Does the Marquardt mask serve as a helpful guide for facial feminization surgery?

A thorough literature review resulted in limited research concerning facial feminization surgery for transgender women, specifically concerning postoperative satisfaction. However, sufficient research referencing the historical overview of gender recognition and evolution of facial feminization surgery into a multi-procedural process has been completed. Studies evaluating the Marquardt mask are also scarce and none existed regarding the application of the mask as a means of feminizing transgender women. The proposed study intends to expand upon this current paucity of research by photographing men ranging from the age of twenty-five to thirty-five and digitally superimposing the Marquardt mask. The before and after images will be rated based on masculinity and femininity in an effort to gage if the Marquardt mask is successful in feminizing the male face. If successful, this method could be helpful in preoperative planning in transgender women seeking facial feminization surgery

Change blindness: eradication of gestalt strategies

Arrays of eight, texture-defined rectangles were used as stimuli in a one-shot change blindness (CB) task where there was a 50% chance that one rectangle would change orientation between two successive presentations separated by an interval. CB was eliminated by cueing the target rectangle in the first stimulus, reduced by cueing in the interval and unaffected by cueing in the second presentation. This supports the idea that a representation was formed that persisted through the interval before being 'overwritten' by the second presentation (Landman et al, 2003 Vision Research 43149–164]. Another possibility is that participants used some kind of grouping or Gestalt strategy. To test this we changed the spatial position of the rectangles in the second presentation by shifting them along imaginary spokes (by ±1 degree) emanating from the central fixation point. There was no significant difference seen in performance between this and the standard task [F(1,4)=2.565, p=0.185]. This may suggest two things: (i) Gestalt grouping is not used as a strategy in these tasks, and (ii) it gives further weight to the argument that objects may be stored and retrieved from a pre-attentional store during this task

Are post-treatment orthognathic patients attractive? A three-dimensional study

Background: The primary objective of orthognathic surgery is to improve facial aesthetics and function to an acceptable standard and to the patient’s satisfaction. Exactly what constitutes an acceptable standard of facial aesthetics to a patient has been the topic of numerous studies and yet has so far remained elusive. The patient, as a lay person, is the final end user of orthognathic services; it is their idea of facial attractiveness that ultimately is more relevant as a treatment goal than pre-determined measurements and standards developed by the clinicians. The standards for facial attractiveness of a given population tend to reflect the arbitrary standards of beauty set by cultural background and the influence of the media and fashion trends of the time. In the past, studies on facial attractiveness have used two-dimensional photographs. Using a 3D stereophotogrammetry system to capture images presented in a 3D configuration is probably a more realistic method to replace the actual patient. The overall aim of the present study was to compare, using angular and linear measurements, 3D facial images of a group of post-surgical orthognathic patients to a group of “attractive” individuals which were selected by a lay panel as being attractive, from a population from the West of Scotland. Part I Aims: To determine the 3D soft tissue facial measurements of an “attractive” group of West of Scotland males and females between the age of 18 and 35 as selected by a panel of lay people. Materials and Methods: Subjects for the attractive group were recruited from within the local population of West of Scotland on a voluntary basis. Inclusion criteria were that subjects had to be of Caucasian origin from the West of Scotland, without craniofacial defect or facial hair and had to be between 18-35 years of age. 61 females and 51 males took part in the study; the subjects were imaged using the Di3D stereophotogrammetry system. The images were assessed by a lay panel of 8 members for facial attractiveness using a VAS method. The VAS scores were ranked from most attractive to least attractive for each subject as recorded by each of the 8 lay panel members. The data was divided into three segments – most attractive, attractive and least attractive. Individuals who were thought of as being most attractive and attractive by at least 6 lay panel members were chosen to be part of the attractive control group. The attractive group comprised of 24 females and 16 males. Landmarks were placed on all the 3D images by the author. Angular and linear measurements were derived for comparison between groups. An error study of landmark localisation was performed which showed no systematic errors and all coefficients of reliability were above 90%. Results and Conclusions: The comparison of female and male attractive groups showed that all female linear measurements were smaller then male measurements except for columella length. There was a statistical difference (p<0.05) between the majority of linear measurements for males and females except for columella length and lower lip length. In all cases except upper facial convexity and nasolabial angle, female angular measurements were smaller than male measurements. The difference in the mean for nasolabial angle was minimal. There was no statistical difference between the majority of angular measurements for males and females except for upper facial convexity (p = 0.006). Overall the results show that attractive females from this sample have smaller facial dimensions than the attractive males for the most part except for upper facial convexity where the females showed a slightly flatter upper face. Part II Aims: To determine whether post-operative orthognathic patients look attractive based on objective measurements of 3D soft-tissue facial landmarks. Materials and Methods: 16 male orthognathic patients and 17 female orthognathic patients participated in the study. The post-operative orthognathic subjects were imaged using the Di3D stereophotogrammetry system. Angular and linear measurements were used for comparison between the attractive males and females to the male and female post-orthognathic groups. Results and Conclusions: In the male orthognathic group, the only statistical difference in comparison of means to the male attractive control group was noted for the measurements lower lip length and lower lip prominence. The male orthognathic sample appeared to have longer and more prominent upper and lower lips compared with the male controls though only the measurements for lower lip were statistically different in this study. In the female orthognathic group, the only statistical difference in comparison of means to the female attractive control group was noted for the measurements nose width, lower anterior face height, nasolabial angle, nasal tip convexity and facial convexity including nose. The values for nose width, lower anterior face height, nasal tip convexity and facial convexity angle including nose were larger in the orthognathic group than in the attractive control group whilst the value for nasolabial angle was smaller. These results suggest that the female orthognathic group in comparison to the female attractive group have more convex faces in the sagittal plane, more convex nasal tips, wider noses and smaller nasolabial angles

Possible ways to improve the comfort, fit and visual performance of swimming goggles

The primary aim of this thesis was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the human face so that it can be used to improve the design of swimming goggles with regards to comfort and fit. The secondary aim was concerned with vision and was to identify whether a curved lens could be plausible for use in a performance racing goggle. [Continues.

Highly automated method for facial expression synthesis

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The synthesis of realistic facial expressions has been an unexplored area for computer graphics scientists. Over the last three decades, several different construction methods have been formulated in order to obtain natural graphic results. Despite these advancements, though, current techniques still require costly resources, heavy user intervention and specific training and outcomes are still not completely realistic. This thesis, therefore, aims to achieve an automated synthesis that will produce realistic facial expressions at a low cost. This thesis, proposes a highly automated approach for achieving a realistic facial expression synthesis, which allows for enhanced performance in speed (3 minutes processing time maximum) and quality with a minimum of user intervention. It will also demonstrate a highly technical and automated method of facial feature detection, by allowing users to obtain their desired facial expression synthesis with minimal physical input. Moreover, it will describe a novel approach to the normalization of the illumination settings values between source and target images, thereby allowing the algorithm to work accurately, even in different lighting conditions. Finally, we will present the results obtained from the proposed techniques, together with our conclusions, at the end of the paper

Heritability maps of human face morphology through large-scale automated three-dimensional phenotyping

The human face is a complex trait under strong genetic control, as evidenced by the striking visual similarity between twins. Nevertheless, heritability estimates of facial traits have often been surprisingly low or difficult to replicate. Furthermore, the construction of facial phenotypes that correspond to naturally perceived facial features remains largely a mystery. We present here a large-scale heritability study of face geometry that aims to address these issues. High-resolution, three-dimensional facial models have been acquired on a cohort of 952 twins recruited from the TwinsUK registry, and processed through a novel landmarking workflow, GESSA (Geodesic Ensemble Surface Sampling Algorithm). The algorithm places thousands of landmarks throughout the facial surface and automatically establishes point-wise correspondence across faces. These landmarks enabled us to intuitively characterize facial geometry at a fine level of detail through curvature measurements, yielding accurate heritability maps of the human face (www.heritabilitymaps.info)

Brainstorm Radiation Systems Inc

Many different designs have been created to immobilize patients for radiation therapy of the head and neck. Options exist which result in varying degrees of patient comfort, radiation attenuation, and limitation of movement. While one requirement can be met effectively, it is difficult to design a system which adequately meets all requirements for radiation therapy. Brainstorm Radiation Systems aims to address all of these variables and transform the patient and technician experience during radiation treatment. The requirements for our head and neck immobilization design were to immobilize the patient within 3mm of movement for at least 30 minutes, and must be repeatable over the course of several weeks. The device must limit attenuation of the radiation and be comfortable for the patient. Our team worked to address these issues, and together, went through storming, norming, and performing as a group. We learned to communicate our ideas and goals effectively and efficiently through conflict resolution and teamwork. And through visits with radiation oncologist experts, brainstorming, designing, 3D modeling, and construction of prototypes, we were able to design a system of components which accomplishes our goals. Our system, which includes a bite-block, holds the patient in place and is unaffected by weight or facial change of the patient. Our design is easily integrated with Bionix’s line of products and will create a better experience for both the patient and the technicians