Life In Face Research Articles

Investigation of Stressors Affecting a sample of Pharmacy Students and the Coping Strategies Employed using Modified Academic Stressors Scale and Brief Cope Scale: a Prospective Study

Objectives: To study the relationship between perceived stress, health outcomes of different batches of pharmacy students. Methodology: A total of 320 undergraduate pharmacy students in AIMST University were included in the study. Voluntary participation was mandatory and Informed Consent Forms were provided to each participant, prior to answering selfadministered questionnaires, which were distributed in two phases. A prospective cross-sectional correlation design used o examines correlations between perceived stress, physical activity, and other health behaviors in pharmacy students. Results: Frequencies and descriptive data analysis was done and statistical difference between the phases were calculated using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. A few stressors [mid-semester and final examinations; study break periods; grades acquired (GPA and CGPA); financial issues] showed significant variations. The two-tailed unpaired t-test revealed significant changes in stress levels and responses between both phases, possibly due to the timing of each phase (before mid-sem exams and after mid-sem exams). A worrying aspect was the increase in negative coping strategies in many categories. Conclusion: Stressors and stressful events do have a major impact on a student’s academic and extra-curricular life. Managing stress in a positive manner helps to cope appropriately with stress and enable each student to face life’s future stressful situations in a prepared manner. The modified study instrument used in this study explored various dimensions of stress (general stressors, test anxiety stressors, stressful events checklist and stress coping strategies). It is a beneficial tool for evaluating students’ stress levels and to take appropriate remedial measures. Key words: Stress, Positive and Negative stressors, Academic Stressors scale, Brief COPE scale, Optimal stress, Positive coping strategies.

The hidden threat of customer‐led growth

The companies behind the world's most popular brands are exceptional. They have beaten the odds by surviving the birthing process, transitioning from small to medium, eventually graduating to “the big time”. Survival it seems is no longer an everyday concern. Growth is the common imperative. However, many, if not most, of those surviving to “adulthood” will face life threatening events.

Human naïve regulatory T-cells feature high steady-state turnover and are maintained by IL-7.

Naïve FoxP3-expressing regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are essential to control immune responses via continuous replenishment of the activated-Treg pool with thymus-committed suppressor cells. The mechanisms underlying naïve-Treg maintenance throughout life in face of the age-associated thymic involution remain unclear. We found that in adults thymectomized early in infancy the naïve-Treg pool is remarkably well preserved, in contrast to conventional naïve CD4 T-cells. Naïve-Tregs featured high levels of cycling and pro-survival markers, even in healthy individuals, and contrasted with other circulating naïve/memory CD4 T-cell subsets in terms of their strong γc-cytokine-dependent signaling, particularly in response to IL-7. Accordingly, ex-vivo stimulation of naïve-Tregs with IL-7 induced robust cytokine-dependent signaling, Bcl-2 expression, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent proliferation, whilst preserving naïve phenotype and suppressive capacity. Altogether, our data strongly implicate IL-7 in the thymus-independent long-term survival of functional naïve-Tregs, and highlight the potential of targeting the IL-7 pathway to modulate Tregs in different clinical settings.

Intensive Care Management of Patient After Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC - A Concise Review.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in combination with cytoreductive surgery is a targeted treatment approach in which tumors that have spread through the lining of the abdomen are removed and then heated chemotherapy is perfused throughout the abdomen, with the intent of killing any remaining cancer cells that may be present after all the visible disease has been removed surgically. The chemotherapy is administered in high dosages to the targeted area and washed out, thereby limiting the systemic toxicity. The procedure usually takes 8 to 18h and is most commonly used to treat appendiceal, colorectal or mesothelioma tumors including those that have failed standard chemotherapy and/or prior surgeries. Patients face major and life threatening derangements of their hemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic physiologic balance during the surgery and in the immediate postoperative period. Intensive monitoring and timely detection of possible complications and appropriate remedial action is crucial for better surgical results.

Eye Region Activity State based Face Liveness Detection System

Eye Region Activity State based Face Liveness Detection System

Book in Review: A Teaching Guide: Finding Hope and Resilience in Life's Bright Places: Helping Adolescents Face Life’s Challenges

Book in Review: A Teaching Guide: Finding Hope and Resilience in Life's Bright Places: Helping Adolescents Face Life’s Challenges

Face recognition performance comparison between fake faces and live faces

Face recognition is a widely used biometric technology because it is both user friendly and more convenient to use than other biometric approaches. However, naive face recognition systems that do not support any type of liveness detection can be easily spoofed using just a photograph of a valid user. Face liveness detection is a key issue in the field of security systems that use a camera. Unfortunately, it is not easy to detect face liveness using existing methods, assuming that there are print failures and overall image blur. With the development of display devices and image capturing technology, it is possible to reproduce face images similar to real faces. Therefore, the number of attacks using a photograph or video displayed on a screen rather than paper will increase. In this study, we compare test results using live faces and high-definition face videos from light-emitting diode (LED) display devices and analyze the changes in face recognition performance according to the lighting direction. Experimental results show that there is no significant difference between live faces and not live faces under good lighting conditions. We suggest the use of gamma to reduce the performance gap between the two faces under poor lighting conditions. From these results, we can provide key solutions to resolve the issues associated with texture-based approaches.

Nature creates, adapts, protects and sustains life using hydrogen sulfide.

Life emerged on Earth in an anaerobic environment, bathed in noxious gases. Among these gases, the role of hydrogen sulfide is significant since this gas, was required as a building block of life, contributed to abiogenic generation of organic compounds that gave rise to life and drove adaptations of life throughout its entire evolutionary path. During evolution, hydrogen sulfide contributed to sustaining life in face of harsh environmental conditions. Modern cells still utilize hydrogen sulfide as a signaling molecule, in pro and anti-inflammatory responses, for acquisition of tolerance against damage, in directing repair responses, as a source of energy and in modifying their genetic makeup and function to acquire a phenotype reminiscent of early life forms.

Solutions for Cold Feet and Other Little Problems by Carey Sookocheff

Reviewed by: Solutions for Cold Feet and Other Little Problems by Carey Sookocheff Elizabeth Bush Sookocheff, Carey Solutions for Cold Feet and Other Little Problems; written and illus. by Carey Sookocheff. Tundra, 2016 48p ISBN 978-1-77049-873-0 $16.99 R 4-7 yrs To paraphrase: “Sometimes you get the dog; sometimes the dog gets you.” For the unnamed girl and her pooch who face life’s ups and downs, sometimes the dog is the problem, and sometimes it’s the solution. When, for example, the girl is missing a shoe and has checked under the bed and behind the couch, only to find her shredded footwear dangling from her dog’s mouth, there’s not much else to do but scowl, “wear a mismatched pair,” and take the momentarily remorseful dog for a walk. However, when boredom is the problem and she’s drooping over a swing in the yard, it’s the dog who carries over a stick, a leash, and a towel, just the stuff needed to make a tent to hang out in together. Then when her winter hat is blown into a tree, a collaboratively constructed snowman is a handy ladder with which to retrieve it. Each scenario is examined in brief text, an excellent fit for emergent readers. Girl and dog perform in each short act against a backdrop with just a few seasonal color swaths and a handful of details for the setting. The dog, rendered in a few efficient Thurber-esque strokes, is remarkably expressive in both countenance and body language, and he generally steals the show from his beset companion. This is a cozy title for reading along or reading alone, for talking about, and for reading once again with a knowing nod. [End Page 148] Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Developing a Novel Technique for Face Liveness Detection

Face recognition is an important tool in identifying a person. Due to existence of non-real faces, Spoofing attack weakens the Face Recognition process, which can be overcome byLiveness Detection. There are three approaches to perform liveness detection: by challenge and response based liveness detection technique, by face texture liveness detection and by joining two or more biometrics liveness detection. The existing techniques fail to give good results for Face Liveness Detection under unconstrained environment. Hence we have proposed Face Liveness Detection based on Image Quality Assessment (IQA) parameters. The proposed system is validated on a database having 70 images which are taken under unconstrained environment.

MAKNA SIMBOLIK PANTUN DALAM TRADISI MULANG-MULANGKAN PADA MASYARAKAT MELAYU SAMBAS

AbstractThis study aims to describe symbolic meanings of pantun in the mulang-mulangkantradition in the Sambas Malay community. The mulang-mulangkan tradition is a Malaytradition through which the parents of the bride and groom hand over the couple tofamilies and relatives to be well accepted. The study employed the ethnographic approachby applying the analysis according to the ethnographic framework by Spradley. Theanalysis was conducted by investigating symbols based on the contexts and relationalmeanings of folk terms in pantun in relation to the cultural life of the community possessingthe text. The results of the data analysis show that the folk terms in the Sambas Malaycommunity contain symbolic meanings. Some of them are advice on a pure bride, adviceon bitterness in family life, advice on loyalty and willingness to sacrifice, advice on patienceand trust in God to face life, advice on problem solving through agreement, advice ondiligence in saying prayers and not being lazy in family life, and advice on inviting otherswhen a baby is born.

The Use of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback and Neurofeedback for Traumatic Brain Injury

The Use of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback and Neurofeedback for Traumatic Brain Injury

Face liveness detection from a single image via diffusion speed model.

Spoofing using photographs or videos is one of the most common methods of attacking face recognition and verification systems. In this paper, we propose a real-time and nonintrusive method based on the diffusion speed of a single image to address this problem. In particular, inspired by the observation that the difference in surface properties between a live face and a fake one is efficiently revealed in the diffusion speed, we exploit antispoofing features by utilizing the total variation flow scheme. More specifically, we propose defining the local patterns of the diffusion speed, the so-called local speed patterns, as our features, which are input into the linear SVM classifier to determine whether the given face is fake or not. One important advantage of the proposed method is that, in contrast to previous approaches, it accurately identifies diverse malicious attacks regardless of the medium of the image, e.g., paper or screen. Moreover, the proposed method does not require any specific user action. Experimental results on various data sets show that the proposed method is effective for face liveness detection as compared with previous approaches proposed in studies in the literature.

Liveness Detection in Face Identification Systems: Using Zernike Moments and Fresnel Transformation of Facial Images

There are many ways to cheat Biometric facial recognition systems such as recorded movies or portrait photographs. Hence, these systems need Liveness detection in order to guard against such attacks. We have proposed a new real time and single image Liveness detection and face identification approach utilizing Zernike moments and Fresnel Transformation. The advantages of using Fresnel transformation and Zernike moments to express the facial features are investigated in both face identification and Liveness detection scopes. A publically available PRINT-ATTACK database is used for evaluation of our Liveness detection method. Some of the conventional Liveness detection systems use 3D or IR cameras that are costly and may decrease the facial features that are important in face recognition. Multimodal biometric systems use several independent biometrics, like face and voice, simultaneously. Such methods need extra equipment and algorithms that may be expensive and time-consuming. Thanks to the ability of digital Fresnel transformation and Zernike moments to describe and differentiate the light intensity reflections and the aliasing characteristics, a common digital camera is used instead of 3D or IR cameras. The Fresnel transformation of the facial images is extracted and the Zernike moments are then calculated as the features for both face recognition and Liveness detection. A support vector machine classifier is used for Liveness detection and the hamming distance between the extracted feature vectors and the average of registered samples are calculated for face recognition. We obtained an accuracy of 94.0% in separation of the original face pictures and fake ones and 97.16% in face identification. Our methodology proposed a new generative rotation and scale invariant facial anti-spoofing approach that can be used instead of the state of the art features like LBP and Gabor wavelets.

Resilience and Hope: Identifying Trajectories and Contexts of Household Food Insecurity

Household food insecurity occurs in the context of families’ experiences of difficult life events. Using the family adaptation and adjustment response model and elements of life course theory, we analyzed 14 in-depth interviews to determine the types of events that families experience, what demands and capabilities the families possess, and how they incorporate meanings into the formation of individual and family identities in the face life events and food insecurity. Commonly cited demands dealt with family issues, health, and employment. Commonly cited capabilities were family support, employment, job training, and assistance programs. Meanings within the context of individual and family identity centered around stress appraisal, religious perspectives, and meanings of food.

Face Anti-Spoofing Methods

In recent years, facial biometric systems have received increased deployment in various applications such as surveillance, access control and forensic investigations. However, one of the limitations of face recognition system is the high possibility of the system being deceived or spoofed by non-real faces such as photograph, video clips or dummy faces. In order to identify the spoofing attacks on such biometric systems, face liveness detection approaches have been developed. Thus, the current approach is to integrate liveness detection within facial biometrics by using life sign indicators of individual features. This article presents a review of state-of-the-art techniques in face liveness detection, which are classified into two groups, namely intrusive and non-intrusive approaches. Here, each technique is discussed in terms of its implementation, strengths and limitations, as well as indications on possible future research directions that can be studied.

Characterization of modular architecture principles towards reconfiguration: a first approach in its selection process

Reconfiguration is required in the adaptation of manufacturing systems for facing the constants and unexpected changes in the customer requirements or distinct requirement to face different use modes or life cycle phases with advantages. The modularity is the most important design principle in reconfiguration theory. In consequence, the selection and implementation of modular architecture principles (MAPs) are crucial in the design and manufacturing of the product portfolio architecture or of the manufacturing system. In this paper, a first basic characterization of 11 modular architecture principles is shown, 2 of these 11 are new principles. Life cycle analysis (LCA) and a functional characterization focused in the advantages and limitations of each principle are considered. The aim of this work is to provide indicators for an objective selection of the best modular architecture solution in the design stage. A robust selection conduces to a major cost-effectiveness in the product design process, adding benefits such as longer useful life, optimal material usage, and easy adaptability to market requirements as well.

Face liveness detection using defocus.

In order to develop security systems for identity authentication, face recognition (FR) technology has been applied. One of the main problems of applying FR technology is that the systems are especially vulnerable to attacks with spoofing faces (e.g., 2D pictures). To defend from these attacks and to enhance the reliability of FR systems, many anti-spoofing approaches have been recently developed. In this paper, we propose a method for face liveness detection using the effect of defocus. From two images sequentially taken at different focuses, three features, focus, power histogram and gradient location and orientation histogram (GLOH), are extracted. Afterwards, we detect forged faces through the feature-level fusion approach. For reliable performance verification, we develop two databases with a handheld digital camera and a webcam. The proposed method achieves a 3.29% half total error rate (HTER) at a given depth of field (DoF) and can be extended to camera-equipped devices, like smartphones.

“Man is not like an Ape”: Facing Life in PROSOPOPOIA. / Or / Mother Hubberds Tale

Throughout his oeuvre, Spenser shows a distinct interest in varieties of life. Often found in indistinguishable heaps, these congeries present grounds for deeper thinking about how humans categorize themselves and others. In both the title page and the poem proper of Mother Hubberds Tale, this concern is brilliantly displayed for readers to ponder. The title page takes what might have been a comforting hierarchy of being and upsets it in several ways. The poem then develops this anxiety through its investment in discourses of taxonomy and a thematic emphasis on the face as a locus of acknowledgment. Thus, the poem and its paratext need to be seen for what they are: radical statements about the contestability and uncertainty of the early modern project to draw boundaries between life-forms.

Learner-Centered Teaching: Can It Work in Kenyan Public Primary Schools?

Learner-centered teaching is known, through research, to enhance effective learning. In these methods, learners play the key role in learning while teachers only help them to develop the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them handle life issues and tasks independently. The developed countries to a greater extend practice these methods but many of the developing countries, Kenya included have continued to use the old teacher-centered teaching methods. Through a review of related literature, this study sought to uncover the factors that have hindered the use of learner-centered teaching methods in Kenyan public primary schools. The findings revealed multiple elements that have combined to prevent the practice of learner-centered teaching. These are grouped into teacher factors, teaching and learning material factors and learner factors. It was concluded that if Kenyan youth are to be prepared effectively to face life challenges of the 21 st century, the country's education stakeholders should endeavor to make teaching learner-centered rather than teacher-centered. The most important recommendation is that systematic teacher training should be provided for effective implementation of learner-centered teaching.