The proposed thesis deals with the topic of body language in visual art and with understanding of body language as synergy of the innermost experience and the experience of the bodily form. The theoretical part of the thesis analyses psychological, anthropological and art historical literature published both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The point of departure for the theoretical part is the concept of interconnectedness of sensory perception, its cognitive analysis and the ensuing answer to the environment, focusing especially on the subjective character of these processes. In the practical part of the proposed thesis, an educational art project is designed, based on the results of the theoretical study in the first part and impulses from contemporary visual art (Eva Koťátková, Erwin Wurm, Miriam Cabessa and others). The aim of the educational part is to observe the processes mentioned above, concentrating especially on the creative expression through an artistic action and the experience of the individual.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2018-06-15T14:27:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Leticia Leal Goncalves.pdf: 2201976 bytes, checksum: bb54dbedb6ad51cd436666d35fcf8a51 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-15T14:27:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Leticia Leal Goncalves.pdf: 2201976 bytes, checksum: bb54dbedb6ad51cd436666d35fcf8a51 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-16 / Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immuno-mediated, neurodegenerative, inflamatory disease, of unknown etiology and for which there is no cure. This work aimed to evaluate the orofacial conditions of individuals with MS, including the presence of TMD and salivary flow and observe if there is any correlation or association between these factors, in addition to observing the presence of halitosis in patients with MS, and verify if the treatment with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is effective against it. We selected 50 patients with diagnosis of MS and in treatment at the Specialties Clinic School of Medicine, Universidade Metropolitana de Santos (UNIMES). Patients were selected to perform the NOT-S instrument, which assesses the orofacial functions, while awaiting consultations and later, 30 of these patients were invited for a return in which the full evaluation was performed. We collected data on duration of the disease, degree of disability, medication use, presence of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) through the RDC/TDM, a stimulated sialometry test was made and halitosis was assessed with the OralchromaTM device. Patients with halitosis from the tongue coating underwent immediate treatment, which held tongue scraping followed by aPDT. To perform the aPDT, the photosensitizer used was methylene blue manipulated at a concentration of 0.005% (Fórmula e Ação®) associated with the laser THERAPY XT-EC® (DMC ABC Medical Equipment, Dental, SP, BR). Six points in the tongue dorsum were irradiated with a distance of 1 cm between them. The device was calibrated with wavelength of 660 nm, with energy of 9 J and power of 100 mW for 90 seconds per point, fluency of 320 J/cm2 and irradiance of 3537 mW/cm2. Data were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis. To test the normality of the data, we used the Shapiro-Wilk test. The data were non-parametric (except for age), then were represented as medians and quartiles, boxplot graphs and scatter plots. To assess statistical difference between halitosis before and after the aPDT the Wilcoxon test was used. For the correlation of numerical variables, the Spearman coefficient was used, and for the association of categorical variables, we used the Mann-Whitney test. Statistically significant differences were those whose p <0.05. Among the patients studied, the median score of NOT-S was 3, 40% had TMD, 33% of patients had severe hyposalivation, 40% had moderate hyposalivation and only 16% had normal salivary flow and 86% had initial halitosis. Treatment with a scraper associated with aPDT was effective in reducing oral malodor (p <0.0001). There was significant correlation between the degree of disability and disease duration, and association only between the result of NOT-S and TMD. It was concluded that patients with MS seem to have a high prevalence of halitosis, moderate or severe hyposalivation, DTM and halitosis. Treatment with tongue scraper associated with aPDT proved effective in the immediate reduction in halitosis in these patients. / A Esclerose Múltipla (EM) é doença imuno-mediada neurodegenerativa, inflamatória e para a qual não há cura. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as condições orofaciais de indivíduos com EM, incluindo a presença de Disfunção Temporomandibular (DTM) e o fluxo salivar, bem como observar se há alguma correlação ou associação entre esses fatores, além de observar a presença de halitose em pacientes com EM e verificar se o tratamento com terapia fotodinâmica antimicrobiana (aPDT) é eficaz contra esta. Foram selecionados 50 pacientes com diagnóstico de EM e em tratamento no Ambulatório de Especialidades da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Metropolitana de Santos (UNIMES). Os pacientes foram selecionados para a realização do instrumento NOT-S, que avalia as funções orofaciais, enquanto aguardavam as consultas e, posteriormente, 30 desses pacientes foram convidados para um retorno, no qual foi realizada a avaliação completa. Foram coletados os dados de duração da doença, grau de incapacidade, medicamento utilizado, presença DTM por meio do RDC/TDM, foi feito um teste de sialometria estimulada e a halitose foi avaliada com o aparelho OralchromaTM. Pacientes que apresentavam halitose proveniente da saburra lingual, foram submetidos a um tratamento imediato, no qual realizou-se uma raspagem lingual seguida pela aPDT. Para a realização da aPDT, o fotossensibilizador utilizado foi o azul de metileno manipulado na concentração de 0,005% (Fórmula e Ação®), associado ao laser THERAPY XT-EC® (DMC ABC Equipamentos Médicos e Odontológicos, SP, BR). Foram irradiados 6 pontos no dorso lingual com distância de 1 cm entre eles. O aparelho estava previamente calibrado com comprimento de onda de 660 nm, com energia de 9 J e potência de 100 mW, durante 90 segundos por ponto, fluência de 320 J/cm2 e irradiância de 3537 mW/cm2. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva. Para testar a normalidade dos dados, foi utilizado o teste Shapiro-Wilk. Os dados eram não-paramétricos (com exceção da idade), então foram representados em mediana e quartis, gráficos boxplot e gráficos de dispersão. Para avaliar a diferença estatística entre a halitose antes e depois da aPDT foi utilizado o teste de Wilcoxon. Para a correlação de variáveis numéricas, foi utilizado o coeficiente de Spearman, e para a associação das variáveis categóricas, foi utilizado o teste de Mann-Whitney. Foram consideradas diferenças estatisticamente significantes aquelas cujo p<0,05. Dentre os pacientes avaliados, o escore mediano do NOT-S foi 3, 40% apresentavam DTM, 33% dos pacientes apresentaram hipossalivação grave, 40% apresentaram hipossalivação moderada e apenas 16% apresentavam fluxo salivar normal e 86% apresentavam halitose inicial. O tratamento com raspador associado à aPDT foi eficaz na redução da halitose (p<0,0001). Houve correlação apenas entre o grau de incapacidade e a duração da doença, e associação apenas entre o resultado do NOT-S e a presença de DTM. Concluiu-se que os pacientes com EM parecem apresentar uma alta prevalência de halitose, hipossalivação moderada ou grave, DTM e halitose. O tratamento com raspador lingual associado a aPDT se mostrou eficiente na redução imediata da halitose nestes pacientes.

Les postures corporelles signalant domination ou soumission servent une fonction de communication chez les humains et d’autres animaux. La question de savoir si l'adoption de telles "postures de pouvoir" influence la perception et le comportement de l'agent fait actuellement l'objet d'un débat. Le travail réalisé pendant cette thèse consistait à explorer les effets de ces postures sur des comportements étroitement liés à leur fonction primaire, à savoir la communication sociale, en se focalisant sur les réponses aux visages, signaux sociaux particulièrement saillants. Dans une série d'expériences, j'ai utilisé des méthodes de corrélation inverse pour visualiser les représentations mentales de traits préférés du visage. Les représentations mentales des visages préférés implicitement et explicitement évoquaient une impression affiliative et légèrement dominante, mais ne révélaient aucun effet reproductible des postures. Deux autres expériences distinctes ont étudié les effets de la posture sur la perception d’expressions faciales menaçantes et sur les comportements d'approche ou d'évitement en réponse à ces signaux. Bien que les postures n'aient pas d’influence sur la reconnaissance explicite d’expressions faciales menaçantes, elles ont un impact sur les décisions d'approcher ou d'éviter des signaux de menace. Plus précisément, l'adoption d'une posture de soumission augmentait la tendance à éviter les personnes exprimant la colère. Enfin, une tentative de réplication des effets des postures sur les niveaux de testostérone et de cortisol a démontré que même l'adoption répétée d'une posture de pouvoir en contexte social ne provoque pas de changements hormonaux. Dans l'ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que notre posture corporelle n’influence pas nos représentations mentales et notre perception des autres individus, mais pourrait influencer nos actions en réponse aux signaux sociaux. / Expansive and constrictive body postures serve a primary communicative function in humans and other animals by signalling power and dominance. Whether adopting such “power postures” influences the agent’s own perception and behaviour is currently a subject of debate. In this PhD thesis, I explored effects of adopting power postures on behaviours closely related to the postures’ primary function of social signalling by focusing on responses to faces as particularly salient social signals. In a series of experiments, I utilized reverse correlation methods to visualize mental representations of preferred facial traits. Mental representations of implicitly as well as explicitly preferred faces evoked an affiliative and slightly dominant impression, but revealed no replicable effects of power postures. Two further separate experiments investigated posture effects on the perception of threatening facial expressions, and approach vs. avoidance actions in response to such social signals. While postures did not influence explicit recognition of threatening facial expressions, they affected approach and avoidance actions in response to them. Specifically, adopting a constrictive posture increased the tendency to avoid individuals expressing anger. Finally, an attempt to replicate posture effects on levels of testosterone and cortisol demonstrated that even repeatedly adopting a power posture in a social context does not elicit hormonal changes. Altogether, these findings suggest that our body posture does not influence our mental representations and perception of other people’s faces per se, but could influence our actions in response to social signals.

Driving comfort is considered a key factor for broad public acceptance of automated driving. Based on continuous driver/passenger monitoring, potential discomfort could be avoided by adapting automation features such as the driving style. The EU-project MEDIATOR (mediatorproject.eu) aims at developing a mediating system in automated vehicles by constantly evaluating the performance of driver and automation. As facial expressions could be an indicator of discomfort, a driving simulator study has been carried out to investigate this relationship. A total of 41 participants experienced three potentially uncomfortable automated approach situations to a truck driving ahead. The face video of four cameras was analyzed with the Visage facial feature detection and face analysis software, extracting 23 Action Units (AUs). Situation-specific effects showed that the eyes were kept open and eye blinks were reduced (AU43). Inner brows (AU1) as well as upper lids (AU5) raised, indicating surprise. Lips were pressed (AU24) and stretched (AU20) as sign for tension. Overall, facial expression analysis could contribute to detect discomfort in automated driving.

This master‘s thesis deals with the design and implementation of computer application for facial expression recognition. The first section describes the image processing, especially algorithms used in other parts of this thesis. The next section describes methods used for face detection, particularly the Viola-Jones detector. This is followed by a brief description of the basic facial expressions recognized by the application. The last two sections are dedicated to the design and implementation of the facial expression recognition algorithms and to the evaluation of the results.

This thesis deals with the analysis of 3D morphological changes and variability in the shape and form of facial expression during five specifically defined facial expressions (raising eyebrows, close both eyes, lips pursing, inflating both cheeks, smile). Changes in facial expression were evaluated in relation to sexual dimorphism and age category of probands using the methods of geometric morphometrics (Dense Correspondence Analysis, Paired Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Shell-to-Shell Deviation) in program Morphome3cs and RapidForm. The analysis consisted of evaluating the surface of soft tissue changes that occur due to the contraction of facial muscles. Materials used for the analysis are 3D surface facial models of adult healthy people of the Czech nationality (63 women, 58 men) in the age interval 20-60 years. We considered methodology based on Paired Analysis to be more accurate, when we worked only with differences between the neutral expression and facial expression. By choosing a Paired Analysis, we prevented the morphological features of the face from being reflected into the results. Morphological features are a manifestation of sexual dimorphism or age factor as such, but they are not themselves the essence of facial expression. In this way, we analyzed the shape of the face after...

I denna uppsats undersöks och analyseras nio Instagraminlägg på temat välmående utifrån teorin om visuell perception och visuellt berättande. Syftet är att undersöka hur företag, med Instagraminlägg på temat välmående, kan ge personer verktyg att förbättra sitt eget välmående. Frågeställningen som uppsatsen söker svar på är; Hur kan Instagraminlägg på temat välmående användas för att påverka känslor och upplevelser positivt i stunden? En kvalitativ fokusgruppsintervju används för att undersöka fyra individers upplevelser och känslor kring inläggen. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att ansiktsuttryck är ett bra medel för att få deltagarna att reflektera över sitt eget mående. När ansiktsuttrycken inte passar ihop med text och sammanhang upplevs inlägget som förvirrande även om färgerna i sig kändes lugnande eller upplyftande. Till vidare forskning hade det därför varit intressant att undersöka mer kring hur och varför ansiktsuttryck påverkar välmåendet.

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Background: The concept of alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one’s emotions. Alexithymic individuals are impaired in the recognition of others’ emotional facial expressions. Alexithymia is quite common in patients suffering from major depressive disorder. The face-in-the-crowd task is a visual search paradigm that assesses processing of multiple facial emotions. In the present eye-tracking study, the relationship between alexithymia and visual processing of facial emotions was examined in clinical depression. Materials and Methods: Gaze behavior and manual response times of 20 alexithymic and 19 non-alexithymic depressed patients were compared in a face-in-the-crowd task. Alexithymia was empirically measured via the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia-Scale. Angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions of different individuals were shown as target and distractor stimuli. Our analyses of gaze behavior focused on latency to the target face, number of distractor faces fixated before fixating the target, number of target fixations, and number of distractor faces fixated after fixating the target. Results: Alexithymic patients exhibited in general slower decision latencies compared to non-alexithymic patients in the face-in-the-crowd task. Patient groups did not differ in latency to target, number of target fixations, and number of distractors fixated prior to target fixation. However, after having looked at the target, alexithymic patients fixated more distractors than non-alexithymic patients, regardless of expression condition. Discussion: According to our results, alexithymia goes along with impairments in visual processing of multiple facial emotions in clinical depression. Alexithymia appears to be associated with delayed manual reaction times and prolonged scanning after the first target fixation in depression, but it might have no impact on the early search phase. The observed deficits could indicate difficulties in target identification and/or decision-making when processing multiple emotional facial expressions. Impairments of alexithymic depressed patients in processing emotions in crowds of faces seem not limited to a specific affective valence. In group situations, alexithymic depressed patients might be slowed in processing interindividual differences in emotional expressions compared with non-alexithymic depressed patients. This could represent a disadvantage in understanding non-verbal communication in groups.

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