Holistic facial composite systems: are they compatible with witness recall?

Facial composite systems offer a particular challenge to human-computer interaction as they must facilitate several cognitively complex tasks and also aid communication between the operator and the witness. This paper presents the findings from a survey conducted with UK police composite operators that explored some of the issues involved in composite construction. A particular emphasis was placed on the information that witnesses report and its compatibility with both the composite system interface and the underlying construction method used by the system

Range and range rate system

A video controlled solid state range finding system which requires no radar, high power laser, or sophisticated laser target is disclosed. The effective range of the system is from 1 to about 200 ft. The system includes an opto-electric camera such as a lens CCD array device. A helium neon laser produces a source beam of coherent light which is applied to a beam splitter. The beam splitter applies a reference beam to the camera and produces an outgoing beam applied to a first angularly variable reflector which directs the outgoing beam to the distant object. An incoming beam is reflected from the object to a second angularly variable reflector which reflects the incoming beam to the opto-electric camera via the beam splitter. The first reflector and the second reflector are configured so that the distance travelled by the outgoing beam from the beam splitter and the first reflector is the same as the distance travelled by the incoming beam from the second reflector to the beam splitter. The reference beam produces a reference signal in the geometric center of the camera. The incoming beam produces an object signal at the camera

An online survey using social media investigating the use of kinesiology type tape and McConnell type tape with clinicians who treat cycling related knee pain

Background: The Tour de France will undoubtedly showcase various cycling related injuries in its Yorkshire opening stages in 2014. Patello-Femoral Pain (PFP) is responsible for over 25% of all road cycling injuries and over 65% of injuries in the lower limb (Callaghan, 2005: Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 9, 226-236). Alongside trauma related pain it remains the main injury affecting experienced and elite cyclists and is commonly treated using taping (broadly categorised into McConnell and kinesiology type tape - KTT). To date it is unknown as to the extent and rationale behind the use of tape in cycling related knee pain. Purpose: To determine clinicians’ current use of taping in elite and experienced cyclists with cycling related knee pain in order to inform a 3D motion analysis study into current taping techniques. To date very little work has been undertaken in this area and although it is presumed that taping is used extensively throughout cycling, it is unknown as to how much it is actually used and the rationale behind its use. Methods: An online survey (Survey Monkey™) determined current taping techniques used by clinicians treating elite and experienced cyclists. A preferred taping application was determined and reported from a choice of 4 (fig 1). Data were collected from clinicians (n=30), identified as having an area of special clinical interest in cycling related knee pain within the target group. Recruitment was predominantly through the social network Twitter™. Data collected included; treatment methods, clinical taping usage, specific applications, perceived effectiveness of treatment, clinical rationale, formal training, clinical importance and outcome measures. Results: The data collected indicated a clear preference from clinicians for the use of KTT (figure 2) at >80%. 59% of clinicians used taping to manage pain, 46% for re-aligning patella, and 29% for activation of musculature, (figure 3). Clinicians preferred to initially apply tape, then test in-situ before re-applying (74%) and adapt to each cyclist (87%) - (figure 4). Reported outcome objectives were predominately pain management and biomechanical changes. When asked to score the effects of clinical taping, participants felt that pain; biomechanical changes and proprioception were effective to ‘some degree’ (figure 5). Proprioception was considered very influential by over 50% (figure 5). Reasons for use that scored highly were clinical effectiveness, ease of use and longevity (figure 6). Rating of efficacy and effectiveness scored high in ‘success of outcome’, ‘repeatability & reliability’, and ‘comfort’ (figure 7). >50% felt that placebo had some effect (figure 5). Discussion: KTT is clearly the tape of choice in cycling today. This is in contrast to the use of McConnell type tape in traditional physical therapy setting. There was considerable variability in clinician’s reasoning for taping use, reflecting gaps in the current knowledge base. Its clinical adaptation usage is in line with previous work by McConnell even though its longevity and comfort appears to separate its practice in cycling. The reported perception of placebo effect from KTT tape is an intriguing adjunct to the findings and should be considered in future research designs for effectiveness using this type of tape. This (placebo effect) was specified as a separate effect from that of proprioception however, which scored highly as a clinical effect. Notably, proprioception in cycling has not been effectively measured to date. Interestingly, clinicians felt it was an effect to some degree (fig 5) whilst also scoring it as not at all important clinically (Figure 7). The use of social media to recruit participants establishes a new and innovative approach to recruitment. This can be seen as timely due to its prevalence in today’s society and increased use amongst clinicians globally for both networking and evidence based practice debate and knowledge transfer. Conclusions. KTT appears the preferred application in cycling related knee pain. The data provide a clear rationale for the testing of specific taping techniques and indicate how clinicians are currently using taping in the treatment of cycling related knee pain. These results give a clear focus for a follow up study, which would aim to determine the biomechanical efficacy and clinical effectiveness of KTT. This work would determine any biomechanical changes in the PFJ during cycling as well as looking at any effects from neutral and no tape. In addition, a focus on pain and placebo would be interesting outcome measures of future work

Automatic generation of statistical pose and shape models for articulated joints

Statistical analysis of motion patterns of body joints is potentially useful for detecting and quantifying pathologies. However, building a statistical motion model across different subjects remains a challenging task, especially for a complex joint like the wrist. We present a novel framework for simultaneous registration and segmentation of multiple 3-D (CT or MR) volumes of different subjects at various articulated positions. The framework starts with a pose model generated from 3-D volumes captured at different articulated positions of a single subject (template). This initial pose model is used to register the template volume to image volumes from new subjects. During this process, the Grow-Cut algorithm is used in an iterative refinement of the segmentation of the bone along with the pose parameters. As each new subject is registered and segmented, the pose model is updated, improving the accuracy of successive registrations. We applied the algorithm to CT images of the wrist from 25 subjects, each at five different wrist positions and demonstrated that it performed robustly and accurately. More importantly, the resulting segmentations allowed a statistical pose model of the carpal bones to be generated automatically without interaction. The evaluation results show that our proposed framework achieved accurate registration with an average mean target registration error of mm. The automatic segmentation results also show high consistency with the ground truth obtained semi-automatically. Furthermore, we demonstrated the capability of the resulting statistical pose and shape models by using them to generate a measurement tool for scaphoid-lunate dissociation diagnosis, which achieved 90% sensitivity and specificity

An investigation of the biomechanical efficacy and clinical effectiveness of patello-femoral taping in elite and experienced cyclists

Background: From high profile events such as the Tour De France and the Olympics, it is noticeable that kinesiology type taping (KTT) is used widely within elite cycling for treatment of knee pain. Taping is a clinical treatment for the over-use/overload pathology of patello-femoral pain (PFP) in elite and experienced cyclists, however it is unknown as to whether it effects any biomechanical change that can be useful in a clinical setting. PFP in cycling is often referred to as cyclists’ knee or anterior knee pain, and has been reported to occur in over 25% of all cyclists. (Callaghan, 2005: Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 9, 226-236). Some cyclists are pre-disposed to excessive knee movement during the pedal stroke (Bailey et al, 2003: Journal of Sports Sciences, 21 (2), 649–657), and consequently at different power levels and cadences this movement may affect biomechanical factors at the knee. An increased understanding of taping and the biomechanics of the knee during cycling could greatly improve the active prevention and treatment of overuse problems during cycling. Purpose: To determine and evaluate any biomechanical changes around the knee in elite and experienced cyclists both with and without knee pain, using established taping techniques at varying powers.Methods: 12 asymptomatic participants and 8 symptomatic participants conducted three separate tests at three powers (100w, 200w & 300w) on a static trainer using a Powertap™ rear wheel and their own bike (fig 1). The study was conducted under three randomised conditions a) no tape, b) placebo tape, c) Kinesiology type tape (fig 2). Kinematic data were collected using a 10-camera Qualysis motion analysis system (fig 3). Reflective markers were placed on the foot, shank, thigh and pelvis using the CAST technique (fig 4). Visual 3D software was used to export to SPSS (fig 5&6). Results: Measurements and statistical analysis were undertaken in the knee, hip and ankle/foot. Mixed methods and repeated-measures two-way ANOVA test were performed together with posthoc Pairwise comparison with Bonferroni adjustment to examine differences in three-dimensional movement under the different conditions/powers. Results were presented in kinematic pattern, range of motion (ROM) and statistical differences (fig 6,7,8) for comprehensive clinical application and relevance. Alongside this, a new approach was investigated to measure the knee ‘in relation to’ both the hip/pelvis and ankle/foot (fig 6). Results indicate statistical differences between conditions and powers (Fig 7) however at this stage their clinical significance has not yet been fully determined. The lower powers indicate instability and the higher powers indicate changes both distally and proximally to the knee. There appears to be a separation in the differences between cyclists tested with and without pain, however this does not necessarily indicate that KTT produces this in isolation. The differences vary across conditions and powers. Discussion: It is noticeable that the knee is not the only implicated joint in cycling related knee pain and taping. In fact all the recent evidence in this area indicate that distal and proximal to the knee are key factors (Powers et al, 2013: Journal Orthop Sports Physical Therapy. 42 (6), A1-54). In line with this evidence both the hip/pelvis and foot indicate changes that may be relevant to clinical application of taping with cyclists. It remains possible that there is a link between these movement patterns and cycling related knee pain however further work is required to fully determine this. The answer to the question does tape change what is happening at the knee is yes. Does it do different things with those with pain? Again, yes, to some degree. That said however, the clinical relevance requires a deeper analysis of the kinematic pattern data alongside the range of motion. The work undertaken to date in this project indicates the complexities of both human movement and the variables of a highly repetitive sport. The statistical change in the sagittal plane may indicate a muscular effect from taping however there were also changes by neutral taping which is interesting considering the specific nature of the KTT technique. Perhaps this specificity is not as critical as often indicated by manufacturers? Conclusion: Cycling related knee pain is a complex and under-researched area and we understand little of its treatment efficacy and effectiveness. Further work is required to investigate the relationship within the kinematics measured in this study. Distal and proximal effects are broadly in line with gait-based evidence. For clinical significance the statistics, kinematic patterns and ROM need to be considered as a whole. Specific application of tape technique may not be critical to achieve a measurable change

Discrepancies between registration and publication of randomised controlled trials: an observational study

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To determine the consistency between information contained in the registration and publication of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). DESIGN: An observational study of RCTs published between May 2011 and May 2012 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) comparing registry data with publication data. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Data extracted from published RCTs in BMJ and JAMA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timing of trial registration in relation to completion of trial data collection and publication. Registered versus published primary and secondary outcomes, sample size. RESULTS: We identified 40 RCTs in BMJ and 36 in JAMA. All 36 JAMA trials and 39 (98%) BMJ trials were registered. All registered trials were registered prior to publication. Thirty-two (82%) BMJ trials recorded the date of data completion; of these, in two trials the date of trial registration postdated the registered date of data completion. There were discrepancies between primary outcomes declared in the trial registry information and in the published paper in 18 (47%) BMJ papers and seven (19%) JAMA papers. The original sample size stated in the trial registration was achieved in 24 (60%) BMJ papers and 21 (58%) JAMA papers. CONCLUSIONS: Compulsory registration of RCTs is meaningless if the content of registry information is not complete or if discrepancies between registration and publication are not reported. This study demonstrates that discrepancies in primary and secondary outcomes and sample size between trial registration and publication remain commonplace, giving further strength to the World Health Organisation's argument for mandatory completion of a minimum number of compulsory fields