Putting a new spin on insect jumping performance using 3D modeling and computer simulations of spotted lanternfly nymphs.

How animals jump and land on diverse surfaces is ecologically important and relevant to bioinspired robotics. Here, we describe the jumping biomechanics of the planthopper Lycorma delicatula (spotted lanternfly), an invasive insect in the USA that jumps frequently for dispersal, locomotion and predator evasion. High-speed video was used to analyze jumping by spotted lanternfly nymphs from take-off to impact on compliant surfaces. These insects used rapid hindleg extensions to achieve high take-off speeds (2.7-3.4 m s-1) and accelerations (800-1000 m s-2), with mid-air trajectories consistent with ballistic motion without drag forces or steering. Despite rotating rapidly (5-45 Hz) about time-varying axes of rotation, they landed successfully in 58.9% of trials. They also attained the most successful impact orientation significantly more often than predicted by chance, consistent with their using attitude control. Notably, these insects were able to land successfully when impacting surfaces at all angles, pointing to the importance of collisional recovery behaviors. To further understand their rotational dynamics, we created realistic 3D rendered models of spotted lanternflies and used them to compute their mechanical properties during jumping. Computer simulations based on these models and drag torques estimated from fits to tracked data successfully predicted several features of the measured rotational kinematics. This analysis showed that the rotational inertia of spotted lanternfly nymphs is predominantly due to their legs, enabling them to use posture changes as well as drag torque to control their angular velocity, and hence their orientation, thereby facilitating predominately successful landings when jumping.

The future of proteomics in the study of alcoholism.

This article represents the proceedings of a workshop at the 2003 annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The workshop organizers/chairpersons were Chinnaswamy Kasinathan and Paul Manowitz. The presentations were (1) Introduction to the field of proteomics, by Kent Vrana; (2) Use of proteomics in the identification of urinary biomarkers for alcohol intake, by Chinnaswamy Kasinathan, Paul Thomas, and Paul Manowitz; (3) Proteomics screening illuminates ethanol-mediated induction of HDL proteins in macaques, by Kent Vrana, Randy Gooch, Travis Worst, Stephen Walker, Aaron Xu, Peter Pierre, Heather Green, and Kathleen Grant; and (4) Proteomics applied to the study of the liver, by Laura Beretta.