Primate locomotion has typically been studied from two points of view. Laboratory-based researchers have focused on aspects like biomechanics and energetics, whereas field-based researchers have ...focused on (locomotor) behaviour and ecology. Unfortunately, to date, there is relatively little scientific exchange between both groups. With a book, which will be the result of a symposium on the 2008 Meeting of the International Primatological Society in Edinburgh, we would like to bring together laboratory and field-based primate locomotion studies. We are convinced this will be beneficial for both research lines. For example, biomechanists might wonder how frequently the locomotor style they study in the lab actually occurs in nature, and field workers might use calculated costs of locomotion to understand why certain locomotor behaviours are favoured under specific conditions. Thus, on the one hand, an established link between both groups may help interpret the results by using each other's findings. On the other hand, recent technological advances (e.g. portable high-speed cameras) make it possible to bridge the gap between lab-based and field-based research by actually collecting biomechanical data in situ. Again, communication between both groups is necessary to identify the specific needs and start up achievable and successful research projects in the field. In order to generate a wide interest, we have invited biomechanists, ecologists, and field-based researchers who combine both disciplines, and we hope their combined contributions will facilitate lasting cooperation between the mentioned disciplines and stimulate innovative research in Primatology.
We are convinced that the most appropriate format to publish the different symposium contributions is a conference volume within an existing book series. Firstly, the chapters will not only contain new data but will also review existing data and elaborate on potential future work - more so than can be done in a journal article.
Secondly, the combination of chapters will form an entity that is more valuable than the sum of the separate chapters and therefore they need to be presented together. Lastly, this volume will benefit from the typically long "shelf life" of a book in a renowned series, allowing it to be used as reference book for both researchers and students.
Full text
Available for:
FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Purpose
On imaging studies, bony ridges can be seen at the palmar aspect of the phalanges of the fingers. Our purpose was to address the following: (1) which structures insert on to the ridges and ...what is the histological appearance? (2) Is there a difference between the different fingers? (3) Is there a correlation between the ridges and age?
Materials and methods
Two observers retrospectively evaluated 270 radiographs (135 men; 135 women; mean age 44 years), and 33 CT scans (22 men; 11 women; mean age 46 years). Three cadaveric hands were also studied. The ridges were graded using a 4-point scale. A Chi-square test was used to compare the different fingers (
p
< 0.05) and to study the prominence of the ridges in relation to age (
p
< 0.05).
Results
On histology with routine stains the A2 pulley was inserted on the ridges of the proximal phalanx, and the flexor superficialis and A4 pulley on the ridges of the middle phalanx. On histology, the insertion showed a transition zone consisting of fibrocartilage. The prominence of the ridges was significantly different between fingers with III and IV categorized higher than II and III. There was a significant correlation with age for all fingers except for the middle phalanx of II and III.
Conclusion
The bony palmar ridges have characteristics of enthesophytes. They correspond to the insertion site of the A2 pulley, and the flexor superficialis tendon and A4 pulley, at the proximal and middle phalanx, respectively. The ridges become more prominent with age, and their prominence is different between the fingers with III and IV categorized higher than II and V.
The introduction of 4D image acquisition techniques has made it possible to analyse anatomical motion in vivo. With 4D computed tomography (CT), it is now possible to study the motion of joints ...leading to a deeper understanding of the role of morphology on joint motion and a better assessment of pathologies. Although 4D CT shows a lot of opportunities, the workload to process these 4D acquisitions has increased dramatically. A major part of this process is segmentation, the delineation of the objects of interest within the image volume. This paper presents an algorithm to accelerate this step by registering the segmentation of one frame onto the others. This results in a fast segmentation of the whole 4D dataset, all identical in shape. We show that the proposed algorithm is able to segment two carpal bones, the trapezoid and the scaphoid, with results close to a manual segmentation in less than 5% of the processing time.
The acquisition of bipedal walking was a key event in human evolution. Unfortunately, revealing the precursor and the nature of hominid bipedalism from fossil remaining alone is not self-evident. ...Experimental work on extant primate species can provide valuable insights, e.g.by providing background information for the interpretation of fossils (skeletal elements or footprints) and by testing the likeliness of current hypotheses about the origin of hominid bipedalism. We will present recent data on locomotion in various species: gibbons, bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans. These species all exhibit bipedal walking, although they differ widely in frequency and type of bipedalism, morphology and locomotor behaviour. Using kinematic, kinetic and pedobarographic data of these species, combined with anatomy and morphometry, we will address selected topics in the context of the two major hypotheses pertaining to the origins of habitual bipedalism in humans: the "arboreal" and the "terrestrial" hypotheses.
Most of our knowledge regarding primate locomotion, especially biomechanical aspects, results from studies of captive populations, typically in laboratories or zoos. Obviously, a controlled ...environment facilitates the acquisition of high-quality locomotion data; it has done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future. We start by outlining how primate locomotion has been studied in captive settings, and the sort of insights such studies have yielded. We draw examples from our own research on hylobatids (Hylobates lar, Symphalangus syndactylus) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), carried out using integrated setups in a zoo environment. Locomotion is highly variable in these hominoid species; even in a captive setup, it is inevitably less complex than in the natural habitat. Neither species uses a human-like stiff-legged (inverted pendulum) type of terrestrial locomotion. Bonobos use a highly crouched posture both in bipedal and quadrupedal terrestrial locomotion; lar gibbons use a bouncing gait with potential for energy saving mechanisms in the knee and in the foot. Aspects of arboreal locomotion have been, or are being studied in the three species, using stiff substrates and overhead supports. Next, we discuss some shortcomings of working outside of the natural habitat, ex situ. They pertain most clearly to the limited number of subjects (a result of availability issues and the high level of detail required) and to the relative lack of complexity in the substrates used. Especially during arboreal locomotion, new research lines should be (and are being) started in which spatial complexity and compliance are incorporated in the experimental setup. We are currently using this approach to study jumping off branches and for brachiation in hylobatids. Finally, we make some suggestions of how field work can help meet some of the limitations intrinsic to ex situ studies. Locomotor field studies are complementary to ex situ studies in their capacity to study larger sample sizes (albeit in lesser detail) in their natural environment, thereby documenting, preferably quantitatively, the natural locomotion repertoire, unbiased by human-made setups. Specifically, field studies are crucial for describing the locomotor modes that are actually used by the species studied, and for providing an ecological framework for an integrated approach of primate locomotion.
Full text
Available for:
FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we investigate whether contact times, as recorded by pedobarographic systems during quadrupedal and bipedal walking of bonobos, can be used to reliably ...calculate actual velocities, by applying formulae based on lateral-view video recordings. Secondly, we investigate the effect of speed on peak plantar pressures during bipedal and quadrupedal walking of the bonobo. Data were obtained from 4 individuals from a group of bonobos at the Animal Park Planckendael. From our study, we can conclude that both walking speeds calculated from contact times and lower leg length or simply from recorded contact times are good estimators for walking speed, when direct observation of the latter is impossible. Further, it was found that effects of speed on peak plantar pressures and vertical forces are absent or at least subtle in comparison to a large variation in pressure patterns. In bonobos, the same pressure patterns are used at all walking speeds, and, in consequence, we do not expect major changes in foot function.
Researchers have studied primate locomotion over a considerable period of time, e.g., baboon locomotion by Muybridge (1899), and it continues to receive a great deal of attention from primatologists, ...anthropologists, and biomechanists worldwide. There are several good reasons for this, many boiling down to the primates possessing several “unique” features, which are thought to relate to their ancestral arboreal niche, and that presumably opened options for the evolution of hominins (as bipeds). In the past, primate locomotion had been tackled from a variety of perspectives. Field primatologists have collected quantitative data on locomotion and posture since the 1960s (e.g., Napier and Napier 1967; Richard 1970; Grand 1972; Rose 1973, 1976; Chivers 1974; Mittermeier and Fleagle 1976; Mittermeier 1978); in-depth biomechanics research on primate locomotion has been conducted since as early as 1935, with Elftman and Manter’s study on chimpanzee bipedalism, and Fleagle and colleagues could be considered pioneers in combining both approaches (e.g., Fleagle 1974, 1976, 1992, 1999; Fleagle and Mittermeier 1980).
Full text
Available for:
FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
PDF