Applications of Capacitive Imaging in Human Skin Texture and Hair Analysis

This article focuses on the extraction of information from human skin and scalp hair for evaluation of a subject’s condition in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. It uses capacitive images from existing hand-held research equipment and it applies image processing algorithms to expand their possible applications. The literature review introduces the readers into the field of skin research, and it highlights pieces of information that can be extracted by in vivo skin and ex vivo hair measurements. Then, the selected scientific equipment is presented, and Maxwell-based electrostatic simulations are employed to evaluate the measurement apparatus. Image analysis algorithms are suggested for (a) the detection of polygons on the human skin texture, (b) the estimation of wrinkles length and (c) the observation of hair water sorption capabilities by capacitive imaging systems. Finally, experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the presented algorithms and the results are compared with the literature. The results indicate that capacitive imaging systems can be used for skin age classification, detection and tracking of skin artifacts (e.g., wrinkles, moles or scars) and calculation of water content in hair samples

Superconducting Surface Impedance under Radiofrequency Field

Based on BCS theory with moving Cooper pairs, the electron states distribution at 0K and the probability of electron occupation with finite temperature have been derived and applied to anomalous skin effect theory to obtain the surface impedance of a superconductor under radiofrequency (RF) field. We present the numerical results for Nb and compare these with representative RF field-dependent effective surface resistance measurements from a 1.5 GHz resonant structure

Crystal structure, incommensurate magnetic order and ferroelectricity in mn1−x_{1-x}cux_{x}wo4{_4} (x=0-0.19)

We have carried out a systematic study on the effect of Cu doping on nuclear, magnetic, and dielectric properties in Mn$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$WO$_4$ for ${0}\leq{x}\leq{0.19}$ by a synergic use of different techniques, viz, heat capacity, magnetization, dielectric, and neutron powder diffraction measurements. Via heat capacity and magnetization measurements we show that with increasing Cu concentration magnetic frustration decreases, which leads to the stabilization of commensurate magnetic ordering. This was further verified by temperature-dependent unit cell volume changes derived from neutron diffraction measurements which was modeled by the Gr\"{u}neisen approximation. Dielectric measurements show a low temperature phase transition below about 9-10 K. Further more, magnetic refinements reveal no changes below this transition indicating a possible spin-flop transition which is unique to the Cu doped system. From these combined studies we have constructed a magnetoelectric phase diagram of this compound.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PR

Micro-relief analysis with skin capacitive imaging

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Background: In this study, the performance of capacitive imagining in skin micro-relief analysis was investigated. This measurement principle has been used for skin hydration measurements over the last decade and it is commercially available by various manufacturers. Strengthening its potential for new applications could offer an affordable and portable multi-purpose device for in vivo skin research. Previous studies in the literature have used a wide range of optical devices to determine how the skin surface topographic features are affected by chronological age, environmental influences and living habits. Material and methods: A capacitive system was used in order to capture hydration images from the middle volar forearm of twelve volunteers. The visual output of the system was studied and image processing algorithms were adapted to automatically extract skin micro-relief features. The change in the skin network of lines during arm extension, the lines’ anisotropy index and the number of closed polygons per skin surface area were plotted against the subjects’ chronological age. The results were compared with optical measurements from the literature to validate our algorithms and evaluate the capacitive imaging in skin micro-relief analysis. Results: The change in the intensity of primary and secondary lines during arm extension and the number of closed polygons per surface area were in agreement with the literature. The anisotropy index output gave inconclusive results. Conclusions: The experimental results show that the capacitive systems could only extract two-dimensional skin topographic features. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:Bontozoglou, C., Zhang, X., and Xiao, P. (2019). Micro-relief analysis with skin capacitive imaging. Skin Research and Technology, 25(2), 165-170. which has been published in final form at https://www.doi.org/10.1111/srt.12628 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions