Body Size Estimation Research Articles

Do children emotionally rehearse about their body image?

This study examined the association between propensity for emotional rehearsal, body image self-perception and weight status in Chinese Hong Kong pre-adolescents. Children 8-12 years of age (n = 278) completed measurement of body mass index, body image and emotional rehearsal. Multinomial regression analyses revealed that body mass index was positively associated with body image dissatisfaction and a significant predictor of body size estimation. However, only body size underestimation was associated with lower rehearsal tendencies. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and body size estimation was also reported for this population. Future research is suggested for greater understanding of emotional coping in body image dissatisfaction in young children.

Correlated Evolution of Allometry and Sexual Dimorphism across Higher Taxa

Empirical evidence suggests that Rensch's rule of allometric scaling of male and female body size, which states that body size divergence is greater across males than across females of a clade, is not universal. In fact, quantitative genetic theory indicates that the sex under historically stronger directional selection will exhibit greater interspecific variance in size. Thus, the pattern of covariance between allometry of male and female body size and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) across related clades allows a test of this causal hypothesis for macroevolutionary trends in SSD. We compiled a data set of published body size estimates from the amphibians, a class with predominantly female-biased SSD, to examine variation in allometry and SSD among clades. Our results indicate that females become the more size-variant sex across species in a family as the magnitude of SSD in that family increases. This rejects Rensch's rule and implicates selection on females as a driver of both amphibian allometry and SSD. Further, when we combine our data into a single analysis of allometry for the class, we find a significant nonlinear allometric relationship between female body size and male body size. These data suggest that allometry changes significantly as a function of size. Our results illustrate that the relationship between female size and male size varies with both the degree of sexual dimorphism and the body size of a clade.

Wing Characteristics and Spring Arrival Date in Barn SwallowsHirundo rustica

Flight morphology traits affect flight performance and energetic demands, and hence they are of special importance for migratory birds. It is believed that high wing aspect ratio (ratio of wing span squared to wing area) and low wing loading (ratio of body weight to wing area) both reduce the energetic costs of flight, thus allowing for enduring flight and fast migration. We addressed this topic in a four-year study on the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica population near Warsaw, Central Poland. We hypothesized that individuals possessing wings with higher aspect ratio and lower loading should arrive at the breeding area earlier than other individuals, and that these individuals should be characterized by higher annual survival than the average individual. Male Barn Swallows arrived at the breeding ground on average earlier than females, and older birds arrived earlier than second year birds. Males with high aspect ratio wings arrived from Africa earlier than the average male, independent of age. There was no significant association between aspect ratio and arrival date in females. The relationship between male wing aspect ratio and arrival date remained significant when controlling for the effects of potential confounding variables (including the estimates of male phenotypic quality, body condition and body size). High aspect ratio wings may help male Barn Swallows migrate faster than the average male, and thus arrive at the breeding area earlier in spring and achieve the benefits of early arrival. However, the relationship was weak, explaining only 5% of the variation in male arrival date (age, and hence experience, explained 38% of the variance). Wing loading was significantly correlated with timing of arrival in both male and female Barn Swallows, with early arrivals being characterized by higher wing loading than later ones. This finding can be explained by the benefits of arrival at the breeding quarters with body reserves that should help copy with costs of early arrival. We found no significant relationship between wing area and timing of arrival. Furthermore, we found no evidence for wing aspect ratio and wing loading determining annual survival rate in the Barn Swallow.

Attitudinal and perceptual factors in body image distortion: an exploratory study in patients with anorexia nervosa.

BackgroundBody image disturbance is a core feature of anorexia nervosa (AN). Attitudinal and cognitive biases as well as fundamental perceptual differences have been hypothesized to play a role in this disturbance.MethodThis study investigated body image dissatisfaction and distortion, haptic perception and perfectionism in 30 patients with AN and 31 age-matched healthy controls. Participants completed perceptual tasks and self-report measures.ResultsAs predicted, participants with AN scored significantly higher on body dissatisfaction, perfectionism measures and had greater body distortion (as assessed by a body size estimation task). Cognitive–affective factors and perfectionism were highly correlated with body image distortion in AN. No significant differences were found between groups on the generic perception task.ConclusionsFindings did not confirm the hypothesis of fundamental perceptual inefficiencies in body image disturbance in individuals with AN. Despite renewed interest in fundamental perceptual factors implicated in body image disturbance, these findings suggest that it continues to be important to focus treatment on cognitive affective biases versus fundamental perceptual inefficiencies.

Person Identification Using Top-View Image with Depth Information

In this paper, the authors describe a novel image-based person identification task. Traditional face-based person identification methods have a low tolerance for occluded situation, such as overlapping of people in an image. The authors focus on an image from an overhead camera. The authors utilize depth information for the identification task. By using depth information, the authors can capture the precise person’s area and rich information for the identification task as compared with popular RGB cameras. The authors apply four features extracted from images based on depth information to the identification method; (1) estimated body height, (2) estimated body dimensions, (3) estimated body size and (4) depth histogram. In the experiment, the authors evaluated two situations; (a) standing in front of a door and (b) touching a doorknob. The identification accuracy rates are 94.4% and 91.4% on the two situations. The authors obtained the high accuracy by the proposed method.

Enhancing fish diet analysis: equations to reconstruct Themisto gaudichaudii and Euphausia lucens length from partially digested remains

Themisto gaudichaudii and Euphausia lucens are important prey of several fish and squid species of commercial value in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. Although allometric relationships linking size and weight can be used to estimate prey biomass, size is often difficult to obtain as they are usually partly digested. The objective of our work was to provide length–length relationships to estimate body size of both crustaceans from their remains in fish stomachs, as a first step to estimate their weight. Measurements were performed on intact specimens collected in the field. Each of the body dimensions analysed (eye height and width for T. gaudichaudii, and carapace length and eye diameter for E. lucens) was significantly related to total length in both species. Thus, they appear to be highly reliable predictors of original size and can potentially aid in the identification of crustacean remains, allowing a more accurate analysis of digested contents.

Distinguishing body mass and activity level from the lower limb: Can entheses diagnose obesity?

The ability to estimate body size from the skeleton has broad applications, but is especially important to the forensic community when identifying unknown skeletal remains. This research investigates the utility of using entheses/muscle skeletal markers of the lower limb to estimate body size and to classify individuals into average, obese, and active categories, while using a biomechanical approach to interpret the results. Eighteen muscle attachment sites of the lower limb, known to be involved in the sit-to-stand transition, were scored for robusticity and stress in 105 white males (aged 31–81 years) from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. Both logistic regression and log linear models were applied to the data to (1) test the utility of entheses as an indicator of body weight and activity level, and (2) to generate classification percentages that speak to the accuracy of the method. Thirteen robusticity scores differed significantly between the groups, but classification percentages were only slightly greater than chance. However, clear differences could be seen between the average and obese and the average and active groups. Stress scores showed no value in discriminating between groups. These results were interpreted in relation to biomechanical forces at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. Even though robusticity alone is not able to classify individuals well, its significance may show greater value when incorporated into a model that has multiple skeletal indicators. Further research needs to evaluate a larger sample and incorporate several lines of evidence to improve classification rates.

Rapid action in the Palaeogene, the relationship between phenotypic and taxonomic diversification in Coenozoic mammals

A classic question in evolutionary biology concerns the tempo and mode of lineage evolution. Considered variously in relation to resource utilization, intrinsic constraints or hierarchic level, the question of how evolutionary change occurs in general has continued to draw the attention of the field for over a century and a half. Here we use the largest species-level phylogeny of Coenozoic fossil mammals (1031 species) ever assembled and their body size estimates, to show that body size and taxonomic diversification rates declined from the origin of placentals towards the present, and very probably correlate to each other. These findings suggest that morphological and taxic diversifications of mammals occurred hierarchically, with major shifts in body size coinciding with the birth of large clades, followed by taxonomic diversification within these newly formed clades. As the clades expanded, rates of taxonomic diversification proceeded independently of phenotypic evolution. Such a dynamic is consistent with the idea, central to the Modern Synthesis, that mammals radiated adaptively, with the filling of adaptive zones following the radiation.

Parental Awareness and Perception of Their Children’s Body Size

Objective: To investigate parents’ misperception of their active children’s size. Subjects: One hundred and forty male or female parents and their children from a youth soccer league participated. Actual Child Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles and BMI categories were compared to the results of a Body Size Estimation Task and lifestyles questionnaire results. Results: Parents underestimated the body size of their children and placed them in a lower BMI category than the children actually belonged in. As was the case in other studies children in the unhealthy or at risk to become overweight category where seen as a healthy weight. Unlike other studies, many healthy weight children were seen as underweight. Conclusions: An explanation of body size misperception and underestimation of body size may be “change blindness”. The growing prevalence of obesity in children may be better addressed by focusing on the parents’ apparent lack of concern about excess childhood weight and the parents’ identification of excess childhood weight as “just normal” rather than seeing excess weight as a potential problem.

Ethyl alcohol에 고정된 고등어(Scomber japonicus) 치어의 어체수축

We investigated body shrinkage, defined as change in standard length and body weight of juvenile chub mackerel Scomber japonicus after preservation in 70% ethyl alcohol for 1, 8, or 12 days. Standard length (SL) was decreased by 3.6% and body weight (BW) was reduced by 27.5% after 8 day of preservation. There were no significant decreases in SL and BW after 8 or 12 days preservation. Linear regression equations for estimation of original body size from the size after preservation in 70% ethyl alcohol for 12 days were expressed as: <TEX>$SL_{original}=0.96SL_{preserved}+5.17$</TEX> and <TEX>$BW_{original}=1.16BW_{preserved}+0.37$</TEX>. These equations will be useful for improving accuracy the estimation accuracy for various size-related biological parameters in juvenile chub mackerel juvenile.

Emotion Coupling and Regulation in Anorexia Nervosa

The present study sought to investigate emotion regulation strategies in people with anorexia nervosa (AN) and whether the theoretical concept of 'emotion coupling' between anger and disgust could help to explain some of the specific eating disorder symptomatology in people with AN. This 'emotion coupling' hypothesis was tested using a mood induction procedure within laboratory conditions, where individuals with AN (n = 22) were matched with control participants (n = 19). Participants completed a bank of different measures prior to the study, and these included measures of eating pathology, core beliefs about the self and others, and emotion regulation strategies. Within the experimental part of this study, anger, disgust and body size estimation were measured prior to and after an anger induction procedure (i.e., a repeated measures design). People with AN demonstrated a significantly more internal-dysfunctional way to regulate their emotional states, when compared with matched controls. Within the 'emotional coupling' part of the study, participants showed a significant increase in levels of disgust and body size estimation following an anger induction when compared with matched controls. The significance of these results was considered in the light of the new Schematic, Propositional, Analogical and Associative Representation Systems in eating disorders model.

Body-size distribution, biomass estimates and life histories of common insect taxa associated with a submerged macrophyte Lagarosiphon ilicifolius in the Sanyati Basin, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

The body-size distributions and biomass estimates of Caenis (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae), Cloeon (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), Coenagrionidae (Odonata), Micronecta (Hemiptera: Corixidae), Chironominae (Diptera: Chironomidae) and Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae), the most common and abundant insect taxa associated with a submerged macrophyte Lagarosiphon ilicifolius in Lake Kariba, are presented. Caenis has a univoltine life cycle, whilst Cloeon, Coenagrionidae, Chironominae and Orthocladiinae have multivoltine life cycles. Growth and reproduction of Micronecta occurred all year round. The Coenagrionidae had the highest mean biomass, which was significantly greater than those of the other taxa. Caenis and Orthocladiinae were sensitive to variations in water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, their highest biomasses occurring when temperatures were low and DO concentrations high. The biomasses of Chironominae and Orthocladiinae increased with rising water levels, but that of Caenis decreased. Total insect biomass was minimally affected by variations in water physico-chemical variables. The study suggests that water temperature, water level and DO concentration do have an effect on the biomasses of some insect taxa associated with Lagarosiphon in Lake Kariba. Mixing processes during de-stratification also affect the abundance and biomass of the insect taxa.

Respiratory and olfactory turbinal size in canid and arctoid carnivorans

Within the nasal cavity of mammals is a complex scaffold of paper-thin bones that function in respiration and olfaction. Known as turbinals, the bones greatly enlarge the surface area available for conditioning inspired air, reducing water loss, and improving olfaction. Given their functional significance, the relative development of turbinal bones might be expected to differ among species with distinct olfactory, thermoregulatory and/or water conservation requirements. Here we explore the surface area of olfactory and respiratory turbinals relative to latitude and diet in terrestrial Caniformia, a group that includes the canid and arctoid carnivorans (mustelids, ursids, procyonids, mephitids, ailurids). Using high-resolution computed tomography x-ray scans, we estimated respiratory and olfactory turbinal surface area and nasal chamber volume from three-dimensional virtual models of skulls. Across the Caniformia, respiratory surface area scaled isometrically with estimates of body size and there was no significant association with climate, as estimated by latitude. Nevertheless, one-on-one comparisons of sister taxa suggest that arctic species may have expanded respiratory turbinals. Olfactory surface area scaled isometrically among arctoids, but showed positive allometry in canids, reflecting the fact that larger canids, all of which are carnivorous, had relatively greater olfactory surface areas. In addition, among the arctoids, large carnivorous species such as the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and wolverine (Gulo gulo) also displayed enlarged olfactory turbinals. More omnivorous caniform species that feed on substantial quantities of non-vertebrate foods had less expansive olfactory turbinals. Because large carnivorous species hunt widely dispersed prey, an expanded olfactory turbinal surface area may improve a carnivore's ability to detect prey over great distances using olfactory cues.

Heritability Estimates of Body Size in Fetal Life and Early Childhood

BackgroundThe objective was to estimate the heritability for height and weight during fetal life and early childhood in two independent studies, one including parent and singleton offsprings and one of mono- and dizygotic twins.MethodsThis study was embedded in the Generation R Study (n = 3407, singletons) and the Netherlands Twin Register (n = 33694, twins). For the heritability estimates in Generation R, regression models as proposed by Galton were used. In the Twin Register we used genetic structural equation modelling. Parental height and weight were measured and fetal growth characteristics (femur length and estimated fetal weight) were measured by ultrasounds in 2nd and 3rd trimester (Generation R only). Height and weight were assessed at multiple time-points from birth to 36 months in both studies.ResultsHeritability estimates for length increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 13% to 28%. At birth, heritability estimates for length in singletons and twins were both 26% and 27%, respectively, and at 36 months, the estimates for height were 63% and 72%, respectively. Heritability estimates for fetal weight increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 17% to 27%. For birth weight, heritability estimates were 26% in singletons and 29% in twins. At 36 months, the estimate for twins was 71% and higher than for singletons (42%).ConclusionsHeritability estimates for height and weight increase from second trimester to infancy. This increase in heritability is observed in singletons and twins. Longer follow-up studies are needed to examine how the heritability develops in later childhood and puberty.

Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk website to measure accuracy of body size estimation and body dissatisfaction

This study investigated Amazon.com's website Mechanical Turk (MTurk) as a research tool for measuring body size estimation and dissatisfaction. 160 U.S. participants completed the BIAS-BD figural drawing scale and demographic questions posted on the MTurk website. The BIAS-BD consists of 17 drawings of various male and female body sizes based on anthropometric data corresponding to a range of 60% below to 140% above the average U.S. adult. Respondents selected a drawing that best reflected their current size and ideal size. Results revealed that respondents overestimated their body size by 6% and desired an ideal size 9.2% smaller than their perceived size. Findings are compared with three previous studies using the BIAS-BD scale. A general correspondence in findings between the four studies was found. We conclude that the MTurk can serve as a viable method for collecting data on the perceptual and attitudinal aspects of body image quickly and inexpensively.

The role of cognitive factors in body-size perception and recall-size estimation in normal-weight women

ObjectiveBased on the hypothesis that remembered body size differs from perceived body size, the objectives of this study were to assess the difference between body-size perception and recall size and to investigate the neuropsychological correlates of body-size estimation. MethodNinety-one normal-weight women were randomized into three body-size estimation conditions: photo-size estimation, mirror-size estimation and recall-size estimation without a photo or mirror. All participants first estimated the size of a neutral object, then adjusted distorted images of themselves according to experimental conditions. Finally, the participants completed the Trail Making Test (TMT) as a neuropsychological measure. ResultsBody-size estimations were influenced by the experimental condition in opposite directions for body-size perception and recall-size estimation. Participants who overestimated their body size took longer to complete the TMT-B, a measure of cognitive flexibility. ConclusionBody perception and body memory are clearly separable components of body image. An individual's amount of mental flexibility appears to be associated with body-size distortions, particularly body-size overestimations. Further research is needed on the nature of potential causal mechanisms for this phenomenon, including the use of relevant tests to explore cognitive flexibility and the effects of potentially confounding variables.

Evaluation of early body shape for epidemiological research in absence of objective measurements

Introduction Developing countries are undergoing epidemiological transitions with increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD). The role of early life exposure in the aetiology of many NCD9s particularly the role of body shape and size for given age is increasingly appreciated. However, many environments in resource-limited settings lack early life records of birth and growth so it is not possible to correlate early life characteristics with risk of disease in these populations. Our study evaluated the use of body images as an estimator of body size and characteristics. Method 1058 workers at a government office in Nigeria were enrolled in a study of body size, dietary energy intake, physical activity and anthropometric characteristics. Results The mean age (SD) of participants was 41.5 (9.3) years and mean BMI (SD) was 27.0 (4.9), mean waist (SD) =75.4 (26.8) cm, mean hip circumference (SD) =86.7 (33.1) cm, mean waist hip ratio (WHR) =0.88 (0.10) and mean weight (SD) =74.6 (14.2) kg. There was strong correlation between the interviewee perception of their current body type and that of the interviewer (r=0.73, p Conclusions Our results suggest that participants perception of body image correlate well with BMI and can be used in epidemiological studies where availability of objective measures are limited.

Estimating meagre (Argyrosomus regius) size from otoliths and vertebrae

This study presents a method for predicting meagre (Argyrosomus regius) body size (total length) from otoliths and vertebrae recovered from archaeological sites. The method involves regression equations calculated from a reference collection of 36 meagre skeletons and 113 meagre otoliths (sagitta) and allows the simultaneous estimation of original body size and minimum number of individuals (MNI) from archaeological bone structures. We selected the following measurements to predict meagre body size: greatest dorso-ventral height, greatest mediolateral breadth, and greatest anteroposterior length of the vertebrae centra; maximum anteroposterior length, medial anteroposterior length, and dorso-ventral height of the sagitta. Our results show that the original body size of meagre can be accurately predicted from many bone measurements (r2 range: 0.921–0.992). We exemplify the use of the regressions in the assessment of size variation and MNI of meagre from four Portuguese Mesolithic sites. We show that regression results provide additional insight into the significant role that this fish played in the subsistence of coastal fisher-hunter-gatherers, who targeted medium-sized animals but were also capable of acquiring rather larger specimens.

Method of Presentation and Sex Differences When Using a Revised Figural Drawing Scale to Measure Body Size Estimation and Dissatisfaction

The present study examined whether a revision of the Gardner, Jappe, and Gardner (2009) BIAS-BD figural drawing scale gave more accurate estimations of body size estimation and body dissatisfaction than a prior version. It also examined whether the order of figure presentation led to differing values for body size estimation and body dissatisfaction. The revised BIAS-BD scale included a continuous line beneath 17 figural drawings ordered in either ascending or descending size. Results were compared with previous studies using the original scale in which the 17 figural drawings were presented in a random order and, additionally, with a method using an adjustable video image by which the participants estimated their perceived body size by adjusting the width of their static image. The scale was presented to 330 undergraduate university students, including 199 women and 131 men. Overall, compared to BMIs calculated from the participants' reports of their height and weight, men and women participants gave less accurate estimations of body size using the revised scale when compared to the original BIAS-BD scale and video methodology. Participants reported significantly less body dissatisfaction than with the original scale. There was no significant difference in body size estimation when the figures were presented in ascending or descending size. Body dissatisfaction was greater for women than men, and when the figures were presented in descending order. Methodological considerations for using figural drawing scales in body image research are discussed.

Estimación de Masa de las Especies de Sparassodonta (Mammalia, Metatheria) de Edad Santacrucense (Mioceno Temprano) a Partir del Tamaño del Centroide de los Elementos Apendiculares: Inferencias Paleoecológicas

BODY-MASS ESTIMATION OF SPARASSODONTA SPECIES (MAMMALIA, METATHERIA) OF SANTACRUCIAN AGE (EARLY MIOCENE) BASED ON CENTROID SIZES OF POSTCRANEAL ELEMENTS: PALAEOECOLOGICAL INFERENCES. Sparassodonts have been described as a group with a large body-mass diversity, but few works had focused on body mass estimations. In this contribution, we calculated the centroid size of the anterior view of the distal humerus, lateral view of the proximal ulna, and proximal articular view of the tibia. This data together with the known body-mass for many current predators (marsupials and placentals) allowed us to derive new allometric equations to estimate body size in the Sparassodonta. We used comparative analyses to quantify the effect of the phylogenetic structure. The relationships between body mass, centroid size, and locomotory habits were explored. The phylogenetic effect was significant for all regressions. In the humerus analysis, we found an important relationship between body mass and locomotory habit, suggesting adaptive causes. We used the ulna and tibia regressions to predict body mass, since they were less influenced by locomotory habits. Our equations produced the following masses: Arctodictis sinclari Marshall, 39.9 kg; Borhyaena tuberata Ameghino, 36.4 kg; Cladosictis patagonica Ameghino, 6.6 kg; Lycopsis longirostrus Marshall, 29.77 kg; Prothylacynus patagonicus Ameghino, 31.79 kg; Sipalocyon gracilis Ameghino, 2.11 kg; and Thylacosmilus atrox Riggs, 117.36 kg. For Borhyaena and Thylacosmilus, we obtained values higher than previously published masses, while for Pseudonotictis pusillus Ameghino, we have made the first body mass estimation of 1.17 kg. The results suggest that the guild of the santacrucian predators was structured by the body mass and other variables, such as diet and locomotion.