Body Bending Research Articles

An implantable biomechanical energy harvester for animal monitoring devices

Insufficient service life and the resulting need for battery replacements have been a great challenge for implantable electronic devices. This is particularly true for animal tracking applications, because recapturing animals is often unlikely once they are released to the wild. To tackle this problem, we developed a biomechanical energy harvester that uses a Macro Fiber Composite™ (MFC) piezoelectric beam to harvest the mechanical energy from animals’ body bending movements as the power source for implantable and wearable devices. Prototypes of an underwater acoustic transmitter using this technology were subdermally implanted into juvenile white sturgeon and their energy harvesting performance was evaluated through the devices' transmissions. The fish successfully recovered from the implantation surgery and freely swam inside a tank. The transmitter prototypes in the fish continually transmitted signals for a period up to 5 weeks. A benchtop test setup was also created to emulate the fish’s body bending, estimate the device’s energy harvesting performance in the live fish, and perform accelerated fatigue testing of the energy harvester by applying test parameters learned from a video study of the fish’s body movement and behavior characteristics. The gradual depolarization of the piezoelectric ceramic material in the MFC under cyclic mechanical loading was the main limiting factor for the life span of the energy harvester. Pathways for improvement are proposed to achieve long-term efficacy of powering implantable and wearable electronic devices.

Knifefish turning control and hydrodynamics during forward swimming.

Rapid turning and swimming contribute to ecologically important behaviors in fishes such as predator avoidance, prey capture, mating and the navigation of complex environments. For riverine species, such as knifefishes, turning behaviors may also be important for navigating locomotive perturbations caused by turbulent flows. Most research on fish maneuvering focuses on fish with traditional fin and body morphologies, which primarily use body bending and the pectoral fins during turning. However, it is uncertain how fishes with uncommon morphologies are able to achieve sudden and controllable turns. Here, we studied the turning performance and the turning hydrodynamics of the black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons, N=6) which has an atypical elongated ribbon fin. Fish were filmed while swimming forward at ∼2 body lengthss-1 and feeding from a fixed feeder (control) and an oscillating feeder (75 Hz) at two different amplitudes. 3D kinematic analysis of the body revealed the highest pitch angles and lowest body bending coefficients during steady swimming. Low pitch angle, high maximum yaw angles and large body bending coefficients were characteristic of small and large turns. Asynchrony in pectoral fin use was low during turning; however, ribbon fin wavelength, frequency and wave speed were greatest during large turns. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) showed larger counter-rotating vortex pairs produced during turning by the ribbon fin in comparison to vortices rotating in the same direction during steady swimming. Our results highlight the ribbon fin's role in controlled rapid turning through modulation of wavelength, frequency and wave speed.

Artemisia selengensis Turcz. leaf extract promotes longevity and stress resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Artemisia selengensis Turcz. (AST) is a common edible and medicinal herb possessing extensive biological activities and various health-promoting functions. However, the anti-aging effects of AST have been neglected. This work evaluated the effects of AST leaf extract (ASTE) on stress tolerance and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. ASTE treatment enhanced stress resistance and significantly extended the lifespan of C. elegans. Moreover, ASTE prolonged the healthspan by increasing body bending and pharyngeal pumping rates, and by reducing the intestinal lipofuscin level and accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Caffeoylquinic acids in ASTE, especially dicaffeoylquinic acids, were the major components responsible for these benefits. The mechanism underlying the anti-aging effect of ASTE occurred by activating insulin/insulin-like growth factor, SIR-2.1 signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction pathways, which in turn induced the activity of the transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/Nrf2. These findings provide direct evidence for the anti-aging effects of AST and reveal its potential on promoting healthy aging. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Co-transmission of neuropeptides and monoamines choreograph the C. elegans escape response.

Co-localization and co-transmission of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides is a core property of neural signaling across species. While co-transmission can increase the flexibility of cellular communication, understanding the functional impact on neural dynamics and behavior remains a major challenge. Here we examine the role of neuropeptide/monoamine co-transmission in the orchestration of the C. elegans escape response. The tyraminergic RIM neurons, which coordinate distinct motor programs of the escape response, also co-express the neuropeptide encoding gene flp-18. We find that in response to a mechanical stimulus, flp-18 mutants have defects in locomotory arousal and head bending that facilitate the omega turn. We show that the induction of the escape response leads to the release of FLP-18 neuropeptides. FLP-18 modulates the escape response through the activation of the G-protein coupled receptor NPR-5. FLP-18 increases intracellular calcium levels in neck and body wall muscles to promote body bending. Our results show that FLP-18 and tyramine act in different tissues in both a complementary and antagonistic manner to control distinct motor programs during different phases of the C. elegans flight response. Our study reveals basic principles by which co-transmission of monoamines and neuropeptides orchestrate in arousal and behavior in response to stress.

Design, synthesis and nematocidal activity of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives with a 1,3,4-thiadiazole amide moiety

A series of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole amide group was synthesized and their nematocidal activities were evaluated. The results indicated that compounds 4-methoxy-N-(5-(((3-(p-tolyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)methyl)thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzamide 4i and N-(5-(((3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)methyl)thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzamilde 4p showed good nematocidal activity against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. The corrected mortality of compounds 4i and 4p at 200 mg/L was 57.1% and 60.1%, respectively, which are much better than 13.5% of the commercial seed coating agent Tioxazafen. Compounds 4i and 4p dramatically decreased the head swinging, body fluctuation, and body bending frequency of B. xylophilus after 12 h of treatment. Moreover, they inhibited the respiration, decreased the oxygen consumption, and caused fluid leakage of B. xylophilus. In addition, compounds 4i and 4p have good druggability properties similar to those of Tioxazafen. The present work indicates that compounds 4i or 4p could be promising lead compounds for further development of nematicides.

Design of various parts of multi-joint bionic fish equipment

The multi-joint bionic fish has a convenient and stable structure, small size, and can be used in different occasions. At present, it can be used in normal underwater activities and can effectively solve the difficult problem of underwater exploration. The equipment consists of six parts in total: fish wing forward device, fish wing movement linkage device, single joint connection device, fish tail stabilization device, fish body bending and direction changing device, and driving device. Satisfying the basic requirements can solve the problem of underwater operations.

Facile fabrication of silicone rubber composite foam with dual conductive networks and tunable porosity for intelligent sensing

In this work, silicone rubber based on conductive polymer composites containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and synergetic reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used to fabricate highly elastic sensors through a simple strategy. Notably, the porosity of the sensor is tunable by incorporating the different sized inorganic salt particles. The porosity and filler conductive networks significantly influenced the sensing performance of the sensor. Benefiting from the controllable porosity and synergistic effect, the sensor exhibits a high conductivity of 2.8 × 10−4 (S/m), high strain sensitivity (0–2.5%, GF = 14.18; 21–35%, GF = 13.1), high pressure sensitivity (0–2.5%, S = 3.4 kPa−1; 2.5–6.3%, S = 0.26 kPa−1; 6.3–12%, S = 0.03 kPa−1), high linearity (R2 > 0.97), fast response (∼97 ms), and good repeatability (1000 cycles). Based on these good sensing performances, the sensor is applied to detect both physiological activities (the pulse signal from arteries) and movements of the human body (bending of fingers, arms and knees), measure pressure distribution and identify temperature.

Physical Function and Low Back Pain in Leek Farmers: A Comparison with Non-Farmers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the low back pain (LBP) and physical function of young to middle aged farmers of leeks in western Tottori Prefecture.Fifteen farmers (55 years old or younger) cultivating leeks in western Tottori Prefecture were recruited as the subjects, and 14 non-farmers matching the age and sex of the subjects were recruited as the control group. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the presence or absence of LBP, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Physical functions were measured by anthropometry (body fat percentage and muscle mass), Finger-Floor distance (FFD), back muscle strength, and upper body bending, and lumbar muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, upper body bending, back muscle strength, and L3/4 iliocostalis lumborum CSA, current LBP were significantly higher in the leek farmer group. One-way analysis of variance showed significant differences in upper body bending, and history of LBP.LBP was more common among leek farmers. The characteristics of leek farmers with LBP were history of LBP.

Active tail flexion in concert with passive hydrodynamic forces improves swimming speed and efficiency

Fish typically swim by periodic bending of their bodies. Bending seems to follow a universal rule; it occurs at about one-third from the posterior end of the fish body with a maximum bending angle of about $30^{\circ }$ . However, the hydrodynamic mechanisms that shaped this convergent design and its potential benefit to fish in terms of swimming speed and efficiency are not well understood. It is also unclear to what extent this bending is active or follows passively from the interaction of a flexible posterior with the fluid environment. Here, we use a self-propelled two-link model, with fluid–structure interactions described in the context of the vortex sheet method, to analyse the effects of both active and passive body bending on the swimming performance. We find that passive bending is more efficient but could reduce swimming speed compared with rigid flapping, but the addition of active bending could enhance both speed and efficiency. Importantly, we find that the phase difference between the posterior and anterior sections of the body is an important kinematic factor that influences performance, and that active antiphase flexion, consistent with the passive flexion phase, can simultaneously enhance speed and efficiency in a region of the design space that overlaps with biological observations. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that fish that actively bend their bodies in a fashion that exploits passive hydrodynamics can at once improve speed and efficiency.

Application of bionic design inspired by bamboo structures in collapse resistance of thin-walled cylindrical shell steel tower

In recent years, with the popularization of high-performance structures, higher requirements are put forward for design theory and method. Based on the analysis of the relationship between macro characteristics of the structure and mechanical properties of bamboo, a bionics design method of cylindrical shell structure is proposed in this paper. Through curve fitting, the variation of geometric parameters such as stiffener spacing, bamboo body diameter, and wall thickness along the height were obtained. The bamboo body bending stiffness was calculated. Based on the principle of equivalent change of bending stiffness, the bamboo-inspired design is realized by changing the wall thickness and setting the stiffeners. In the case of small deformation, the mechanical performance of the bamboo-inspired structure is close to that of an ordinary structure. After the structure reaches the yield stage, the advantage of the bamboo-inspired structure is more apparent, and the ductility coefficient of the bamboo-inspired structure is about twice that of an ordinary structure. The bamboo-inspired structure has good adaptability to large deformation due to its good ductility mechanism, which can be used to improve the collapse resistance of the structure under large deformation. With the example of a thin-walled cylindrical shell in a thermal power plant, the application analysis of bamboo-inspired design is carried out. The rationality of the bamboo-inspired structure is verified by the shaking table test. The test results show that the bamboo-inspired cylindrical shell structure mainly undergoes local buckling and slight bending of the tower body under the action of the high-intensity rare earthquake. Still, no collapse failure occurs, which meets the performance index of no collapse under the condition of large deformation.

Application of Elastic Fastenings of Equipment to Increase Vibration Frequency of the Wagon Body

Improving dynamic performance is a priority when designing new rolling stock. The frequency of natural bending vibrations of the body is one of the most important standardised indicators, a preliminary assessment of which allows obtaining optimal body designs.The objective of the work is to assess the prospects for the use of elastic fastenings of equipment to increase the natural vibration frequency of wagon bodies of suburban electric trains. Calculations were based on the finite element method and block Lanczos method. It is shown that it is advisable to use the rigid area tool and linearly elastic finite elements to calculate the frequencies in the simulation. The main ranges of fastening stiffness are highlighted, where the effect of using elastic supports is different. It is proposed to determine the stiffness of fastenings according to a given vibration frequency of the equipment. When the equipment is rigidly attached, the relative mass of the equipment does not affect the body bending vibration frequency. With elastic fastening, a greater effect can be achieved with a larger relative weight of the equipment. The effect of using resilient mounts increases with heavier equipment located closer to the centre of the body.It is shown that the effect of shear admittance of fastenings on the body vibration frequency is within 1 % and may not be considered in the simulation. In the considered example of a wagon body of a suburban electric train, the use of elastic supports allows an increase in the frequency of oscillations of the body by 3–10 %.

A conserved neuropeptide system links head and body motor circuits to enable adaptive behavior.

Neuromodulators promote adaptive behaviors that are often complex and involve concerted activity changes across circuits that are often not physically connected. It is not well understood how neuromodulatory systems accomplish these tasks. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans NLP-12 neuropeptide system shapes responses to food availability by modulating the activity of head and body wall motor neurons through alternate G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) targets, CKR-1 and CKR-2. We show ckr-2 deletion reduces body bend depth during movement under basal conditions. We demonstrate CKR-1 is a functional NLP-12 receptor and define its expression in the nervous system. In contrast to basal locomotion, biased CKR-1 GPCR stimulation of head motor neurons promotes turning during local searching. Deletion of ckr-1 reduces head neuron activity and diminishes turning while specific ckr-1 overexpression or head neuron activation promote turning. Thus, our studies suggest locomotor responses to changing food availability are regulated through conditional NLP-12 stimulation of head or body wall motor circuits.

Effects of lanthanum nitrate on behavioral disorder, neuronal damage and gene expression in different developmental stages of Caenorhabditis elegans

Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in the industry, agriculture, biomedicine, aerospace, etc, and have been shown to pose toxic effects on animals, as such, studies focusing on their biomedical properties are gaining wide attention. However, environmental and population health risks of REEs are still not very clear. Also, the REEs damage to the nervous system and related molecular mechanisms needs further research. In this study, the L1 and L4 stages of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans were used to evaluate the effects and possible neurotoxic mechanism of lanthanum(III) nitrate hexahydrate (La(NO3)3·6H2O). For the L1 and L4 stage worms, the 48-h median lethal concentrations (LC50s) of La(NO3)3·6H2O were 93.163 and 648.0 mg/L respectively. Our results show that La(NO3)3·6H2O induces growth inhibition and defects in behavior such as body length, body width, body bending frequency, head thrashing frequency and pharyngeal pumping frequency at the L1 and L4 stages in C. elegans. The L1 stage is more sensitive to the toxicity of lanthanum than the L4 stage worms. Using transgenic strains (BZ555, EG1285 and NL5901), we found that La(NO3)3·6H2O caused the loss or break of soma and dendrite neurons in L1 and L4 stages; and α-synuclein aggregation in L1 stage, indicating that Lanthanum can cause toxic damage to dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons. Mechanistically, La(NO3)3·6H2O exposure inhibited or activated the neurotransmitter transporters and receptors (glutamate, serotonin and dopamine) in C. elegans, which regulate behavior and movement functions. Furthermore, significant increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was found in the L4 stage C. elegans exposed to La(NO3)3·6H2O. Altogether, our data show that exposure to lanthanum can cause neuronal toxic damage and behavioral defects in C. elegans, and provide basic information for understanding the neurotoxic effect mechanism and environmental health risks of rare earth elements.

Xanthotoxin induced photoactivated toxicity, oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans under ultraviolet A

Xanthotoxin (XAT) is widely present in many kinds of plants. Caenorhabditis elegans, a typical model organism, was used to study the effects of XAT on C. elegans developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity induced under ultraviolet A (UVA), oxidative stress and apoptosis in C. elegans. The results showed that after XAT exposure treatment, the hatchability of C. elegans decreased significantly as the concentration increased; the body length and width increased markedly, the external morphology was swollen; the brood sizes had been decreased; and the frequencies of head thrashes and body bend decreased significantly. At 80 and 100 mg/L, XAT reduced the activities of mitochondrial complex enzymes I and III, resulting in the excessive production of ROS, and inhibited SOD and CAT so that the ROS could not be eliminated over time. ROS accumulation in the bodies further caused the contents of MDA, protein carbonyl and lipofuscin to increase significantly, the mitochondrial membrane potential to be severely damaged, apoptosis to occur, and the apoptosis genes ced-3 and ced-4 to be significantly upregulated. Thus, XAT showed photoactivated toxicity to C. elegans under UVA, which will help people to make full and rational use of plants containing XAT.

Pseudo toxicity abatement effect of norfloxacin and copper combined exposure on Caenorhabditis elegans

The coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals may result in complex ecotoxicological effects on living organisms. In this work, the combined toxic effects of norfloxacin (NOR) and copper (Cu) on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were investigated due to the highly possible co-pollution tendency. The results indicated that locomotion behaviors (frequency of head thrash and body bend) of C. elegans were more sensitive as the exposure time of NOR or Cu prolonged. Meanwhile, the physiological indexes (locomotion behaviors, body length) of C. elegans were more sensitive to the combined pollution that with lower Cu dosage (0.0125 μM), in prolonged exposure experiments. In addition, the toxic effects of NOR-Cu on physiological indexes of C. elegans seemed to be alleviated during prolonged exposure when Cu was 1.25 μM. Similarly, the ROS production and apoptosis level almost unchanged with the addition of NOR compared with Cu (1.25 μM) exposure groups, but both significantly higher than the control groups. Furthermore, compared with Cu (0.0125 μM and 1.25 μM) exposure experiments, the addition of NOR had resulted in the genetic expression decrease of hsp-16.1, hsp-16.2, hsp-16.48, and the oxidative stress in C. elegans seems to be alleviated. However, the significantly decreased of ape-1 and sod-3 expression indicated the disruption of ROS defense mechanism. The irregular change in ace-1 and ace-2 gene expressions in NOR-Cu (0.0125 μM) would result in the locomotion behaviors disorders of C. elegans, and this also explains why C. elegans are more sensitive to the combination of NOR and lower concentration of Cu.

Spontaneous Gait Transitions of Sprawling Quadruped Locomotion by Sensory-Driven Body–Limb Coordination Mechanisms

Deciphering how quadrupeds coordinate their legs and other body parts, such as the trunk, head, and tail (i.e., body–limb coordination), can provide informative insights to improve legged robot mobility. In this study, we focused on sprawling locomotion of the salamander and aimed to understand the body–limb coordination mechanisms through mathematical modeling and simulations. The salamander is an amphibian that moves on the ground by coordinating the four legs with lateral body bending. It uses standing and traveling waves of lateral bending that depend on the velocity and stepping gait. However, the body–limb coordination mechanisms responsible for this flexible gait transition remain elusive. This paper presents a central-pattern-generator-based model to reproduce spontaneous gait transitions, including changes in bending patterns. The proposed model implements four feedback rules (feedback from limb-to-limb, limb-to-body, body-to-limb, and body-to-body) without assuming any inter-oscillator coupling. The interplay of the feedback rules establishes a self-organized body–limb coordination that enables the reproduction of the speed-dependent gait transitions of salamanders, as well as various gait patterns observed in sprawling quadruped animals. This suggests that sensory feedback plays an essential role in flexible body–limb coordination during sprawling quadruped locomotion.

Polystyrene nanoparticles induced neurodevelopmental toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans through regulation of dpy-5 and rol-6

Micro- and nano- polystyrene particles have been widely detected in environment, posing potential threats to human health. This study was designed to evaluate the neurodevelopmental toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles (NPs) in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), to screen crucial genes and investigate the underlying mechanism. In wild-type C. elegans, polystyrene NPs (diameter 50 nm) could concentration-dependently induce significant inhibition in body length, survival rate, head thrashes, and body bending, accompanying with increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipofuscin accumulation, and apoptosis and decrease of dopamine (DA) contents. Moreover, pink-1 mutant was demonstrated to alleviate the locomotion disorders and oxidative damage induced by polystyrene NPs, indicating involvement of pink-1 in the polystyrene NPs-induced neurotoxicity. RNA sequencing results revealed 89 up-regulated and 56 down-regulated differently expressed genes (DEGs) response to polystyrene NPs (100 μg/L) exposure. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that predominant enriched DEGs were correlated with biological function of cuticle development and molting cycle. Furthermore, mutant strains test showed that the neurodevelopmental toxicity and oxidative stress responses induced by 50 nm polystyrene NPs were regulated by dpy-5 and rol-6. In general, polystyrene NPs induced obvious neurodevelopmental toxicity in C. elegans through oxidative damage and dopamine reduction. Crucial genes dpy-5 and rol-6 might participate in polystyrene NPs-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity through regulation on synthesis and deposition of cuticle collagen.

Relationship of the sacral slope with early gait derangements in robust older women

BackgroundTrunk pelvic dissociation is fundamental to the compensatory mechanism for muscle weakness during body bending. We carried out an early investigation of gait changes in a sample of community-dwelling women ≥60 years without gait complaints. The primary objective was to correlate spine and pelvic angles with performance tests and accelerometry parameters. The secondary objective was to correlate performance tests with accelerometry.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 54 community-dwelling women ≥60 years were subjected to Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), performance tests (Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, and Gait analysis), and radiographic analysis of sagittal alignment (Thoracic and Lumbar Cobb, Pelvic Incidence, Sacral Slope, and Pelvic Tilt angles). Gait speed was assessed in a 10-m comfortable walk, and accelerometry parameters were obtained in a 30-m walk distance.ResultsThe sample, aged 72 ± 6 years, exhibited moderate correlation between Sacral Slope and Step Length (+ 0.615). Sacral Slope weakly correlated with FES-I (− 0.339), Berg Balance Scale (+ 0.367), and with further accelerometry data in the AP plane: RMS, (+ 0.439) and Stride Regularity (+ 0.475), p < 0.05, all. Lumbar Cobb weakly correlated with the following accelerometry data in the AP plane: Step Length (+ 0.405), RMS, (+ 0.392), and Stride Regularity (+ 0.345), p < 0.05, all. Additionally, Stride Regularity in AP moderately correlated with FES-I (0,561, p < 0.05), among other weak correlations between performance tests and accelerometry data in AP.ConclusionsEarly alterations in Sacral Slope and gait abnormalities in the AP plane may provide understanding of the early gait changes in robust older women.

Unilateral traumatic brain injury of the left and right hemisphere produces the left hindlimb response in rats

Traumatic brain injury and stroke result in hemiplegia, hemiparesis, and asymmetry in posture. The effects are mostly contralateral; however, ipsilesional deficits may also develop. We here examined whether ablation brain injury and controlled cortical impact (CCI), a rat model of clinical focal traumatic brain injury, both centered over the left or right sensorimotor cortex, induced hindlimb postural asymmetry (HL-PA) with contralesional or ipsilesional limb flexion. The contralesional hindlimb was flexed after left or right side ablation injury. In contrast, both the left and right CCI unexpectedly produced HL-PA with flexion on left side. The flexion persisted after complete spinal cord transection suggesting that CCI triggered neuroplastic processes in lumbar neural circuits enabling asymmetric muscle contraction. Left limb flexion was exhibited under pentobarbital anesthesia. However, under ketamine anesthesia, the body of the left and right CCI rats bent laterally in the coronal plane to the ipsilesional side suggesting that the left and right injury engaged mirror-symmetrical motor pathways. Thus, the effects of the left and right CCI on HL-PA were not mirror-symmetrical in contrast to those of the ablation brain injury, and to the left and right CCI produced body bending. Ipsilateral effects of the left CCI on HL-PA may be mediated by a lateralized motor pathway that is not affected by the left ablation injury. Alternatively, the left-side-specific neurohormonal mechanism that signals from injured brain to spinal cord may be activated by both the left and right CCI but not by ablation injury.

Beyond the Kármán gait: knifefish swimming in periodic and irregular vortex streets.

Neotropical freshwater fishes such as knifefishes are commonly faced with navigating intense and highly unsteady streams. However, our knowledge on locomotion in apteronotids comes from laminar flows, where the ribbon fin dominates over the pectoral fins or body bending. Here, we studied the 3D kinematics and swimming control of seven black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) moving in laminar flows (flow speed U∞≈1-5 BL s-1) and in periodic vortex streets (U∞≈2-4 BL s-1). Two different cylinders (∼2 and ∼3 cm diameter) were used to generate the latter. Additionally, fish were exposed to an irregular wake produced by a free oscillating cylinder (∼2 cm diameter; U∞≈2 BL s-1). In laminar flows, knifefish mainly used their ribbon fin, with wave frequency, speed and acceleration increasing with U∞. In contrast, knifefish swimming behind a fixed cylinder increased the use of pectoral fins, which resulted in changes in body orientation that mimicked steady backward swimming. Meanwhile, individuals behind the oscillating cylinder presented a combination of body bending and ribbon and pectoral fin movements that counteract the out-of-phase yaw oscillations induced by the irregular shedding of vortices. We corroborated passive out-of-phase oscillations by placing a printed knifefish model just downstream of the moving cylinder, but when placed one cylinder diameter downstream, the model oscillated in phase. Thus, the wake left behind an oscillating body is more challenging than a periodic vortex shedding for an animal located downstream, which may have consequences on inter- and intra-specific interactions.