Cultural dialects of real and synthetic emotional facial expressions

In this article we discuss the aspects of designing facial expressions for virtual humans (VHs) with a specific culture. First we explore the notion of cultures and its relevance for applications with a VH. Then we give a general scheme of designing emotional facial expressions, and identify the stages where a human is involved, either as a real person with some specific role, or as a VH displaying facial expressions. We discuss how the display and the emotional meaning of facial expressions may be measured in objective ways, and how the culture of displayers and the judges may influence the process of analyzing human facial expressions and evaluating synthesized ones. We review psychological experiments on cross-cultural perception of emotional facial expressions. By identifying the culturally critical issues of data collection and interpretation with both real and VHs, we aim at providing a methodological reference and inspiration for further research

Targeted next-generation sequencing of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma in the skull base reveals combined TP53 and PTEN mutations with increased proliferation index, an implication for pathogenesis

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DDCS) is a rare disease with a dismal prognosis. DDCS consists of two morphologically distinct components: the cartilaginous and noncartilaginous components. Whether the two components originate from the same progenitor cells has been controversial. Recurrent DDCS commonly displays increased proliferation compared with the primary tumor. However, there is no conclusive explanation for this mechanism. In this paper, we present two DDCSs in the sellar region. Patient 1 exclusively exhibited a noncartilaginous component with a TP53 frameshift mutation in the pathological specimens from the first surgery. The tumor recurred after radiation therapy with an exceedingly increased proliferation index. Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed the presence of both a TP53 mutation and a PTEN deletion in the cartilaginous and the noncartilaginous components of the recurrent tumor. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunostaining confirmed reduced DNA copy number and protein levels of the PTEN gene as a result of the PTEN deletion. Patient 2 exhibited both cartilaginous and noncartilaginous components in the surgical specimens. Targeted NGS of cells from both components showed neither TP53 nor PTEN mutations, making Patient 2 a naïve TP53 and PTEN control for comparison. In conclusion, additional PTEN loss in the background of the TP53 mutation could be the cause of increased proliferation capacity in the recurrent tumor

Shotgun metagenomic sequencing reveals skin microbial variability from different facial sites

Biogeography (body site) is known to be one of the main factors influencing the composition of the skin microbial community. However, site-associated microbial variability at a fine-scale level was not well-characterized since there was a lack of high-resolution recognition of facial microbiota across kingdoms by shotgun metagenomic sequencing. To investigate the explicit microbial variance in the human face, 822 shotgun metagenomic sequencing data from Han Chinese recently published by our group, in combination with 97 North American samples from NIH Human Microbiome Project (HMP), were reassessed. Metagenomic profiling of bacteria, fungi, and bacteriophages, as well as enriched function modules from three facial sites (forehead, cheek, and the back of the nose), was analyzed. The results revealed that skin microbial features were more alike in the forehead and cheek while varied from the back of the nose in terms of taxonomy and functionality. Analysis based on biogeographic theories suggested that neutral drift with niche selection from the host could possibly give rise to the variations. Of note, the abundance of porphyrin-producing species, i.e., Cutibacterium acnes, Cutibacterium avidum, Cutibacterium granulosum, and Cutibacterium namnetense, was all the highest in the back of the nose compared with the forehead/cheek, which was consistent with the highest porphyrin level on the nose in our population. Sequentially, the site-associated microbiome variance was confirmed in American populations; however, it was not entirely consistent. Furthermore, our data revealed correlation patterns between Propionibacterium acnes bacteriophages with genus Cutibacterium at different facial sites in both populations; however, C. acnes exhibited a distinct correlation with P. acnes bacteriophages in Americans/Chinese. Taken together, in this study, we explored the fine-scale facial site-associated changes in the skin microbiome and provided insight into the ecological processes underlying facial microbial variations

Remote sensing of strong emotions using electro-optical imaging technique

©Cranfield UniversityThis thesis reports a summary of the PhD programme for the assessment of person‘s emotional anxiety using Electro-optical technology. The thesis focuses mainly on the understanding of fundamental properties of physiological responses to emotional anxiety and how they can be captured by using Electro-optical (EO) imaging methods such as hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and thermal imaging (TI) techniques. The thesis summarises three main areas of work that have been undertaken by the author in the programme: (a) Experimental set up including HSI system and data acquisition software design and implementation, (b) fundamental understanding of physiological responses to emotional anxiety from the EO perspective and (c) the development of a novel remote sensing technique for the assessment of emotions without the requirement of base line information. One of our main results is to provide evidence to prove that the mean temperature in the periorbital region remains the same within 0.2°C during emotional anxiety. Furthermore, we have shown that it is the high temperature pixels within the periorbital, which increases in numbers by a huge amount after 2 minutes of the onset of anxiety. We have also developed techniques to allow the assessment anxiety without the need of base line information. The method has been tested using a sample size of about 40 subjects, and achieved promising result. Technologies for the remote sensing of heart beat rate has been in great demand, this study also involves the development of heart beat detection using TI system. Moreover, we have also attempted for the first time to sense glucose concentration from the blood sample in-vivo using HSI technique remotely

Diagnostic potential of structural neuroimaging for depression from a multi-ethnic community sample

Background At present, we do not have any biological tests which can contribute towards a diagnosis of depression. Neuroimaging measures have shown some potential as biomarkers for diagnosis. However, participants have generally been from the same ethnic background while the applicability of a biomarker would require replication in individuals of diverse ethnicities. Aims We sought to examine the diagnostic potential of the structural neuroanatomy of depression in a sample of a wide ethnic diversity. Method Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from 23 patients with major depressive disorder in an acute depressive episode (mean age: 39.8 years) and 20 matched healthy volunteers (mean age: 38.8 years). Participants were of Asian, African and Caucasian ethnicity recruited from the general community. Results Structural neuroanatomy combining white and grey matter distinguished patients from controls at the highest accuracy of 81% with the most stable pattern being at around 70%. A widespread network encompassing frontal, parietal, occipital and cerebellar regions contributed towards diagnostic classification. Conclusions These findings provide an important step in the development of potential neuroimaging-based tools for diagnosis as they demonstrate that the identification of depression is feasible within a multi-ethnic group from the community. Declaration of interests C.H.Y.F. has held recent research grants from Eli Lilly and Company and GlaxoSmithKline. L.M. is a former employee and stockholder of Eli Lilly and Company

Brain morphological and functional correlates of genetic, psychological, prenatal and prodromal risk for major mental disorders and their behavioural links

Cross-sectional mri-studies comparing psychiatric patients with healthy individuals have shown that patients show brain morphometric as well as functional changes. However, it is unclear whether these are pathological factors or whether these neurobiological changes are simply a risk factor for mental disorders, a consequence of therapy, only occur in certain subgroups. Therefore, the influence of a broad spectrum of different risk factors for mental disorders on brain morphometry as well as function was investigated in the present study: polygenic risk scores for psychiatric disorders, temporal perspective, shortened prenatal development as well as an extremely high risk for the development of psychosis. It can be shown that these risk factors significantly influence brain structural parameters as well as brain function. Some of these changes also correlated with behavioural changes such as poorer cognitive performance. These behavioural correlates could be valuable diagnostic or prognostic markers and could also be important research targets for the development of new therapeutic approaches

Masculinities in Transcultural Spaces : Negotiations of Masculinities in Ang Lee’s Films

This dissertation consists of readings of four selected films by Ang Lee — Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Brokeback Mountain and Hulk, ranging over a decade from 1992 to 2005. It explores Lee’s representation of diverse Chinese and American masculinities, discussing negotiations of masculinities in transcultural spaces. My exploration of Lee’s representation of men and masculinities is equipped with double epistemological perspectives, namely, both Chinese and Western. My project is both conceptual and analytical. On the conceptual level, I intend to demonstrate how constructions of masculinities can be more productively explained by employing not only the Western conceptual arguments of transcultural space (transdifference) but also by reading this space from different epistemological perspectives, namely the Western and Chinese. On the analytical level, I employ audio and visual textual analysis in my examination of Lee’s portrayal of male figures. My analysis has clearly demonstrated the complexity and multiplicity in negotiations of masculinities in transcultural spaces, which can be both emancipatory and repressive in re-constructing and re-negotiating one’s masculinity. Male subjectivities in Lee’s films turn to three different ways to construct or reconstruct their manliness. First, men suppress trandifference and opt for a clear belonging to a certain culture, in particular, the culture of origin for masculinity restoration. Second, men embrace transidifference to construct an ambiguous masculine identity in transcultural spaces. Third, men might transcend cultural boundaries to demonstrate transcultural manhood.  Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Interpretation vier ausgewählter Filme des Filmemachers Ang Lee – Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Brokeback Mountain und Hulk, die in den Jahren 1992 bis 2005 entstanden. Sie erforscht die unterschiedliche Inszenierung von Konzepten der Männlichkeit im chinesischen und US-amerikanischen Kontext, sowie den Männlichkeitsdiskurs in Räumen des kulturellen Üergangs. Die Untersuchung Lees männlicher Figuren und Männlichkeitskonzepte macht sich sowohl die chinesische als auch die westliche erkenntnistheoretische Perspektive zu eigen, dabei ist Untersuchung sowohl konzeptionell als auch analytisch angelegt. Auf der konzeptionellen Ebene soll sie zeigen, wie sich die Konstruktion von Männlichkeitskonzepten unter der Einbeziehung nicht nur der westlichen konzeptionellen Argumentation von transkulturellen Räumen (Transdifferenz), sondern auch von andersartigen erkenntnistheoretischen Perspektiven, hier der chinesischen, besser erklären lässt. Auf der analytischen Ebene werden in der Untersuchung der Inszenierung männlicher Figuren audio-visuelle Textanalysen benutzt. Die Analyse hat deutlich die Komplexität und Vielfältigkeit der Aushandlung von Männlichkeitskonzepten in transkulturellen Räumen gezeigt, wobei die Rekonstruktion und die Neuverhandlung von Männlichkeit sowohl emanzipatorisch als auch repressiv von statten gehen kann. Männliche Protagonisten bei Lee finden drei unterschiedliche Wege, ihre männliche Identität zu konstruieren. Als erste Lösung unterdrücken sie den transdifferenten Aspekt und wählen die klare Zugehörigkeit zu einer der Kulturen, die dann als Ursprung für die Restauration der Männlichkeit dient. Die zweite Lösung ist das Annehmen der Transdifferenz um eine mehrdeutige maskuline Identität im transkulturellen Raum aufzubauen. Als letzte Lösung gelingt es einen männlichen Figuren, kulturelle Grenzen zu überschreiten und eine transkulturelle Männlichkeit zu manifestieren

Análisis espacial y prognosis de la seguridad en entornos urbanos : comprensión de la trazabilidad de la conducta espacial y de su vínculo con las fuerzas motrices de la seguridad

Tesis de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Departamento de Geografía Humana, leída el 30-01-2018Currently, our societies demand a permanent and trustable security. The number and typologyof threats that they are facing on daily basis can lead to their eminent collapse. The ground of theabove-mentioned status quo is simple: a security applied en mass is based on a fallacies and myths.This mythical security puts on risk much more than an ordinary clash between theoretical securitymodels: the entire social peace system is questioned. Transversally to those threats is proposed thetraceability concept, frequently used in bioscience and biometric technologies, but not in commonuse for spatial analysis purposes. Within this unprecedented research founded in the field of thespatial analysis, we will analyze the main security driving forces existing in our societies - from amulti-scale perspective - with the aim to achieve a final social improvement.The doctoral thesis presented herein covers a comprehensive pursuit of the spatial conductbehaviour and its traceability. In this thesis, focused on urban areas, it will be analyzed how thecontemporary surveillance technologies work, evaluating whether those technologies and massprograms are covering the security demanded by the societies. Within the following chapters we willreview how modern security have intentionally designed and developed a smokescreen that istricking a true pragmatic security and which is creating an unprecedented security failure. Once thissmokescreen is revealed and questioned, the results are demonstrating minimal capabilities of itsapplication and profitability for traceability purposes. What we presented herein, is not exclusively ameta-theoretical analysis of a state of art...Actualmente, nuestras sociedades demandan un estado permanente y verificable de seguridad.Los riesgos y amenazas a los que nos enfrentamos a diario pueden constituir el punto deinflexión que derive a nuestras sociedades - tal y como las conocemos y comprendemos - hacia uncolapso inminente. Los motivos de dicho status quo son simples: la seguridad - como producto - aplicadaen masa se fundamenta en un arquetipo de falacias y mitos. A pesar de que objetivamente sonindiscutibles las capacidades de vigilia tecnológica actual, la ratio volumen- eficiencia es sumamentecuestionable. Consecuentemente, el producto resultante adquirido - la seguridad como garantía de lapaz y orden social - pone en riesgo mucho más que una mera confrontación entre planteamientosmeta-teóricos: el conjunto de paz y garantías sociales vigentes en nuestra sociedad está en riesgo.Transversalmente al conjunto de riesgos y amenazas presentes nos encontramos con elconcepto de la trazabilidad, frecuentemente usado en ciencias naturales y tecnologías vinculadas alanálisis biométrico, pero raramente asociado al análisis espacial. Durante la presente investigación,de la cual no existen precedentes en cuanto al tratamiento de la temática, nos centraremos en el análisisde las fuerzas motrices vinculadas a la seguridad – desde una perspectiva multiescalar – con elobjetivo de aportar un beneficio social...Depto. de GeografíaFac. de Geografía e HistoriaTRUEunpu