An analysis of facial description in static images and video streams

[ES]This paper describes an analysis performed for facial description in static images and video streams. The still image context is first analyzed in order to decide the optimal classifier configuration for each problem: gender recognition, race classification, and glasses and moustache presence. These results are later applied to significant samples which are automatically extracted in real-time from video streams achieving promising results in the facial description of 70 individuals by means of gender, race and the presence of glasses and moustache.

Desenvolvimento e Estudo da Validade Facial do Questionário de Motivações para Revelar/Não Revelar a Parentalidade Não-Genética por Doação de Gâmetas

Introdução: A parentalidade é um papel muito valorizado socialmente. No entanto, para casais com infertilidade o desempenho deste papel pode implicar tratamentos de fertilidade, alguns deles com recurso a gâmetas de dador. Para os casais que recorrem a gâmetas de dador, surge uma outra preocupação: contar à criança a origem da sua conceção ou manter segredo. Ainda que as motivações que influenciam este processo de decisão tenham sido alvo de estudo, em Portugal a investigação relativa a este tema é escassa. Objetivos: A presente investigação pretendeu desenvolver e estudar a validade facial do Questionário de Motivações para Revelar/Não Revelar a Parentalidade não Genética por Doação de Gâmetas (QMRDG), o qual se destina a avaliar as principais motivações que influenciam o processo de tomada de decisão dos pais que recorrem a gâmetas de dador relativamente a contar ou não contar ao/à seu/sua filho/a a origem da sua conceção. Pretendeu-se ainda explorar a relação entre os sintomas emocionais negativos e o sentido de competência parental nos diferentes grupos em estudo (pais que já contaram à criança, pais que decidiram não contar e pais que ainda não contaram). Metodologia: Estudo exploratório conduzido numa amostra de 21 participantes que recorrem a tratamento de fertilidade com recurso a gâmetas de dador, tendo tido filhos resultantes desse mesmo tratamento, com idades compreendidas entre os 30 e 49 anos. Os participantes preencheram um conjunto de questionários numa plataforma online, tendo o estudo sido divulgado pela Associação Portuguesa de Fertilidade. Resultados: Os dados obtidos indicam que a maioria dos pais ainda não contou ao/à seu/sua filho/a sua origem genética devido ao facto de a criança ser ainda muito pequena, encontrando-se estes com intenção de revelar à criança. Dos pais que já contaram, as motivações que mais influenciaram a decisão basearam-se na falta de motivos para omitir, na importância dada à honestidade, no direito do conhecimento das origens genéticas e na transparência no seio familiar. Face às motivações para não contar, das que mais influenciaram os pais salienta-se a pouca importância dada à genética. O QMRDG revelou possuir validade facial não tendo sido reportada a existência de itens ambíguos ou de difícil compreensão. Discussão: A tendência dos pais no presente estudo foi de contar ao/à seu/sua filho/a a origem da sua conceção, sendo também esta a tendência reportada em estudos mais recentes. Verificou-se a existência de algumas limitações no estudo, nomeadamente o tamanho da amostra. No entanto, o QMRDG mostrou possuir validade facial, podendo constituir-se como um instrumento útil na prática clínica e na investigação com pessoas que estejam a realizar tratamento de fertilidade com recurso a gâmetas de dador. / Introduction: Parenting is a highly valued social role. However, for couples dealing with infertility this role can involve fertility treatments, and for some of them donorassisted reproduction. For couples who use third party reproduction, another concern can emerge: tell the child about the donor conception, or preserve secrecy. Although arguments for decision making have been studied, in Portugal research on this topic is scanty. Objectives: The current study sought out to develop and study the facial validity of Motivations for Disclosing/Not Disclosing Non-genetic Parenthood through Gamete Donation (QMRDG), which is designed to assess motivations that influence the decision-making process of parents who use gamete donation regarding tell or not to tell to his/her son/daughter his/her conception. The existence of differences concerning emotional negative symptoms and parenting sense of competence in three groups (parents that already disclosed, parents that decided not to disclose and parents that did not decide what to do) was also explored. Methods: This exploratory study was conducted in sample of 21 participants who undergone third-party reproduction treatment and became parents. Participants´ age ranged from 30 to 49 years. Participants completed a set of questionnaires through an online platform. The study was advertised by Associação Portuguesa de Fertilidade. Results: Data showed that most parents did not disclose to their child their donor conception due to the fact that the child is still very young, but their intention seems to be to disclose in the future. For parents who have disclosed, core motivations for that decision are based on the lack of reasons for omitting, on the importance of honesty, on the right to know genetic origins and on transparency in the family. Concerning motivations for not disclosing the little importance given to genetics emerges as one of the most important ones. QMRDG revealed good facial validity. The existence of ambiguous or difficult to understand items has not been reported. Discussion: In our study parent’s tendency was to disclose to his/her son/daughter his/her donor conception and this is also the trend reported in recent studies. There are some methodological limitations that should be considered mainly due to the sample size. However, the QMRDG proved to be an instrument showing facial validity, and it can be a useful tool in clinical practice and research with people who are pursuing fertility treatment with gamete donation.

Hmx1 Function In Lateral Facial Development

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Déficit del procesamiento facial en los trastornos del espectro autista: ¿causa o consecuencia del impedimento social?

El autismo es un trastorno caracterizado por un funcionamiento cognitivo anormal principalmente en la comunicación y la interacción social. Aunque aun se sabe muy poco sobre la patología de los procesos subyacentes a este déficit, en distintos estudios se ha observado que el déficit social que presentan estos sujetos suele ir acompañado de dificultades en el procesamiento de rostros. Diferentes autores sugieren que la amígdala junto a otras estructuras cerebrales responsables del procesamiento facial y emocional estarían funcionando inadecuadamente en esta población y que existiría una estrecha relación entre los déficits en el comportamiento social y comunicacional y el procesamiento facial. Por este motivo, en el presente trabajo se pretende realizar una revisión de las manifestaciones clínicas que presentan distintos sujetos con diagnostico de autismo evaluados en diversos estudios científicos. Además, revisaremos los modelos teóricos que pretenden explicar el déficit del procesamiento facial y su relación con el inadecuado funcionamiento social y comunicacional de las personas autistas.

Competition-related factors directly influence preferences for facial cues of dominance in allies

Alliance formation is a critical dimension of social intelligence in political, social and biological systems. As some allies may provide greater ‘leverage’ than others during social conflict, the cognitive architecture that supports alliance formation in humans may be shaped by recent experience, for example in light of the outcomes of violent or non-violent forms intrasexual competition. Here we used experimental priming techniques to explore this issue. Consistent with our predictions, while men’s preference for dominant allies strengthened following losses (compared to victories) in violent intrasexual contests, women’s preferences for dominant allies weakened following losses (compared to victories) in violent intrasexual contests. Our findings suggest that while men may prefer dominant (i.e. masculine) allies following losses in violent confrontation in order to facilitate successful resource competition, women may ‘tend and befriend’ following this scenario and seek support from prosocial (i.e. feminine) allies and/or avoid the potential costs of dominant allies as long-term social partners. Moreover, they demonstrate facultative responses to signals related to dominance in allies, which may shape sex differences in sociality in light of recent experience and suggest that intrasexual selection has shaped social intelligence in humans.

Relación entre la proporción áurea y el parámetro facial de estudiantes de odontología en una universidad de la provincia de Chiclayo, 2014

El objetivo del presente estudio fue relacionar los componentes de la proporción áurea con el parámetro facial de estudiantes de odontología en una universidad de la provincia de Chiclayo, 2014. El diseño del estudio fue transversal, descriptivo y prospectivo. La población de estudio fue representada por 88 estudiantes de una Escuela de Odontología, se diseñó una ficha de recolección según las medidas antropométricas craneofaciales. Se capacitó y se evaluó la estabilidad de la concordancia intra e interexaminador de los investigadores gracias a la participación de un Especialista en Ortodoncia, a fin de lograr una estandarización en las mediciones, verificado mediante una prueba T para muestras pareadas. Se encontró que el 65.91% del total de pacientes presentaban proporción áurea en su dimensión externa, 48.86 % son braquifaciales, 13.64 % mesofaciales, 3.41 % dolicofaciales Se encontró que el 57.95% del total presentaban proporción aurea en su relación vertical, 42.05% son braquifaciales, 10.23 % mesofaciales y 5.68% dolicofaciales. En cuanto al perfil armónico, el 70.45% del total de pacientes no presentan proporción áurea, de los cuales el 53.41% son braquifaciales, 10.23 % son mesofaciales y 6.82% son dolicofaciales. Para el contraste de la hipótesis se utilizó el coeficiente de correlación Chi cuadrado. Para todas las pruebas estadísticas el nivel de significancia fue de <5% (p<0,05) con un 95% de nivel de confiabilidad. Se concluyó que sólo existe relación significativa entre el componente dimensión externa de la proporción áurea y el parámetro facial de los estudiantes de odontología en una universidad de la provincia de Chiclayo.

Three dimensional study to quantify the relationship between facial hard and soft tissue movement as a result of orthognathic surgery

Introduction Prediction of soft tissue changes following orthognathic surgery has been frequently attempted in the past decades. It has gradually progressed from the classic “cut and paste” of photographs to the computer assisted 2D surgical prediction planning; and finally, comprehensive 3D surgical planning was introduced to help surgeons and patients to decide on the magnitude and direction of surgical movements as well as the type of surgery to be considered for the correction of facial dysmorphology. A wealth of experience was gained and numerous published literature is available which has augmented the knowledge of facial soft tissue behaviour and helped to improve the ability to closely simulate facial changes following orthognathic surgery. This was particularly noticed following the introduction of the three dimensional imaging into the medical research and clinical applications. Several approaches have been considered to mathematically predict soft tissue changes in three dimensions, following orthognathic surgery. The most common are the Finite element model and Mass tensor Model. These were developed into software packages which are currently used in clinical practice. In general, these methods produce an acceptable level of prediction accuracy of soft tissue changes following orthognathic surgery. Studies, however, have shown a limited prediction accuracy at specific regions of the face, in particular the areas around the lips. Aims The aim of this project is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of hard and soft tissue changes following orthognathic surgery and introduce a new method for prediction of facial soft tissue changes.   Methodology The study was carried out on the pre- and post-operative CBCT images of 100 patients who received their orthognathic surgery treatment at Glasgow dental hospital and school, Glasgow, UK. Three groups of patients were included in the analysis; patients who underwent Le Fort I maxillary advancement surgery; bilateral sagittal split mandibular advancement surgery or bimaxillary advancement surgery. A generic facial mesh was used to standardise the information obtained from individual patient’s facial image and Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to interpolate the correlations between the skeletal surgical displacement and the resultant soft tissue changes. The identified relationship between hard tissue and soft tissue was then applied on a new set of preoperative 3D facial images and the predicted results were compared to the actual surgical changes measured from their post-operative 3D facial images. A set of validation studies was conducted. To include: • Comparison between voxel based registration and surface registration to analyse changes following orthognathic surgery. The results showed there was no statistically significant difference between the two methods. Voxel based registration, however, showed more reliability as it preserved the link between the soft tissue and skeletal structures of the face during the image registration process. Accordingly, voxel based registration was the method of choice for superimposition of the pre- and post-operative images. The result of this study was published in a refereed journal. • Direct DICOM slice landmarking; a novel technique to quantify the direction and magnitude of skeletal surgical movements. This method represents a new approach to quantify maxillary and mandibular surgical displacement in three dimensions. The technique includes measuring the distance of corresponding landmarks digitized directly on DICOM image slices in relation to three dimensional reference planes. The accuracy of the measurements was assessed against a set of “gold standard” measurements extracted from simulated model surgery. The results confirmed the accuracy of the method within 0.34mm. Therefore, the method was applied in this study. The results of this validation were published in a peer refereed journal. • The use of a generic mesh to assess soft tissue changes using stereophotogrammetry. The generic facial mesh played a major role in the soft tissue dense correspondence analysis. The conformed generic mesh represented the geometrical information of the individual’s facial mesh on which it was conformed (elastically deformed). Therefore, the accuracy of generic mesh conformation is essential to guarantee an accurate replica of the individual facial characteristics. The results showed an acceptable overall mean error of the conformation of generic mesh 1 mm. The results of this study were accepted for publication in peer refereed scientific journal. Skeletal tissue analysis was performed using the validated “Direct DICOM slices landmarking method” while soft tissue analysis was performed using Dense correspondence analysis. The analysis of soft tissue was novel and produced a comprehensive description of facial changes in response to orthognathic surgery. The results were accepted for publication in a refereed scientific Journal. The main soft tissue changes associated with Le Fort I were advancement at the midface region combined with widening of the paranasal, upper lip and nostrils. Minor changes were noticed at the tip of the nose and oral commissures. The main soft tissue changes associated with mandibular advancement surgery were advancement and downward displacement of the chin and lower lip regions, limited widening of the lower lip and slight reversion of the lower lip vermilion combined with minimal backward displacement of the upper lip were recorded. Minimal changes were observed on the oral commissures. The main soft tissue changes associated with bimaxillary advancement surgery were generalized advancement of the middle and lower thirds of the face combined with widening of the paranasal, upper lip and nostrils regions. In Le Fort I cases, the correlation between the changes of the facial soft tissue and the skeletal surgical movements was assessed using PCA. A statistical method known as ’Leave one out cross validation’ was applied on the 30 cases which had Le Fort I osteotomy surgical procedure to effectively utilize the data for the prediction algorithm. The prediction accuracy of soft tissue changes showed a mean error ranging between (0.0006mm±0.582) at the nose region to (-0.0316mm±2.1996) at the various facial regions.

What's the Matter with Extended Techniques? Getting Beyond the Stigma in the Horn and Percussion Repertoire

For this project I prepared a series of recitals featuring music for horn and percussion, in which the horn part featured extended horn techniques. For this project, I considered anything beyond the open or muted horn an extended technique. These techniques range from the common hand-stopped note passages to complex new techniques involving half-valves, multi-phonics, and more, for new sounds desired by the composer. There are several pieces written for solo horn and percussion, with ensembles ranging from simple duets to solo horn with a full percussion ensemble. However, few include extended techniques for the horn. All of these select pieces are lesser known because of their difficulty, primarily because of the challenge of the extended techniques requested by the composer. In the introduction to this paper I give a brief background to the project, where the current repertoire stands, and my experiences with commissioning works for this genre. I then give a brief history and how-to on the more common extended techniques, which were found in almost every piece. I separated these techniques so that they could be referenced in the performance notes without being extremely repetitive in their description. Then follows the main performance notes of the repertoire chosen, which includes a brief description of the piece itself and a longer discussion for performers and composers who wish to learn more about these techniques. In this section my primary focus is the extended techniques used and I provide score samples with permission to further the education of the next musicians to tackle this genre. All works performed for this project were recorded and accompany this paper in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM). The following works were included in this project: o Howard J. Buss, Dreams from the Shadows (2015) o Howard J. Buss, Night Tide (1995) o George Crumb, An Idyll for the Misbegotten, trans. Robert Patterson (1986/1997) o Charles Fernandez, Metamorphosis: A Horn’s Life, “Prenatal and Toddler” (2016, unfinished) o Helen Gifford, Of Old Angkor (1995) o Douglas Hill, Thoughtful Wanderings… (1990) o Pierre-Yves Level, Duetto pour Cor en Fa et Percussion (1999) o David Macbride, Elegy for Horn and Timpani (2009) o Brian Prechtl, A Song of David (1995) o Verne Reynolds, HornVibes (1986) o Pablo Salazar, Cincontar (2016) o Mark Schultz, Dragons in the Sky (1989) o Faye-Ellen Silverman, Protected Sleep (2007) o Charles Taylor, Sonata for Horn and Marimba (1991) o Robert Wolk, Tessellations (2016) With this project, I intend to promote these pieces and the techniques used to encourage more works written in this style, and reveal to fellow horn players that the techniques should not prevent these great works from being performed. Due to the lack of repertoire, I successfully commissioned new pieces featuring extended techniques, which were featured in the final recital.

Facial Oedema Is Not Always Angioedema: A Case of Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum with Subcutaneous Emphysema during COPD Exacerbation

We report a case of acute facial oedema in an elderly hospitalized patient which was initially misdiagnosed as angioedema secondary to antibiotics in a patient with an allergic diathesis. We describe the differential aetiologies and then the true cause of the oedema, which was an uncommon complication of a very common condition in the elderly: a pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema probably due to rupture of an emphysematous lung bulla during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. Lastly, we focus on the therapeutic procedures instituted for the treatment of the pneumomediastinum.

COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CLASS, CLASSISM, AND STIGMA

Research on attitudes toward seeking professional help among college students has examined the influence of social class and stigma. This study tested 4 theoretically and empirically derived structural equation models of college students’ attitudes toward seeking counseling with a sample of 2230 incoming university students. The models represented competing hypotheses regarding the manners in which objective social class, subjective social class, classism, public stigma, stigma by close others, and self-stigma related to attitudes toward seeking professional help. Findings supported the social class direct and indirect effects model, as well as the notion that classism and stigma domains could explain the indirect relationships between social class and attitudes. Study limitations, future directions for research, and implications for counseling are discussed.

Discrepância posterior e sua relação com o padrão de crescimento facial hiperdivergente

Poster apresentado na XXVII Reunião Científica Anual da SPODF. Figueira da Foz, 23-25 Abril 2015

Cayler Cardio-Facial Syndrome: An Uncommon Condition in Newborns

Introduction: Cayler cardio-facial syndrome is a rare syndrome associated with asymmetric crying faces with congenital heart disease. We report a newborn that was diagnosed as case of Cayler Cardio-facial syndrome based on clinical features and was confirmed with FISH analysis. Case Presentation: A term male baby, born to non-consanguineous couple through normal vaginal delivery was diagnosed to have asymmetric crying faces with deviation of angle of mouth to left side at the time of birth. The baby had normal faces while sleeping or silent. Mother was known case of hypothyroidism and was on treatment. Baby was diagnosed as case of Cayler Cardio-facial Syndrome and was investigated with echocardiogram, brain ultrasound, total body X-ray examination, X-ray of cervico-thoracic vertebral column and fundus examination. Echocardiogram showed muscular VSD, brain ultrasound was normal and fundus examination showed tortuous retinal vessels. Whole body X-ray and lateral X-ray of cervico-thoracic vertebral column were not suggestive of any skeletal abnormalities. The other associated malformation was right ear microtia. Baby FISH karyotype analysis showed deletion of 22q11.2 deletion. Baby was discharged and now on follow-up. Conclusions: Cayler syndrome is a rare syndrome which must be suspected if a baby has asymmetrical cry pattern and normal facies when baby sleeps. Patient must be evaluated with echocardiography to find out associated cardiac malformations. These infants should undergo FISH analysis for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Les crimes motivés par la haine envers les homosexuels : une étude compréhensive du stigma homosexuel et de son impact sur la reportabilité des événements de victimisation criminelle

Considérant la « nouveauté » du phénomène de dénonciation auprès des policiers et l’utilisation croissante du concept social de « crime motivé par la haine », peu d’études ont été réalisées au Canada sur l’incidence de ces crimes pour les personnes comme pour la société. Cette recherche exploratoire a comme objectif de comprendre la façon dont ce type de crime se distingue des autres manifestations de conflits ou d’incidents et de comprendre les impacts de ce type de victimisation pour les homosexuels en particulier. Plus spécifiquement, ce mémoire vise à approfondir la compréhension du stigmate homosexuel et son impact sur la reportabilité des événements de victimisation criminelle aux autorités judiciaires. Pour ce faire, cinq intervenants communautaires, deux policiers, un avocat et quatre victimes considérant avoir vécu des événements de violence homophobe ont été interviewés. Cet échantillon diversifié a permis de mieux comprendre le phénomène de sous-déclaration des incidents de violences homophobes de la part des victimes et d’obtenir une vue d’ensemble des perceptions des acteurs clés qui peuvent être confrontés au phénomène. L’analyse des entretiens suggère d’importantes lacunes sur le plan de la formation des divers intervenants qui entrainent des difficultés à reconnaître une violence homophobe. Les intervenants confient ne pas se sentir pas suffisamment outillés pour intervenir auprès d’une victime de violence homophobe, n’estiment pas tous posséder les compétences et une compréhension suffisante des réalités des minorités sexuelles, de l'homophobie et de l'hétérosexisme, en somme, l’ensemble des savoirs ultimement nécessaires à une assistance et un accompagnement efficaces pour la déclaration aux autorités d’une telle violence vécue par les victimes. Du côté des victimes de violence(s) homophobe(s), il ressort que la discrimination basée sur l’orientation sexuelle est encore prégnante dans leurs interactions quotidiennes. De leur point de vue, la banalisation et l’impunité de certains comportements homophobes par les instances judiciaires viennent renforcer l’idée chez les victimes et la société d’une forme d’infériorité de l’orientation homosexuelle. L’apposition d’une étiquette homosexuelle paraît ainsi avoir de multiples conséquences psychologiques et sociales sur les victimes, notamment sur leur développement identitaire et sexuel. L’intégration des stigmates homosexuels et l’autostigmatisation, qui les poussent à se déprécier, voire à déprécier l’ensemble de la communauté homosexuelle, surgissent de leur perception de la présence de forts stéréotypes homosexuels, d’une société majoritairement hétérosexiste et de l’opérationnalisation sociale d’une distanciation entre le « nous » hétérosexuel et le « eux » homosexuel. Par leur marginalisation, leur mise en infériorité historique, l’ambiguïté du concept de « crimes motivés par la haine », la noncompréhension de la violence et des répercussions qu’ont les intervenants communautaires et judiciaires de la situation et partant, dans bien des cas, de la prise en charge inadéquate qui en découle pour les victimes des violences homophobes, il est possible de comprendre les appréhensions mentales que les victimes entretiennent ainsi que leur réticence à solliciter de l’aide et encore plus à rapporter la victimisation vécue aux autorités judiciaires.