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How efficient is muscle during sustained power output?
Reference
S09916
Principal Investigator / Supervisor
Professor Nancy Curtin
Co-Investigators /
Co-Supervisors
Institution
Imperial College London
Department
Dept of Medicine
Funding type
Research
Value (£)
167,615
Status
Completed
Type
Research Grant
Start date
25/01/1999
End date
27/06/2002
Duration
41 months
Abstract
Muscles can only do mechanical work while shortening. Sustained power output during animal locomotion therefore requires alternate shortening and lengthening. The swimming of fishes offers a simple model of such processes, with near sinusoidal length changes throughout the musculature. We propose to extend our studies of the energy cost of brief, 'sprint-like' contractions of muscle isolated from dogfish to repetitive contractions like those powering sustained swimming. This will involve building a new design of calorimeter suited to measuring prolonged heat output. Heat and force will be measured during sustained power output with activation and length change as in sustained swimming. From these, the efficiency (power output / (power + heat rate) will be deduced. The results will provide the first measurements of the efficiency of isolated muscle contracting under conditions that mimic sustained locomotion.
Summary
unavailable
Committee
Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics
X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority
X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative
X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme
X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme
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