Current state of development

These notes are intended to bring together the various aspects of mooring of the Edinburgh Device known at the present time. Model tests indicate that the mooring forces for the device are substantially below those of other floating devices. That the device can be moored has not been questioned and consequently the manner in which this is to be achieved has not had high priority in the past. However in order to arrive at an overall scheme cost it has been necessary to produce a mooring system as a reference design and this is described in the following pages

The future of 3D body scanning within ISAK? A natural home or a conflicting toolset [Abstract only]

Introduction: Three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging, also known as body scanning or optical scanning, captures the external 3D geometry of the human body. It provides several advantages over manual measurement; quick and direct contactless measurement, retrospective or immediate analysis and the extraction of a wide variety of anthropometrics, including complex anthropometrics and morphometrics -all of which are unattainable or impractical through manual measurement. Many types of 3D imaging systems are now commercially available and being used in a wide variety of contexts around the world to provide an opportunity for innovation and progress. However, with each system using different hardware, software and computer vision techniques, and whilst some standardisation exists, there is a global call for greater standardisation and guidance to ensure correct and suitable use of, and appropriate interpretation of the data extracted from this technology in both research and practice (Seminati et al., 2017; Heymsfield et al., 2018; Ashdown, 2020). Methods: The critical evaluation of a three-month industry networking travel grant, focused on 3D body scanning and the acquisition of anthropometrics within health, sport, fashion and animal applications, that took place from September to December 2019. Results: Whilst international standards and international working groups are moving towards unified practice and standardisation, there appears to be the call for the lead of an accrediation based organisation to ensure correct use in practice and research of this technology. Conclusion: With the popularity of 3D surface imaging forecast to grow and thereby the call for standardisation set to continue, should and how can ISAK engage within this process

How shape-based anthropometry can complement traditional anthropometric techniques: a cross-sectional study

Abstract: Manual anthropometrics are used extensively in medical practice and epidemiological studies to assess an individual's health. However, traditional techniques reduce the complicated shape of human bodies to a series of simple size measurements and derived health indices, such as the body mass index (BMI), the waist-hip-ratio (WHR) and waist-by-height0.5 ratio (WHT.5R). Three-dimensional (3D) imaging systems capture detailed and accurate measures of external human form and have the potential to surpass traditional measures in health applications. The aim of this study was to investigate how shape measurement can complement existing anthropometric techniques in the assessment of human form. Geometric morphometric methods and principal components analysis were used to extract independent, scale-invariant features of torso shape from 3D scans of 43 male participants. Linear regression analyses were conducted to determine whether novel shape measures can complement anthropometric indices when estimating waist skinfold thickness measures. Anthropometric indices currently used in practice explained up to 52.2% of variance in waist skinfold thickness, while a combined regression model using WHT.5R and shape measures explained 76.5% of variation. Measures of body shape provide additional information regarding external human form and can complement traditional measures currently used in anthropometric practice to estimate central adiposity

A review of commercially available 3D surface imaging systems for body composition estimation

Recent literature has suggested 3D surface imaging to be a potential method of estimating body composition. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of commercially available 3D surface imaging systems that provide body composition estimates. User and system details of complete commercially available whole body 3D surface imaging systems, which estimate body composition, were collated from May to June 2022. Six 3D body surface imaging systems were identified, each of which provided varying amounts of user and system details. As this information is necessary to ensure the correct selection of system, appropriate use, and interpretation of outputs, manufacturers should seek to publicly present more detailed user and system details, international standards groups and training associations should seek to encourage standardisation, and practitioners and researchers should request additional details where necessary and validate their system prior to use, and end users should cautiously interpret outputs without the availability of comprehensive user and system details

Advanced Body Measurement Techniques Can Complement Current Methods of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Dose Prescription

Within chemotherapy, estimates of a patient’s body surface area (BSA) are used to calculate drug dosages. However, the use of BSA for calculating chemotherapy dosage has been heavily criticised in previous literature, with potentially significant implications for the effectiveness and toxicity of treatment. BSA has been found to be a poor indicator of optimal drug exposure that does not account for the complex processes of cytotoxic drug distribution and elimination. In addition, differences in BSA estimates between existing formulae have been shown to be so large that they can affect patients’ mortality, particularly in patients with atypical body types. This uncertainty associated with BSA prediction may decrease the confidence of practitioners when determining chemotherapy dosages, particularly with regards to the risk of excess toxicity from over-dosing, or a reduced anti-cancer effect due to under-dosing. The use of national dose-banding in the UK may in some cases account for possible inaccuracies, but the threshold of variance in this case is small (+/− 6%). Advanced body measurement techniques, utilising digital tools such as three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging, capture accurate external dimensions and detailed shape characteristics of the human body. Measures of body shape describe morphological variations that cannot be identified by traditional anthropometric techniques and improve the prediction of total body fat and distribution. It is our view that the use of advanced body measurement techniques can provide practitioners with tools for prescribing chemotherapy dosages that are valid for individuals, regardless of their body type

Ethical dilemmas when using citizen science for early detection of invasive tree pests and diseases

The early detection of tree health pests and disease is an important component of biosecurity to protect the aesthetic, recreational and economic importance of trees, woodlands and forestry. Citizen science is valuable in supporting the early detection of tree pests and diseases. Different stakeholders (government, business, society and individual) will vary in their opinion of the balance between costs and benefits of early detection and consequent management, partly because many costs are local whereas benefits are felt at larger scales. This can create clashes in motivations of those involved in citizen science, thus leading to ethical dilemmas about what is good and responsible conduct for the use of citizen science. We draw on our experience of tree health citizen science to exemplify five dilemmas. These dilemmas arise because: the consequences of detection may locally be severe (e.g. the destruction of trees); knowledge of these impacts could lead to refusal to make citizen science reports; citizen science reports can be made freely, but can be costly to respond to; participants may expect solutions even if these are not possible; and early detection is (by definition) a rare event. Effective engagement and dialogue across stakeholders, including public stakeholders, is important to properly address these issues. This is vital to ensure the public’s long-term support for and trust in the use of citizen science for the early detection of tree pests and diseases

Anatomical and principal axes are not aligned in the torso: considerations for users of geometric modelling methods

The accuracy and accessibility of methods to calculate body segment inertial parameters are a key concern for many researchers. It has recently been demonstrated that the magnitude and orientation of principal moments of inertia are crucial for accurate dynamic models. This is important to consider given that the orientation of principal axes is fixed for the majority of geometric and regression body models. This paper quantifies the effect of subject specific geometry on the magnitude and orientation of second moments of volume in the trunk segment. The torsos of 40 male participants were scanned using a 3D imaging system and the magnitude and orientation of principal moments of volume were calculated from the resulting geometry. Principal axes are not aligned with the segment co-ordinate system in the torso segment, with mean Euler angles of 11.7, 1.9 and 10.3 in the ZXY convention. Researchers using anatomical modelling techniques should try and account for subject specific geometry and the mis-alignment of principal axes. This will help to reduce errors in simulation by mitigating the effect of errors in magnitude of principal moments

Estimating Somatotype from a Single-camera 3D Body Scanning System

Somatotype is an approach to quantify body physique (shape and body composition). Somatotyping by manual measurement (the anthropometric method) or visual rating (the photoscopic method) needs technical expertise to minimize intra- and inter-observer errors. This study aims to develop machine learning models which enable automatic estimation of Heath-Carter somatotypes using a single-camera 3D scanning system. Single-camera 3D scanning was used to obtain 3D imaging data and computer vision techniques to extract features of body shape. Machine learning models were developed to predict participants' somatotypes from the extracted shape features. These predicted somatotypes were compared against manual measurement procedures. Data were collected from 46 participants and used as the training/validation set for model developing, whilst data collected from 17 participants were used as the test set for model evaluation. Evaluation tests showed that the 3D scanning methods enable accurate (mean error 0.8) and precise (test-retest root mean square error 0.8) somatotype predictions. This study shows that the 3D scanning methods could be used as an alternative to traditional somatotyping approaches after the current models improve with the large datasets

How can UK public health initiatives support each other to improve the maintenance of physical activity? Evidence from a cross-sectional survey of runners who move from Couch-to-5k to parkrun

Physical activity improves physical and mental well-being and reduces mortality risk. However, only a quarter of adults globally meet recommended physical activity levels for health. Two common initiatives in the UK are Couch-to-5k (an app-assisted 9-week walk/run programme) and parkrun (a free, weekly, timed 5-km walk/run). It is not known how these initiatives are linked, how Couch-to-5k parkrunners compare to parkrunners, and the extent to which this influences their parkrun performance. The aims were to compare the characteristics and motives and to compare physical activity levels, parkrun performance and the impact of parkrun between Couch-to-5k parkrunners and parkrunners. Three thousand two hundred and ninety six Couch-to-5k parkrunners were compared to 55,923 parkrunners to explore age, sex, ethnicity, employment status, neighbourhood deprivation, motives, physical activity levels, parkrun performance and the impact of parkrun. Couch-to-5k parkrunners were slightly older, more likely to be female and work part-time, but similar in ethnicity, and neighbourhood deprivation compared with other parkrunners. Couch-to-5k parkrunners had different motives for participation and reported high levels of physical activity at registration, which remained to the point of survey completion. This group had slower parkrun times but, when registered for a year, completed a similar number of runs (11) per year. Larger proportions of Couch-to-5k parkrunners perceived positive impacts compared with other parkrunners and 65% of Couch-to-5k parkrunners reported improvements to their lifestyle. parkrun appears to be an effective pathway for those on the Couch-to-5k programme, and the promising positive association between the two initiatives may be effective in assisting previously inactive participants to take part in weekly physical activity

Allometry Between Measures of Body Size and Shape in a Large Population-Based Cohort

Traditional manual anthropometrics have been used extensively in practice to derive indicators of health risk, such as growth disorders or obesity; however, these approaches typically reduce the complex shape of human bodies to a series of simple size measures. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging systems capture detailed and accurate images of human morphology which have the potential for use within health applications. However, previous studies utilising 3D imaging have only assessed body shape based on combinations and relative proportions of large numbers of size measures. Geometric morphometrics - established mathematical methods within the fields of anthropology and evolutionary biology - analyse morphological variation and allometric relationships between the size and shape of organisms. The aim of this study was to investigate allometry between traditional measures of body size and novel measures of body shape. Developed analytical procedures were utilised to extract scale-invariant features of torso shape from 3D imaging data of 4,405 male participants in the LIFE-Adult cohort, obtained using a Vitus Smart XXL laser scanner. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were created to determine how human body shape changes with increases in body size. This study demonstrated that linear combinations of size measures can explain between 3.2 - 84.4 % of the variation in individual body shape features. These results indicate that measures of human body shape show a complex dependence on body size, providing complementary anthropometric features of the human body. The aim of future studies will be to investigate the efficacy of these measures in clinical epidemiology