Human Face Research Articles

Amphibious ethics and speculative immersions: laboratory aquariums as a site for developing a more inclusive animal geography

ABSTRACT Human capacity to sense and respond to the suffering of non-human animals is key to animal care and welfare. Intuitively these modes of relating seem best suited to interactions between humans and warm-blooded mammals who share human-like facial features and characteristics. Animal geographers and those working in animal welfare have noted the challenges that humans face in learning to care about fishes, and how this leads to welfare guidelines and regulations which are poorly suited to aquatic species. This paper draws on interviews with laboratory aquarists and biomedical researchers to explore how they have learnt to sense and respond to the needs of fishes in the laboratory. We offer two key observations. Firstly, despite significant bodily differences, humans find ways to empathise with fishes. Secondly, whilst observations of bodies and behaviours predominate in laboratory mammal welfare assessments, when working with fishes water quality serves as an important proxy for species health. We conclude that the laboratory aquarium signifies methodological and conceptual limits in contemporary animal geographies. We further argue that these barriers should be understood as cultural, and – as we demonstrate – that there is consequently scope and capacity to reach beyond them by engaging in amphibious ethics and speculative immersions.

Plain alethic pluralism: the human face of truth

Within the secular and still ongoing discussion about truth, what is by now known as alethic pluralism has proved to be one of the most interesting proposals advanced in the field. Indeed, from the last decade of the last century onwards, the field of theories about truth has been enriched with the idea that truth is not only one but also many—many alethically potent properties that differently characterise different domains of discourse. Moreover, thirty or so years of discussions have also shown that alethic pluralism itself is many rather than one—a family of views with different metaphysical commitments. As it may happen in all good families, though, some members are neglected or overshadowed. This is the case with the view called “simple alethic pluralism”, and this paper seeks to remedy this. Accordingly, a new kind of simple alethic pluralism (termed “Plain Alethic Pluralism”) is advanced. It highlights the features of the meaning of the word “true”, in particular its focal meaning, while reaffirming the dependence of truth on the world. In drawing attention to the way speakers use the truth-predicate, making it acquire the meaning it has, it intends to qualify as a conception of truth with a human face.

INTRODUCTION TO VEDANGAS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION IN AYURVEDA

Ancient Indian literature has a large body of religious texts composed in various languages; among them, some of the Vedic literature is written in Sanskrit, ‘Devanagari Lipi’. An introduction to' Vedangas' has been made to help readers understand and correct the interpretation of Vedic literature. Vedangas are composed of two words: Veda means ‘Knowledge’, and Angas means ‘Limbs’, collectively known as ‘The Limbs of Knowledge’. Among the four Vedas, ‘Ayurveda’ is Upaveda of ‘Atharvaveda’. Ayurveda not only deals with Pranirogaharam but also helps to attain Purushartha. Samhita of Ayurveda is also composed in verse format, describing the vastness of Sanskrit literature. For Arthaprapati of these verses effortlessly and trace out the exact meaning of verses, these six fields of studies mentioned by Maharshis, known as ‘Vedangas’, i.e., Shiksha, Vyarkarana, Chhandas, Nirukti, Kalpa, Jyotisha have been used. For a deeper understanding of these Vedangas, they are co-related with six parts of the human body, i.e., nose, face, legs, ear, hand and eyes, respectively, termed as ‘Veda Purusha’, have been explained by ‘Paniniya Shiksha’. Shiksha, Vyarkarana, Chhandas, and Nirukti in Ayurveda give clarity on Swara Uccharana, Patha or Akshara Suddhi, grammatical analysis of verses, clarity in understanding Pada, Paada, etc., their origin and meaning and lastly memorizing it effortlessly. The importance of Kalpa and Jyotisha can be apricated throughout the Shastras of Ayurveda. Hence, an effort has been put forth to determine the applicability of these Vedangas in Ayurveda.

Prepandemic Metabolic Correlates of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Severity and Long COVID Incidence in People Living With HIV.

Host metabolic dysregulation, especially in tryptophan metabolism, is intricately linked to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and its postacute sequelae (long COVID). People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) experience similar metabolic dysregulation and face an increased risk of developing long COVID. However, whether preexisting HIV-associated metabolic dysregulations contribute in predisposing PLWH to severe COVID-19 outcomes remains underexplored. Analyzing prepandemic samples from PLWH with documented postinfection outcomes, we found specific metabolic alterations, including increased tryptophan catabolism, predicting an elevated risk of severe COVID-19 and the incidence of long COVID. These alterations warrant further investigation for their potential prognostic and mechanistic significance in determining COVID-19 complications.

Modulation of the attentional response to baby schema by testosterone in pedohebephilic men and its relation to the nurturing system

Previous fMRI research found increased brain responses in men with pedophilic interest to non-sexual pictures of child and animal faces. This raised the question of whether an aberrant nurturing system could be linked to pedophilia. To further explore this hypothesis, 20 pedohebephilic and 23 teleiophilic men performed a target detection task with adult versus infant human and animal faces, which measured selective attention towards the baby schema by comparing reaction times to infant versus adult targets that were presented amongst distractors of the other category. Since the response to baby schema can be influenced by steroid hormones, saliva samples were additionally collected to determine endogenous testosterone, progesterone, estradiol and cortisol. Contrary to expectations, all men did not react faster to infant than adult faces. Yet, pedohebephilic men were more distracted by infant’s faces than teleiophilic men. Pedohebephilic men with higher testosterone were faster in orienting attention to infant targets in the context of adult distractors. This association was not observed in teleiophilic men. Our results support the idea of an overactive nurturing system in pedophilia, which may be influenced by the endogenous testosterone level.

Human–Robot Co-Facilitation in Collaborative Learning: A Comparative Study of the Effects of Human and Robot Facilitation on Learning Experience and Learning Outcomes

Collaborative learning has been widely studied in higher education and beyond, suggesting that collaboration in small groups can be effective for promoting deeper learning, enhancing engagement and motivation, and improving a range of cognitive and social outcomes. The study presented in this paper compared different forms of human and robot facilitation in the game of planning poker, designed as a collaborative activity in the undergraduate course on agile project management. Planning poker is a consensus-based game for relative estimation in teams. Team members collaboratively estimate effort for a set of project tasks. In our study, student teams played the game of planning poker to estimate the effort required for project tasks by comparing task effort relative to one another. In this within- and between-subjects study, forty-nine students in eight teams participated in two out of four conditions. The four conditions differed in respect to the form of human and/or robot facilitation. Teams 1–4 participated in conditions C1 human online and C3 unsupervised robot, while teams 5–8 participated in conditions C2 human face to face and C4 supervised robot co-facilitation. While planning poker was facilitated by a human teacher in conditions C1 and C2, the NAO robot facilitated the game-play in conditions C3 and C4. In C4, the robot facilitation was supervised by a human teacher. The study compared these four forms of facilitation and explored the effects of the type of facilitation on the facilitator’s competence (FC), learning experience (LX), and learning outcomes (LO). The results based on the data from an online survey indicated a number of significant differences across conditions. While the facilitator’s competence and learning outcomes were rated higher in human (C1, C2) compared to robot (C3, C4) conditions, participants in the supervised robot condition (C4) experienced higher levels of focus, motivation, and relevance and a greater sense of control and sense of success, and rated their cognitive learning outcomes and the willingness to apply what was learned higher than in other conditions. These results indicate that human supervision during robot-led facilitation in collaborative learning (e.g., providing hints and situational information on demand) can be beneficial for learning experience and outcomes as it allows synergies to be created between human expertise and flexibility and the consistency of the robotic assistance.

Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Bone tissue engineering is a promising alternative to repair wounds caused by cellular or physical accidents that humans face daily. In this sense, the search for new graphene oxide (GO) nanofillers related to their degree of oxidation is born as an alternative bioactive component in forming new scaffolds. In the present study, three different GOs were synthesized with varying degrees of oxidation and studied chemically and tissue-wise. The oxidation degree was determined through infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The morphology of the samples was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxygen content was deeply described using the deconvolution of RS and XPS techniques. The latter represents the oxidation degree for each of the samples and the formation of new bonds promoted by the graphitization of the material. In the RS, two characteristic bands were observed according to the degree of oxidation and the degree of graphitization of the material represented in bands D and G with different relative intensities, suggesting that the samples have different crystallite sizes. This size was described using the Tuinstra-Koenig model, ranging between 18.7 and 25.1 nm. Finally, the bone neoformation observed in the cranial defects of critical size indicates that the F1 and F2 samples, besides being compatible and resorbable, acted as a bridge for bone healing through regeneration. This promoted healing by restoring bone and tissue structure without triggering a strong immune response.

A familiar face and person processing area in the human temporal pole

How does the brain process the faces of familiar people? Neuropsychological studies have argued for an area of the temporal pole (TP) linking faces with person identities, but magnetic susceptibility artifacts in this region have hampered its study with fMRI. Using data acquisition and analysis methods optimized to overcome this artifact, we identify a familiar face response in TP, reliably observed in individual brains. This area responds strongly to visual images of familiar faces over unfamiliar faces, objects, and scenes. However, TP did not just respond to images of faces, but also to a variety of high-level social cognitive tasks, including semantic, episodic, and theory of mind tasks. The response profile of TP contrasted with a nearby region of the perirhinal cortex that responded specifically to faces, but not to social cognition tasks. TP was functionally connected with a distributed network in the association cortex associated with social cognition, while PR was functionally connected with face-preferring areas of the ventral visual cortex. This work identifies a missing link in the human face processing system that specifically processes familiar faces, and is well placed to integrate visual information about faces with higher-order conceptual information about other people. The results suggest that separate streams for person and face processing reach anterior temporal areas positioned at the top of the cortical hierarchy.

Red Backgrounds Enhance Dominance in Human Faces and Shapes.

Red color signals dominance in both animals and humans. This study investigated whether a red background color influences the perception of dominance in human faces and geometric shapes. The facial stimuli consisted of computer-generated faces, quantitatively morphed into nine levels of dominance, ranging from less dominant to more dominant. This included East-Asian female faces in Experiment 1 and male faces in Experiment 2. The face stimuli were presented against three background colors: red, green, and gray. Participants were instructed to categorize the faces as either obedient or dominant by pressing the corresponding labeled keys. The results showed that faces were more likely to be perceived as dominant when presented against a red background than against green or gray backgrounds, for both female and male faces. Additionally, two questionnaire surveys showed that the perception of dominance also increased for shapes presented against a red background. However the effect of red diminished in the absence of the actual perception of the color red. These results suggest that the perception of dominance in both human faces and objects is enhanced by the presence of red, possibly due to evolutionary factors related to the perception of red.

CCNN-SVM: Automated Model for Emotion Recognition Based on Custom Convolutional Neural Networks with SVM

The expressions on human faces reveal the emotions we are experiencing internally. Emotion recognition based on facial expression is one of the subfields of social signal processing. It has several applications in different areas, specifically in the interaction between humans and computers. This study presents a simple CCNN-SVM automated model as a viable approach for FER. The model combines a Convolutional Neural Network for feature extraction, certain image preprocessing techniques, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classification. Firstly, the input image is preprocessed using face detection, histogram equalization, gamma correction, and resizing techniques. Secondly, the images go through custom single Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CCNN) to extract deep features. Finally, SVM uses the generated features to perform the classification. The suggested model was trained and tested on four datasets, CK+, JAFFE, KDEF, and FER. These datasets consist of seven primary emotional categories, which encompass anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and neutrality for CK+, and include contempt for JAFFE. The model put forward demonstrates commendable performance in comparison to existing facial expression recognition techniques. It achieves an impressive accuracy of 99.3% on the CK+ dataset, 98.4% on the JAFFE dataset, 87.18% on the KDEF dataset, and 88.7% on the FER.

Strengthening human‐centered face recognition in law enforcement: Combining the Zurich face cognition test with the holistic cognitive interview

AbstractIn the area of security, human cognition remains essential for face recognition despite advancements in technology. Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are interested in harnessing these abilities, as recognizing people is a fundamental aspect of their work. We conducted two studies to support integrating human face recognition skills into police work. In study 1, we developed the Zurich Face Cognition Test (ZFCT), a self‐assessment tool that reliably measures the face cognition abilities of police officers with authentic police material. Our approach is complementary to the identification of super‐recognizers. In study 2, we evaluated the Holistic Cognitive Interview (HCI), a method successfully applied in the UK to recognize facial composites better. Our results indicate that the HCI provides an effective strategy for police officers to memorize images of unfamiliar faces more effectively, for example, for better recognition of wanted or missing persons.

Morphometric Investigation of Nasal Structure with Nasal Septum Deviation in Young Adults and Correlation with 2:4 Digit Ratio

Aim: The nose, both anatomically and esthetically, is a central feature of the human face. This study aims to morphometrically investigate the nasal structure with septal deviation in young adults and examine its correlation with 2:4 digit ratio. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 194 volunteers (female: 100 and male: 94), aged 18–25 years, studying at Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara. Volunteers with nasal septum deviation were included in the study. Initially, participants’ height and weight measurements were taken, followed by morphometric measurements of the nasal and hand regions by the same researcher. Body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. Subsequently, the volunteers were divided into eight age groups for age and four for BMI. The data were analyzed using the Student’s t-test for normally distributed continuous variables and the Mann–Whitney U-test for ordinal or nonnormally distributed continuous variables. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Initially, the averages and standard deviations of parametric data taken from the nose and hand according to gender, age, and BMI were calculated. Then, the nasal and hand parameters were statistically evaluated according to gender, age, and BMI. The correlation between nasal parameters and the 2:4 digit ratio was also examined. The evaluation revealed statistically significant differences and correlation relationships between the parameters (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The data obtained from our study will assist clinicians involved in evaluating nasal development, determining gender in forensic medicine, diagnosing and treating pathologies related to the nose, describing anatomical points in surgical procedures applied to this region, and planning these surgical procedures.

Paul Ekmanand the search for the isolated face in the 1960s.

This essay examines the detailed process of isolating facial data from the context of its emergence through the early work of psychologist Paul Ekman in the 1960s. It explores how Ekman's data practices have been developed, criticized, and compromised by situating them within the political and intellectual landscape of his early career. This essay follows Ekman's journey from the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute to New Guinea, highlighting his brief but notable collaborations with psychologist Charles E. Osgood and NIH researchers D. Carleton Gajdusek and E. Richard Sorenson. It argues that the different meanings assigned to the human face resulted in how each group developed their studies - examining facial expressions either in interaction, where they shape reciprocal actions in interpersonal communication, or in isolation, where faces surface from the individual's unconscious interior.

Anthropometric Comparative Study of Nasal Morphology between Malaysian and Indonesian Populations

Nasal morphology is one of the most crucial anthropometric characteristics of the human face. Furthermore, the nose is a pivotal feature in constructing a biological profile. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the nasal morphology of 103 Malaysian and 109 Indonesians, totaling 212 individuals from both groups. A comprehensive analysis involved the measurement of 12 nasal morphological features. The statistical tool employed for the analysis was a t-test, which revealed significant differences in various parameters between Malaysians and Indonesians (p<0.05). These findings demonstrate the statistical importance of nasal morphology in discerning racial and ethnic differences. This research suggests that nose measurements could be instrumental in resolving identity mysteries, making them valuable for forensic examination.

IMPROVING E-LEARNING BY FACIAL EXPRESSION ANALYSIS

Modern technology has become a vital part of our daily lives, and the world has undergone remarkable advancements in various scientific and technological fields. The advancement of technology presents a variety of opportunities for students to promote academic development and make it easier to access education through online learning systems. The most difficult and most demanding task during learning is to be aware of and support the emotional side of students. Recognizing one's emotions is easy for humans, but it is a challenging task for computers due to the specific features of the human face. However, recent advances in computing and image processing have made it possible and easy to detect and categorize emotions in images and videos. This paper focuses on detecting learners' emotions in real time during synchronous learning. In this regard, a video/chat application has been developed for the tutor to detect the emotions of the learners while presenting his lesson. The emotions detected are separated into three states (Satisfied, Neutral and Unsatisfied); each state is made up of two or three distinct emotions. The objective is to assist teachers in adapting teaching methods in virtual learning settings according to the emotions of learners.

Mystery Tradition in Mikhail Prishvin’s Novel The Worldly Cup

This article examines one of M. Prishvin’s key texts, i. e. the novel The Worldly Cup (Mirskaya chashcha) (1922), which has never been analysed as a mystery text in the context of the European mystery tradition and theatrical mystery of the Silver Age (The Twelve (Dvenadtsat’) by A. Blok, Christ is Risen (Khristos voskres), The Antichrist/Coming/The Maw of the Night (Antikhrist/Prishedshii/ Past’ nochi) by A. Bely, Demonic Action (Besovskoe Deistvo) by A. Remizov, and Dream in the Desert (Son v pustyne) and The Human Face (Lik chelovecheskii) by V. Gippius). Prishvin acts as successor of the mystery tradition, as it was perceived in Russian culture from V. Solovyov to J. Brodsky. The story highlights the following features of the mystery tradition: going beyond the visible world (meta-history), its transformation, the symbolism of the cross, the resurrected Lazarus, the number “12” and “X”, and the communion cup. The Worldly Cup is both a mystery of the revolution (“Black Mass”) and “The Mystery of Golgotha”. The key to the mystery reading of the text is the symbolism of the communion cup, which refers to the archetypal plots of the Western Middle Ages (myths of the Grail and Faust). Prishvin was familiar with the myth of the Holy Grail in R. Wagner’s interpretation (Parsifal), whose music the writer greatly appreciated in his youth. The article reveals plot similarities (stages of “initiation”) between Alpatov, Parsifal, and Lancelot. Alpatov is a Russian Parsifal; for him, every meeting is an already acquired Grail, according to the evangelical and mystical law, which was accentuated by Russian religious thought. According to this law, what is given is returned; the face of Christ appears in everyone. Compassion as Alpatov’s main feature becomes a real active force, since in the Gospel it extends to everyone, including those who “do not know what they are doing”. Alpatov thereby finds himself in the role of the mother of God, praying “for everyone indiscriminately”, from The Descent of the Virgin Mary into Hell (Khozhdenie Bogoroditsy po mukam), which Dostoevsky defined as a mystery. It is established that Prishvin’s acquaintance with V. Gippius’s mystery play Dream in the Desert (Son v pustyne) influenced the mystery plan of The Worldly Cup. Prishvin interprets the writing vocation as the role of a mystic who initiates the reader into his mystery and opens to them the possibility of a new reunion of man and God, new relationships between people, and the gift of discerning harmony in nature.

К вопросу о роли государственной службы как проводника общественных интересов

The article analyzes the factors and conditions for the development of the public service, considering the “public interests”. The article tests the hypothesis that in order to form a new type of statehood that meets the objective needs of New Kazakhstan, it is necessary to integrate “civil service with a human face” into the public administration system. Based on the results of the literature review, as well as a sociological survey within the framework of the project IRN BR18574203 “Scientific and methodological substantiation of the processes of development of the civil service and transformation of the activities of government bodies in the context of the construction of the New Kazakhstan” the authors come to the conclusion that in order to take into account the “public interests”, the public service of Kazakhstan must transform in the direction of developing a communication culture, openness and transparency of management, as well as make efforts to development of infrastructure for public access to joint decision-making.

Sexual Dimorphism: The Interrelation of Shape and Color

Sex-typicality displayed as sexual dimorphism of the human face is a key feature enabling sex recognition. It is also believed to be a cue for perceiving biological quality and it plays an important role in the perception of attractiveness. Sexual dimorphism of human faces has two main components: sexual shape dimorphism of various facial features and sexual color dimorphism, generally manifested as dimorphism of skin luminance, where men tend to be darker than women. However, very little is known about the mutual relationship of these two facets. We explored the interconnection between the dimorphism of face shape and dimorphism of face color in three visually distinct populations (Cameroonian, Czech, and Vietnamese). Our results indicated that populations which showed a significant dimorphism in skin luminance (Cameroon, Vietnam) had low levels of sexual shape dimorphism, while a population with higher levels of sexual shape dimorphism (Czech Republic) did not exhibit a significant dimorphism of skin luminance. These findings suggest a possible compensatory mechanism between various domains of sexual dimorphism in populations differing in the levels of shape and color dimorphism.

Mobilefacenet-Based Facial Recognition System for Contactless Access Control

Conventional access control systems require physical contact, such as pressing buttons, using fingerprints, or employing radio-frequency identification (RFID). These interactions increase the risk of transmitting diseases like COVID-19 through surface contact. To mitigate this risk, a contactless identification method becomes imperative. Hence, this study proposes an adaptive and seamless dual-mode mobile facial recognition-based access control system. Specifically, the proposed system uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm (MobileFaceNet) to develop high-precision facial verification on mobile devices with a dual-mode (real-time and offline) facial recognition system. The system is implemented on Raspberry Pi, running an Android Operating System equipped with camera functionality. The system instantaneously operates by detecting human faces, compares the faces with a pre-existing database, and grants access to successful matches. The system underwent preliminary testing on an Android 9 device with an 8-megapixel camera. Faces were detected and recognised in a record time (within seconds), showcasing commendable accuracy. The system achieved a recognition accuracy of 95% under varied lighting conditions and distances. The proposed system can be seamlessly integrated with electronic doors, ensuring optimal access control for smart homes and restricted facilities.Keywords: Access control, convolutional neural network, face recognition, firebase, mobilefacenet

«Оddball»-парадигма электроэнцефалограммы/вызванных потенциалов для изучения восприятия эмоций

<p style="text-align: justify;">Assessment of evoked potentials using electroencephalography is a classic method for determining a person's response to different types of stimuli. The literature describes EPs that are specific markers of emotional perception. To date, many stimulus bases have been developed and validated for use in EEG EP paradigms, among which images of human faces with emotional expression stand out. It is possible that the perception of this type of stimulus may have its own specificity — for example, it may occur faster than the perception of other classes of images, since it represents a more significant biological signal. In this review, we wanted to show the features of using affective images in the oddball paradigm, focusing on the use of human faces with emotional expression. This paradigm also belongs to the EEG/EP paradigms, but it has several features. The advantages of this technique are, firstly, its higher sensitivity compared to other paradigms with the presentation of emotional images. Secondly, it is possible, during the passive presentation of visual stimuli, to analyze the rapid automatic reactions that, according to previous studies, accompany the perception of faces. Perhaps the most effective images in the oddball EEG/EP paradigm will be facial expressions. The obtained data by using this paradigm are presented. The data obtained data show differences in both the amplitude and spatial components of the EP associated with different facial expressions — happy/angry.</p>