EFFICIENCY OF ENERGY CONVERSION DURING SINUSOIDAL MOVEMENT OF WHITE MUSCLE FIBRES FROM THE DOGFISH SCYLIORHINUS CANICULA

1993 ◽  
Vol 183 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Curtin ◽  
R. C. Woledge

Net work output and heat production of white myotomal muscle fibres from the dogfish were measured during complete cycles of sinusoidal movement at 12°C. The peak-to-peak movement was about 9 % of the muscle fibre length; three stimuli at 32 ms intervals were given in each mechanical cycle. The frequency of movement and the timing of the stimulation were varied for each preparation to find the optimal conditions for power output and those optimal for efficiency (the ratio of net work output to total energy output as heat+work). To achieve either maximum power or maximum efficiency, the tetanus must start while the muscle fibres are being stretched, before the beginning of the shortening part of the mechanical cycle. The highest power output, averaged over one cycle, was 0.23+/−0.014 W g-1 dry mass (+/−s.e.m., N=9, 46.9+/−2.8 mW g-1 wet mass) and was produced during movement at 3.5 Hz. The highest efficiency, 0.41+/−0.02 (+/−s.e.m., N=13), occurred during movements at 2.0-2.5 Hz. This value is higher than the efficiency previously measured during isovelocity shortening of these fibres. The implications of the high efficiency for crossbridge models of muscle contraction are discussed.

1993 ◽  
Vol 185 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Curtin ◽  
R. C. Woledge

Bundles of red myotomal muscle fibres isolated from dogfish were electrically stimulated at 12 sC. Peak twitch force was 54 % of that produced by a brief isometric tetanus. Relaxation was slower than in white fibres, but much faster than would be expected for the tonic fibres found in amphibian muscle. These two results indicate that the red fibres in dogfish are slow, but not tonic, in their behaviour. Net work output and heat production were measured during complete cycles of sinusoidal movement. The following variables were kept constant: peak-to-peak movement, about 7 % of the muscle fibre length; tetanus duration, 33 % of the mechanical cycle time; stimulus frequency, 40 Hz. The frequency of movement and the timing of the stimulation were varied for each preparation to find the conditions optimal for power output and those optimal for efficiency (the ratio of net work output to total energy output as heat+work). To achieve either maximum power or maximum efficiency, the tetanus must start while the muscle fibres are being stretched, before the beginning of the shortening part of the mechanical cycle. The highest power output was produced during movement at 1.02 Hz. The highest efficiency, 0.507+/−0.045 (+/−s.e.m., N=9), was at 0.61-0.95 Hz. The efficiency is higher than that previously measured during sinusoidal movement of white fibres; the difference, 0.095+/− 0.045 (+/−s.e.m. of the difference, d.f. 20), is statistically significant at the 5 % level.


1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Curtin ◽  
R Woledge

Work and heat production of white myotomal muscle fibres from dogfish were measured during sinusoidal movement (0.71-5.0 Hz) at 12 C. Stimulus phase (stimulus timing relative to movement) and duty cycle (stimulus duration as a fraction of movement cycle duration) were varied to determine the parameters optimal for power output and for efficiency (work/total energy output). Movements of 0.067 and 0.120L0 were used, where L0 is the muscle fibre length giving maximum force in an isometric tetanus. At each frequency of movement and duty cycle, the stimulus phase giving the highest power was the same as that giving the highest efficiency. In contrast, at each frequency and optimal stimulus phase, the dependence of power on duty cycle was very different from the dependence of efficiency on duty cycle. Power generally increased with increasing duty cycle, whereas efficiency decreased. Thus, high power can be achieved at the expense of efficiency by adjusting stimulus duty cycle. When stimulus phase and duty cycle were optimized, efficiency was always higher for the larger distance of movement. The efficiency of energy conversion can be maintained at a high level as the frequency of movement increases from 1.25 to 5.0 Hz.


1988 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. CURTIN ◽  
R. C. WOLEDGE

The relationship between force and velocity of shortening and between power and velocity were examined for myotomal muscle fibre bundles from the dogfish. The maximum velocity of shortening, mean value 4.8 ± 0.2 μms−1 half sarcomere−1 (±S.E.M., N = 13), was determined by the ‘slack step’ method (Edman, 1979) and was found to be independent of fish length. The force-velocity relationship was hyperbolic, except at the high-force end where the observations were below the hyperbola fitted to the rest of the data. The maximum power output was 91 ± 14 W kg−1 wet mass (±S.E.M., N = 7) at a velocity of shortening of 1.3 ± 0.13μms−1 halfsarcomere−1 (±S.E.M., N = 7). This power output is considerably higher than that previously reported for skinned fibres (Bone et al. 1986). Correspondingly the force-velocity relationship is less curved for intact fibres than for skinned fibres. The maximum swimming speed (normalized for fish length) predicted from the observed power output of the muscle fibres decreased with increasing fish size; it ranged from 12.9 to 7.8 fish lengths s−1 for fish 0155–0.645m in length.


1991 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Curtin ◽  
R. C. Woledge

Force and heat production were measured during isovelocity shortening of tetanized white myotomal muscle fibres from the dogfish at 12 degrees C. For each fibre preparation a range of velocities was used. Mechanical power was calculated from force X velocity of shortening. The rate of total energy output during shortening was evaluated as the sum of mechanical power and the rate of heat production. The ratio of mechanical power to total energy rate was taken as a measure of efficiency of energy conversion to mechanical power during shortening. Efficiency was maximal and varied little in the range of shortening velocities 0.42-0.89 fibres lengths s-1 (0.11-0.23 Vmax); maximal efficiency was 0.33 +/− 0.01 (+/− S.E.M., N = 23 measurements on seven fibre bundles). The efficiency of the white fibres from dogfish was less than that measured in the same way in earlier experiments on frog muscle and tortoise muscle.


1990 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN D. ALTRINGHAM ◽  
IAN A. JOHNSTON

Bundles of 3–10 live fast fibres were isolated from the abdominal myotomes of cod (Gadus morhua L.) 13–67 cm in length. The preparations performed work under conditions simulating their activity during swimming: sinusoidal length changes were imposed about in situ fibre length, and the fibres were stimulated at a selected phase in each cycle. Strain amplitude, and the number and timing of stimuli were chosen to give maximum power output over a wide range of cycle/tailbeat frequencies. For each preparation power output was maximal at a particular frequency, although the peaks were rather broad. As the size of the fish increased the cycle frequency for maximum power output (fopt) decreased, from 12.5 Hz (13 cm fish) to 5 Hz (67 cm fish) (fopt= 1.67 L−0.52, where L is body length).


1994 ◽  
Vol 193 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Barclay

The mechanical efficiency of mouse fast- and slow-twitch muscle was determined during contractions involving sinusoidal length changes. Measurements were made of muscle length, force production and initial heat output from bundles of muscle fibres in vitro at 31 degrees C. Power output was calculated as the product of the net work output per sinusoidal length cycle and the cycle frequency. The initial mechanical efficiency was defined as power output/(rate of initial heat production+power output). Both power output and rate of initial heat production were averaged over a full cycle of length change. The amplitude of length changes was +/- 5% of muscle length. Stimulus phase and duration were adjusted to maximise net work output at each cycle frequency used. The maximum initial mechanical efficiency of slow-twitch soleus muscle was 0.52 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- 1 S.E.M. N = 4) and occurred at a cycle frequency of 3 Hz. Efficiency was not significantly different from this at cycle frequencies of 1.5-4 Hz, but was significantly lower at cycle frequencies of 0.5 and 1 Hz. The maximum efficiency of fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus muscle was 0.34 +/- 0.03 (N = 4) and was relatively constant (0.32-0.34) over a broad range of frequencies (4-12 Hz). A comparison of these results with those from previous studies of the mechanical efficiency of mammalian muscles indicates that efficiency depends markedly on contraction protocol.


1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
T A Beddow ◽  
I A Johnston

Live fibre bundles were isolated from the fast myotomal muscle of short-horned sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius L.) and isometric contractile properties and the force­velocity (P­V) relationship determined at 5, 10 and 15 °C. Experiments were carried out on winter- and summer-caught sculpins and on individuals acclimated for 6­8 weeks to either 5 or 15 °C (12 h:12 h light:dark). Maximum tetanic tension (P0) in fibres from 15 °C-acclimated fish increased from 125 kN m-2 at 5 °C to 282 kN m-2 at 15 °C (R10=2.3). For 5 °C-acclimated fish, P0 was 139 kN m-2 at 5 °C, but fell to 78 kN m-2 at 15 °C, consistent with a partial failure of excitation­contraction coupling at high temperatures. Peak force at 15 °C was increased 2.2 times following depolarisation with a high-K+ solution, but was unaffected by the addition of caffeine and/or eserine to the Ringer's solution. The results from winter- and summer-caught fish were similar to those from 5 °C- and 15 °C-acclimated sculpins respectively. In 15 °C-acclimated fish, the power output of muscle fibres calculated from the P­V relationship was 55 W kg-1 at 5 °C and 206 W kg-1 at 15 °C. The P­V relationship at 5 °C was significantly less curved in muscle fibres from 5 °C- than from 15 °C-acclimated fish. After normalizing the curves for P0 and Vmax, it was found that the change in curvature was sufficient to produce a 40 % increase in relative power output at 5 °C in cold-acclimated fish. The maximum contraction speed of muscle fibres at 15 °C was 2.4 times higher in 15 °C- than in 5 °C-acclimated fish. It was concluded that acclimation modifies the contractile properties of fast muscle fibres at both low and high temperatures.


1991 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 409-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIMOTHY P. JOHNSON ◽  
IAN A. JOHNSTON

Fast muscle fibres were isolated from the abdominal myotomes of the shorthorned sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius L. Sinusoidal length changes were imposed about resting muscle length and fibres were stimulated at a selected phase during the strain cycle. The work output per cycle was calculated from the area of the resulting force-position loops. The strain amplitude required for maximum work per cycle had a distinct optimum at ±5 % of resting length, which was independent of temperature. Maximum positive work loops were obtained by retarding the stimulus relative to the start of the length-change cycle by 30° (full cycle=360°). The maximum negative work output was obtained with a 210° stimulus phase shift. At intermediate stimulus phase shifts, work loops became complex with both positive (anticlockwise) and negative (clockwise) components. The number and timing of stimuli were adjusted, at constant strain amplitude (±5% of resting muscle length), to optimize net positive work output over a range of cycle frequencies. The cycle frequency required for maximum power output (work per cycle times cycle frequency) increased from around 5–7 Hz at 4°C to 9–13 Hz at 15°C. The maximum tension generated per cycle at 15°C was around two times higher at all cycle frequencies in summer-relative to winter-acclimatized fish. Fast muscle fibres from summer fish produced consistently higher tensions at 4°C, but the differences were only significant at 15 Hz. Acclimatization also modified the relationship between peak length and peak force at 4°C and 15°C. The maximum power output of muscle fibres showed little seasonal variation at 4°C and was in the range 20–25 W kg−1. In contrast, at 15°C, maximum muscle power output increased from 9 W kg−1 in the winter- to 30 W kg−1 in the summeracclimatized fish


1989 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 437-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAREN S. LANGFELD ◽  
JOHN D. ALTRINGHAM ◽  
IAN A. JOHNSTON

Small bundles of fast fibres were isolated from the myotomal muscle of the teleost Myoxocephalus scorpius. The temperature-dependence of isometric contractile properties and the force-velocity (P-V) relationship were studied. Fibres were found to deteriorate above 18°C, and the force plateau during tetanic stimulation was not maintained above 15°C. Twitch and tetanic tension (P0) showed optima at around 8°C. Force-velocity curves were fitted using either Hill's hyperbolic equation or a hyperbolic-linear equation (hyp-lin). The best fit to the data was provided by the hyp-lin equation, which gave consistently higher values for unloaded contraction velocity (Vmax): 4.3, 8.1 and 9.5 muscle lengths s−1 at 1, 8 and 12°C, respectively. The P-V relationship was found to become progressively more curved at higher temperatures. Muscle power output calculated from the hyp-lin equation was 123 W kg−1 at 1°C and 256 W kg−1 at 8°C. Curves normalized for P0 and Vmax at each temperature show that the change in curvature is sufficient to increase the relative power output of the muscle by around 15% on decreasing the temperature from 8 to 1°C.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann E. Bouvier ◽  
Diego Serrano ◽  
Uroš Borović ◽  
Gonzalo Moreno ◽  
Miroslav Vasić ◽  
...  

In modern aircraft designs, following the More Electrical Aircraft (MEA) philosophy, there is a growing need for new high-power converters. In this context, innovative solutions to provide high efficiency and power density are required. This paper proposes an unregulated LLC full-bridge operating at resonant frequency to obtain a constant gain at all loads. The first harmonic approximation (FHA) model is not accurate enough to estimate the voltage gain in converters with high parasitic resistance. A modified FHA model is proposed for voltage gain analysis, and time-based models are used to calculate the instantaneous current required for the ZVS transition analysis. A method using charge instead of current is proposed and used for this ZVS analysis. Using this method, an auxiliary circuit is proposed to achieve complete ZVS within the whole load range, avoiding a gapped transformer design and increasing the efficiency and power density. A 28 Vdc output voltage prototype, with 10 kW peak output power, has been developed to validate the theoretical analysis and the proposed auxiliary circuit. The maximum efficiency (96.3%) is achieved at the nominal power of 5 kW.


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