Evidence for multi-scale power amplification in skeletal muscle

Many animals use a combination of skeletal muscle and elastic structures to amplify power output for fast motions. Among vertebrates, tendons in series with skeletal muscle are often implicated as the primary power-amplifying spring, but muscles contain elastic structures at all levels of organization, from the muscle tendon to the extracellular matrix to elastic proteins within sarcomeres. The present study used ex vivo muscle preparations in combination with high-speed video to quantify power output, as the product of force and velocity, at several levels of muscle organization to determine where power amplification occurs. Dynamic ramp shortening contractions in isolated frog flexor digitorum superficialis brevis were compared with isotonic power output to identify power amplification within muscle fibers, the muscle belly, free tendon and elements external to the muscle tendon. Energy accounting revealed that artifacts from compliant structures outside of the muscle–tendon unit cont..., , , # Dissecting muscle power output: Evidence of multi-scale power amplification in skeletal muscle

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6nh](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6nh)

Corresponding Author: Jarrod Petersen, Brown University, jarrod\[e-mail]
Principal Investigator: Thomas Roberts, Brown University, thomas\[e-mail]

## Overview & General Information

**Data Types**
The raw data included starts with six different individual identifiers 001-006 (n=6) and can be broken down into three different types of files:

1. [XXX\_MotorData\_AllTrials.csv]
2. [XXX\_TrackedData\_FVXX.csv]
3. [XXX\_TrackedData\_RampX.csv]

For each of these file types, \"X\" represents a character that will vary based on the individual and trial (as listed below) while the base name of each file type is listed above and detailed here:

Type 1 data are raw data obtained from a PowerLab data acquisition system that receives a digital signal from an Aurora Scientific 10N muscle servomoto...