Weight measurement using image-based pose analysis

Image-based gait analysis as a means of biometric identification has attracted much research attention. Most of the existing methods focus on human identification, posture analysis and movement tracking. There have been few investigations on measuring the carried load based on the carrier＇s gait characteristics by automatic image processing. Nevertheless, this measurement is very useful in a number of applications, such as the study of the carried load on the postural development of children and adolescence. In this paper, we investigate how to automatically estimate the carried weight from a sequence of images. We present a method to extract human gait silhouette based on an observation that humans tend to minimize the energy during motion. We compute several angles of body leaning and determine the relationship of the carried weight, the leaning angles and the centroid location according to a human kinetic study. Our weight determination method has been verified successfully by experiments.     

A theoretical model for mid-and low-latitude ionospheric electric fields in realistic geomagnetic fields

The geomagnetic fields, which play important roles in the ionospheric dynamo, can greatly affect the global distribution of ionospheric electric fields, currents and other ionospheric electrodynamics phenomena. In the study of ionospheric electrodynamics phenomena, such as the longitudinal variations of ionospheric electric fields, the non-dipolar component of the geomagnetic fields must be taken into account. In this paper, we deduce a theoretical electric field model for ionospheric dynamo at mid- and low-latitude which adopt a modified magnetic apex coordinates system. In the new electric field model, the geomagnetic fields can be calculated from either the IGRF model or the dipole field model, and the neutral winds and conductivities are calculated based on empirical models. Then the dynamo equation for the electric potential is finally solved in terms of the line-by-line iteration method, and the ionospheric electric fields and currents are derived from the calculated potential. Our model can reproduce the main features of the ionospheric electrodynamics processes, so it will be a useful tool for the investigation of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.     

Sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes of normal and alcoholic subjects.

The effects of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and age on sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in human lymphocytes were assessed by means of multiple linear regression. An increase in SCE rates was associated with alcohol consumption (p = 0.0001), smoking (p = 0.0231), and, to a small extent (p = 0.057), age. These three confounding factors explain 48% of the inter-personal variation in SCE rates among subjects studied.