7,446 research outputs found

    Introduction to Facial Micro Expressions Analysis Using Color and Depth Images: A Matlab Coding Approach (Second Edition, 2023)

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    The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment. FMER is a subset of image processing and it is a multidisciplinary topic to analysis. So, it requires familiarity with other topics of Artifactual Intelligence (AI) such as machine learning, digital image processing, psychology and more. So, it is a great opportunity to write a book which covers all of these topics for beginner to professional readers in the field of AI and even without having background of AI. Our goal is to provide a standalone introduction in the field of MFER analysis in the form of theorical descriptions for readers with no background in image processing with reproducible Matlab practical examples. Also, we describe any basic definitions for FMER analysis and MATLAB library which is used in the text, that helps final reader to apply the experiments in the real-world applications. We believe that this book is suitable for students, researchers, and professionals alike, who need to develop practical skills, along with a basic understanding of the field. We expect that, after reading this book, the reader feels comfortable with different key stages such as color and depth image processing, color and depth image representation, classification, machine learning, facial micro-expressions recognition, feature extraction and dimensionality reduction. The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment.Comment: This is the second edition of the boo

    One-sided differentiability: a challenge for computer algebra systems

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    Computer Algebra Systems (CASs) are extremely powerful and widely used digital tools. Focusing on differentiation, CASs include a command that computes the derivative of functions in one variable (and also the partial derivative of functions in several variables). We will focus in this article on real-valued functions of one real variable. Since CASs usually compute the derivative of real-valued functions as a whole, the value of the computed derivative at points where the left derivative and the right derivative are different (that we will call conflicting points) should be something like "undefined", although this isn't always the case: the output could strongly differ depending on the chosen CAS. We have analysed and compared in this article how some well-known CASs behave when addressing differentiation at the conflicting points of five different functions chosen by the authors. Finally, the ability for calculating one-sided limits of CASs allows to directly compute the result in these cumbersome cases using the formal definition of one-sided derivative, which we have also analysed and compared for the selected CASs. Regarding teaching, this is an important issue, as it is a topic of Secondary Education and nowadays the use of CASs as an auxiliary digital tool for teaching mathematics is very common

    Married to the cape: Adam West, Batman and signature roles on the small screen

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    A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.This thesis addresses a gap in scholarship by theorising star status for those performers whose public image is defined by a single televisual role. It proposes the ‘signature role TV star’ as a new category of stardom by evaluating Adam West as a quintessential example of this type of figure. West was best known for playing the titular role in the television series Batman (ABC: 1966-1968), which became a worldwide phenomenon after its debut in 1966. Despite its initial popularity, Batman was cancelled after three seasons and West was unable to develop a lasting career as a mainstream leading man, meaning that his signature role remained the defining aspect of his stardom. West’s connection to Batman continued to manifest, as he occasionally reprised his former role, whilst also taking other parts that evoked his superhero success. Meanwhile, he regularly played himself in a parodic fashion in his latter-day career. West demonstrated that the strong link with a signature televisual role can generate new inflections over time, meaning that he embodies both the advantages and disadvantages of this form of stardom. By theorising West’s star status, this thesis contributes to knowledge in the field of television stardom. Influential theoretical paradigms in this area posit that television is unlike cinema because it creates personalities rather than stars (Ellis, 1992; Langer, 1997). Conversely, Deborah Jermyn (2006) challenges prior theories by analysing Sarah Jessica Parker’s image, suggesting that it may be time to revisit the notion that true stardom needs to be associated with a range of different roles. Although Jermyn links this to the contemporary scene, her notion is also relevant to figures like West who are primarily associated with earlier eras. American television stars of the 1960s and 1970s were particularly likely to be defined by their connection to a flagship part, because this period was characterised by scarcity of viewing options (Ellis, 2002: 39-60), the emergence of repeats as a quintessential televisual form (Kompare, 2005) and a strong cultural tradition of American programmes being exported to nations such as the UK (Rixon, 2006). In conjunction, these factors helped cement the association between prime-time TV stars and popular characters. Such connections are an underexamined area in current TV star scholarship and therefore theorising signature role TV stardom as a distinct type of fame addresses this gap in the field of star studies. The analysis of West as an archetypal signature role TV star is accomplished within a star studies theoretical framework that focuses on his onscreen roles, his promotional and publicity appearances and the criticism and commentary that has been produced about him. Richard Dyer’s star theory (1998) is modified and combined with elements of the work of John Ellis (1992) and Jermyn (2006), to argue that the latter’s suggestion that a theoretical star image can be associated with a single TV role can be expanded to conceive a distinct category of stardom. By employing this approach to theorise West as a signature role TV star, this thesis demonstrates that Jermyn’s observation applies across a broader chronological timeframe than previously recognised. Therefore, the signature role TV star category can be utilised to illuminate the cultural significance of other television stars who have hitherto been overlooked by scholars

    Hegemony of BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera’s Framing of Protests in China: The Cases of Wukan and Hong Kong

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    This study focuses on how the global news media report on protests in China. It contributes an original analysis of the global news media coverage of protests in China from both the theoretical and empirical perspectives. The research is based on the purposive sampling of the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera English, in order to discuss how international news media outlets report on protests in mainland China and Hong Kong, especially given that they are non-Western contexts. Samples from Wukan and Hong Kong are evaluated by using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including qualitative analysis software (NVivo), framing analysis and critical discourse analysis to determine the ways in which they are represented by the selected news outlets. The main findings have revealed hegemony in the news representations of protests in China, which includes biases, domestication, and geopoliticised news angles. The analysis in the Wukan case showed that the reports offered a limited voice to the Chinese side, while carrying frames of bias from Western journalists. The analysis of the selected global news reports unmasked ideological presuppositions about Chinese political reform, including the perception that the Chinese regime was monolithic, and that most Chinese protesters craved Western democracy. On the contrary, the evidence from the Al Jazeera documentary analysed in this study illustrated a Chinese government that is loosely structured, and that the protesters were more concerned about the land issue than they were about political ideology. As for the Hong Kong case, the results indicated that there were traces of domestication and the geo-politics of news regarding HK protests in both CNN and the BBC in relation to several topics, whereas Al Jazeera had a slightly different approach to reporting the protests: The BBC and CNN tended to relate protests with domestic politics and topics, while AJE balanced pro-Britain and pro-America discourse among the protesters. The study also discussed Orientalism, which is still highly relevant to Hong Kongers’ identity issues, and how Western media report on China today. The research findings add to work by other scholars in media and journalism that has questioned the partiality of leading international or global (Western) media, particularly when it comes to reporting on non-Western and less developed countries. The research adds original evidence and insights to debates on the hegemony of international news coverage of protests, in the context of the Global South. It should be noted that leading media from the dominant Global North, in this case, excluding Al Jazeera, project the interests of the developed countries while voices from the Global South are less heard

    The socialisation of football fans – a grounded theory study

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    Sport fans have been studied extensively. However, the field of sports fan socialisation, specifically socialisation into a team, is under researched. This study therefore addresses the question ‘how do people become football fans?’, focusing on the socialisation of three groups of fans: expansion club, female and long-distance. This thesis adopts constructivist grounded theory, gathering rich empirical data through interviews (n=33) and netnographic data. The study focuses on eight football clubs; Liverpool FC, Everton FC, Manchester City FC, Manchester United FC, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy, and Los Angeles FC. In keeping with grounded theory principles (Glaser, 1967; Charmaz 2014), data were analysed upon collection. This thesis makes three key contributions. The first is identifying the socialisation agents that impact expansion club, female, and long-distance fans, surfacing a broader range of agents than previously identified. The second explores the role played by each agent, going beyond detecting their relevance. Both contributions answer calls from previous work. Finally, in synthesising the socialisation agents identified, this thesis develops the Person-Centric Socialisation Agent Framework, which categorises the agents according to the extent to which they are Person-Person or Club-Person in focus. This allows socialisation agents to be operationalised by clubs in a bid to increase the fan base

    Binaural virtual auditory display for music discovery and recommendation

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    Emerging patterns in audio consumption present renewed opportunity for searching or navigating music via spatial audio interfaces. This thesis examines the potential benefits and considerations for using binaural audio as the sole or principal output interface in a music browsing system. Three areas of enquiry are addressed. Specific advantages and constraints in spatial display of music tracks are explored in preliminary work. A voice-led binaural music discovery prototype is shown to offer a contrasting interactive experience compared to a mono smartspeaker. Results suggest that touch or gestural interaction may be more conducive input modes in the former case. The limit of three binaurally spatialised streams is identified from separate data as a usability threshold for simultaneous presentation of tracks, with no evident advantages derived from visual prompts to aid source discrimination or localisation. The challenge of implementing personalised binaural rendering for end-users of a mobile system is addressed in detail. A custom framework for assessing head-related transfer function (HRTF) selection is applied to data from an approach using 2D rendering on a personal computer. That HRTF selection method is developed to encompass 3D rendering on a mobile device. Evaluation against the same criteria shows encouraging results in reliability, validity, usability and efficiency. Computational analysis of a novel approach for low-cost, real-time, head-tracked binaural rendering demonstrates measurable advantages compared to first order virtual Ambisonics. Further perceptual evaluation establishes working parameters for interactive auditory display use cases. In summation, the renderer and identified tolerances are deployed with a method for synthesised, parametric 3D reverberation (developed through related research) in a final prototype for mobile immersive playlist editing. Task-oriented comparison with a graphical interface reveals high levels of usability and engagement, plus some evidence of enhanced flow state when using the eyes-free binaural system

    Ludotopia

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    Where do computer games »happen«? The articles collected in this pioneering volume explore the categories of »space«, »place« and »territory« featuring in most general theories of space to lay the groundwork for the study of spatiality in games. Shifting the focus away from earlier debates on, e.g., the narrative nature of games, this collection proposes, instead, that thorough attention be given to the tension between experienced spaces and narrated places as well as to the mapping of both of these
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