We investigated the effects of orientation angle on the adhesion of single gecko setae using dual-axis microelectromechanical systems force sensors to simultaneously detect normal and shear force components. Adhesion was highly sensitive to the pitch angle between the substrate and the seta's stalk. Maximum lateral adhesive force was observed with the stalk parallel to the substrate, and adhesi...

Individual digit-tip forces and moments during torque production on a mechanically fixed circular object were studied. During the experiments, subjects positioned each digit on a 6-dimensional force/moment sensor attached to a circular handle and produced a maximum voluntary torque on the handle. The torque direction and the orientation of the torque axis were varied. From this study, it is con...

It has been recently shown that randomly charged surfaces can exhibit-long range electrostatic interactions even when they are net neutral. These forces depend on the specific realization of charge disorder and thus exhibit sample-to-sample fluctuations about their mean value. We analyze the fluctuations of these forces in the parallel slab configuration and in the sphere-plane geometry via the...

Myasthenia gravis has variable effects on the respiratory system, ranging from no abnormalities to life-threatening respiratory failure. Studies characterized diaphragm muscle contractile performance in rat autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Rats received monoclonal antibody that recognizes acetylcholine receptor determinants (or inactive antibody); 3 days later, phrenic nerve and diaphragm were stu...