DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Mechanical Properties and Functional Morphology of Mammalian Footpads

论文研究：哺乳动物足垫的机械特性和功能形态

• 批准号: 0206456
• 负责人: Virginia Louise Roth
• 金额: $ 1万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-05-15 至 2004-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0206456&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Mechanical; Properties; Functional

Dr. Virginia L. Roth & Kai-Jung ChiFootpads are found universally in terrestrial mammals; however, how footpads function during locomotion is poorly understood. At each step, footpads are believed to cushion impact, stabilize the foot, and return elastic energy. To perform all these roles, the pad must have the paradoxical properties of being compliant and stiff, resilient and damped. This study proposes a solution to this apparent paradox- the footpad has mechanical anisotropy. This hypothesis has been supported by results on plantigrade footpads in the context of locomotion, and will be tested on two lineages that evolved digitigrady separately: cats and dogs. Furthermore, this study also proposes to identify the morphological determinants that explain footpads' mechanical variation observed both intra- and interspecifically. Mechanical and morphological parameters measured on each species will be compared to examine whether footpad properties reflect locomotor habits as suggested in previous studies. The goals of this study will be achieved by three approaches: (1) Investigation of foot kinematics and mechanical roles of footpads in moving digitigrade mammals, (2) Measurement of compressive and shear properties of isolated footpads both statically and dynamically, and (3) Examination of the compositional and structural morphology of footpads. This study will provide the first experimental and comparative analysis of mechanisms of footpad function, especially in the context of locomotion. Such an integrative study will lay the framework for future work focused on structure and function of pads in animals less tolerant of laboratory conditions, and on scaling, adaptation, diversity, and evolution of mammalian feet and footpads.

Virginia L.博士Roth Kai-Jung ChiFootpads在陆生哺乳动物中普遍存在;然而，人们对脚垫在运动过程中的功能知之甚少。 在每一步，脚垫被认为是缓冲冲击，稳定脚，并返回弹性能量。 为了执行所有这些角色，垫必须具有自相矛盾的特性，即柔顺性和刚性、弹性和阻尼。 这项研究提出了一个解决方案，这个明显的矛盾-脚垫具有机械各向异性。 这一假设已经得到了支持的结果，跖行足垫在运动的背景下，并将测试两个血统，分别发展digitigrady：猫和狗。 此外，本研究还提出了确定的形态决定因素，解释脚垫的机械变化观察内和种间。 机械和形态参数测量的每一个物种将进行比较，以检查是否足垫性能反映运动习惯，在以前的研究中建议。 本研究的目的将通过三种方法来实现：（1）调查足的运动学和力学作用的足垫在移动的digitigrade哺乳动物，（2）测量静态和动态的压缩和剪切性能的孤立足垫，和（3）检查的组成和结构形态的足垫。 这项研究将提供第一个实验和比较分析机制的脚垫功能，特别是在运动的背景下。 这样一个综合性的研究将奠定框架，未来的工作重点是结构和功能的垫在动物的耐受性较低的实验室条件下，和缩放，适应，多样性和进化的哺乳动物的脚和脚垫。