scholarly journals Locomotion in diving elephant seals: physical and physiological constraints

2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1487) ◽  
pp. 2141-2150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall W Davis ◽  
Daniel Weihs
Keyword(s):  
Energy Savings ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Elephant Seal ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Horizontal Distance ◽  
Flat Bottom ◽  
Elephant Seals

To better understand how elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ) use negative buoyancy to reduce energy metabolism and prolong dive duration, we modelled the energetic cost of transit and deep foraging dives in an elephant seal. A numerical integration technique was used to model the effects of swim speed, descent and ascent angles, and modes of locomotion (i.e. stroking and gliding) on diving metabolic rate, aerobic dive limit, vertical displacement (maximum dive depth) and horizontal displacement (maximum horizontal distance along a straight line between the beginning and end locations of the dive) for aerobic transit and foraging dives. Realistic values of the various parameters were taken from previous experimental data. Our results indicate that there is little energetic advantage to transit dives with gliding descent compared with horizontal swimming beneath the surface. Other factors such as feeding and predator avoidance may favour diving to depth during migration. Gliding descent showed variable energy savings for foraging dives. Deep mid-water foraging dives showed the greatest energy savings (approx. 18%) as a result of gliding during descent. In contrast, flat-bottom foraging dives with horizontal swimming at a depth of 400 m showed less of an energetic advantage with gliding descent, primarily because more of the dive involved stroking. Additional data are needed before the advantages of gliding descent can be fully understood for male and female elephant seals of different age and body composition. This type of data will require animal-borne instruments that can record the behaviour, three-dimensional movements and locomotory performance of free-ranging animals at depth.

Heart rates of northern elephant seals diving at sea and resting on the beach.

1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (15) ◽  
pp. 2083-2095 ◽  
Author(s):  
R D Andrews ◽  
D R Jones ◽  
J D Williams ◽  
P H Thorson ◽  
G W Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Cardiac Response ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Heart Rates ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
Instantaneous Heart Rate

Heart rates of northern elephant seals diving at sea and during apnoea on land were monitored to test whether a cardiac response to submergence is an important factor in their ability to make repetitive, long-duration dives. Seven juvenile northern elephant seals were captured at Año Nuevo, CA, instrumented and translocated to release sites around Monterey Bay. Heart rate and dive depth were recorded using custom-designed data loggers and analogue tape monitors during the seals' return to Año Nuevo. Heart rates during apnoea and eupnoea were recorded from four of the seals after they hauled out on the beach. Diving patterns were very similar to those of naturally migrating juveniles. The heart rate response to apnoea at sea and on land was a prompt bradycardia, but only at sea was there an anticipatory tachycardia before breathing commenced. Heart rate at sea declined by 64% from the surface rate of 107 +/- 3 beats min-1 (mean +/- S.D.), while heart rate on land declined by 31% from the eupnoeic rate of 65 +/- 8 beats min-1. Diving heart rate was inversely related to dive duration in a non-linear fashion best described by a continuous, curvilinear model, while heart rate during apnoea on land was independent of the duration of apnoea. Occasionally, instantaneous heart rate fell as low as 3 beats min-1 during diving. Although bradycardia occurs in response to apnoea both at sea and on land, only at sea is heart rate apparently regulated to minimise eupnoeic time and to ration oxygen stores to ensure adequate supplies for the heart and brain not only as the dive progresses normally but also when a dive is abnormally extended.

Prolonged, continuous, deep diving by northern elephant seals

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2514-2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burney J. Le Boeuf ◽  
Yasuhiko Naito ◽  
Anthony C. Huntley ◽  
Tomohiro Asaga
Keyword(s):  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Steady State Condition ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
Extended Surface ◽  
The Mean

An earlier study showed that female northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) dive deeply and continuously during the first 1–3 weeks at sea following lactation. We report that this dive pattern is maintained for the entire 2½-month period at sea. Time–depth recorders were attached to six adult females at Año Nuevo, California; three instruments recorded continuously and three instruments recorded every 3rd day at sea. The mean dive rate was 2.5–3.3 dives per hour, with a mean of < 3.5 min on the surface between dives. This resulted in females spending 83–90% of the time at sea underwater. Interruption of continuous diving, characterized by extended surface intervals with a mean of 51.9 ± 65.5 min, was rare, following only 0.42% of the dives. Modal dive duration per female was in the range 17.1–22.5 min. The longest dive was 62 min and was followed by a surface interval of < 2.6 min. Modal dive depth per female was in the range 500–700 m; three females had dives that exceeded 1000 m, with the deepest dive estimated at 1250 m. Deep diving to 500 m or more was always preceded by a descending-staircase pattern of initially shallow to increasingly deeper dives. The continuous, deep diving pattern of this pelagic seal is evidently a steady-state condition. This has important implications for understanding diving adaptations and the physiological processes underlying them.

INVESTIGATING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN STABILIZED EXCAVATION BY NAILING AND ADJACENT URBAN TUNNELS: CASE STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Somaye Hosseini ◽  
Mahmood Parsaei
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Retaining Wall ◽  
Bending Moment ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Horizontal Distance ◽  
Subway Tunnel

Urban development could be evaluated by considering the transportation and construction industries. The transportation industry development causes an increase in the urban subway lines as well as underground tunnels. Concerning the construction industry, the large-scale buildings development such as commercial malls, high-rise buildings, and underground parking structures may require deep excavations at metropolitan projects. In this paper, a parametric study is carried out by considering the distance of a tunnel from a retaining wall with the staged construction. PLAXIS 2.0D ver.8.5 software is used as an analysis tool. The results show that existing tunnels are affected more than retaining walls during an excavation when the structural response is considered. By increasing the horizontal distance of tunnel center from the wall, lateral displacement and the bending moment of the tunnel would decrease 14% and the vertical displacement and bending moment of tunnel’s Crown would reduce by 15% and 12%, respectively. These interaction effects become negligible after a distance of 5 times the tunnel diameter. Besides, the existence of the tunnel in the vicinity of excavations would increase the top horizontal displacement of the retaining wall by about 13%. It is worthwhile to point out that the current paper is based on a case study on Sharif University multistory underground parking located near the subway tunnel in Tehran city stabilized by deploying a nailing and anchorage system.

Diurnal and seasonal variations in the duration and depth of the longest dives in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina): possible physiological and behavioural constraints

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.A. Bennett ◽  
B.J. McConnell ◽  
M.A. Fedak
Keyword(s):  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Dive Behaviour ◽  
Physiological Capacity ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Seasonal Basis

This study seeks to understand how the physiological constraints of diving may change on a daily and seasonal basis. Dive data were obtained from southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from South Georgia using satellite relay data loggers. We analysed the longest (95th percentile) dive durations as proxies for physiological dive limits. A strong, significant relationship existed between the duration of these dives and the time of day and week of year in which they were performed. The depth of the deepest dives also showed a significant, but far less consistent, relationship with local time of day and season. Changes in the duration of the longest dives occurred irrespective of their depth. Dives were longest in the morning (04:00-12:00 h) and shortest in the evening (16:00-00:00 h). The size of the fluctuation varied among animals from 4.0 to 20.0 min. The daily pattern in dive depth was phase-shifted in relation to the diurnal rhythm in dive duration. Dives were deeper at midday and shallower around midnight. Greater daily changes in duration occurred in seals feeding in the open ocean than in those foraging on the continental shelf. The seasonal peak in the duration of the longest dives coincided with austral midwinter. The size of the increase in dive duration from autumn/spring to winter ranged from 11.5 to 30.0 min. Changes in depth of the longest dives were not consistently associated with particular times of year. The substantial diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in maximum dive duration may be a result of changes in the physiological capacity to remain submerged, in addition to temporal changes in the ecological constraints on dive behaviour. We speculate about the role of melatonin as a hormonal mediator of diving capability.

scholarly journals The extra burden of motherhood: reduced dive duration associated with pregnancy status in a deep-diving mammal, the northern elephant seal

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 20170722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Hückstädt ◽  
Rachel R. Holser ◽  
Michael S. Tift ◽  
Daniel P. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Elephant Seal ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Northern Elephant Seal ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Free Ranging

The cost of pregnancy is hard to study in marine mammals, particularly in species that undergo pregnancy while diving continuously at sea such as elephant seals (genus Mirounga ). We analysed the diving behaviour of confirmed pregnant and non-pregnant northern elephant seals ( M. angustirostris , n = 172) and showed that after an initial continuous increase in dive duration, dives of pregnant females become shorter after week 17. The reasons for this reduction in dive duration remain unknown, but we hypothesize that increased fetal demand for oxygen could be the cause. Our findings reveal an opportunity to explore the use of biologging data to investigate pregnancy status of free-ranging marine mammals and factors that could affect pregnancy success.

Continuous, deep diving in female northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 446-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burney J. Le Boeuf ◽  
Daniel P. Costa ◽  
Anthony C. Huntley ◽  
Steven D. Feldkamp
Keyword(s):  
Mass Gain ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Nearly Continuous

The free-ranging dive pattern of seven adult female northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) was obtained with time–depth recorders during the first 14 – 27 days at sea following lactation. The instruments were recovered and mass gain at sea determined when the animals returned to the rookery at Año Nuevo, California, to molt. The seals gained a mean of 76.5 ± 13.9 kg during a mean of 72.6 ± 5.0 days at sea. The mean dive rate was 2.7 ± 0.2 dives/h and diving was virtually continuous during the entire period at sea. Mean dive duration was 19.2 ± 4.3 min with the longest submersion lasting 48 min. Mean surface interval between dives was 2.8 ± 0.5 min, so that only 14.4% of the recorded time at sea was spent on the surface. Surface intervals did not vary with the duration of preceding or succeeding dives. Modal dive depth for each female was between 350 and 650 m. The maximum dive depth was estimated at 894 m, a depth record for pinnipeds. The deep, nearly continuous dive pattern of female northern elephant seals differs from the dive pattern of other pinnipeds and appears to serve in foraging, energy conservation, and predator avoidance.

scholarly journals Influence of rigidity of retainers on dynamic behavior of implant-supported removable partial dentures

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshifumi Nogawa ◽  
Masayasu Saito ◽  
Naomichi Murashima ◽  
Yoshiyuki Takayama ◽  
Atsuro Yokoyama
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Behavior ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Denture Base ◽  
Second Molar ◽  
Mechanical Simulation ◽  
Computed Tomography Images ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Abutment Teeth ◽  
Distal Extension

Abstract Background Implant-supported removable partial dentures (ISRPDs) are an effective treatment for partially edentulous patients. ISRPDs improve patients’ satisfaction and oral function to a greater extent than RPDs by improving denture stability and enhancing support. However, the effect of a type of direct retainer on displacement of the abutment teeth and dentures in ISRPDs remains unclear. Therefore, we made a resin mandibular model of unilateral mandibular distal-extension partial edentulism for mechanical simulation and compared the dynamic behavior of the abutment teeth and the denture base among different tooth-borne retainers with various rigidities for RPDs and ISRPDs. Methods A resin mandibular model for mechanical simulation that had unilateral mandibular distal-extension edentulism and was missing the first molar, second molar, first premolar, and second premolar, and a denture fabricated from the patient’s computed tomography images were used. Three types of direct retainers with different connecting rigidities were evaluated. The vertical displacement of the denture base and buccal and lingual sides and the mesial displacement of the abutment teeth were measured. Results Regardless of the rigidity of the direct retainers and loading positions, the displacement of the denture bases in the ISRPDs was significantly smaller than that in the RPDs (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in vertical displacement of the denture bases among direct retainers with various connecting rigidities in the ISRPDs. Conversely, horizontal displacement of the abutment teeth in both the RPDs and ISRPDs tended to be larger with the cone crown telescope, which has high rigidity, than with the cast cingulum rest and wire clasp, which have much lower rigidities. Conclusion Our results suggested that cast cingulum rest and wire clasps as direct retainers are appropriate ISRPDs to minimize denture movement and suppress displacement of the remaining teeth in patients with unilateral mandibular distal-extension partial edentulism.

The Cedar Mountain, Nevada, earthquake of December 20, 1932*

1934 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent P. Gianella ◽  
Eugene Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Relative Movement ◽  
East Side ◽  
Owens Valley ◽  
The West ◽  
Horizontal Movement ◽  
San Andreas

Summary The Cedar Mountain, Nevada, earthquake took place at about 10h 10m 04s p.m., December 20, 1932. It was preceded by a foreshock noted locally and followed by thousands of aftershocks, which were reported as still continuing in January 1934. No lives were lost and there was very little damage. The earthquake originated in southwest central Nevada, east of Mina. A belt of rifts or faults in echelon lies in the valley between Gabbs Valley Range and Pilot Mountains on the west and Cedar Mountain and Paradise Range on the east. The length of this belt is thirty-eight miles in a northwesterly direction, and the width ranges from four to nine miles. The rifts consist of zones of fissures which commonly reveal vertical displacement and in a number of places show horizontal displacement. The length of the rifts ranges from a few hundred feet to nearly four miles, and the width may be as much as 400 feet. The actual as well as indicated horizontal displacement is represented by a relative southward movement of the east side of each rift. The echelon pattern of the rifts within the rift area indicates that the relative movement of the adjoining mountain masses is the same. The direction of relative horizontal movement corresponds to that along the east front of the Sierra Nevada at Owens Valley and on the San Andreas rift.

scholarly journals Comparison of Dynamic Characteristics between Small and Super-Large Diameter Cross-River Twin Tunnels under Train Vibration

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7577
Author(s):  
Lin Wu ◽  
Xiedong Zhang ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Xiancong Meng ◽  
Hong Guo
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Characteristics ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Decisive Factor ◽  
Cross River ◽  
Static Responses ◽  
Train Vibration ◽  
Twin Tunnels

Train vibration from closely aligned adjacent tunnels could cause safety concerns, especially given the soaring size of the tunnel diameter. This paper established a two-dimensional discrete element model (DEM) of small (d = 6.2 m) and super-large (D = 15.2 m) diameter cross-river twin tunnels and discussed the dynamic characteristics of adjacent tunnels during the vibration of a train that runs through the tunnel at a speed of 120 km/h. Results in the D tunnel showed that the horizontal walls have the same horizontal displacement (DH) and the vertical walls have the same vertical displacement (DV). The stress state of the surroundings of the D tunnel is the decisive factor for DH, and the distance from the vibration point to the measurement point is the decisive factor for DV. Results in the comparison of the d and D tunnels showed that the D tunnel is more stable than the d tunnel with respect to two aspects: the time the tunnel reaches the equilibrium state and the vibration amplitude of the structure’s dynamic and static responses. The dynamic characteristic of the d and D tunnel is significantly different. This research is expected to guide the design and construction of large diameter twin tunnels.

scholarly journals Elastic energy savings and active energy cost in a simple model of running

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009608
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Schroeder ◽  
Arthur D. Kuo
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Energy ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Mass Model ◽  
Human Running

The energetic economy of running benefits from tendon and other tissues that store and return elastic energy, thus saving muscles from costly mechanical work. The classic “Spring-mass” computational model successfully explains the forces, displacements and mechanical power of running, as the outcome of dynamical interactions between the body center of mass and a purely elastic spring for the leg. However, the Spring-mass model does not include active muscles and cannot explain the metabolic energy cost of running, whether on level ground or on a slope. Here we add explicit actuation and dissipation to the Spring-mass model, and show how they explain substantial active (and thus costly) work during human running, and much of the associated energetic cost. Dissipation is modeled as modest energy losses (5% of total mechanical energy for running at 3 m s-1) from hysteresis and foot-ground collisions, that must be restored by active work each step. Even with substantial elastic energy return (59% of positive work, comparable to empirical observations), the active work could account for most of the metabolic cost of human running (about 68%, assuming human-like muscle efficiency). We also introduce a previously unappreciated energetic cost for rapid production of force, that helps explain the relatively smooth ground reaction forces of running, and why muscles might also actively perform negative work. With both work and rapid force costs, the model reproduces the energetics of human running at a range of speeds on level ground and on slopes. Although elastic return is key to energy savings, there are still losses that require restorative muscle work, which can cost substantial energy during running.

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