Visual Cues Research Articles

DIABETIC FOOT ULCER CLASSIFICATION USING SEQUENTIAL CNN ALGORITHM

The occurrence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and their possible consequences provide a major healthcare challenge. For prompt care and the avoidance of serious problems, early and accurate detection of DFUs is essential. This study proposes a novel approach for automatic DFU detection utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), a powerful deep learning technique proven effective in image analysis. A large dataset of foot photos covering a variety of DFU types, phases, and circumstances is used to train the suggested CNN model. The training process involves learning intricate patterns and features indicative of DFUs, enabling the model to generalize well to unseen data. The CNN algorithm's effectiveness in feature extraction and spatial hierarchy learning is harnessed to identify subtle visual cues associated with DFUs, enhancing diagnostic accuracy. The proposed system is designed to operate on medical images, particularly those obtained through various imaging modalities such as digital photography or thermal imaging. Through rigorous validation and performance evaluation, the CNN model exhibits promising results, showcasing its potential as a reliable tool for automated DFU detection.The integration of this technology into clinical practice holds the promise of expediting the diagnostic process, facilitating timely medical interventions, and ultimately improving patient outcomes. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts in leveraging advanced technologies to address critical healthcare challenges, particularly in the realm of diabetic care and wound management.

Visual cues do not function in a multimodal signalling context for mate attraction in eastern gray treefrogs

Abstract Anurans use different sensory modalities to communicate and interact socially, including acoustic, chemical, tactile, and visual signals. In a multimodal context, these sensory modes can transmit different information to the receiver or even reinforce the same message. In this study, we hypothesized that body colour traits and vocal sac movements of male eastern gray treefrogs [Dryophytes versicolor (= Hyla versicolor)] serve as secondary visual cues that increase their attractiveness while calling to attract mates. We tested this hypothesis using playback trials combining synthetic advertisement calls with a variety of visual cues, including differently coloured resin frog models, simulated vocal sacs, and live frogs. None of the visual stimuli tested impacted female choice, and there was no difference in response rate, response time, choice angle, or distance covered in the arena between multimodal and unimodal stimuli. However, females showed a strong preference for longer calls even if the less attractive calls were paired with a visual stimulus. The study provides comprehensive insights into the role of visual stimuli in the mate attraction of eastern gray treefrogs and suggests that call traits play a dominant role in the male-selection process of this species, contrary to what was observed for visual stimuli.

A visual knowledge oriented approach for weakly supervised remote sensing object detection

Weakly supervised learning poses significant challenges in remote sensing (RS) object detection due to the lack of precise instance annotations. This issue becomes particularly pronounced when dealing with complex backgrounds and dense target alignments in RS images. To address above limitations, we propose a visual knowledge oriented approach to leverage visual cues as pseudo labels, thereby enhancing the supervision for object detection. The visual knowledge is mainly explored from two perspectives: Firstly, recognizing that annotations are made solely at the image level, we address this limitation by aggregating objects of the same type across a group of images that share related semantic concepts. This approach allows us to infer instance-level annotations through collective knowledge. Secondly, due to the bird’s-eye view of RS images, certain object categories display distinctive visual patterns that are identifiable via expert knowledge. Specifically, with the multi-instance self-training framework as our base model, we establish the correlation among images sharing the same class labels, the co-saliency is utilized to extract the regions of common interests, thereby obtaining initial foregrounds in each image. Moreover, by leveraging the expert knowledge of class-specific visual patterns, we refine the pseudo labels and strength the foreground feature extraction by incorporating the low-level visual cues. To further stabilize the training process and address potential noise in object proposals, we incorporate a two-stage training strategy to refine initial predictions. We validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach on two benchmark datasets, i.e. NWPU VHR-10.v2 and DIOR, and achieve mAP of 84.25% and 27.5% on these datasets, respectively, which significantly outperform trending methods.

‘It's really hard to be a jerk when you’re sitting on someone's couch’: preferences for discussing science and religion online versus offline

ABSTRACT Science and religion are important topics that people have opportunities to discuss in both online and offline contexts. Why do people prefer one communication mode over the other? Analyzing interviews with 45 adults from across the United States, we look at why people prefer communicating online versus offline about science and religion. Findings show that characteristics unique to either mode of communication (asynchronous communication, detachment, visual and social cues) are key factors in shaping people's preferences. We highlight principal differences in how these factors appear across science and religion. We also find that some people's preference toward online or offline communication depends on the context, such as the focus of the discussion or the relationship with the interlocutor. Understanding people's reasons for choosing to communicate about science and religion online versus offline can support related communities in creating more effective discussion options in the future.

AI-based visual speech recognition towards realistic avatars and lip-reading applications in the metaverse

The metaverse, a virtually shared digital world where individuals interact, create, and explore, has witnessed rapid evolution and widespread adoption. Communication between avatars is crucial to their actions in the metaverse. Advances in natural language processing have allowed for significant progress in producing spoken conversations. Within this digital landscape, the integration of Visual Speech Recognition (VSR) powered by deep learning emerges as a transformative application. This research delves into the concept and implications of VSR in the metaverse. This study focuses on developing realistic avatars and a lip-reading application within the metaverse, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for visual speech recognition. Visual Speech Recognition in the metaverse refers to using deep learning techniques to comprehend and respond to spoken language, relying on the visual cues provided by users' avatars. This multidisciplinary approach combines computer vision and natural language processing, enabling avatars to understand spoken words by analyzing the movements of their lips and facial expressions. Key components encompass the collection of extensive video datasets, the employment of 3D Convolutional Neural Networks (3D CNNs) combined with ShuffleNet and Densely Connected Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks (DC-TCN) called (CFS-DCTCN) to model visual and temporal features, and the integration of contextual understanding mechanisms. The two datasets Wild (LRW) dataset and the GRID Corpus datasets are utilized to validate the proposed model. As the metaverse continues its prominence, integrating Visual Speech Recognition through deep learning represents a pivotal step towards forging immersive and dynamic virtual worlds where communication transcends physical boundaries. This paper contributes to the foundation of technology-driven metaverse development and fosters a future where digital interactions mirror the complexities of human communication. The proposed model achieves 99.5 % on LRW and 98.8 % on the GRID dataset.

Functional performance of a novel compression top for female throwing athletes

This study forged an interdisciplinary design partnership between an apparel designer, biomechanical kinesiologist, and a professional female athlete to design and test a novel new upper body performance garment for improved fit, mobility, comfort, donning/doffing and throwing performance in female professional athletes. Researchers collaborated to address garment functionality and performance during the multi-phase prototyping design process. The final designed performance top was tested against a control for satisfaction differences with fit, mobility, comfort, donning, and doffing, along with throwing performance utilizing a mixed methods questionnaire and motion capture equipment. Open-ended questions were analyzed with content analysis, while quantitative measures utilized ANOVA and independent t-tests. Results indicated the designed performance top had higher fit satisfaction and more optimal positioning during the overhead throw when compared to the control garment, with no difference in comfort or mobility, and the designed top had lower donning and doffing satisfaction. The designed performance top illustrates the need for further research in increasing satisfaction in donning and doffing with bust/bra satisfaction in performance garments and future research to better understand the psychological sensory cues in posture cueing garments.

Graphic Design Vietnam - Problems and Solutions

The field of design in the world in general, and Graphic Design in particular tends to converge and interfere strongly with other art disciplines (such as fine arts, movies, and music...). Graphic design will flourish with cutting-edge technology, and this will certainly continue to grow in the future. Graphic design today needs to identify several common concerns with themes: boundaries and interlinkages between the arts and graphic design, the importance of content, and impact of advanced technology, the desire for emotional connection, limitations in creativity due to, imposed design software, the uncertainty of commercialization, the need to simplify the design to increase the speed at which information is perceived by visual cues, and, ultimately, the need to be ethical in design. The above problems have never been raised for the Vietnamese contemporary graphic design industry. The study of Contemporary Graphic Design in the development of Vietnamese culture is necessary to create a connection between the past and the present in terms of culture and spirit, because before or after, a production includbelongso belongs to a particular ethnic group.

Reliable object tracking by multimodal hybrid feature extraction and transformer-based fusion

Visual object tracking, which is primarily based on visible light image sequences, encounters numerous challenges in complicated scenarios, such as low light conditions, high dynamic ranges, and background clutter. To address these challenges, incorporating the advantages of multiple visual modalities is a promising solution for achieving reliable object tracking. However, the existing approaches usually integrate multimodal inputs through adaptive local feature interactions, which cannot leverage the full potential of visual cues, thus resulting in insufficient feature modeling. In this study, we propose a novel multimodal hybrid tracker (MMHT) that utilizes frame-event-based data for reliable single object tracking. The MMHT model employs a hybrid backbone consisting of an artificial neural network (ANN) and a spiking neural network (SNN) to extract dominant features from different visual modalities and then uses a unified encoder to align the features across different domains. Moreover, we propose an enhanced transformer-based module to fuse multimodal features using attention mechanisms. With these methods, the MMHT model can effectively construct a multiscale and multidimensional visual feature space and achieve discriminative feature modeling. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the MMHT model exhibits competitive performance in comparison with that of other state-of-the-art methods. Overall, our results highlight the effectiveness of the MMHT model in terms of addressing the challenges faced in visual object tracking tasks.

Visual Conjoint vs. Text Conjoint and the Differential Discriminatory Effect of (Visible) Social Categories

AbstractDoes learning political candidates’ social categories through visual cues affect voter preferences? This paper explores this question by conducting a visual conjoint survey experiment with 2324 German voters, varying whether respondents received information on candidates through explicit labels or pretested AI-generated candidate pictures. The results confirm our expectations that the way in which social categories are perceived affects preferences, with visual cues having a more significant effect on voter preferences compared to textual cues, leading to more discriminatory preferences for certain social categories. Moreover, we show that the effect of visual cues is moderated by the visibility of social categories, with visible social categories, such as gender binaries and ethnic in-/out-group, eliciting more discriminatory preferences with visual cues. The study sheds light on how visible and invisible social categories affect political candidates’ preferences and emphasizes the importance of considering the intersectionality of social categories and their relationship with ideology.

The effects of laser cane cues on the freezing of gait of Parkinson's disease patients: can increasing the laser light beam width play a role?

Freezing of gait can be seen in a significant number of people with Parkinson's disease. Disappointingly, the classic standard treatment of Parkinson's disease with dopamine replacement has not shown promising results in improving the freezing of gait. Hence the approach have shifted towards using non-invasive methods to address this problem. To assess the effect of laser cane as a visual cue on the freezing of gait of people with Parkinson's disease and further determine the effect of laser light beam width and color on the freezing of gait. 7 known Parkinson's Disease patients were enrolled in this study, all of whom had at least one episode of freezing at at least one clinical visit. These patients underwent gait analysis in 4 stages: walking without a cane, walking with a thin red light laser cane, a thick red light laser cane, and a green light laser cane. Using laser canes effectively improved nearly all parameters of walking, including right and left stride length, step length, the velocity of movement, and rotation time, compared to walking without a stick. Using different colors of laser cane didn't make any significant difference in improving the freezing of gait of our patients. Nevertheless, increasing the laser light beam width significantly improved almost all walking parameters. This is the first study assessing the effect of laser light beam width on freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease patients and shows promising results in regards to increasing the thickness of laser lights in order to improve walking parameters in Parkinson's disease patients more effectively. Furthermore, this is the second study to evaluate the effect of laser light color, contradicting the previous results by showing no significant correlation between the color of laser light and improvements in walking parameters.

The Effect of Directional Tactile Memory of the Back of the User on Reaction Time and Accuracy

Tactile memory is the cognitive process of storing and recalling information that has been perceived through the sense of touch. Directional tactile memory involves the encoding and retrieval of sensory data associated with a tactile experience, allowing individuals to remember and recognize directional information encoded through the sense of touch. A new method for providing directional tactile feedback, at the back of the user, has been developed to investigate the efficacy of directional tactile memory, its decay over time, and its impact during a concurrent cognitive task. Two experiments were presented. In the first experiment, tactile memory deterioration, with a visual or a tactile cue, was tested with different action-cue latencies (10 s and 20 s). In the second experiment, we considered tactile memory deterioration when there was an increased cognitive load as the participants played Tetris. Forty volunteers participated in the two experiments using purpose-built tactile seats with nine motors controlled by an Arduino. The performance data (error and reaction times) were analyzed statistically, and a NASA task load index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire was administered to measure the subjective workload after each of the two experiments. The findings highlighted that the directional tactile memory of the back can guide individuals to the correct point on the screen and that it can be maintained for at least 20 s. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of errors or reaction time with a visual or tactile action cue. However, being involved in a concurrent cognitive task (playing Tetris) adversely affected the reaction time, the number of errors, and the directional tactile memory, which degraded as the time between the directional cue and the action cue increased. Participants perceived the performance while playing Tetris as significantly more mentally and perceptually demanding, requiring more mental and physical effort and being more frustrating. These trials revealed a new potential for a human–machine interface system, leveraging directional tactile memory, which might be utilized to increase the safety of autonomous vehicles.

Procedurally generated AI compound media for expanding audial creations, broadening immersion and perception experience

Recently, the world has been gaining vastly increasing access to more and more advanced artificial intelligence tools. This phenomenon does not bypass the world of sound and visual art, and both of these worlds can benefit in ways yet unexplored, drawing them closer to one another. Recent breakthroughs open possibilities to utilize AI driven tools for creating generative art and using it as a compound of other multimedia. The aim of this paper is to present an original concept of using AI to create a visual compound material to existing audio source. This is a way of broadening accessibility thus appealing to different human senses using source media, expanding its initial form. This research utilizes a novel method of enhancing fundamental material consisting of text audio or text source (script) and sound layer (audio play) by adding an extra layer of multimedia experience – a visual one, generated procedurally. A set of images generated by AI tools, creating a story-telling animation as a new way to immerse into the experience of sound perception and focus on the initial audial material. The main idea of the paper consists of creating a pipeline, form of a blueprint for the process of procedural image generation based on the source context (audial or textual) transformed into text prompts and providing tools to automate it by programming a set of code instructions. This process allows creation of coherent and cohesive (to a certain extent) visual cues accompanying audial experience levering it to multimodal piece of art. Using nowadays technologies, creators can enhance audial forms procedurally, providing them with visual context. The paper refers to current possibilities, use cases, limitations and biases giving presented tools and solutions.

Using Low-cost Videoscopes to Obtain Accurate Video "Oral Selfies" as Screening for HPV-associated Oropharyngeal Cancer: A New Screening Technology?

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancers associated with sexual contact are increasing, with high rates in men who have sex with men. HPV-related cancers have the advantage of being frequently detectable through oropharyngeal visual examination and having much higher survival rates than classic oropharyngeal cancers. It has been demonstrated that gay and bisexual men can take smartphone oropharyngeal "selfies" of sufficient quality for screening. However, there is an issue with the inability to move the tongue to allow a clear view of the palatine tonsils, where a majority of oropharyngeal cancer cases occur. We attempted to investigate the feasibility of using commercially available videoscopes to visualize the oropharynx. Fourteen healthy volunteers used a provided low-cost commercial endoscope to video their oropharynx. Participants used the videoscope connected to a laptop and could visualize the oropharynx on the screen. Attempts were observed, and the process was noted. A focus group of participants was carried out immediately afterwards to ascertain barriers and facilitators to using the videoscopes. All participants were able to use the videoscope and obtain videos of sufficient clarity to note major oropharyngeal landmarks. The palatine tonsils were initially difficult to visualize because the tongue could not be sufficiently controlled. Participants were given time to practice using visual cues to control the position of the tongue, which helped in obtaining good videos. Videoscopes can be used effectively with minimal instruction and provide a better view than still images, as they illuminate and magnify the site. Low-cost commercially available videoscopes may be an improvement over smartphone "selfies".

Low and high beta rhythms have different motor cortical sources and distinct roles in movement control and spatiotemporal attention.

Low and high beta frequency rhythms were observed in the motor cortex, but their respective sources and behavioral correlates remain unknown. We studied local field potentials (LFPs) during pre-cued reaching behavior in macaques. They contained a low beta band (<20 Hz) dominant in primary motor cortex and a high beta band (>20 Hz) dominant in dorsal premotor cortex (PMd). Low beta correlated positively with reaction time (RT) from visual cue onset and negatively with uninstructed hand postural micro-movements throughout the trial. High beta reflected temporal task prediction, with selective modulations before and during cues, which were enhanced in moments of increased focal attention when the gaze was on the work area. This double-dissociation in sources and behavioral correlates of motor cortical low and high beta, with respect to both task-instructed and spontaneous behavior, reconciles the largely disparate roles proposed for the beta rhythm, by suggesting band-specific roles in both movement control and spatiotemporal attention.

Steady Hand at the Wheel: How Perceived Movement Influences Consumer Responses to Brand Failures

Paratextual communication methods, such as the use of emojis and other visual messaging cues, offer firms a unique opportunity to repair relationships with consumers after brand failures. The current research demonstrates that visual messaging cues associated with lower perceived movement lead to greater brand loyalty relative to more dynamic cues in response to brand failure. Across five studies, we show that lower perceived movement in visual messaging cues leads to more favorable consumer outcomes (e.g., subsequent real choice behavior and brand loyalty intentions). This effect is mediated by brand trust. Furthermore, we examine theoretically and practically relevant boundary conditions. The findings presented offer theoretical contributions to research on visual communication cues in brand recovery contexts. Additionally, the current research provides managerially relevant insights for communication strategies during recovery.

Oxytocin receptor function regulates neural signatures of pair bonding and fidelity in the nucleus accumbens.

The formation of enduring relationships dramatically influences future behavior, promoting affiliation between familiar individuals. How such attachments are encoded to elicit and reinforce specific social behaviors in distinct ethological contexts remains unknown. Signaling via the oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) facilitates social reward as well as pair bond formation between mates in socially monogamous prairie voles 1-9 . How Oxtr function influences activity in the NAc during pair bonding to promote affiliative behavior with partners and rejection of other potential mates has not been determined. Using longitudinal in vivo fiber photometry in wild-type prairie voles and those lacking Oxtr, we demonstrate that Oxtr function sex-specifically regulates pair bonding behaviors and associated activity in the NAc. Oxtr function influences prosocial behavior in females in a state-dependent manner. Females lacking Oxtr demonstrate reduced prosocial behaviors and lower activity in the NAc during initial chemosensory investigation of novel males. Upon pair bonding, affiliative behavior with partners and neural activity in the NAc during these interactions increase, but these changes do not require Oxtr function. Conversely, males lacking Oxtr display increased prosocial investigation of novel females. Using the altered patterns of behavior and activity in the NAc of males lacking Oxtr during their first interactions with a female, we can predict their future preference for a partner or stranger days later. These results demonstrate that Oxtr function sex-specifically influences the early development of pair bonds by modulating prosociality and the neural processing of sensory cues and social interactions with novel individuals, unmasking underlying sex differences in the neural pathways regulating the formation of long-term relationships.

Context and space coding in mossy cell population activity

The dentate gyrus plays a key role in the discrimination of memories by segregating and storing similar episodes. Whether hilar mossy cells, which constitute a major excitatory principal cell type in the mammalian hippocampus, contribute to this decorrelation function has remained largely unclear. Using two-photon calcium imaging of head-fixed mice performing a spatial virtual reality task, we show that mossy cell populations robustly discriminate between familiar and novel environments. The degree of discrimination depends on the extent of visual cue differences between contexts. A context decoder revealed that successful environmental classification is explained mainly by activity difference scores of mossy cells. By decoding mouse position, we reveal that in addition to place cells, the coordinated activity among active mossy cells markedly contributes to the encoding of space. Thus, by decorrelating context information according to the degree of environmental differences, mossy cell populations support pattern separation processes within the dentate gyrus.

Look-smell-taste labels on food date marking: Assessing their effectiveness for reducing food waste at a consumer level as part of the European Green Deal

The frequent misinterpretation of “best before” labels among consumers is linked to substantial amounts of food waste generated in the US and the EU. To counteract this problem, the European Commission plans to revise current regulations of date marking. Among other initiatives, it is considered to use “Look-Smell-Taste” (LST) labels on food packaging, which depict visual cues motivating consumers to engage in sensory food assessments. Against this background, this paper aims to investigate the LST labels’ effectiveness in reducing consumers’ food waste behavior using an online- and a food lab experiment. The studies examine selected date marking options varying in their wording and presence of the LST label with regard to their potential (1) to increase the overdate acceptance and actual product use, as well as (2) to motivate the sensory assessment of dairy products that passed the “best before” date. Findings show that LST labels did not significantly increase the overdate acceptance, the actual use of expired products, or consumers’ engagement in sensory assessment. Participants did however indicate their preference for date marking options with LST labels over text-only options. The paper provides insights into current and future attempts to reduce food waste related to date marking and recommendations for respective revisions as part of the European Green Deal.

Development of Tailored Teaching Model for Beginning Piano Level Among Visually Impaired Students

Music education for visually impaired individuals faces significant challenges due to traditional methods relying heavily on visual cues. This study addresses this gap by developing a tailored teaching model for beginning piano instruction among visually impaired students. Through a multi-phase methodology, including pilot teaching, expert interviews, and formal teaching sessions, the study integrates innovative pedagogical strategies and adaptive technologies to create an inclusive learning environment. The pilot teaching phase was conducted at a specialized school for the blind and deaf in Jiangsu, China, involving six visually impaired students with varying levels of piano learning experience. Expert interviews were conducted with three individuals with expertise in music education for visually impaired individuals. The formal teaching phase comprised six new visually impaired students and spanned three months, with assessments conducted after the 5th and 10th lessons to evaluate learning progress. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the tailored teaching model in fostering meaningful musical experiences and promoting musical proficiency among visually impaired students. Suggestions for further research and implementation of tailored teaching models are provided to enhance access to music education for visually impaired individuals.

Analysis of oscillations of the center of pressure in postural control

Posture results from intricate interactions between the central nervous system's control mechanisms, sensory integration, and musculoskeletal responses, encompassing two levels: sustaining tonic muscle activity for posture and making adjustments to maintain balance in response to disturbances. Due to its complexity, assessing posture with simple methods is challenging, necessitating the use of advanced techniques like stabilometric platforms to measure postural stability through the center of pressure oscillations, akin to an inverted pendulum concept, offering a comprehensive understanding of postural control mechanisms. Materials and Methods: The study aims to analyze the trajectory of the center of pressure (COP) in relation to the gender of the subjects, through directional indices (DI) and oscillation ratio (OR), in the process of posture maintenance. The study included a sample of 50 young subjects (21-24 years), sports practitioners, divided into two equal groups. Results: The study findings indicate that gender does not influence COP DI. However, there's a significant disparity between anteroposterior (AP) DI values (0.70) and mediolateral (ML) DI values (0.54). The results suggest a predominant reliance on AP control mechanisms for maintaining balance, regardless of gender. When visual input is absent, there's a slight increase in AP DI (0.72) and a decrease in ML DI (0.52), indicating a shift in balance strategies. In terms of OR, significant differences are observed based on gender, oscillation direction, and visual input. Female subjects exhibit higher AP OR (6.5) compared to males (5.1). Under closed eyes conditions, both genders show decreased AP OR (6.0 for females, 4.7 for males), indicating a reliance on alternative balance strategies in the absence of visual cues. Conclusion: The study highlights the complexity of postural control and empha-sizes the influence of factors like gender and visual input on postural stability metrics, providing valuable insights for further research and clinical practice. The analysis reveals that around 60% of COP oscillations occur in the AP direction, regardless of visual input changes. This underscores the critical role of AP control in maintaining balance, suggesting targeted interventions to enhance stability should prioritize this aspect. Keywords: postural control, oscillations of the center of pressure, stabilometric platform.