exceeding the distance to the attracting center is energetically more profitable than using the momentum of these particles to move the body. The calculation of motion using hypothetical particles (gravitons) is presented. A hypothesis has been put forward about the radiation of bodies during accelerated motion, which finds indirect confirmation in stellar dynamics and in an experiment with the fall of two bodies in a vacuum. The results can be used in experiments to search for elementary particles with low energy, explain cosmic phenomena and to develop transport objects on new physical principles.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A. M. Sirunyan ◽  
A. Tumasyan ◽  
W. Adam ◽  
F. Ambrogi ◽  
...  

Abstract Measurements of the differential cross sections of Z + jets and γ + jets production, and their ratio, are presented as a function of the boson transverse momentum. Measurements are also presented of the angular distribution between the Z boson and the closest jet. The analysis is based on pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1 recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The results, corrected for detector effects, are compared with various theoretical predictions. In general, the predictions at higher orders in perturbation theory show better agreement with the measurements. This work provides the first measurement of the ratio of the differential cross sections of Z + jets and γ + jets production at 13 TeV, as well as the first direct measurement of Z bosons emitted collinearly with a jet.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Yamaguchi ◽  
Kei Shibata ◽  
Hiromi Wada ◽  
Hiroshi Kakehi ◽  
Kazuo Hokkirigawa

AbstractHerein, we investigated the effect of friction between foot sole and floor on the external forward moment about the body center of mass (COM) in normal and shuffling gaits. Five young male adults walked with normal and shuffling gaits, under low- and high-friction surface conditions. The maximum external forward moment about the COM (MEFM-COM) in a normal gait appeared approximately at initial foot contact and was unaffected by floor condition. However, MEFM-COM in a shuffling gait under high-friction conditions exceeded that under low-friction conditions (p < 0.001). Therein, MEFM-COM increased with an increasing utilized coefficient of friction at initial foot contact; this effect was weaker during a normal gait. These findings indicate that increased friction between foot sole and floor might increase tripping risk during a shuffling gait, even in the absence of discrete physical obstacles.


2015 ◽  
Vol 767 ◽  
pp. 430-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Quinn ◽  
George V. Lauder ◽  
Alexander J. Smits

AbstractExperimental gradient-based optimization is used to maximize the propulsive efficiency of a heaving and pitching flexible panel. Optimum and near-optimum conditions are studied via direct force measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV). The net thrust and power scale predictably with the frequency and amplitude of the leading edge, but the efficiency shows a complex multimodal response. Optimum pitch and heave motions are found to produce nearly twice the efficiencies of optimum heave-only motions. Efficiency is globally optimized when (i) the Strouhal number is within an optimal range that varies weakly with amplitude and boundary conditions; (ii) the panel is actuated at a resonant frequency of the fluid–panel system; (iii) heave amplitude is tuned such that trailing-edge amplitude is maximized while the flow along the body remains attached; and (iv) the maximum pitch angle and phase lag are chosen so that the effective angle of attack is minimized. The multi-dimensionality and multi-modality of the efficiency response demonstrate that experimental optimization is well-suited for the design of flexible underwater propulsors.


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