... of these basic activation patterns are of a neural origin. We investigated the muscle synergies during incline and level walking to evaluate changes in the modular organization of neuromuscular control related to changes in the mechanical demands. Our results revealed five fundamental (not further factorizable...

...Cornelia Krause; Martin S. Fischer SUMMARY Arboreal substrates differ not only in diameter, but also in continuity and orientation. To gain more insight into the dynamics of small-branch locomotion in tetrapods we studied the veiled chameleon walking on inclined and declined perches of up to 60 deg...

... moderated their speed with slope ( P <0.05), travelling the fastest during level locomotion (2.0±0.1 cm s –1 , N =20) and increasingly slowly with increased gradient (both on an incline and a decline). C path varied significantly with slope, being lowest during level locomotion (646.0±51.2 J kg –1 m –1...

... in substrate orientation, three-dimensional kinematics were examined using biplanar videoradiography as the animals moved on 30 and 60 deg inclined branches. Our results revealed that to maintain stability and friction as well as balance during inclined branch locomotion, these species utilize comparable...

... different from level values during uphill than downhill trotting, indicating that the limbs act more as levers on the incline. Differential limb function was evident in the extreme divergence of forelimb and hindlimb impulse angles, amplifying forelimb braking and hindlimb propulsive biases observed during...

...%. We compared rates of O 2 consumption and CO 2 production, exoskeleton mechanics, joint kinematics, and surface electromyography between unpowered and powered exoskeleton conditions. On steeper inclines, ankle exoskeletons delivered more average positive mechanical power ( P <0.0001;+0.37±0.03 W kg...

... trained to fly over varying angles of ascent and descent. In particular, we sought to determine whether the power required for incline or decline flight could be measured by simply summing the power necessary for level flight at the same speed and the rate of center of mass (CoM) potential energy change...

...K. J. Parsons; T. Pfau; M. Ferrari; A. M. Wilson SUMMARY During locomotion on an incline, mechanical work is performed to move an animal up the slope and increase the potential energy (PE) of the trunk and hence the centre of mass (CoM). Thus, at a given speed the total net mechanical work...

...K. J. Parsons; T. Pfau; A. M. Wilson SUMMARY During locomotion up an incline, power is required to elevate the centre of mass. This is provided when the animal's limbs are in contact with the ground. Measurements of stride timing variables from multiple limbs during high speed,over-ground...

...Henry C. Astley; Bruce C. Jayne SUMMARY Animals moving through arboreal habitats face several functional challenges, including fitting onto and moving on cylindrical branches with variable diameters and inclines. In contrast to lizards and primates, the arboreal locomotion of snakes is poorly...

...-mail: devitap@ecu.edu ) 18 7 2007 © The Company of Biologists Limited 2007 2007 gait joint power incline stair ramp walking Animal locomotion is a complex process that includes the generation and dissipation of mechanical energy (i.e. positive and negative work) throughout...

...Darren J. Dutto; Donald F. Hoyt; Edward A. Cogger; Steven J. Wickler SUMMARY Although the forces required to support the body mass are not elevated when moving up an incline, kinematic studies, in vivo tendon and bone studies and kinetic studies suggest there is a shift in forces from the fore...

...Lawrence C. Spezzano, Jr; Bruce C. Jayne SUMMARY Arboreal animals often move in habitats with dense vegetation, narrow perches and variable inclines, but effects of arboreal habitat structure on locomotor function are poorly understood for most animals. Several species of Anolis lizards, which have...

...Timothy E. Higham; Bruce C. Jayne SUMMARY Arboreal animals, especially lizards, often traverse three-dimensional networks of narrow perches with variable and steep inclines, but the effects of both incline and narrow surfaces on the locomotor movement and function of limbs are poorly understood...

...Timothy E. Higham; Bruce C. Jayne SUMMARY Arboreal animals often move on surfaces with variable and steep inclines,but the changes in hindlimb muscle activity in response to incline are poorly understood. Thus, we studied the hindlimb muscle activity in the arboreal specialist, Chamaeleo...

...Bruce C. Jayne; Duncan J. Irschick ABSTRACT Lizards commonly move on steep inclines in nature, but no previous studies have investigated whether the kinematics of the limbs of lizards differ on inclined surfaces compared with level surfaces. Therefore, we examined how the kinematics of the hindlimb...

...Duncan J. Irschick; Bruce C. Jayne ABSTRACT We examined the effects of incline on locomotor performance and kinematics in two closely related species of iguanian lizards that co-occur in sandy desert habitats. Callisaurus draconoides differs from Uma scoparia of equal snout–vent length by being...