Design of a marker-based human motion tracking system

In this paper a complete design of a high speed optical motion analyzer system has been described. The main core of the image processing unit has been implemented by the differential algorithm procedure. Some intelligent and conservative procedures that facilitate the search algorithm have also been proposed and implemented for the processing of human motions. Moreover, an optimized modified direct linear transformation (MDLT) method has been used to reconstruct 3D markers positions which are used for deriving kinematic characteristics of the motion. Consequently, a set of complete tests using some simple mechanical devices were conducted to verify the system outputs. Considering the system verification for human motion analysis, we used the system for gait analysis and the results including joint angles showed good compatibility with other investigations. Furthermore, a sport application example of the system has been quantitatively presented and discussed for Iranian National Karate-kas. The low computational cost, the high precision in detecting and reconstructing marker position with 2.39 mm error, and the capability of capturing from any number of cameras to increase the domain of operation of the subject, has made the proposed method a reliable approach for real-time human motion analysis. No special environment limitation, portability, low cost hardware and built in units for simulations and kinematic analysis are the other significant specifications of this system.     

Influence of harmonic radar tag attachment on nymphal Halyomorpha halys mobility,survivorship, and detectability

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a polyphagous invasive insect and currently one of the most threatening agricultural pests in the USA and globally. Nymphs are highly mobile, moving among host plants, and causing significant damage. Thus, understanding dispersal biology for all life stages is critical for the development of reliable monitoring and management programs. Here, we evaluated the influence of harmonic radar as a tool to study dispersal ecology of nymphal H. halys; we measured the impact of glues and tag attachment on survivorship and mobility in the laboratory and validated in the field that tagged and released nymphs could be tracked on baited and unbaited host and non‐host plants using harmonic radar. In the laboratory, four glues were evaluated for attaching harmonic radar tags securely to nymphs, and survivorship with attached tags was measured. There were no significant differences in survivorship or vertical and horizontal movement among nymphs with tags affixed with the glue treatments compared with the untagged control. Based on numerically greater survivorship of nymphs with tags affixed with Loctite glass glue, a field validation study of tagged nymphs released in host (apple tree) and non‐host (mowed grass) with or without H. halys pheromonal stimuli present revealed that nymphs could be successfully relocated using harmonic radar after 48 h. Among treatments, 83% of nymphs remained in baited and unbaited apple trees, 50% of nymphs remained in baited mowed grass plots, and in unbaited mowed grass plots, 17% of fifth instars, and 0% of fourth instars were retained. The absence of negative effects on mobility, survivorship, and field tracking validates that harmonic radar can be used to study dispersal ecology of nymphal H. halys.     

Pixel by pixel: real-time observation and quantification of passive flotation speeds of three common equine endoparasite egg types

The efficacy of anthelmintic treatments against populations of endoparasites infecting livestock throughout the world is decreasing. To mitigate this, the use of fecal egg counts is recommended to determine both the necessity, and to ensure the appropriate choice, of anthelmintic treatment. Traditionally, and in order to facilitate easier identification and/or enumeration, samples are analysed after separating eggs from other fecal particulates by exposing them to a solution with a density higher than that of the eggs, but lower than the remaining fecal contents. While many parasite egg flotation protocols exist, little is known about the characteristics of these eggs with respect to their movement through a flotation solution. In this study, we have demonstrated a novel method for the observation and quantification of microscopic (65–100 µm) objects as they experience unassisted flotation. This also represents, to our knowledge for the first time, that the flotation of parasite eggs has been observed and their movement characteristics quantified as they float through solution. Particle tracking and video analysis software were utilised to automatically detect and track the movement of individual eggs as they floated. Three 30 s videos and one 2 min video of each egg type were analysed. If the first 30 s of video were discounted, the differences in mean flotation speed among all videos was statistically significant between egg types (P = 0.0004). Strongyle type eggs (n = 201) moved the fastest with a mean 51.08 µm/s (95% confidence interval: 47.54–54.62). This was followed by Parascaris spp. (n = 131) and Anoplocephala perfoliata eggs (n = 322), with mean speeds of 44.43 µm/s (95% confidence interval: 39.47–49.4) and 31.11 µm/s (95% confidence interval: 29.6–32.61), respectively. This method for evaluating the mean speed of passive flotation may represent a first step towards further optimizing fecal egg flotation and be of interest to parasitologists and veterinary practitioners.     

Reliability of ultrasound speckle tracking with singular value decomposition for quantifying displacement in the carpal tunnel

Inhibited movement patterns of carpal tunnel structures have been found in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients. Motion analysis on ultrasound images allows us to non-invasively study the (relative) movement of carpal tunnel structures and recently a speckle tracking method using singular value decomposition (SVD) has been proposed to optimize this tracking. This study aims to assess the reliability of longitudinal speckle tracking with SVD in both healthy volunteers and patients with CTS.Images from sixteen healthy volunteers and twenty-two CTS patients were used. Ultrasound clips of the third superficial flexor tendon and surrounding subsynovial connective tissue (SSCT) were acquired during finger flexion-extension. A custom made tracking algorithm was used for the analysis. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated using a single measure, two-way random model with absolute agreement and Bland-Altman plots were added for graphical representation.ICC values varied between 0.73 and 0.95 in the control group and 0.66–0.98 in the CTS patients, with the majority of the results classified as good to excellent. Tendon tracking showed higher reliability values compared to the SSCT, but values between the control and CTS groups were comparable.Speckle tracking with SVD can reliably be used to analyze longitudinal movement of anatomical structures with different sizes and compositions within the context of the carpal tunnel in both a healthy as well as a pathological state. Based on these results, this technique also holds relevant potential for areas where ultrasound based dynamic imaging requires quantification of motion.     

Segregation in space and time explains the coexistence of two sympatric sub‐Antarctic petrels

Biological communities are shaped by competition between and within species. Competition is often reduced by inter‐ and intraspecific specialization on resources, such as differencet foraging areas or time, allowing similar species to coexist and potentially contributing to reproductive isolation. Here, we examine the simultaneous role of temporal and spatial foraging segregation within and between two sympatric sister species of seabirds, Northern Macronectes halli and Southern Macronectes giganteus Giant Petrels. These species show marked sexual size dimorphism and allochrony (with earlier breeding by Northern Giant Petrels) but this is the first study to test for differences in foraging behaviours and areas across the entire breeding season both between the two species and between the sexes. We tracked males and females of both species in all breeding stages at Bird Island, South Georgia, to test how foraging distribution, behaviour and habitat use vary between and within species in biological time (incubation, brood‐guard or post‐brood stages) and in absolute time (calendar date). Within each breeding stage, both species took trips of comparable duration to similar areas, but due to breeding allochrony they segregated temporally. Northern Giant Petrels had a somewhat smaller foraging range than Southern Giant Petrels, reflecting their greater exploitation of local carrion and probably contributing to their recent higher population growth. Within species, segregation was spatial, with females generally taking longer, more pelagic trips than males, although both sexes of both species showed unexpectedly plastic foraging behaviour. There was little evidence of interspecific differences in habitat use. Thus, in giant petrels, temporal segregation reduces interspecific competition and sexual segregation reduces intraspecific competition. These results demonstrate how both specialization and dynamic changes in foraging strategies at different scales underpin resource division within a community.     

Use of passive radio frequency identification technologies to monitor nest usage in the northern carmine bee‐eater (Merops n. nubicus)

The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is common in animal‐monitoring applications in the wild and in zoological and agricultural settings. RFID is used to track animals and to collect information about movements and other behaviors, as well as to automate or improve husbandry. Disney's Animal Kingdom® uses passive RFID technology to monitor nest usage by a breeding colony of northern carmine bee‐eaters. We implemented RFID technologies in various equipment configurations, initially deploying low‐frequency (LF) 125 kHz RFID and later changing to high‐frequency (HF) 13.56 MHz RFID technology, to monitor breeding behavior in the flock. We installed antennas connected to RFID readers at the entrances of nest tunnels to detect RFID transponders attached to leg bands as birds entered and exited tunnels. Both LF‐RFID and HF‐RFID systems allowed the characterization of nest visitation, including the timing of nest activity, breeding pair formation, identification of egg‐laying females, participation by nonresidents, and detection of nest disruptions. However, we collected a substantially larger volume of data using the increased bandwidth and polling speed inherent with HF‐RFID, which permitted tag capture of multiple birds simultaneously and resulted in fewer missed nest visits in comparison to LF‐RFID. Herein, we describe the evolution of the RFID setups used to monitor nest usage for more than 7 years, the types of data that can be gained using RFID at nests, and how we used these data to gain insights into carmine bee‐eater breeding behavior and improve husbandry.     

Mobility measurements of immunomagnetically labeled cells allow quantitation of secondary antibody binding amplification.

Magnetic cell separation methods commonly utilize paramagnetic materials conjugated to antibodies that target specific cell surface molecules. The amount of magnetic material bound to a cell is directly proportional to the magnetophoretic mobility of that cell. A mathematical model has been developed which characterizes the fundamental parameters controlling the amount of magnetic material bound, and thus, the magnetophoretic mobility of an immunomagnetically labeled cell. In characterization of the paramagnetic labeling, one of the parameters of interest is the increase in magnetophoretic mobility due to the secondary antibody binding to multiple epitopes on the primary antibody, referred to as the "secondary antibody binding amplification," Psi. Secondary antibody-binding amplification has been investigated and quantitated by comparing the mobilities of lymphocytes directly labeled with anti-CD4 MACS (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA) magnetic nanoparticle antibody with the mobilities of lymphocytes from the same sample labeled with two different indirect antibody-labeling schemes. Each indirect labeling scheme incorporated a primary mouse anti-CD4 FITC antibody that provides both FITC and mouse-specific binding sites for two different secondary antibody-magnetic nanoparticle conjugates: either anti-FITC MACS magnetic nanoparticle antibody or anti-mouse MACS magnetic nanoparticle antibody. The magnetophoretic mobilities of the immunomagnetically labeled cells were obtained using Cell Tracking Velocimetry (CTV). The results indicate that an average of 3.4 anti-FITC MACS magnetic nanoparticle antibodies bind to each primary CD4 FITC antibody, Psi(1,2f) = 3.4 +/- 0.33, and that approximately one, Psi(1,2m) = 0.98 +/- 0.081, anti-mouse MACS magnetic nanoparticle antibody binds to each primary mouse CD4 FITC antibody on a CD4 positive lymphocyte. These results have provided a better understanding of the antibody-binding mechanisms used in paramagnetic cell labeling for magnetic cell separation.     

Network analysis of potential migration routes for Oriental White Storks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ciconia boyciana</Emphasis>)

From 1998 through to 2000, we satellite-tracked the movements of 13 Oriental White Storks (Ciconia boyciana) on their autumnal migration in order to identify their important stopover sites for preserving links from the Russian Far East breeding sites to the wintering sites in south-eastern China. New analytical methods of satellite tracking data were employed to derive robust information on the locations of stay sites, the number of stopovers made during migration, and the distance traveled without making stopovers. Based on the derived information, we modeled a stay site network as an abstraction of the storks potential migration routes from their breeding sites to wintering sites. Using network analysis techniques, we explored how the loss of stopover sites could affect the connectivity of potential migration routes. The results suggested that if the seashore stopover sites facing Bohai Bay in eastern China were lost, the storks wintering sites along the Yangtze River in south-eastern China would be isolated. Among the seashore stopover sites, Jiantuozhi Gley Mire (39.185°N, 118.627°E), located on the northern seashore of Bohai Bay, was considered particularly important for migrating storks, because it was used every year by the storks we tracked. If conservation needs of this critically located site fail to be addressed, the stay site network of storks can create weak links in the chain of migration and, if broken, storks will have great difficulties in completing their autumnal migration.     

The Mio-Pliocene European primate fossil record: dynamics and habitat tracking

We present here a study of European Neogene primate occurrences in the context of changing humidity. We studied the differences of primate localities versus non-primate localities by using the mammal communities and the ecomorphological data of the taxa present in the communities. The distribution of primates is influenced by humidity changes during the whole Neogene, and the results suggest that the primates track the changes in humidity through time. The exception to this is the Superfamily Cercopithecoidea which shows a wider range of choices in habitats. All primate localities seem to differ from non-primate localities in that the mammal community structure is more closed habitat oriented, while in non-primate localities the community structure changes towards open-habitat oriented in the late Neogene. The differences in primate and non-primate localities are stronger during the times of deep environmental change, when primates are found in their preferred habitats and non-primate localities have faunas better able to adapt to changing conditions.