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1. Effect of skeletal torsion on human locomotor biomechanics: Support for hominin locomotor diversity?

   Lawrence, Austin B; Hall, Jamie B; Middleton, Kevin M; Thomas, Jacob; Alsharafi, Abdullah; Weiss, Sam; Guess, Trent M; Ward, Carol V (January 2024, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology)
2. Context-Specificity of Locomotor Learning Is Developed during Childhood

   https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0369-21.2022  

   Mariscal, Dulce M.; Vasudevan, Erin V.; Malone, Laura A.; Torres-Oviedo, Gelsy; Bastian, Amy J. (March 2022, eneuro)
3. Geography of artiodactyl locomotor morphology as an environmental predictor

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13371  

   Short, Rachel A.; Lawing, A. Michelle; Thomassen, ed., Henri (July 2021, Diversity and Distributions)

   Abstract AimWe investigate locomotor function in artiodactyls, represented by calcaneal gear ratio, as it relates to multiple environments. Using an ecometric approach, we develop a trait–environment model to investigate ecosystem‐level changes through time and to reconstruct past environments. We apply the trait–environment model to a case study of six sites in Kenya to evaluate changes over the past 100 years. LocationGlobal. MethodsLocomotor morphology was represented by calcaneal gear ratios measured as the overall length of a calcaneum divided by length of its in‐lever, that is calcaneal tuber. We collected calcaneal gear ratio measurements from skeletal specimens of 157 artiodactyl species in museum collections and used species’ spatial distributions to determine the composition of 47,420 communities globally. For 21,827 communities with three or more species of artiodactyls, we used maximum likelihood to model ecometric relationships between community‐level locomotor morphology and five environmental variables, including mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, elevation, vegetation cover and ecoregion province. ResultsCommunity mean gear ratios range from 1.43 to 1.56 (µ = 1.50). Mean gear ratios are highest in the tropical regions and lowest in the mid‐latitudes. Variance in mean calcaneal gear ratio is related to ecoregion division (68.6%), vegetation cover (63.5%) and precipitation (60.7%). In a case study of Kenyan sites, we demonstrate habitat homogenization patterns that match mammal community turnover patterns. Main conclusionsWith this ecometric framework, fossils of artiodactyl post‐crania can be used to assist in interpreting past ecoregion, vegetation cover and precipitation for a more comprehensive understanding of palaeoenvironment. These relationships between functional traits and environment will enable better models of biotic responses for conservation of functional diversity under changing environments. 

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4. Locomotor correlates of the scapholunar of living and extinct carnivorans

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.21024  

   Dunn, Rachel H.; Cooper, Candice; Lemert, Joshua; Mironov, Natalie; Meachen, Julie A. (June 2019, Journal of Morphology)

   null (Ed.)
5. Training propulsion: Locomotor adaptation to accelerations of the trailing limb

   https://doi.org/10.1109/ICORR.2019.8779374  

   Farrens, Andria J.; Marbaker, Rachel; Lilley, Maria; Sergi, Fabrizio (January 2019, 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR))

   Many stroke survivors suffer from hemiparesis, a condition that results in impaired walking ability. Walking ability is commonly assessed by walking speed, which is dependent on propulsive force generation both in healthy and stroke populations. Propulsive force generation is determined by two factors: ankle moment and the posture of the trailing limb during push-off. Recent work has used robotic assistance strategies to modulate propulsive force with some success. However, robotic strategies are limited by their high cost and the technical difficulty of fitting and operating robotic devices in a clinical setting. Here we present a new paradigm for goal-oriented gait training that utilizes a split belt treadmill to train both components of propulsive force generation, achieved by accelerating the treadmill belt of the trailing limb during push off. Belt accelerations require subjects to produce greater propulsive force to maintain their position on the treadmill and increase trailing limb angle through increased velocity of the accelerated limb. We hypothesized that locomotor adaptation to belt accelerations would result in measurable after effects in the form of increased propulsive force generation. We tested our protocol on healthy subjects at two acceleration magnitudes. Our results show that 79% of subjects significantly increased propulsive force generation following training, and that larger accelerations translated to larger, more persistent behavioral gains. 

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