Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Circuit Breaker and Fuse Selection01:23

Circuit Breaker and Fuse Selection

426
A circuit breaker is a device engineered to interrupt fault currents and sometimes reclose automatically. When a fault current is detected, the breaker separates the electrical contacts, which generates an arc. This arc is extinguished by methods such as elongation, cooling, or splitting, depending on the breaker's design. Breakers are categorized based on the voltage they operate at and the medium used for arc extinction, such as air, oil, SF6 gas, or vacuum.
In high-voltage systems,...
426
Reclosers and Fuses01:26

Reclosers and Fuses

334
Automatic circuit reclosers enhance the protection of distribution circuits by interrupting and auto-reclosing an AC circuit according to a preset sequence. They effectively manage temporary faults on overhead distribution lines, often caused by tree limbs or wildlife, by briefly disrupting service to improve overall reliability. However, contact with reclosers or energized broken conductors on the ground can pose serious hazards.
A comprehensive protection scheme for radial distribution...
334
Insulation Coordination01:23

Insulation Coordination

322
Insulation coordination is the process of matching electric equipment's insulation strength with protective device characteristics to protect the equipment against expected overvoltages. This selection is based on engineering judgment and cost. Equipment can generally withstand short-duration high transient overvoltages, but repeated tests with identical waveforms can yield inconsistent results. As a result, standard impulse voltage waveforms are used for testing, defined by specific times...
322
Zones of Protection01:16

Zones of Protection

590
In power systems, the entire setup is divided into protective zones to isolate faults and protect the rest of the network. These zones include generators, transformers, buses, transmission lines, distribution lines, and motors. Each zone can be visualized as a separate room in a house, with each room protected by its own circuit breaker.
Protective zones are defined by closed dashed lines, containing one or more components. A key characteristic of these zones is the strategic placement of...
590
Electrical Power01:07

Electrical Power

3.5K
Electric power is the product of current and voltage, represented in units of joules per second, or watts. For example, cars often have one or more auxiliary power outlets with which you can charge a cell phone or other electronic devices. These outlets may be rated at 20 amps and 12 volts, so that the circuit can deliver a maximum power of 240 watts. Consider a 25 Watt bulb and a 60 Watt bulb. The conversion of electrical energy produces heat and light, while the kinetic energy lost by the...
3.5K
Line Protection with Impedance Relays01:27

Line Protection with Impedance Relays

313
Coordinating time-delay overcurrent relays in complex radial systems and directional overcurrent relays in multi-source transmission loops can be challenging. Impedance relays address these issues by responding to the voltage-to-current ratio, specifically measuring the apparent impedance of a line. These relays become more sensitive during faults as current increases and voltage decreases, thereby reducing the apparent impedance.
Under normal conditions, low load currents keep the measured...
313

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

How visual information reaches the goldfish Mauthner neuron: from seeing to a fast-start decision in 35 ms.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025
Same author

A fish that escapes towards looming-disk stimuli.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025
Same author

Learning and cognition in highspeed decision making.

eLife·2025
Same author

Stabilizing selection in an identified multisensory neuron in blind cavefish.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

A critical view on five rules of how behavioural experiments could be run.

Journal of fish biology·2024
Same author

The archerfish predictive C-start.

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Silencing the Spark: CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Weakly Electric Fish
08:00

Silencing the Spark: CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Weakly Electric Fish

Published on: October 27, 2019

10.2K

Efficient high-voltage protection in the electric catfish.

Georg Welzel1, Stefan Schuster1

  • 1Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany stefan.schuster@uni-bayreuth.de georg.welzel@uni-bayreuth.de.

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|January 19, 2021
PubMed
Summary

African electric catfish possess remarkable protection against high-voltage electric shocks. This study reveals their resilience to self-generated and external electrical stimuli, unlike control fish.

Keywords:
Electric shockElectronarcosisNovelty responsePredatorStrongly electric fish

More Related Videos

Implementation of a Hyperbolic Vortex Plasma Reactor for the Removal of Micropollutants in Water
06:35

Implementation of a Hyperbolic Vortex Plasma Reactor for the Removal of Micropollutants in Water

Published on: July 25, 2025

591
Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish
10:56

Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish

Published on: March 6, 2014

12.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Silencing the Spark: CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Weakly Electric Fish
08:00

Silencing the Spark: CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Weakly Electric Fish

Published on: October 27, 2019

10.2K
Implementation of a Hyperbolic Vortex Plasma Reactor for the Removal of Micropollutants in Water
06:35

Implementation of a Hyperbolic Vortex Plasma Reactor for the Removal of Micropollutants in Water

Published on: July 25, 2025

591
Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish
10:56

Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish

Published on: March 6, 2014

12.8K

Area of Science:

  • Zoology
  • Bioelectricity
  • Animal Physiology

Background:

  • The African electric catfish (Malapteruridae) is known for generating powerful electric discharges for hunting and defense.
  • Previous research has not fully analyzed the protective mechanisms electric catfish employ against electrical shocks, either self-generated or external.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent of protection electric catfish have against high-voltage electrical discharges.
  • To determine if this protection is specific to the catfish's own electrical waveform.
  • To ascertain if active preparation is required before discharging electricity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized digital high-speed video to record electric catfish during self-discharges and exposure to external electrical stimuli.
  • Employed goldfish as controls to calibrate the efficiency of electrical discharges.
  • Assessed the impact of electrical shocks on sensorimotor processing and involuntary muscle contraction in both electric catfish and goldfish.

Main Results:

  • Electric catfish exhibited significant protection against high-voltage shocks, both self-produced and external.
  • Electrical stimuli that incapacitated control goldfish had no discernible effect on the electric catfish.
  • Even a commercial electrofishing device, designed to immobilize fish, was ineffective against the electric catfish.

Conclusions:

  • Electric catfish possess a highly efficient and versatile shielding mechanism against electrical shocks, the nature of which remains to be elucidated.
  • The findings rule out several previously hypothesized protective mechanisms.
  • This study highlights the unique electrophysiological adaptations of the African electric catfish.