Real-time virtual fitting with body measurement and motion smoothing

Cataloged from PDF version of article.We present a novel virtual fitting room framework using a depth sensor, which provides a realistic fitting experience with customized motion filters, size adjustments and physical simulation. The proposed scaling method adjusts the avatar and determines a standardized apparel size according to the user's measurements, prepares the collision mesh and the physics simulation, with a total of 1 s preprocessing time. The real-time motion filters prevent unnatural artifacts due to the noise from depth sensor or self-occluded body parts. We apply bone splitting to realistically render the body parts near the joints. All components are integrated efficiently to keep the frame rate higher than previous works while not sacrificing realism. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Real-time and in situ drug release monitoring from nanoporous implants under dynamic flow conditions by reflectometric interference spectroscopy

Herein, we present an innovative approach to monitoring in situ drug release under dynamic flow conditions from aluminum implants featuring nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) covers used as a model of drug-releasing implants. In this method, reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) is used to monitor in real-time the diffusion of drug from these nanoporous implants. The release process is carried out in a microfluidic device, which makes it possible to analyze drug release under dynamic flow conditions with constant refreshing of eluting medium. This setup mimics the physiological conditions of biological milieu at the implant site inside the host body. The release of a model drug, indomethacin, is established by measuring the optical thickness change with time under four different flow rates (i.e. 0, 10, 30, and 50 μL min⁻¹). The obtained data are fitted by a modified Higuchi model, confirming the diffusion-controlled release mechanism. The obtained release rate constants demonstrate that the drug release depends on the flow rate and the faster the flow rate the higher the drug release from the nanoporous covers. In particular, the rate constants increase from 2.23 ± 0.02 to 12.47 ± 0.04 μg min⁻¹/² when the flow rate is increased from 10 to 50 μL min⁻¹, respectively. Therefore, this method provides more reliable and relevant information than conventional in vitro drug release methods performed under static conditions.Tushar Kumeria, Karan Gulati, Abel Santos, and Dusan Losi

Saharan dust and heterogeneous ice formation : Eleven years of cloud observations at a central European EARLINET site

More than 2300 observed cloud layers were analyzed to investigate the impact of aged Saharan dust on heterogeneous ice formation. The observations were performed with a polarization/Raman lidar at the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network site of Leipzig, Germany (51.3 degrees N, 12.4 degrees E) from February 1997 to June 2008. The statistical analysis is based on lidar-derived information on cloud phase (liquid water, mixed phase, ice cloud) and cloud top height, cloud top temperature, and vertical profiles of dust mass concentration calculated with the Dust Regional Atmospheric Modeling system. Compared to dust-free air masses, a significantly higher amount of ice-containing clouds (25%-30% more) was observed for cloud top temperatures from -10 degrees C to -20 degrees C in air masses that contained mineral dust. The midlatitude lidar study is compared with our SAMUM lidar study of tropical stratiform clouds at Cape Verde in the winter of 2008. The comparison reveals that heterogeneous ice formation is much stronger over central Europe and starts at higher temperatures than over the tropical station. Possible reasons for the large difference are discussed.Peer reviewe