A thorough understanding of the pectoral fin hydrodynamics of the bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) provides insight that can be applied to the design of propulsors for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The pectoral fin represents a continuously deforming complex moving boundary problem. For the sunfish, both propulsion and maneuvering are entirely controlled by the pectoral fins. Fir...

This paper describes an electroactive polymer robot with ray-like pectoral fins. Electroactive polymers are materials that change their geometry in response to electric field and can be used to replace electromechanical devices. The aim of this study is to show that these materials can be used to build more complicated devices and the behaviour of these devices can be coordinated to some extent...

Rostrum dace (Leuciscus leuciscus burdigalensis) from the River Viaur were found to be infested with the ectoparasite Tracheliastes polycolpus (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae). Samples from five study sites along the river revealed different patterns of parasite infestation. Heavily infested fish were found at the upper study sites whereas much lower infestation levels were observed at the lower stud...

This work introduces FINkNN, a k-nearest-neighbor classifier operating over the metric lattice of conventional interval-supported convex fuzzy sets. We show that for problems involving populations of measurements, data can be represented by fuzzy interval numbers (FINs) and we present an algorithm for constructing FINs from such populations. We then present a latticetheoretic metric distance be...

The pectoral fins of Acipenseriformes possess endoskeletons with elements homologous to both the fin radials of teleosts and the limb bones of tetrapods. Here we present a study of pectoral fin development in the North American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, and the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, which reveals that aspects of both teleost and tetrapod endoskeletal patterning mechanism...

This investigation is a three dimensional comprehensive heat transfer analysis for partially differentially heated enclosure with the vertical fin mounted on the hot wall. The thermal lattice Boltzmann based on D3Q19 method is utilized to illustrate the effects of vertical fins and nanoparticles on the flow and thermal fields. The effects of Rayleigh number and different arrangement of fins on ...

The median fins in extant actinopterygians are the product of millions of years of evolution. During this time, different developmental patterns for the dorsal and anal fins emerged leading to a high variation in median fin morphology and ontogeny. In this study, the development of anal and dorsal fins in atheriniforms is described and its consequences for the current phylogenetic hypothesis ar...

Sharks have greater risk for bioaccumulation of marine toxins and mercury (Hg), because they are long-lived predators. Shark fins and cartilage also contain β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), a ubiquitous cyanobacterial toxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Today, a significant number of shark species have found their way onto the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red L...

Females are usually considered to be the target of male courtship behaviour. In nature, however, social interactions rarely occur without other observers; thus, it is conceivable that some male courtship behaviours are directed not towards females, but rather towards male rivals. The northern swordtail, Xiphophorus birchmanni, is a freshwater fish found in high densities in natural streams. Mal...