Biomedical subjects

Barth W Wright

Publications and source records attributed to Barth W Wright.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Mechanical properties of foods used in experimental studies of primate masticatory function.

In vivo studies of jaw-muscle behavior have been integral factors in the development of our current understanding of the primate masticatory apparatus. However, even though it has been shown that food textures and mechanical properties influence jaw-muscle activity during mastication, very little effort has been made to quantify the relationship between the elicited masticatory responses of the subject and the mechanical properties of the foods that are eaten. Recent work on human mastication highlights the importance of two mechanical properties-toughness and elastic modulus (i.e., stiffness)-for food breakdown during mastication. Here we provide data on the toughness and elastic modulus of the majority of foods used in experimental studies of the nonhuman primate masticatory apparatus. Food toughness ranges from approximately 56.97 Jm(-2) (apple pulp) to 4355.45 Jm(-2) (prune pit). The elastic modulus of the experimental foods ranges from 0.07 MPa for gummy bears to 346 MPa for popcorn kernels. These data can help researchers studying primate mastication select among several potential foods with broadly similar mechanical properties. Moreover, they provide a framework for understanding how jaw-muscle activity varies with food mechanical properties in these studies.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Finite element analysis in functional morphology.

This article reviews the fundamental principles of the finite element method and the three basic steps (model creation, solution, and validation and interpretation) involved in using it to examine structural mechanics. Validation is a critical step in the analysis, without which researchers cannot evaluate the extent to which the model represents or is relevant to the real biological condition. We discuss the method's considerable potential as a tool to test biomechanical hypotheses, and major hurdles involved in doing so reliably, from the perspective of researchers interested in functional morphology and paleontology. We conclude with a case study to illustrate how researchers deal with many of the factors and assumptions involved in finite element analysis.

Anatomy↗

PubMed2005

Craniodental biomechanics and dietary toughness in the genus Cebus.

The tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) has been used in a number of comparative studies to represent a primate with craniofacial morphology indicative of hard-object feeding. Researchers have specifically referred to the tufted capuchin as a seed predator. Craniofacial features exhibited by the tufted capuchin, such as thick cortical bone in the mandibular corpus and symphysis, and a broad face associated with large masticatory muscles, permit the production and dissipation of relatively high masticatory forces. These morphologies, however, cannot distinguish between the tufted capuchin's propensity to exert higher forces when opening food with its anterior dentition or with its cheek teeth. It is also unclear whether these are adaptations for biting or chewing foods. This study uses a constrained lever model to compare the masticatory adaptations of C. apella to other cebids and atelids. Results show that the temporalis and masseter muscles in C. apella and C. olivaceus are more anteriorly positioned relative to nine other platyrrhine taxa. This condition, which appears to be ancestral among the Cebinae, increases force production at the incisors and canines while compromising third molar function. Cebus apella, has exaggerated this pattern. Field data on dietary toughness show that both capuchins typically select foods of low toughness, but on occasion, C. apella ingests food items of exceptional toughness. Thus, C. apella appears to maintain these biomechanical relationships by producing particularly high but relatively infrequent bite forces, particularly at the incisors and canines. However, adaptations for anterior dental use do not tightly constrain the diet of Cebus apella. This approach can be used to clarify the dietary adaptations of fossil taxa.

Anatomy, Comparative↗