Changes In Body Shape Research Articles

The Importance of Adolescent Reproductive Organ Care: Tips and Tricks for Future Health

Adolescents entering puberty are distinguished by a period of sexual maturation and they are confronted with situations requiring adjustments to accommodate the occurring changes. Sexual maturity and changes in body shape greatly affect the psychological life of adolescents. In addition, sexual maturity also causes adolescents to become interested in the anatomy and physiology of their bodies. Apart from being attracted to himself, he also begins to feel attracted to peers of the opposite sex. Correct Information and Risk Preparedness: Early teens should get accurate and thorough knowledge about menstruation, reproduction, and sexually transmitted illnesses through reproductive health education. The target of the service is early youth, namely students of SD Muhammadiyah Tamantirto Yogyakarta, especially grades 4 and grade 5. The method used is lectures and questions and answers by providing health education about reproductive health as well as health care tips and tricks. The level of student satisfaction with this health education activity was high. 98% of the students were satisfied with literacy knowledge of reproductive health as well as health care tips and tricks carried out by this community service team. In the analysis of the the average knowledge, the level of the pretest results was 70.61 and the posttest results’ mean knowledge level is 74.77. There was a significant increase in the level of students' knowledge

Body image perception among breast cancer patients after mastectomy: A phenomenology study

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among all cancers. Most breast cancer treatments involve surgery, which leads to changes in body shape. These changes can have an impact on body image after mastectomy, affecting the patients’ quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to explore the perception of body image of breast cancer patient after mastectomy. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed in this study. A total of 15 post-mastectomy clients were recruited through purposive sampling technique. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, which were recorded. The data were analyzed using the Van Mannen approach with the assistance of NVivo 12 Plus software. Results: The majority of the participants were in the elderly phase, with an average education level of junior high school. Most had a history of stage IIB breast cancer and, on average, had undergone mastectomy three years ago. This study identified the theme of body image, which consisted of four categories and eleven sub-categories. Conclusions: The description of body image in post-mastectomy clients includes beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This response is influenced by the belief in the importance of breasts, optimism regarding achieving one’s ideal self, thoughts about changes in the body, acceptance of oneself and those around us, enthusiasm for healing and comfort, and social roles.

Noninvasive lipolysis modalities in aesthetic medicine.

Adipose tissue is a vital metabolic organ that takes part in body homeostasis. However, an increase in fat tissue can be detrimental for one's health and lead to undesirable changes in body shape. Noninvasive lipolysis is becoming an increasingly popular method to destroy and remove excess body fat and improve one's satisfaction with their body appearance. The aim of this study was to perform an evidence-based review of the clinical efficacy and safety of noninvasive lipolysis modalities in fat reduction. An evidence-based review was performed to evaluate the scientific evidence available on the subject. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Embase) were searched between February and May 2022 for randomized controlled trials and observational studies performed on adult population in the last 20 years investigating the clinical outcomes of noninvasive lipolysis modalities. The selected studies were divided by modality type (cryolipolysis, ultrasound therapy, radiofrequency, and laser therapy), and the data on the efficacy and safety were extracted. In total, the search identified 55 papers which met the inclusion criteria. All four energy-based modalities, including cryolipolysis, ultrasound therapy, radiofrequency, and laser therapy, were shown to be clinically effective in terms of both objective body measurements, such as fat layer thickness or circumference reduction, and subjective patient satisfaction. Furthermore, the abovementioned methods were proven to have a low side effect profile. In conclusion, although evidence supports safety and efficacy, further well-designed trials are needed to strengthen confidence in long-term effectiveness and safety of noninvasive lipolysis.

The development of dress forms in standing and sitting postures using 3D body scanning and printing

3D body scanning and printing are attracting attention as innovative technologies for producing dress forms. While designing dress forms, the shape of the human body must be accurately reflected in the different postures. This study explored the development of dress forms as a tool to understand changes in body size and shape according to postures and reflect this information to design and fit evaluation in the apparel industry. The holistic development process of dress forms in standing and sitting postures was suggested for representing the body shape of a specific target group. The average shape of middle-aged Korean women was derived by analyzing the 6th Size Korea data. A representative participant whose dimensions were closest to the average size was selected among recruited participants for the dress form development. The body data were acquired with a portable 3D scanner and corresponding dress forms and accessories were modeled using 3D CAD software. The models were inspected and corrected through prototyping. Full-size dress forms in standing and sitting postures were printed using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer and post-processed. Completed dress forms were body-scanned and their accuracy was evaluated through morphological similarity comparison, cross-sectional image comparison, surface area and volume comparison, and mesh deviation analysis. Although there were some minor differences caused by the modeling process, the developed dress forms reflected the main characteristics and shapes of the representative body satisfactorily.

Effects of Sling Exercise on Body Shape Change, Lower Extremity Muscle Function and Core Stability of University Taekwondo Poomsae Players

Effects of Sling Exercise on Body Shape Change, Lower Extremity Muscle Function and Core Stability of University Taekwondo Poomsae Players

The complex interplay between psychosocial and biological factors in pregorexia nervosa - a rapid review.

The importance of detecting eating disorders (EDs) during pregnancy cannot be overemphasized, because of the major negative effects this pathology has on both maternal and fetal health. Based on a rapid review including primary and secondary reports, PN may still be considered an elusive diagnosis entity, that partially overlaps with other EDs, either well-defined, like anorexia nervosa, or still in search of their own diagnosis criteria, like orthorexia nervosa. Neurochemical and hormonal factors, psychological and social mechanisms, along with lifestyle changes create a very complex framework for clinicians interested in defining the typical features of pregorexia nervosa (PN). The personal history of EDs is considered one of the most important risk factors for PN. The core diagnostic criteria for this entity are, so far, lack of gaining weight during pregnancy, an excessive focus on counting calories and/or intense physical exercising with a secondary decrease of interest in the fetus's health, lack of acceptance of the change in body shape during pregnancy, and pathological attention for own body image. Regarding the treatment of PN, nutritional and psychosocial interventions are recommended but no specific therapeutic strategies for this disorder have been detected in the literature. Psychotherapy is considered the main intervention for pregnant women with associated EDs and mood disorders, as the pharmacological agents could have teratogenic effects or insufficient data to support their safety in this population. In conclusion, taking into consideration the methodological limitations of a rapid review, data supporting the existence of PN were found, mainly regarding tentative diagnostic criteria, risk factors, and pathophysiological aspects. These data, corroborated with the importance of preserving optimal mental health in a vulnerable population, e.g., pregnant women, justify the need for further research focused on finding specific diagnostic criteria and targeted therapeutic approaches.

바디웨이트 그룹운동이 비만여대생들의 체형개선변화와 혈중스트레스요인에 미치는 영향

This study was conducted to find out how it affects changes in body shape and blood stress factors by having obese female college students perform body weight exercise for 8 weeks. The study subjects were divided into 10 body weight group and 10 control group based on 20 obese female college students. Two-way repeated ANOVA was conducted to see the significance and interaction effect between the two groups based on the data obtained through two pre- and post-measurements through 8 weeks of body weight exercise, and based on the above results, the following conclusions were drawn. derived. First, in the effect of improving the body shape of obese female college students through body weight exercise, there was a significant difference in weight (measurement period) and body fat percentage (measurement period, group), and it was found that there was an interaction effect. Second, in the effect of blood stress of obese female college students through body weight exercise, there was a significant difference in blood active oxygen (measurement period) and blood lactic acid (measurement period), and it was found that there was an interaction effect. Recently, various exercise methods have been proposed for diet and health promotion. The body weight exercise presented in this study has also been shown to make positive changes in eliminating obesity, and for modern people who lack time, if performed regularly at home training or a place where only space is used, obesity can be prevented. It will relieve blood pressure and reduce blood stress, leading to a healthy college life and healthy adulthood and middle age.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of antenatal care services in Probolinggo District

Background. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the status of a global pandemic for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Pregnant women are most vulnerable to being infected with COVID-19 and must take extra care of their health. The impact and risk of COVID-19 on pregnant and lactating women as well as on the fetus and baby are not yet known with certainty. However, due to changes in body shape and immune system, pregnant women are very susceptible to some respiratory infections. Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of antenatal care (ANC) services in Probolinggo Regency. Methods. This analytic research has a cross-sectional design. The participants are 326 pregnant women in the third trimester. Sampling uses simple random sampling. The sample is some pregnant women in the third trimester, as many as 179 people. Chi-square is used for analysis. Results. According to the study's findings, as many as 170 respondents did not confirm that they had COVID-19 (95%). 153 respondents were provided with quality ANC services (85%). Conclusion. The results of the statistical test obtained a value of P=0.09; so there is an influence during the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of ANC services. Efforts that can be made are health workers limit meetings with pregnant women without reducing the quality of ANC services.

Weight–Length Relationship Analysis Revealing the Impacts of Multiple Factors on Body Shape of Fish in China

The weight–length relationship (WLR) of fish is a crucial tool in fish biology research and has received extensive attention. However, fish growth is influenced by many factors, and the WLR also changes accordingly. Our aim was to investigate how fish body shape is affected by various factors by analyzing the existing parameters of the relationship between fish body length and weight. We analyzed 198,354 fish specimens belonging to 402 species of 82 families in China and investigated the change of fish body shape in the function of their ecology. Herbivorous fish tended to be shorter and fatter than carnivorous fish, and omnivorous fish fall somewhere in between. This difference could be due to variations in feeding habits and the availability of food sources. Additionally, fish living in lentic waters tended to have a shorter and fatter body shape compared to those living in lotic waters. This could be attributed to differences in swimming behavior in these environments. Furthermore, our results showed that the b value decreased as altitude increased, and fish tended to be thinner and longer due to lower oxygen and temperature levels in high-altitude waters. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the WLR of fish and the impact of multiple factors on fish body shape.

Effect of pregnancy on female gait characteristics: a pilot study based on portable gait analyzer and induced acceleration analysis.

Introduction: The changes in physical shape and center of mass during pregnancy may increase the risk of falls. However, there were few studies on the effects of maternal muscles on gait characteristics and no studies have attempted to investigate changes in induced acceleration during pregnancy. Further research in this area may help to reveal the causes of gait changes in women during pregnancy and provide ideas for the design of footwear and clothing for pregnant women. The purpose of this study is to compare gait characteristics and induced accelerations between non-pregnant and pregnant women using OpenSim musculoskeletal modeling techniques, and to analyze their impact on pregnancy gait. Methods: Forty healthy participants participated in this study, including 20 healthy non-pregnant and 20 pregnant women (32.25 ± 5.36weeks). The portable gait analyzer was used to collect participants' conventional gait parameters. The adjusted OpenSim personalized musculoskeletal model analyzed the participants' kinematics, kinetics, and induced acceleration. Independent sample T-test and one-dimensional parameter statistical mapping analysis were used to compare the differences in gait characteristics between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Results: Compared to the control group, pregnancy had a 0.34m reduction in mean walking speed (p < 0.01), a decrease in mean stride length of 0.19m (p < 0.01), a decrease in mean stride frequency of 19.06 step/min (p < 0.01), a decrease in mean thigh acceleration of 0.14m/s2 (p < 0.01), a decrease in mean swing work of 0.23g (p < 0.01), and a decrease in mean leg falling strength of 0.84g (p < 0.01). Induced acceleration analysis showed that pregnancy muscle-induced acceleration decreased in late pregnancy (p < 0.01), and the contribution of the gastrocnemius muscle to the hip and joint increased (p < 0.01). Discussion: Compared with non-pregnant women, the gait characteristics, movement amplitude, and joint moment of pregnant women changed significantly. This study observed for the first time that the pregnant women relied more on gluteus than quadriceps to extend their knee joints during walking compared with the control group. This change may be due to an adaptive change in body shape and mass during pregnancy.

Deep learning-based weight estimation using a fast-reconstructed mesh model from the point cloud of a pig

In the livestock industry, securing the quality of the livestock is as important as reducing the rearing costs. Therefore, the body type and weight of livestock should be measured periodically during the entire rearing period to maintain a history of changes in body shape and weight. This study proposed the method of estimating the weight of a pig in real-time using mesh reconstruction and deep learning. The proposed method is divided into two stages, that is, generating training data by mesh reconstruction from point clouds of pigs and developing a deep neural network (DNN) to estimate weight by utilizing the training data. After acquiring 1022 point clouds for 70 pigs with the measurement equipment, the pig weight estimation experiment proceeded according to the proposed method. As a result, the mesh model could be rapidly generated within 1 s. Additionally, 48 types of measurements were determined from the mesh model, and the weight was estimated using a fully connected DNN. The results showed very high accuracy with an error of 4.89 kg (2.11% error with respect to pig weight) for the test data set.

Temperature-dependent Developmental Plasticity and Its Effects on Allen's and Bergmann's Rules in Endotherms.

Ecogeographical rules, describing common trends in animal form across space and time, have provided key insights into the primary factors driving species diversity on our planet. Among the most well-known ecogeographical rules are Bergmann's rule and Allen's rule, with each correlating ambient temperature to the size and shape of endotherms within a species. In recent years, these two rules have attracted renewed research attention, largely with the goal of understanding how they emerge (e.g., via natural selection or phenotypic plasticity) and, thus, whether they may emerge quickly enough to aid adaptations to a warming world. Yet despite this attention, the precise proximate and ultimate drivers of Bergmann's and Allen's rules remain unresolved. In this conceptual paper, we articulate novel and classic hypotheses for understanding whether and how plastic responses to developmental temperatures might contributed to each rule. Next, we compare over a century of empirical literature surrounding Bergmann's and Allen's rules against our hypotheses to uncover likely avenues by which developmental plasticity might drive temperature-phenotype correlations. Across birds and mammals, studies strongly support developmental plasticity as a driver of Bergmann's and Allen's rules, particularly with regards to Allen's rule. However, plastic contributions toward each rule appear largely non-linear and dependent upon: (1) efficiency of energy use (Bergmann's rule) and (2) thermal advantages (Allen's rule) at given ambient temperatures. These findings suggest that, among endotherms, rapid changes in body shape and size will continue to co-occur with our changing climate, but generalizing the direction of responses across populations is likely naive.

Effectiveness of CT-image guidance in proton therapy for liver cancer and the importance of daily dose monitoring for tumors and organs at risk.

It is important to have precise image guidance throughout proton therapy in order to take advantage of the therapy's physical selectivity. We evaluated the effectiveness of computed tomography (CT)-image guidance in proton therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by assessing daily proton dose distributions. The importance of daily CT image-guided registration and daily proton dose monitoring for tumors and organs at risk (OARs) was investigated. A retrospective analysis was conducted using 570 sets of daily CT (dCT) images throughout whole treatment fractions for 38 HCC patients who underwent passive scattering proton therapy with either a 66 cobalt gray equivalent (GyE)/10 fractions (n=19) or 76 GyE/20 fractions (n=19) protocol. The actual daily delivered dose distributions were estimated by forward calculation using the dCT sets, their corresponding treatment plans, and the recorded daily couch correction information. We then evaluated the daily changes of the dose indices D99% , V30GyE , and Dmax for the tumor volumes, non-tumorous liver, and other OARs, that is, stomach, esophagus, duodenum, colon, respectively. Contours were created for all dCT sets. We validated the efficacy of the dCT-based tumor registrations (hereafter, "tumor registration") by comparing them with the bone registration and diaphragm registration as a simulation of the treatment based on the positioning using the conventional kV X-ray imaging. The dose distributions and the indices of three registrations were obtained by simulation using the same dCT sets. In the 66 GyE/10 fractions, the daily D99% value in both the tumor and diaphragm registrations agreed with the planned value with 3%-6% (SD), and the V30GyE value for the liver agreed within ±3%; the indices in the bone registration showed greater deterioration. Nevertheless, tumor-dose deterioration occurred in all registration methods for two cases due to daily changes of body shape and respiratory condition. In the 76 GyE/20 fractions, in particular for such a treatment that the dose constraints for the OARs have to be cared in the original planning, the daily D99% in the tumor registration was superior to that in the other registration (p<0.001), indicating the effectiveness of the tumor registration. The dose constraints, set in the plan as the maximum dose for OARs (i.e., duodenum, stomach, colon, and esophagus) were maintained for 16 patients including seven treated with re-planning. For three patients, the daily Dmax increased gradually or changed randomly, resulting in an inter-fractional averaged Dmax higher than the constraints. The dose distribution would have been improved if re-planning had been conducted. The results of these retrospective analyses indicate the importance of daily dose monitoring followed by adaptive re-planning when needed. The tumor registration in proton treatment for HCC was effective to maintain the daily dose to the tumor and the dose constraints of OARs, particularly in the treatment where the maintenance for the dose constraints needs to be considered throughout the treatment. Nevertheless daily proton dose monitoring with daily CT imaging is important for more reliable and safer treatment.

Reconfigurable Innervation of Modular Soft Machines via Soft, Sticky, and Instant Electronic Adhesive Interlocking

Adaptive and extreme changes in shape and configuration are the functional and morphological uniqueness of soft robots, but existing design approaches still rely on the predefined coordination of their “muscle” and “nerve” functions to produce such behaviors. Herein, a strategy is introduced for building modular soft machines that can be innervated in ways that conform to their body extension or shape changes, based on modular soft electronics. The development of soft electronic adhesive interlocking (SEAL) technology allows for instant, robust, and repeatable integration of soft electronic modules that can “innervate” and activate modular soft actuators and machines in a reconfigurable manner. Demonstrations of soft robotic tentacles and their grasping capability show that the robot function can be adapted to or reconfigured within the body with a length extended more than 10 times. The modular strategy presented herein can offer a unique promise to build up future robots with dynamic, reconfigurable functions.

Toxicological characteristics of raw milk with different contents of 17β-estradiol

Despite the benefits and biological value of dairy products, they can also be a source of dangerous substances of natural and artificial origin. Such substances include the estrogen hormone 17β-estradiol, an excessive amount of which causes oncological diseases and reproductive system dysfunction. A study was conducted to determine the toxicological evaluation of raw milk with different 17β-estradiol content on the culture of the ciliate Tetrachymena pyriformis. The content of 17β-estradiol was determined by enzyme immunoassay using the RIDASCREEN®17β-őstradiol test system (Art-Biopharm/R-Biopharm, Darmstadt, Germany). During the determination of acute toxicity, under the condition of the content of 17ß-estradiol in the raw milk in the amount from 20.0 to 2500 pg/ml, no changes in motor activity, body shape and inhibition of reproduction of ciliates were observed. At the content of 17ß-estradiol in milk in the range of 5000.0−5500.0 pg/ml, a slowdown in the motor activity of ciliates was observed without changing the nature of the movement. Thus, the amount of 17ß-estradiol in milk greater than 5000.0 pg/ml causes a minor effect on the vital activity and motor activity of Tetrachymena pyriformis ciliates. During 96 hours of the existence of ciliates in milk, chronic toxic effects on cells were not observed for the content of 17ß-estradiol from 20.0 to 2500.0 pg/ml. Addition of 17ß-estradiol to raw milk in the amount of 5000.0 to 5500.0 pg/ml caused a chronic toxic effect on ciliates, as a result of which the total score in all determined indicators increased to 2 points. Thus, raw milk with an amount of 17ß-estradiol from 5000.0 to 5500.0 pg/ml may exhibit some chronic toxic effect on the cells of the ciliated infusoria. It was established that the relative biological value of raw milk with a content of 17ß-estradiol up to 2500.0 pg/ml was from 98.6 to 97.7 %, and in samples of raw milk with the maximum amount of the hormone (5000.0−5500.0 pg/ml) decreased by an average of 10 % to 89.22 %. Therefore, if the amount of 17ß-estradiol in milk is more than 5000.0 mg/ml, a chronic toxic effect on Tetrachymena pyriformis cells is possible.

Adaptive sliding mode based fault tolerant control of wheeled mobile robots

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose an adaptive sliding mode-based fault tolerant control for mobile robots. While a mobile robot is tracking a given trajectory, several fault cases may occur, such as sensor model and controller faults, changes in the dynamic equation due to robot body shape or weight changes, and loss of actuator effectiveness. Disturbance signals are caused by the actuator faults and, for various reasons, can be considered the primary issue for the robots. In real-time applications, the Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) is insufficient if the robot parameters are unknown, the robot model is non-linear, and the overall system is subject to disturbances. An adaptive law is used to support the SMC to maintain the sliding surface and solve the problems of unknown system parameters, actuator faults, and disturbances. Besides SMC, the kinematic controller is also used, and its gain values are optimized using a neural network and a kinematic controller. The stability of the overall system is proven by using the Lyapunov theory. Besides actuator faults, the system is disturbed by defining a disturbance signal, which is added to the control signals. To show the effectiveness of the proposed controller, it is compared with traditional SMC and PID.

Особенности разработки нормообразующих показателей верификации уловов тихоокеанских лососей

Among the extraction of aquatic biological resources in the Far East and in Russia as a whole, Pacific salmon occupy the second place in the total catch of fish. A feature of the physiology of Pacific salmon is pronounced transformations during the period of putina, namely, changes in color, body shape, head, jaw curvature and tooth enlargement, different mass indicators of fish and the chemical composition of muscle tissue. In this regard, a differentiated approach is needed when developing standard-setting indicators for verifying Pacific salmon catches. The conducted studies allowed us to determine the norm-forming indicators in the production of frozen fish from pink salmon and chum salmon from different production areas, depending on their biological state.

Monitoring body composition change for intervention studies with advancing 3D optical imaging technology in comparison to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

BackgroundRecent 3-dimensional optical (3DO) imaging advancements have provided more accessible, affordable, and self-operating opportunities for assessing body composition. 3DO is accurate and precise in clinical measures made by DXA. However, the sensitivity for monitoring body composition change over time with 3DO body shape imaging is unknown. ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the ability of 3DO in monitoring body composition changes across multiple intervention studies. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed using intervention studies on healthy adults that were complimentary to the cross-sectional study, Shape Up! Adults. Each participant received a DXA (Hologic Discovery/A system) and 3DO (Fit3D ProScanner) scan at the baseline and follow-up. 3DO meshes were digitally registered and reposed using Meshcapade to standardize the vertices and pose. Using an established statistical shape model, each 3DO mesh was transformed into principal components, which were used to predict whole-body and regional body composition values using published equations. Body composition changes (follow-up minus the baseline) were compared with those of DXA using a linear regression analysis. ResultsThe analysis included 133 participants (45 females) in 6 studies. The mean (SD) length of follow-up was 13 (5) wk (range: 3–23 wk). Agreement between 3DO and DXA (R2) for changes in total FM, total FFM, and appendicular lean mass were 0.86, 0.73, and 0.70, with root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of 1.98 kg, 1.58 kg, and 0.37 kg, in females and 0.75, 0.75, and 0.52 with RMSEs of 2.31 kg, 1.77 kg, and 0.52 kg, in males, respectively. Further adjustment with demographic descriptors improved the 3DO change agreement to changes observed with DXA. ConclusionsCompared with DXA, 3DO was highly sensitive in detecting body shape changes over time. The 3DO method was sensitive enough to detect even small changes in body composition during intervention studies. The safety and accessibility of 3DO allows users to self-monitor on a frequent basis throughout interventions.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03637855 (Shape Up! Adults; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03637855); NCT03394664 (Macronutrients and Body Fat Accumulation: A Mechanistic Feeding Study; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03394664); NCT03771417 (Resistance Exercise and Low-Intensity Physical Activity Breaks in Sedentary Time to Improve Muscle and Cardiometabolic Health; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03771417); NCT03393195 (Time Restricted Eating on Weight Loss; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03393195), and NCT04120363 (Trial of Testosterone Undecanoate for Optimizing Performance During Military Operations; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04120363).

Development of Machine-Learning Prediction Programs for Delivering Adaptive Radiation Therapy With Tumor Geometry and Body Shape Changes in Head and Neck Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

During radiation therapy for head and neck cancer using volumetric modulated arc therapy, excessive dosing or underdosing occurs as a result of the decrease in tumor volume and changes in body weight. Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) is performed when significant changes are observed; however, the decision to implement ART depends on the oncologist's subjective judgment. The purpose of this study was to present objective indicators for ART and develop a program to predict the need for ART. The study included 47 patients in the non-ART group and 21 patients in the ART group with shape changes. Patients who received ART could not be covered with the prescribed radiation therapy dose due to shape changes. For each patient, 1112 6-dimensional lists were created, including the number of irradiations, amount of change in the clinical target volume (CTV), rate of change in CTV, mean oral cavity dose, age, and body mass index. Support vector machine and k-nearest neighbor were used for machine learning. The random number of test data to be extracted varied from 1 to 9, and a mean accuracy score was calculated. These programs could predict the need for ART if the accuracy score was high. The classification accuracy of the list, including the amount of change in the CTV and rate of change in CTV up to 20 fractions, was 0.963 and 0.967 for support vector machine and k-nearest neighbor, respectively. This program predicted the need for ART with more than 90% accuracy based on shape changes over time in cone beam computed tomography analysis for up to 20 fractions. This may provide significant support for objective decisions to implement ART based on the amount of change over time during treatment.

Three-dimensional unsupervised probabilistic pose reconstruction (3D-UPPER) for freely moving animals

A key step in understanding animal behaviour relies in the ability to quantify poses and movements. Methods to track body landmarks in 2D have made great progress over the last few years but accurate 3D reconstruction of freely moving animals still represents a challenge. To address this challenge here we develop the 3D-UPPER algorithm, which is fully automated, requires no a priori knowledge of the properties of the body and can also be applied to 2D data. We find that 3D-UPPER reduces by >10 fold the error in 3D reconstruction of mouse body during freely moving behaviour compared with the traditional triangulation of 2D data. To achieve that, 3D-UPPER performs an unsupervised estimation of a Statistical Shape Model (SSM) and uses this model to constrain the viable 3D coordinates. We show, by using simulated data, that our SSM estimator is robust even in datasets containing up to 50% of poses with outliers and/or missing data. In simulated and real data SSM estimation converges rapidly, capturing behaviourally relevant changes in body shape associated with exploratory behaviours (e.g. with rearing and changes in body orientation). Altogether 3D-UPPER represents a simple tool to minimise errors in 3D reconstruction while capturing meaningful behavioural parameters.