This thesis establishes a framework for facial feature detection and human face movement tracking. Statistical models of shape and appearance are built to represent the human face structure and interpret target images of human faces. The approach is a patch-based method derived from an earlier proposed method, the constrained local model (CLM) [1] algorithm. In order to increase the ability to track face movements with large head rotations, a 3D shape model is used in the system. And multiple texture models from different viewpoints are used to model the appearance. During fitting or tracking, the current estimate of pose (shape coordinates) is used to select the appropriate texture model. The algorithm uses the shape model and a texture model to generate a set of region template detectors. A search is then performed in the global pose / shape space using these detectors. Different optimisation frameworks are used in the implementation. The training images are created by rendering expressive 3D face models with different scales, rotations, expressions, brightness, etc. Experimental results are demonstrated by fitting the model to image sequences with large head rotations to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. To evaluate the stability and selection of factors of the algorithm, more experiments are carried out. The results show that the proposed 3D constrained local model algorithm improves the performance of the original CLM algorithm for videos with large out-of-plane head rotations.

Face recognition research using automatic or semi-automatic techniques has emerged over the last two decades. One reason for growing interest in this topic is the wide range of possible applications for face recognition systems. Another reason is the emergence of affordable hardware, supporting digital photography and video, which have made the acquisition of high-quality and high resolution 2D images much more ubiquitous. However, 2D recognition systems are sensitive to subject pose and illumination variations and 3D face recognition which is not directly affected by such environmental changes, could be used alone, or in combination with 2D recognition. Recently with the development of more affordable 3D acquisition systems and the availability of 3D face databases, 3D face recognition has been attracting interest to tackle the limitations in performance of most existing 2D systems. In this research, we introduce a robust automated 3D Face recognition system that implements 3D data of faces with different facial expressions, hair, shoulders, clothing, etc., extracts features for discrimination and uses machine learning techniques to make the final decision. A novel system for automatic processing for 3D facial data has been implemented using multi stage architecture; in a pre-processing and registration stage the data was standardized, spikes were removed, holes were filled and the face area was extracted. Then the nose region, which is relatively more rigid than other facial regions in an anatomical sense, was automatically located and analysed by computing the precise location of the symmetry plane. Then useful facial features and a set of effective 3D curves were extracted. Finally, the recognition and matching stage was implemented by using cascade correlation neural networks and support vector machine for classification, and the nearest neighbour algorithms for matching. It is worth noting that the FRGC data set is the most challenging data set available supporting research on 3D face recognition and machine learning techniques are widely recognised as appropriate and efficient classification methods.

published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Master / Master of Dental Surgery

The present study provides a comparison of face-to-face and mediated hurtful communication in close relationships. Drawing on previous studies on hurtful communication and computer-mediated communication (CMC), an escalating hypothesis was posited that mediated hurtful messages would be perceived as more controllable, intentional, and hurtful than face-to-face (FtF) hurtful messages. Study 1 tested these predictions. Survey responses from college students who were randomly assigned to report either mediated or face-to-face hurtful interaction with a friend or romantic partner confirmed higher perceived controllability (i.e., being more deliberate on crafting hurtful messages) in the CMC than the FtF condition. Although intent and hurt were not different between the two contexts in the full sample, higher intent was found in CMC than FtF in romantic relationships. Thus, Study 2 was conducted, focusing on a comparison of FtF and text messaging in romantic relationships. Also, perceived face threat and relationship aspects—distancing effect of hurtful interactions and the effect of relationship satisfaction—were assessed. Face threat was posited to be lower in CMC than FtF context since Study 1 suggested that self-focused appraisals (e.g., humiliation) were lower for mediated hurtful messages. This difference in face threat was considered to result in similar levels of intent and hurt between the two contexts, although perceived controllability is higher in CMC. Results of Study 2 confirmed higher deliberation in CMC but failed to confirm higher intent or hurt in CMC. Further, face threat was not different between the two contexts, and controlling for face threat did not reveal the escalating effect (i.e., higher intent or hurt in CMC). Regarding relationship aspects, higher satisfaction and lower intent were associated with less distancing effect, and relationship satisfaction was negatively related to deliberation, intent, hurt, and distancing. These tendencies were not different between CMC and FtF contexts. These results suggest that mediated hurtful communication is a complex phenomenon in which various factors should be considered. The implications of these results were discussed, and suggestions for future studies were also offered. / text

Previous research has demonstrated that men and women employ different speech styles that result in an uneven power dynamic. To better understand the increasingly common interactions that take place using video-mediated communication, such as Skype and Google Hangout, the present research examines these gendered patterns in video-mediated communication (VMC). Mixed-gender dyads will be formed and ask to complete a desert survival task via VMC or in person while software analyzes their use of aggressive positive, and tentative language, as well as measuring speaking time for each party. Interpersonal perception and the use of intrusive interruptions and will also be examined. Drawing from research in Social Information Processing Theory, it is expected that users compensate for the difficulties of a communication medium in order to achieve a normal interaction. As such, men are anticipated to use more intrusive interruptions, aggressive language, and speak more than women, regardless of condition. Women are anticipated to use more positive and tentative language in both VMC and face-to-face conditions. Dominant language is also expected to mediate the relationship between gender and perceived dominance. Future research should examine the effect of race in these interactions, as well as how this dynamic effects gender non-conforming persons.

This thesis details the development and evaluation of a new photofitting approach. The motivation for this work is that current photofit systems used by the police - whether manual or computerized - do not appear to work very well. Part of the problem with these approaches is they involve a single facial representation that necessitates a verbal interaction. When a multiple presentation is considered, our innate ability to recognize faces is capitalized (and the potentially disruptive effect of the verbal component is reduced). The approach works by employing Genetic Algorithms to evolve a small group of faces to be more like a desired target. The main evolutionary influence is via user input that specifies the similarity of the presented images with the target under construction. The thesis follows three main phases of development. The first involves a simple system modelling the internal components of a face (eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth) containing features in a fixed relationship with each other. The second phase applies external facial features (hair and ears) along with an appropriate head shape and changes in the relationship between features. That the underlying model is based on Principal Components Analysis captures the statistics of how faces vary in terms of shading, shape and the relationship between features. Modelling was carried out in this way to create more realistic looking photofits and to guard against implausible featural relationships possible with traditional approaches. The encouraging results of these two sections prompted the development of a full photofit system: EvoFIT. This software is shown to have continued promise both in the lab and in a real case. Future work is directed particularly at resolving issues concerning the anonymity of the database faces and the creation of photofits from the subject's memory of a target.

The aim of this thesis is to describe the language of electronic communication ('netspeak') as one of the present trends of the development of English. The thesis is based on the hypothesis 'netspeak' represents an independent multimodal linguistic variety sharing some features with informal face-to-face conversation. For this purpose, the language of selected samples of the texts of English-speaking students of British universities obtained from the social network Facebook was studied. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of these data and their comparison with spoken form of standard English, namely with the spoken demographically sampled part of the British National Corpus, confirmed the hypothesis. ! Key words: netspeak, CMC, Facebook, emoticons, face-to-face communication, informal conversation

Este trabalho tem como objetivo discorrer sobre a figura do cineasta brasileiro Alberto Cavalcanti e sua participação do Movimento Documentário Britânico, como produtor e diretor no GPO Film Unit. Considerado um marco na história do cinema do Reino Unido, este Movimento adquiriu força, entre os anos de 1926 a 1939, ao produzir pequenos filmes que eram experimentos em linguagem e técnica cinematográficas. Para isso, contou com a colaboração de Cavalcanti, cuja contribuição é reconhecida pela crítica de hoje como fundamental. Para analisar como foi sua passagem pelo GPO Film Unit, este trabalho foi dividido em duas partes. A primeira foca as origens de Cavalcanti no Brasil e sua trajetória até a França. Descreve o início de sua carreira no cinema e apresenta o filme mais importante que dirigiu em Paris - Rien que Les Heures. A seguir, conta os motivos que o levaram a deixar a França e aceitar o convite de John Grierson para unir-se ao GPO Film Unit. Outros temas abordados são, o uso do cinema como ferramenta de propaganda, o contexto histórico e a participação de alguns personagens como o compositor Benjamin Britten e o poeta W.H. Auden. Para exemplificar e ao mesmo tempo analisar o trabalho do cineasta, a segunda parte concentra-se no filme Coal Face, dirigido por Cavalcanti em 1935. Esta análise levanta alguns dos recursos estilísticos utilizados pelo cineasta para a criação do filme, e o seu trabalho com a banda sonora. E, a partir desses elementos, faz algumas leituras do filme, buscando interpretá-lo a partir das temáticas apresentadas nas imagens e no som / The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the contribution of Brazilian filmmaker Alberto Cavalcanti to the British Documentary Film Movement, as a producer and director at the GPO Film Unit. This Movement is considered a key moment in the British film history as its short films became prime examples of film language and technique. Cavalcanti is now considered by critics to be the major figure this movement. This text is divided in two parts. The first is focused on Cavalcanti´s biography: his origins in Brazil, his period to France and the beginning of his career in the cinema. It also presents his most important French film Rien que les Heures. The dissertation also discusses the reasons that made him move from France to England. Other themes discussed are the use of cinema as propaganda, the historical context, and the contribution of artists like composer Benjamin Britten and poet W.H. Auden to the GPO Film Unit. The second part of this text focuses on Coal Face, directed by Cavalcanti for the GPO Film Unit in 1935 and describes and interprets his stylistic techniques and his work with sound on this film

This study aimed to understand the differences in strength or coordination of brain regions involved in processing faces in the presence of aging and/or progressing neuropathology (Alzheimer's disease). To this end, Experiment 1 evaluated age-related differences in basic face processing and the effects of familiarity in face processing. Overall, face processing in younger (22-35yrs) and older participants (63-83yrs) recruited a broadly distributed network of brain activity, but the distribution of activity varied depending on the age of the individual. The younger population utilized regions of the occipitotemporal, medial frontal and posterior parietal cortices while the older population recruited a concentrated occipitotemporal network. The younger participants were also sensitive to the type of face presented, as Novel faces were associated with greater mean BOLD activity than either the Famous or Relatives faces. Interestingly, Relatives faces were associated with greater mean B OLD activity in more regions of the brain than found in any other analysis in Exp. 1, spanning the inferior frontal, medial temporal and inferior parietal cortices. In contrast, the older adults were not sensitive to the type of face presented, which could reflect a difference in cognitive strategies used by the older population when presented with this type of face stimuli. Experiment 2 evaluated face processing, familiarity in face processing and also emphasized the interactive roles autobiographical processing and memory recency play in processing familiar faces in mature adults (MA; 45-55yrs), older adults (OA; 70-92yrs) and patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD; 70-92yrs). / MA participants had greater mean BOLD activity values in more regions of the brain than observed in either of the older adult populations, spanning regions of the medial frontal, medial temporal, inferior parietal and occipital cortices. OA, in contrast, utilized a concentrated frontal and medial temporal network and AD participants had the greatest deficit in BOLD activity overall.Age-related differences in processing faces, in processing the type of face presented, in autobiographical information processing and in processing the recency of a memory were noted, as well as differences due to the deleterious effects of AD. / by Jeanna Winchester. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of poser and perceiver gender on the Happiness/Anger Superiority effect and the Female Advantage in facial expression recognition. Happy, neutral, and angry facial expressions were presented on male and female faces under Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS). Participants of both genders indicated when the presented faces broke through the suppression. In the second experiment, angry and happy expressions were reduced to 50% intensity. At full intensity, there was no difference in the reaction time for female neutral and angry faces, but male faces showed a difference in detection between all expressions. Across experiments, male faces were detected later than female faces for all facial expressions. Happiness was generally detected faster than anger, except when on female faces at 50% intensity. No main effect for perceiver gender emerged. It was concluded that happiness is superior to anger in CFS, and that poser gender affects facial expression recognition. / by Sophia Peaco. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.