scholarly journals Generalized locomotion of brittle stars with a flexible number of arms

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Wakita ◽  
Katsushi Kagaya ◽  
Hitoshi Aonuma

AbstractTypical brittle stars have five radially symmetrical arms, which coordinate to move their body in a certain direction. However, some species of them show individual difference in the number of arms. We found this trait unique since intact legged animals each own a fixed number of limbs in general. How does a single species manage such different numbers of motile organs to realize adaptive locomotion? We here described four-, five-, six-, and seven-armed locomotion with the aim to generalize a common rule which is flexible with arm numbers in brittle stars. We mechanically stimulated an arm inOphiactis brachyaspisto analyze escape direction and arm movements. Gathering quantitative indices and employing Bayesian statistical modeling, we figured out an average locomotion: regardless of the total number of arms, a front position emerges at one of the second neighboring arms to a mechanically stimulated arm, while side arms adjacent to the front synchronously work as left and right rowers. We suggest a model where some afferent signal runs either clockwise or anticlockwise along the nerve ring while linearly counting how many arms it passes. This idea would explain how ‘left and right’ emerges in a radially symmetrical body via a decentralized system.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (162) ◽  
pp. 20190374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Wakita ◽  
Katsushi Kagaya ◽  
Hitoshi Aonuma

Typical brittle stars have five radially symmetrical arms that coordinate to move the body in a certain direction. However, some species have a variable number of arms, which is a unique trait since intact animals normally have a fixed number of limbs. How does a single species manage different numbers of appendages for adaptive locomotion? We herein describe locomotion in Ophiactis brachyaspis with four, five, six and seven arms to propose a common rule for the movement of brittle stars with different numbers of arms. For this, we mechanically stimulated one arm of individuals to analyse escape direction and arm movement. By gathering quantitative indices and employing Bayesian statistical modelling, we noted a pattern: regardless of the total number of arms, an anterior position emerges at one of the second neighbouring arms to a mechanically stimulated arm, while arms adjacent to the anterior one synchronously work as left and right rowers. We propose a model in which an afferent signal runs clockwise or anticlockwise along the nerve ring while linearly counting how many arms it passes through. With this model, the question on how ‘left and right’ emerges in a radially symmetrical body via a decentralized system is answered.


10.37236/1913 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sapounakis ◽  
P. Tsikouras

This paper deals with the enumeration of $k$-colored Motzkin paths with a fixed number of (left and right) peaks and valleys. Further enumeration results are obtained when peaks and valleys are counted at low and high level. Many well-known results for Dyck paths are obtained as special cases.


1988 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Van Gheluwe ◽  
Paul Huybrechts ◽  
Erik Deporte

This study evaluates the action of 20 selected arm and torso muscles. The subjects were 19 windsurfers of different skill levels. Muscular activity was recorded electromyographically, using surface electrodes. The subjects were standing on a specially devised windsurf simulator in order to keep the different surf postures as standardized as possible. Through two-way ANOVA techniques, the electromyographic activity relative to its maximal isometric value was compared for different muscles, surf postures, and skill levels. Also, differences between the left and right sides of the body were investigated. From the results, the following may be concluded: (a) As all muscles display rather low activity (an average of less than 20% of their maximal isometric values), windsurfing does not seem very demanding of muscular force. (b) The M. flexor carpi radialis, together with the M. erector spinae, tend to exhibit higher levels of activity for beginners, which suggests, respectively, a more rigid grip on the wishbone and stronger low back muscle activation in order to keep a correct posture, (c) Left–right asymmetries mainly occur for symmetrical body postures, especially for the M. flexor carpi radialis and the M. erector spinae. As for the M. trapezius (pars superior), experienced surfers tend to display a dominant right asymmetry, (d) Muscle activity does not exhibit significantly different values for various surf postures. However, typical deviating postures, as observed in beginners, may induce higher levels of muscle activation.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Wang ◽  
David A. Ratkowsky ◽  
Xiao Xiao ◽  
Xiaojing Yu ◽  
Jialu Su ◽  
...  

Leaf shape and symmetry is of interest because of the importance of leaves in photosynthesis. Recently, a novel method was proposed to measure the extent of bilateral symmetry in leaves in which a leaf was divided into left and right sides by a straight line through the leaf apex and base, and a number of equidistant strips were drawn perpendicular to the straight line to generate an equivalent number of differences in area between the left and right parts. These areal differences are the basis for a measure of leaf bilateral symmetry, which was then examined to see how well it follows Taylor’s power law (TPL) using three classes of plants, namely, 10 geographical populations of Parrotia subaequalis (H.T. Chang) R.M. Hao et H.T. Wei, 10 species of Bambusoideae, and 10 species of Rosaceae. The measure of bilateral symmetry followed TPL for a single species or for a class of closely related species. The estimate of the exponent of TPL for bamboo plants was significantly larger than for the dicotyledonous trees, but its goodness of fit was the best among the three classes of plants. The heterogeneity of light falling on branches and leaves due to above-ground architectural patterns is an important contributor to leaf asymmetry.


1979 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. A. Sprent

ABSTRACTThe genus Multicaecum Baylis 1923, sensu Hartwich 1957, was found to be heterogeneous, comprising species which are relegated to two distinct genera, namely Multicaecum Baylis, 1923 and Brevimulticaecum. The latter name is derived from the subgenus Brevimulticaecum Mozgovoy, in Skrjabin, Shikhobalova, and Mozgovoy, 1951 by raising it to generic rank and emending the definition. Multicaecum contains a single species, agile Wedl, 1861 occurring in Crocodylus spp. in Africa, India and Australia, and is characterized by smooth rounded lips, each with a dentigerous ridge comprising small sharp denticles. The excretory pore is level with the nerve ring or behind it, and the ventricular appendices are long and slender. The species gangeticum Maplestone 1930 and quadrata Linstow 1904 are excluded from Multicaecum and regarded as species inquirendae incertae sedis. Brevimulticaecum contains five species occurring in the caimans and the alligator of the New World: baylisi Travassos, 1933 (type species; acuticauda Schuurmans-Stekhoven, 1937 is placed in synonomy under baylisi); stekhoveni Baylis, 1947; tenuicolle Rudolphi, 1819; and two new species. Brevimulticaecum spp. are characterized by flat lips with alate margins and notches, without dentigerous ridges, excretory pore in front of or at nerve ring and the ventriculus with short appendices. The significance of this proposal is discussed in relation to the other genera of ascaridoid nematodes in crocodilians.


Author(s):  
S. Trachtenberg ◽  
D. J. DeRosier

The bacterial cell is propelled through the liquid environment by means of one or more rotating flagella. The bacterial flagellum is composed of a basal body (rotary motor), hook (universal coupler), and filament (propellor). The filament is a rigid helical assembly of only one protein species — flagellin. The filament can adopt different morphologies and change, reversibly, its helical parameters (pitch and hand) as a function of mechanical stress and chemical changes (pH, ionic strength) in the environment.


Author(s):  
William P. Wergin ◽  
Eric F. Erbe

The eye-brain complex allows those of us with normal vision to perceive and evaluate our surroundings in three-dimensions (3-D). The principle factor that makes this possible is parallax - the horizontal displacement of objects that results from the independent views that the left and right eyes detect and simultaneously transmit to the brain for superimposition. The common SEM micrograph is a 2-D representation of a 3-D specimen. Depriving the brain of the 3-D view can lead to erroneous conclusions about the relative sizes, positions and convergence of structures within a specimen. In addition, Walter has suggested that the stereo image contains information equivalent to a two-fold increase in magnification over that found in a 2-D image. Because of these factors, stereo pair analysis should be routinely employed when studying specimens.Imaging complementary faces of a fractured specimen is a second method by which the topography of a specimen can be more accurately evaluated.


Author(s):  
Mary Beth Downs ◽  
Wilson Ribot ◽  
Joseph W. Farchaus

Many bacteria possess surface layers (S-layers) that consist of a two-dimensional protein lattice external to the cell envelope. These S-layer arrays are usually composed of a single species of protein or glycoprotein and are not covalently linked to the underlying cell wall. When removed from the cell, S-layer proteins often reassemble into a lattice identical to that found on the cell, even without supporting cell wall fragments. S-layers exist at the interface between the cell and its environment and probably serve as molecular sieves that exclude destructive macromolecules while allowing passage of small nutrients and secreted proteins. Some S-layers are refractory to ingestion by macrophages and, generally, bacteria are more virulent when S-layers are present.When grown in rich medium under aerobic conditions, B. anthracis strain Delta Sterne-1 secretes large amounts of a proteinaceous extractable antigen 1 (EA1) into the growth medium. Immunocytochemistry with rabbit polyclonal anti-EAl antibody made against the secreted protein and gold-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG showed that EAI was localized at the cell surface (fig 1), which suggests its role as an S-layer protein.


Author(s):  
R.V. Harrison ◽  
R.J. Mount ◽  
P. White ◽  
N. Fukushima

In studies which attempt to define the influence of various factors on recovery of hair cell integrity after acoustic trauma, an experimental and a control ear which initially have equal degrees of damage are required. With in a group of animals receiving an identical level of acoustic trauma there is more symmetry between the ears of each individual, in respect to function, than between animals. Figure 1 illustrates this, left and right cochlear evoked potential (CAP) audiograms are shown for two chinchillas receiving identical trauma. For this reason the contralateral ear is used as control.To compliment such functional evaluations we have devised a scoring system, based on the condition of hair cell stereocilia as revealed by scanning electron microscopy, which permits total stereociliar damage to be expressed numerically. This quantification permits correlation of the degree of structural pathology with functional changes. In this paper wereport experiments to verify the symmetry of stereociliar integrity between two ears, both for normal (non-exposed) animals and chinchillas in which each ear has received identical noise trauma.


Author(s):  
Jiang Xishan

This paper reports the growth step pattern and morphology at equilibrium and growth states of (Mn,Fe)S single crystal on the wall of micro-voids in ZG25 cast steel by using scanning electron microscope. Seldom report was presented on the growth morphology and steppattern of (Mn,Fe)S single crystal.Fig.1 shows the front half of the polyhedron of(Mn,Fe)S single crystal,its central area being the square crystal plane,the two pairs of hexagons symmetrically located in the high and low, the left and right with a certain, angle to the square crystal plane.According to the symmetrical relationship of crystal, it was defined that the (Mn,Fe)S single crystal at equilibrium state is tetrakaidecahedron consisted of eight hexagonal crystal planes and six square crystal planes. The macroscopic symmetry elements of the tetrakaidecahedron correpond to Oh—n3m symmetry class of fcc structure,in which the hexagonal crystal planes are the { 111 } crystal planes group,square crystal plaits are the { 100 } crystal planes group. This new discovery of the (Mn,Fe)S single crystal provides a typical example of the point group of Oh—n3m.


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