The Region in Motion in the Road Movie Patay na Si Hesus (2016)

Utilizing the theories of Bakhtin’s dialogism, Hall’s cultural identity, and Gidden’s globalization, this article analyzes the Cebuano regional road movie Patay na si Hesus (2016). The road film genre reveals that the Philippine regions have a diverse identity, as shown in the image of the regional landscapes and unconventional characters. The use of camera techniques such as the traveling shot and other related styles reveals a dialogue among the diverse cultures of the regions. Furthermore, the image of the automobile in road movies and its mobility also illustrate that the regions combine an image of tradition and modernity as they constantly change because of globalization. Ultimately, this essay affirms that understanding the existence of cultural diversity in the regions is also a means of comprehending their complex identities

On the Audio-Visual Emotion Recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks and Extreme Learning Machine

The advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning concerning emotion recognition have been enormous and in previously inconceivable ways. Inspired by the promising evolution in human-computer interaction, this paper is based on developing a multimodal emotion recognition system. This research encompasses two modalities as input, namely speech and video. In the proposed model, the input video samples are subjected to image pre-processing and image frames are obtained. The signal is pre-processed and transformed into the frequency domain for the audio input. The aim is to obtain Mel-spectrogram, which is processed further as images. Convolutional neural networks are used for training and feature extraction for both audio and video with different configurations. The fusion of outputs from two CNNs is done using two extreme learning machines. For classification, the proposed system incorporates a support vector machine. The model is evaluated using three databases, namely eNTERFACE, RML, and SAVEE. For the eNTERFACE dataset, the accuracy obtained without and with augmentation was 87.2% and 94.91%, respectively. The RML dataset yielded an accuracy of 98.5%, and for the SAVEE dataset, the accuracy reached 97.77%. Results achieved from this research are an illustration of the fruitful exploration and effectiveness of the proposed system

A False Trail to Follow: Differential Effects of the Facial Feedback Signals From the Upper and Lower Face on the Recognition of Micro-Expressions

Micro-expressions, as fleeting facial expressions, are very important for judging people’s true emotions, thus can provide an essential behavioral clue for lie and dangerous demeanor detection. From embodied accounts of cognition, we derived a novel hypothesis that facial feedback from upper and lower facial regions has differential effects on micro-expression recognition. This hypothesis was tested and supported across three studies. Specifically, the results of Study 1 showed that people became better judges of intense micro-expressions with a duration of 450 ms when the facial feedback from upper face was enhanced via a restricting gel. Additional results of Study 2 showed that the recognition accuracy of subtle micro-expressions was significantly impaired under all duration conditions (50, 150, 333, and 450 ms) when facial feedback from lower face was enhanced. In addition, the results of Study 3 also revealed that blocking the facial feedback of lower face, significantly boosted the recognition accuracy of subtle and intense micro-expressions under all duration conditions (150 and 450 ms). Together, these results highlight the role of facial feedback in judging the subtle movements of micro-expressions

Exploring the Affective Loop

Research in psychology and neurology shows that both body and mind are involved when experiencing emotions (Damasio 1994, Davidson et al. 2003). People are also very physical when they try to communicate their emotions. Somewhere in between beings consciously and unconsciously aware of it ourselves, we produce both verbal and physical signs to make other people understand how we feel. Simultaneously, this production of signs involves us in a stronger personal experience of the emotions we express. Emotions are also communicated in the digital world, but there is little focus on users' personal as well as physical experience of emotions in the available digital media. In order to explore whether and how we can expand existing media, we have designed, implemented and evaluated /eMoto/, a mobile service for sending affective messages to others. With eMoto, we explicitly aim to address both cognitive and physical experiences of human emotions. Through combining affective gestures for input with affective expressions that make use of colors, shapes and animations for the background of messages, the interaction "pulls" the user into an /affective loop/. In this thesis we define what we mean by affective loop and present a user-centered design approach expressed through four design principles inspired by previous work within Human Computer Interaction (HCI) but adjusted to our purposes; /embodiment/ (Dourish 2001) as a means to address how people communicate emotions in real life, /flow/ (Csikszentmihalyi 1990) to reach a state of involvement that goes further than the current context, /ambiguity/ of the designed expressions (Gaver et al. 2003) to allow for open-ended interpretation by the end-users instead of simplistic, one-emotion one-expression pairs and /natural but designed expressions/ to address people's natural couplings between cognitively and physically experienced emotions. We also present results from an end-user study of eMoto that indicates that subjects got both physically and emotionally involved in the interaction and that the designed "openness" and ambiguity of the expressions, was appreciated and understood by our subjects. Through the user study, we identified four potential design problems that have to be tackled in order to achieve an affective loop effect; the extent to which users' /feel in control/ of the interaction, /harmony and coherence/ between cognitive and physical expressions/,/ /timing/ of expressions and feedback in a communicational setting, and effects of users' /personality/ on their emotional expressions and experiences of the interaction

The detection of concealed firearm carrying trough CCTV: the role of affect recognition

This research aimed to explore whether the recognition of offenders with a concealed firearm by a human operator might be based on the recognition of affective (negative) state derived from non-verbal behaviour that is accessible from CCTV images. Since a firearm is concealed, it has been assumed that human observers would respond to subtle cues which individuals inherently produce whilst carrying a hidden firearm. These cues are believed to be reflected in the body language of those carrying firearms and might be apprehended by observers at a conscious or subconscious level. Another hypothesis is that the ability to recognize the carrier of concealed firearm in the CCTV footage might be affected by other factors, such as the skills in decoding an affective state of others and the viewpoint of observation of the surveillance targets. In order to give a theoretical and experimental basis for these hypotheses the first objective was to examine the extant literature to determine what is known about recognition of affect from non-verbal cues (e.g. facial expressions and body movement), and how it can be applied to the detection of human mal-intent. A second objective was to explore this subject in relation to the detection of concealed firearm carrying through performing a number of experimental studies. The studies employed experts, i.e. CCTV operators and mainly the lay people as participants. Also, various experimental techniques such as questionnaires and eye-tracking registration were used to investigate the topic. The results show that human observers seem to use visual indicators of affective state of surveillance targets to make a decision whether or not the individuals are carrying a concealed firearm. The most prominent cues were face, and upper body of surveillance targets, gait, posture and arm movements. The test of decoding ability did not show sufficient relationship with the ability to detect a concealed firearm bearer. The performance on the task might be view dependent. Further research into this topic will be needed to generate strategies that would support reliable detection of concealed firearm carrying through employing of related affective behavioural cues

Using social stories and trained peer partners to teach perspective taking

The purpose of this study was to examine whether, by developing skill in understanding theory of mind skills as well as understanding how perspectives are formed, students would be able to identify more than one possible perspective in a variety of situations. The goal was for them to accept that other peoples\u27 intent may be different from their interpretation of intent. Students were guided through a thorough understanding of the skills involved and the many ways in which the concepts impact interaction. They were taught how the neurotypical population interprets interactions. Skills were instructed individually and then combined with other skills to form the broader understanding of what comprises socialization. Social stories with thought bubbles, role-playing, peer partners and coaching where utilized to help students acquire understanding and the ability to apply skills. These structures helped this researcher\u27s students to make progress in learning the thinking process behind social interaction. Students were evaluated and parents assessed their children\u27s abilities prior to and after therapy. Students demonstrated understanding of concepts by identifying multiple possible intents for each individual in the same scenario when presented with five videos to evaluate. The study utilized a single subject AB design. The results of this research suggest that by utilizing these methods students increased their theory of mind and perspective taking skills. The results demonstrate that these skills can be instructed. Thinking of these deficits as skills that can be instructed instead of considering them acting out, rudeness, unreasonableness, or deliberate acts of carelessness of others\u27 feeling can change how responses occur to these behaviors and empower teachers, parents, and therapists to work on helping the student acquire skills

Caricature generator

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Bibliography: leaves 111-116.The human face is a highly significant visual display which we are able to remember and recognize easily despite the fact that we are exposed to thousands of faces which may be metrically very similar. caricature is a graphical coding of facial features which seeks to be more like the face than the face itself: selected information is exaggerated, noise is reduced, and the processes involved in recognition are exploited. After studying the methods of caricaturists, examining perceptual phenomena regarding individuating features, and surveying automatic and man-machine systems which represent and manipulate the face, some heuristics for caricature are defined . An algorithm is implemented to amplify the nuance of a human face in a computer- generated caricature. This is done by comparing the face to a norm and then distorting the face even further away from that norm . Issues of style, context and animation are discussed. The applications of the caricature generator in the areas of teleconferencing, games, and interactive graphic interfaces are explored.by Susan Elise Brennan.M.S.V.S

Narrative Rhythmanalysis: the art and politics of listening to women’s narratives of forced displacement

In this paper I draw on my experiences of listening to migrant and refugee women’s stories of displacement and explore questions around discourses and practices of listening across borders and languages. In doing so, I particularly focus on the materiality of listening, the force of corporeal voices, the rhythms of oral narratives and their effects on understanding and making connections within the web of human relations. Following tracks and traces of a rich body of literature around sounds, voices and texts in narrative analytics and feminist theory, I have turned my attention to aurality and I have suggested narrative rhythmanalysis as a mode of understanding and as a method. What I argue is that turning our attention to listening practices as a neglected process in theoretical analysis illuminates the perspective of the storyteller, mobilizes affective forces in the milieu of relational narratives and enacts the materiality of knowledge through the intensity and uniqueness of the corporeal voice. What I finally suggest is that perhaps we should move beyond the imperatives of clarity and transparency in an attempt to be in the world with others. Here the sound of narratives could become a trope that can take us down the path of decolonizing our ways of knowing and understanding

Political Aesthetics of Urban Encounters : on Difference and the Feeling of Safety

Aesthetics and politics are intertwined in our everyday encounters and even nonverbal encounters are negotiations of meanings, values, and means of representation. The aesthetic political negotiation of urban encounters is politics beyond consensus and dissensus: an open-ended process of altered perception. Perception of difference, a feeling of safety, and a form of distanciation are required for the political potential to be actualized. This article begins by discussing urban encounters and the notion of politics. Politics takes place in the public sphere and is actualized in political negotiations, which in ephemeral encounters take the form of pondering, or hermeneutic understanding and judgment. The second section discusses the prerequisites: safety, distance, and difference. Two points are made. Firstly, the political encounter contains a practical-ethical demand for effort in our everyday life. Secondly, training aesthetic sensibility assists in this pursuit. This article is an example of an approach of inquiry that can be called political aesthetics.Peer reviewe

Political Aesthetics of Urban Encounters : on Difference and the Feeling of Safety

Aesthetics and politics are intertwined in our everyday encounters and even nonverbal encounters are negotiations of meanings, values, and means of representation. The aesthetic political negotiation of urban encounters is politics beyond consensus and dissensus: an open-ended process of altered perception. Perception of difference, a feeling of safety, and a form of distanciation are required for the political potential to be actualized. This article begins by discussing urban encounters and the notion of politics. Politics takes place in the public sphere and is actualized in political negotiations, which in ephemeral encounters take the form of pondering, or hermeneutic understanding and judgment. The second section discusses the prerequisites: safety, distance, and difference. Two points are made. Firstly, the political encounter contains a practical-ethical demand for effort in our everyday life. Secondly, training aesthetic sensibility assists in this pursuit. This article is an example of an approach of inquiry that can be called political aesthetics.Peer reviewe