Automated Markerless Extraction of Walking People Using Deformable Contour Models

We develop a new automated markerless motion capture system for the analysis of walking people. We employ global evidence gathering techniques guided by biomechanical analysis to robustly extract articulated motion. This forms a basis for new deformable contour models, using local image cues to capture shape and motion at a more detailed level. We extend the greedy snake formulation to include temporal constraints and occlusion modelling, increasing the capability of this technique when dealing with cluttered and self-occluding extraction targets. This approach is evaluated on a large database of indoor and outdoor video data, demonstrating fast and autonomous motion capture for walking people

A comparison of the responses of mature and young clonal tea to drought.

To assist commercial producers with optimising the use of irrigation water, the responses to drought of mature and young tea crops (22 and 5 years after field planting respectively) were compared using data from two adjacent long-term irrigation experiments in Southern Tanzania. Providing the maximum potential soil water deficit was below about 400-500 mm for mature, and 200-250 mm for young plants (clone 6/8), annual yields of dry tea from rainfed or partially irrigated crops were similar to those from the corresponding well-watered crops. At deficits greater than this, annual yields declined rapidly in young tea (up to 22 kg (ha mm)-1) but relatively slowly in mature tea (up to 6.5 kg (ha mm)- 1). This apparent insensitivity of the mature crop to drought was due principally to compensation that occurred during the rains for yield lost in the dry season. Differences in dry matter distribution and shoot to root ratios contributed to these contrasting responses. Thus, the total above ground dry mass of well-irrigated, mature plants was about twice that for young plants. Similarly, the total mass of structural roots (>1 mm diameter), to 3 m depth, was four times greater in the mature crop than in the young crop and, for fine roots (<1 mm diameter), eight times greater. The corresponding shoot to root ratios (dry mass) were about 1:1 and 2:1 respectively. In addition, each unit area of leaf in the canopy of a mature plant had six times more fine roots (by weight) available to extract and supply water than did a young plant. Despite the logistical benefits resulting from more even crop distribution during the year when crops are fully irrigated, producers currently prefer to save water and energy costs by allowing a substantial soil water deficit to develop prior to the start of the rains, up to 250 mm in mature tea, knowing that yield compensation will occur later

Violence against women: public health or law enforcement problem or both?

Despite on-going research spanning many years, the police investigation of different forms of violence against women remains under review. The most recent reviews exploring sexual and domestic violence suggest that vulnerable victims are not identified effectively and that this subsequently impacts on the investigation, level of attrition and the provision of correct support for victims. The authors suggest that some of the current methods, aimed at improving these issues, can further compound problems within a police culture that often remains focused on narrow quantifiable performance targets. Violence against women involves a range of very complex issues and for most victims there are a number of vulnerabilities involved. Considering these factors are often related to public health concerns the authors argue for a more consistent and joined up approach to supporting victims through the Criminal Justice System. In the short term this is necessary for keeping victims on board with the process and in the longer term this is essential when dealing effectively with the broader, longer term issues impacting on their victimisation. It is crucial given the current fiscal climate that these issues are dealt with universally, with a focus on longer term outcomes

A smart environment for biometric capture

The development of large scale biometric systems require experiments to be performed on large amounts of data. Existing capture systems are designed for fixed experiments and are not easily scalable. In this scenario even the addition of extra data is difficult. We developed a prototype biometric tunnel for the capture of non-contact biometrics. It is self contained and autonomous. Such a configuration is ideal for building access or deployment in secure environments. The tunnel captures cropped images of the subject's face and performs a 3D reconstruction of the person's motion which is used to extract gait information. Interaction between the various parts of the system is performed via the use of an agent framework. The design of this system is a trade-off between parallel and serial processing due to various hardware bottlenecks. When tested on a small population the extracted features have been shown to be potent for recognition. We currently achieve a moderate throughput of approximate 15 subjects an hour and hope to improve this in the future as the prototype becomes more complete

Will I? won't I? Why do men who have sex with men present for post-exposure prophylaxis for sexual exposures?

Background: Failures of post-exposure prophylaxis following sexual exposure (PEPSE) to prevent seroconversion have been reported and are often associated with ongoing risk exposure. Understanding why men who have sex with men (MSM) access PEPSE on some occasions and not others may lead to more effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies Methods: A qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews of 15 MSM within 6 months of them initiating PEPSE treatment at an HIV outpatient service in Brighton, UK. Results: PEPSE seeking was motivated by a number of factors: an episode that related to a particular sexual partner and their behaviour; the characteristics of the venue where the risk occurred; the respondent’s state of mind and influences of alcohol and recreational drug use; and their perceived beliefs on the effectiveness of PEPSE. Help was sought in the light of a “one-off” or “unusual” event. Many respondents felt they were less likely to behave in a risky manner following PEPSE. Conclusion: If PEPSE is to be effective as a public health measure, at risk individuals need to be empowered to make improved risk calculations from an increased perception that they could be exposed to HIV if they continue their current behaviour patterns. The concern is that PEPSE was sought by a low number of MSM implying that a greater number are not using the service based on failure to make accurate risk calculations or recognise high-risk scenario

An assessment of the functional outcomes of patients undergoing early exercise physiotherapy following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using the double-row suture bridge technique

Background: The methods of repairing rotator cuff tear are single-row technique, traditional double-row technique and suture-bridge technique. Studies have shown that the arthroscopic suture-bridge technique improved the pressurized contact area between the tendon and footprint. Controversy exists regarding the influence of early versus delayed motion on stiffness and healing rate after cuff repair. Early motion rehabilitation increases range of motion after cuff repair, although risk of re-tear is higher compared to immobilization. This study evaluated the functional outcomes in patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using the suture-bridge technique followed by an early exercise physiotherapy regime.Methods: The study was a prospective and retrospective analysis of patients treated arthroscopically for rotator cuff tears in Hosmat hospital, Bangalore. 30 patients who had only a supraspinatus/infraspinatus tear were included in the study. The functional outcome was assessed by two scoring systems, UCLA and ASES scores. Post operatively, patients were immobilized for 3 weeks only. They were followed up at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks and at 6 months.Results: Our study had 20 patients reporting a good outcome, whereas 9 patients had a fair outcome. Only 1 patient reported a poor outcome. The mean ASES scores improved from 20.43 to 77.87 whereas the UCLA score improved from 10.03 to 27.93. None had re-tears.Conclusions: The arthroscopic suture-bridge technique resulted in acceptable patient satisfaction and functional outcome as 67% of our patients had a “good” outcome. Early ROM exercise accelerated recovery from postoperative stiffness for patients after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.