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Integrating morphology and in vivo skeletal mobility with digital models to infer function in brittle star arms (2018)
Journal Article
Clark, E. G., Hutchinson, J. R., Darroch, S. A. F., Mongiardino Koch, N., Bady, T. R., Smith, S. A., & Briggs, D. E. G. (2018). Integrating morphology and in vivo skeletal mobility with digital models to infer function in brittle star arms. Journal of Anatomy, 233(6), 696-714. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12887

Brittle stars (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Ophiuroidea) have evolved rapid locomotion employing muscle and skeletal elements within their (usually) five arms to apply forces in a manner analogous to that of vertebrates. Inferring the inner workings o... Read More about Integrating morphology and in vivo skeletal mobility with digital models to infer function in brittle star arms.

"Of Mice and Measures": A Project to Improve How We Advance Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Therapies to the Clinic (2018)
Journal Article
Gordish-Dressman, H., Willmann, R., Dalle Pazze, L., Kreibich, A., van Putten, M., Heydemann, A., …Aartsma-Rus, A. (2018). "Of Mice and Measures": A Project to Improve How We Advance Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Therapies to the Clinic. Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases, 5(4), 407-414. https://doi.org/10.3233/JND-180324

A new line of dystrophic mdx mice on the DBA/2J (D2) background has emerged as a candidate to study the efficacy of therapeutic approaches for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). These mice harbor genetic polymorphisms that appear to increase the seve... Read More about "Of Mice and Measures": A Project to Improve How We Advance Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Therapies to the Clinic.

Building a Bird: Musculoskeletal Modeling and Simulation of Wing-Assisted Incline Running during Avian Ontogeny (2018)
Journal Article
Heers, A. M., Rankin, J. W., & Hutchinson, J. R. (2018). Building a Bird: Musculoskeletal Modeling and Simulation of Wing-Assisted Incline Running during Avian Ontogeny. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 6(140), https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00140

Flapping flight is the most power-demanding mode of locomotion, associated with a suite of anatomical specializations in extant adult birds. In contrast, many developing birds use their forelimbs to negotiate environments long before acquiring “fligh... Read More about Building a Bird: Musculoskeletal Modeling and Simulation of Wing-Assisted Incline Running during Avian Ontogeny.

Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (2018)
Journal Article
Amoasii, L., Hildyard, J. C. W., Li, H., Sanchez-Ortiz, E., Mireault, A., Caballero, D., …Olson, E. N. (2018). Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Science, 362(6410), 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau1549

Mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, a protein that maintains muscle integrity and function, cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The deltaE50-MD dog model of DMD harbors a mutation corresponding to a mutational “hotspot” in the human DMD g... Read More about Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Simulation of muscle-powered jumping with hardware-in-the-loop ground interaction (2018)
Journal Article
Eberhard, E. A., & Richards, C. T. (2018). Simulation of muscle-powered jumping with hardware-in-the-loop ground interaction. https://doi.org/10.1109/AIM.2018.8452298

We developed a novel reverse haptic interface to augment forward dynamic simulations with real-world contact forces. In contrast with traditional haptics, in which a realworld user drives an interaction with a simulated environment, reverse haptics a... Read More about Simulation of muscle-powered jumping with hardware-in-the-loop ground interaction.

The scaling or ontogeny of human gait kinetics and walk-run transition: The implications of work vs. peak power minimization (2018)
Journal Article
Usherwood, J. R., Hubel, T. Y., Smith, B. J. H., Self Davies, Z. T., & Sobota, G. (2018). The scaling or ontogeny of human gait kinetics and walk-run transition: The implications of work vs. peak power minimization. Journal of Biomechanics, 81, 12-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2018.09.004

A simple model is developed to find vertical force profiles and stance durations that minimize either limb mechanical work or peak power demands during bipedal locomotion. The model predicts that work minimization is achieved with a symmetrical verti... Read More about The scaling or ontogeny of human gait kinetics and walk-run transition: The implications of work vs. peak power minimization.

The dynamic role of the ilio-sacral joint in jumping frogs (2018)
Journal Article
Richards, C. T., Eberhard, E. A., & Collings, A. J. (2018). The dynamic role of the ilio-sacral joint in jumping frogs. Biology Letters, 14(9), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0367

A striking feature among jumping frogs is a sharp pelvic bend about the ilio-sacral (IS) joint, unique to anurans. Although this sagittal plane hinge has been interpreted as crucial for the evolution of jumping, its mechanical contribution has not be... Read More about The dynamic role of the ilio-sacral joint in jumping frogs.

Insect and insect-inspired aerodynamics: unsteadiness, structural mechanics and flight control (2018)
Journal Article
Bomphrey, R. J., & Godoy-Diana, R. (2018). Insect and insect-inspired aerodynamics: unsteadiness, structural mechanics and flight control. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 30, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2018.08.003

Flying insects impress by their versatility and have been a recurrent source of inspiration for engineering devices. A large body of literature has focused on various aspects of insect flight, with an essential part dedicated to the dynamics of flapp... Read More about Insect and insect-inspired aerodynamics: unsteadiness, structural mechanics and flight control.

Uncovering the structure of the mouse gait controller: mice respond to substrate perturbations with adaptations in gait on a continuum between trot and bound (2018)
Journal Article
Vahedipour, A., Haji Maghsoudi, O., Wilshin, S., Shamble, P., Robertson, B., & Spence, A. (2018). Uncovering the structure of the mouse gait controller: mice respond to substrate perturbations with adaptations in gait on a continuum between trot and bound. Journal of Biomechanics, 78(10), 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2018.07.020

A novel kinematics analysis method using quaternion interpolation – a case study in frog jumping (2018)
Journal Article
Richards, C. T., & Porro, L. B. (2018). A novel kinematics analysis method using quaternion interpolation – a case study in frog jumping. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 454, 410-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.06.010

Spherical Linear Interpolation (SLERP) has long been used in computer animation to interpolate movements between two 3D orientations. We developed a forward kinematics (FK) approach using quaternions and SLERP to predict how frogs modulate jump kinem... Read More about A novel kinematics analysis method using quaternion interpolation – a case study in frog jumping.

Understanding the agility of running birds: Sensorimotor and mechanical factors in avian bipedal locomotion (2018)
Journal Article
Daley, M. A. (2018). Understanding the agility of running birds: Sensorimotor and mechanical factors in avian bipedal locomotion. Integrative and Comparative Biology, https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icy058

Birds are a diverse and agile lineage of vertebrates that all use bipedal locomotion for at least part of their life. Thus birds provide a valuable opportunity to investigate how biomechanics and sensorimotor control are integrated for agile bipedal... Read More about Understanding the agility of running birds: Sensorimotor and mechanical factors in avian bipedal locomotion.

Regional diversity in the murine cortical vascular network is revealed by synchrotron X-ray tomography and is amplified with age (2018)
Journal Article
Núñez, J. A., Goring, A., Javaheri, B., Razi, H., Gomez-Nicola, D., Pitsillides, A. A., …Clarkin, C. E. (2018). Regional diversity in the murine cortical vascular network is revealed by synchrotron X-ray tomography and is amplified with age. https://doi.org/10.22203/eCM.v035a20

Cortical bone is permeated by a system of pores, occupied by the blood supply and osteocytes. With ageing, bone mass reduction and disruption of the microstructure are associated with reduced vascular supply. Insight into the regulation of the blood... Read More about Regional diversity in the murine cortical vascular network is revealed by synchrotron X-ray tomography and is amplified with age.

Scaling of avian bipedal locomotion reveals independent effects of body mass and leg posture on gait (2018)
Journal Article
Daley, M. A., & Birn-Jeffery, A. V. (2018). Scaling of avian bipedal locomotion reveals independent effects of body mass and leg posture on gait. Journal of Experimental Biology, 221, https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.152538

Birds provide an interesting opportunity to study the relationships between body size, limb morphology and bipedal locomotor function. Birds are ecologically diverse and span a large range of body size and limb proportions, yet all use their hindlimb... Read More about Scaling of avian bipedal locomotion reveals independent effects of body mass and leg posture on gait.

A dynamic simulation of musculoskeletal function in the mouse hindlimb during trotting locomotion (2018)
Journal Article
Charles, J. P., Cappellari, I., & Hutchinson, J. R. (2018). A dynamic simulation of musculoskeletal function in the mouse hindlimb during trotting locomotion. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 6(61), https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00061

Mice are often used as animal models of various human neuromuscular diseases, and analysis of these models often requires detailed gait analysis. However, little is known of the dynamics of the mouse musculoskeletal system during locomotion. In this... Read More about A dynamic simulation of musculoskeletal function in the mouse hindlimb during trotting locomotion.

The grazing gait, and implications of toppling table geometry for primate footfall sequences (2018)
Journal Article
Usherwood, J. R., & Smith, B. J. H. (2018). The grazing gait, and implications of toppling table geometry for primate footfall sequences. Biology Letters, 14(5), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0137

Many medium and large herbivores locomote forwards very slowly and intermittently when grazing. While the footfall order during grazing is the same as for walking, the relative fore–hind timing—phasing—is quite different. Extended periods of static s... Read More about The grazing gait, and implications of toppling table geometry for primate footfall sequences.

Bidirectional regulation of bone formation by exogenous and osteosarcoma-derived Sema3A (2018)
Journal Article
De Ridder, D., Marino, S., Bishop, R. T., Renema, N., Chenu, C., Heymann, D., & Idris, A. I. (2018). Bidirectional regulation of bone formation by exogenous and osteosarcoma-derived Sema3A. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25290-2

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), a secreted member of the Semaphorin family, increases osteoblast differentiation, stimulates bone formation and enhances fracture healing. Here, we report a previously unknown role of Sema3A in the regulation of ectopic bone f... Read More about Bidirectional regulation of bone formation by exogenous and osteosarcoma-derived Sema3A.

Transient peak-strain matching partially recovers the age-impaired mechanoadaptive cortical bone response (2018)
Journal Article
Javaheri, B., Carriero, A., Wood, M., De Souza, R., Lee, P. D., Shefelbine, S., & Pitsillides, A. A. (2018). Transient peak-strain matching partially recovers the age-impaired mechanoadaptive cortical bone response. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25084-6

Mechanoadaptation maintains bone mass and architecture; its failure underlies age-related decline in bone strength. It is unclear whether this is due to failure of osteocytes to sense strain, osteoblasts to form bone or insufficient mechanical stimul... Read More about Transient peak-strain matching partially recovers the age-impaired mechanoadaptive cortical bone response.

Movement patterns and athletic performance of leopards in the Okavango Delta (2018)
Journal Article
Hubel, T. Y., Golabek, K. A., Rafiq, K., Weldon McNutt, J., & Wilson, A. M. (2018). Movement patterns and athletic performance of leopards in the Okavango Delta. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(4), 1017-1027. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.2622

Although leopards are the most widespread of all the big cats and are known for their adaptability, they are elusive and little is known in detail about their movement and hunting energetics. We used high-resolution GPS/IMU (inertial measurement unit... Read More about Movement patterns and athletic performance of leopards in the Okavango Delta.

A physical model suggests that hip-localized balance sense in birds improves state estimation in perching: implications for bipedal robots (2018)
Journal Article
Urbina-Meléndez, D., Jalaleddini, K., Daley, M. A., & Valero-Cuevas, F. J. (2018). A physical model suggests that hip-localized balance sense in birds improves state estimation in perching: implications for bipedal robots. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 5(38), https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2018.00038

In addition to a vestibular system, birds uniquely have a balance-sensing organ within the pelvis, called the lumbosacral organ (LSO). The LSO is well developed in terrestrial birds, possibly to facilitate balance control in perching and terrestrial... Read More about A physical model suggests that hip-localized balance sense in birds improves state estimation in perching: implications for bipedal robots.