Accurate Perception Research Articles

A barking emotion recognition method based on Mamba and Synchrosqueezing Short-Time Fourier Transform

Dog barks are a crucial means for dogs to express their emotions, conveying needs and emotional states such as anger, sadness, or excitement. With the increasing number of pet dogs, understanding their emotional states is essential for better care and interaction. However, accurately interpreting the emotional content of dog barks is often challenging for humans. Therefore, developing a technology for recognizing the emotions in dog barks is of great importance. In this paper, we establish a dataset for dog bark emotion recognition and propose a method using the Synchrosqueezing Short-Time Fourier Transform (SST_STFT) to extract the time–frequency features of dog barks. Considering the characteristics of dog barks, we design an emotion recognition model based on Mamba. This model leverages the state-space model (Select SMM) for global modeling of long sequence features, enabling rapid and effective processing of time–frequency features and accurate perception of their variations. Experiments on the self-built DogEmotionSound dataset, as well as the public IEMOCAP and UrbanSound8K datasets, demonstrate that our model outperforms existing state-of-the-art sound recognition models across various evaluation metrics. The recognition accuracies on the three datasets are 91.97%, 95.36%, and 67.25%, respectively. The code is open-source at https://github.com/yangcjya/A-barking-emotion-recognition-method-based-on-Mamba.git.

W-VSLAM: A Visual Mapping Algorithm for Indoor Inspection Robots.

In recent years, with the widespread application of indoor inspection robots, high-precision, robust environmental perception has become essential for robotic mapping. Addressing the issues of visual-inertial estimation inaccuracies due to redundant pose degrees of freedom and accelerometer drift during the planar motion of mobile robots in indoor environments, we propose a visual SLAM perception method that integrates wheel odometry information. First, the robot's body pose is parameterized in SE(2) and the corresponding camera pose is parameterized in SE(3). On this basis, we derive the visual constraint residuals and their Jacobian matrices for reprojection observations using the camera projection model. We employ the concept of pre-integration to derive pose-constraint residuals and their Jacobian matrices and utilize marginalization theory to derive the relative pose residuals and their Jacobians for loop closure constraints. This approach solves the nonlinear optimization problem to obtain the optimal pose and landmark points of the ground-moving robot. A comparison with the ORBSLAM3 algorithm reveals that, in the recorded indoor environment datasets, the proposed algorithm demonstrates significantly higher perception accuracy, with root mean square error (RMSE) improvements of 89.2% in translation and 98.5% in rotation for absolute trajectory error (ATE). The overall trajectory localization accuracy ranges between 5 and 17 cm, validating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. These findings can be applied to preliminary mapping for the autonomous navigation of indoor mobile robots and serve as a basis for path planning based on the mapping results.

The influence of form on motion signal processing in the ventral intraparietal area of macaque monkeys

The visual system relies on both motion and form signals to perceive the direction of self-motion, yet the coordination mechanisms between these two elements in this process remain elusive. In the current study, we employed heading perception as a model to delve into the interaction characteristics between form and motion signals. We recorded the responses of neurons in the ventral intraparietal area (VIP), an area with strong heading selectivity, to motion-only, form-only, and combined stimuli of simulated self-motion. Intriguingly, VIP neurons responded to form-only cues defined by Glass patterns, although they exhibited no tuning selectivity. In combined condition, introducing a small offset between form and motion cues significantly enhanced neuronal sensitivity to motion cues. However, with a larger offset, the enhancement effect on sensitivity became comparatively smaller. Moreover, we observed that the influence of form cues on neuronal response to motion cues is more pronounced in the later stage (1–2 s) of stimulation, with a relatively smaller effect in the early stage (0–1 s). This suggests a dynamic interaction between motion and form cues over time for heading perception. In summary, our study uncovered that in area VIP, form information plays a role in constructing accurate self-motion perception. This adds valuable insights into the complex dynamics of how the brain integrates motion and form cues for the perception of one's own movements.

Recurrence Risk Perception, Fear of Progression, and Health Behaviors Among Patients With Ischemic Stroke.

The relationship between recurrence risk perception, fear of progression, and health behaviors in patients with ischemic stroke is unclear. To explore the effect of accuracy and level of recurrence risk perception on health behaviors and the mediating role of fear of progression. We conducted a 2-wave survey. Patients with ischemic stroke (N = 261) were recruited from 2 hospitals in Guangzhou, China. Before discharge, demographic information, objective recurrence risk, perceived recurrence risk, fear of progression, and health behaviors were investigated. After 1 month, the patient's health behaviors were followed up. The median (quartiles 1-3) scores for recurrence risk perception and fear of progression were 43.0 (39.0-46.0) and 22.0 (18.0-28.0), respectively. Only 22.2% of the patients correctly perceived the risk of recurrence, 23.0% underestimated the risk, and 30.7% overestimated the risk. Patients who overestimated the risk of recurrence (β = 0.421, P = .002) or had a higher perceived level of recurrence risk (β = 0.446, P < .001) had a higher fear of progression, which contributed to better health behaviors at 1 month (β = 0.197, P = .001). Fear of progression played a partial and full mediating role, respectively. Patients who underestimated the recurrence risk had worse health behaviors than those who accurately perceived it (β = -0.296, P = .033). Both accuracy and level of recurrence risk perception were independent predictors of future health behaviors, and fear of progression was mediating. Health care professionals should develop individualized risk education programs to help stroke patients properly understand and cope with the risk of recurrence.

Lifestyle Behaviors and Psychological Health in Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity: Cross-sectional Associations with Weight Underestimation.

Encouraging adolescents with overweight/obesity to accurately perceive their weight in the belief that this will improve their lifestyle behaviors (physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), eating behavior (EB)) may be detrimental to their psychological health. This study aimed to investigate associations between weight underestimation and lifestyle behaviors along with psychological health in French adolescents with overweight or obesity. Baseline data from adolescents who participated in a school-based trial were used. Lifestyle behaviors and psychological health (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, quality of life (QoL)) were self-reported. Weight underestimation was measured by matching objective and perceived weight status. Multilevel models were computed to investigate associations between weight underestimation and lifestyle behaviors and psychological health, by gender. Of the 1245 adolescents included (15.3 ± 0.7years), 15.8% underestimated their objective weight (boys 24.2%; girls 8.2%). Boys with underestimation had higher vigorous PA energy expenditure (β = 372.7 MET-min/week, 95%CI [25.1;720.4]), and lower daily sugar-sweetened beverages and foods consumption (β = - 0.3 points, 95%CI [- 0.7; - 0.0]) than those with accurate perception. Girls with weight underestimation had lower eating disorder (β = - 6.0 points, 95%CI [- 9.6; - 2.5]), anxiety (β = - 7.8 points, 95%CI [- 13.8; - 1.9]), and higher QoL (β = 3.3 points, 95%CI [0.0; 6.5]) scores than girls with accurate perception. Weight underestimation among adolescents with overweight or obesity was associated with healthier lifestyle behaviors in boys, and better psychological health (eating disorder, anxiety and QoL) in girls. Accurate perception of weight status may not be a relevant lever to improve lifestyle behaviors and psychological health.

Auditory cortex encodes lipreading information through spatially distributed activity

Watching a speaker's face improves speech perception accuracy. This benefit is enabled, in part, by implicit lipreading abilities present in the general population. While it is established that lipreading can alter the perception of a heard word, it is unknown how these visual signals are represented in the auditory system or how they interact with auditory speech representations. One influential, but untested, hypothesis is that visual speech modulates the population-coded representations of phonetic and phonemic features in the auditory system. This model is largely supported by data showing that silent lipreading evokes activity in the auditory cortex, but these activations could alternatively reflect general effects of arousal or attention or the encoding of non-linguistic features such as visual timing information. This gap limits our understanding of how vision supports speech perception. To test the hypothesis that the auditory system encodes visual speech information, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from healthy adults and intracranial recordings from electrodes implanted in patients with epilepsy during auditory and visual speech perception tasks. Across both datasets, linear classifiers successfully decoded the identity of silently lipread words using the spatial pattern of auditory cortex responses. Examining the time course of classification using intracranial recordings, lipread words were classified at earlier time points relative to heard words, suggesting a predictive mechanism for facilitating speech. These results support a model in which the auditory system combines the joint neural distributions evoked by heard and lipread words to generate a more precise estimate of what was said.

Evidence for a Causal Dissociation of the McGurk Effect and Congruent Audiovisual Speech Perception via TMS to the Left pSTS.

Congruent visual speech improves speech perception accuracy, particularly in noisy environments. Conversely, mismatched visual speech can alter what is heard, leading to an illusory percept that differs from the auditory and visual components, known as the McGurk effect. While prior transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and neuroimaging studies have identified the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) as a causal region involved in the generation of the McGurk effect, it remains unclear whether this region is critical only for this illusion or also for the more general benefits of congruent visual speech (e.g., increased accuracy and faster reaction times). Indeed, recent correlative research suggests that the benefits of congruent visual speech and the McGurk effect rely on largely independent mechanisms. To better understand how these different features of audiovisual integration are causally generated by the left pSTS, we used single-pulse TMS to temporarily disrupt processing within this region while subjects were presented with either congruent or incongruent (McGurk) audiovisual combinations. Consistent with past research, we observed that TMS to the left pSTS reduced the strength of the McGurk effect. Importantly, however, left pSTS stimulation had no effect on the positive benefits of congruent audiovisual speech (increased accuracy and faster reaction times), demonstrating a causal dissociation between the two processes. Our results are consistent with models proposing that the pSTS is but one of multiple critical areas supporting audiovisual speech interactions. Moreover, these data add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the McGurk effect is an imperfect surrogate measure for more general and ecologically valid audiovisual speech behaviors.

Analysis of the timing of evacuation and associated factors among home health care patients during flooding: A single-clinic-based mixed methods study

Home health care patients (HHPs) are vulnerable to flooding and may face evacuation difficulties. Previous studies reported that HHPs and their families are more susceptible to disasters than non-HHPs. Our prior research revealed that many HHPs in Fukui, Japan, were at risk for flooding and landslides, requiring evacuation assistance, yet few were aware of the exact risks. This study analyzed survey data to identify barriers to evacuation during floods and assess the assistance needed among HHPs. A concurrent nested design of mixed-method research was employed. We calculated the percentage of the 87 HHPs at risk likely to delay evacuation and constructed univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to identify factors associated with delayed evacuation, and employed a thematic analysis to identify concerns and needs during evacuation. Family members responded to the questionnaire for patients unable to respond. The study found that 69.0 % of patients delayed evacuation, with 61.7 % incorrectly perceiving disaster risks and 20.0 % considering evacuation unimportant. Those with incorrect risk perceptions were slower to evacuate than those with accurate perceptions (OR: 1.35, 95 % confidence interval: 1.06–6.99, p-value: 0.036). Seven themes about flood preparedness needs were extracted from open-ended statements. Factors contributing to delayed evacuation included assumptions of vertical evacuation due to mobility challenges and concerns about evacuation site environments. Few Japanese HHPs at risk of flooding and landslides would plan an early evacuation, often due to misperceived disaster risks. Specific measures are needed to address these issues, and further investigation is required as flooding may also affect patient supporters.

Evaluating Interior Space Perception using Virtual Reality

This study evaluates the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) in enhancing spatial perception compared to traditional 2D representations in the context of interior design education. Conducted with Interior Architecture students at the University of Buraimi, the research utilized the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to create an immersive environment. Participants assessed various spatial characteristics, such as depth, scale, and spatial relationships, using both printed materials and VR immersion. Findings indicate that VR significantly improves the accuracy and realism of spatial perception, providing a more comprehensive understanding of interior spaces. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on VR applications in architectural education, highlighting its potential benefits and challenges.

Modeling the population health impact of accurate and inaccurate perceptions of harm from nicotine

BackgroundScientific evidence clearly demonstrates that inhaling the smoke from the combustion of cigarettes is responsible for most of the harm caused by smoking, and not the nicotine. However, a majority of U.S. adults who smoke inaccurately believe that nicotine causes cancer which may be a significant barrier, preventing switching to potentially reduced risk, non-combustible products like electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and smokeless tobacco (ST). We assessed the population health impact associated with nicotine perceptions.MethodsUsing a previously validated agent-based model to the U.S. population, we analyzed nationally representative data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study to estimate base case rates of sustained (maintained over four waves) cessation and switching to non-combustible product use, by sex. Nicotine perception scenarios were determined from PATH data. The overall switch rate from smoking in Wave 4 to non-combustible product use in Wave 5 (3.94%) was stratified based on responses to the nicotine perception question “Do you believe nicotine is the chemical that causes most of the cancer caused by smoking cigarettes?”, (four-item scale from “Definitely not” to “Definitely yes”). The relative percent change between the overall and stratified rates, corresponding to each item, was used to adjust the base case rates of switching, to determine the impact, if all adults who smoke exhibited switching behaviors based on responses to the nicotine perceptions question. The public health impact of nicotine perceptions was estimated as the difference in all-cause mortality between the base case and the four nicotine perception scenarios.ResultsSwitch rates associated with those who responded, “Definitely not” (8.39%) resulted in a net benefit of preventing nearly 800,000 premature deaths over an 85-year period. Conversely switch rates reflective of those who responded, “Definitely yes” (2.59%) resulted in a net harm of nearly 300,000 additional premature deaths over the same period.ConclusionsAccurate knowledge regarding the role of nicotine is associated with higher switch rates and prevention of premature deaths. Our findings suggest that promoting public education to correct perceptions of harm from nicotine has the potential to benefit public health.

Micro and macro facial expressions by driven animations in realistic Virtual Humans

Computer Graphics (CG) advancements have allowed the creation of more realistic Virtual Humans (VH) through modern techniques for animating the VH body and face, thereby affecting perception. From traditional methods, including blend shapes, to driven animations using facial and body tracking, these advancements can potentially enhance the perception of comfort and realism in relation to VHs. Previously, Psychology studied facial movements in humans, with some works separating expressions into macro and micro expressions. Also, some previous CG studies have analyzed how macro and micro expressions are perceived, replicating psychology studies in VHs, encompassing studies with realistic and cartoon VHs, and exploring different VH technologies. However, instead of using facial tracking animation methods, these previous studies animated the VHs using blendshapes interpolation. To understand how the facial tracking technique alters the perception of VHs, this paper extends the study to macro and micro expressions, employing two datasets to transfer real facial expressions to VHs and analyze how their expressions are perceived. Our findings suggest that transferring facial expressions from real actors to VHs significantly diminishes the accuracy of emotion perception compared to VH facial animations created by artists.

Object Detection and Monocular Stable Distance Estimation for Road Environments: A Fusion Architecture Using YOLO-RedeCa and Abnormal Jumping Change Filter

Enabling rapid and accurate comprehensive environmental perception for vehicles poses a major challenge. Object detection and monocular distance estimation are the two main technologies, though they are often used separately. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen and optimize the interaction between them. Vehicle motion or object occlusions can cause sudden variations in the positions or sizes of detection boxes within temporal data, leading to fluctuations in distance estimates. So, we propose a method to integrate a detector based on YOLOv5-RedeCa, a Bot-Sort tracker and an anomaly jumping change filter. This combination allows for more accurate detection and tracking of objects. The anomaly jump filter smooths distance variations caused by sudden changes in detection box sizes. Our method increases accuracy while reducing computational demands, showing outstanding performance on several datasets. Notably, on the KITTI dataset, the standard deviation of the continuous ranging results remains consistently low, especially in scenarios with multiple object occlusions or disappearances. These results validate our method’s effectiveness and precision in managing dual tasks.

Comparative Quantification of Fungiform Papillae Density and Taste Perception in Anemic and Healthy Controls: A Case-Control Study.

Background Taste perception is crucial for dietary choices, nutrition, and overall health. The human tongue, particularly the fungiform papillae, plays a significant role in taste sensation, especially for sweet and umami flavors. Anemia, a common condition characterized by low hemoglobin levels, can affect sensory perception, including taste. Recent research has begun to explore the relationship between fungiform papillae density and taste perception in individuals with anemia. Objective This study aimed to investigate the comparative quantification of fungiform papillae density and its correlation with taste perception in anemic and healthy individuals, with the goal of understanding the underlying mechanisms linking anemia to taste disturbances. Methods A total of 100 adults (50 anemic and 50 healthy controls) aged 18-65 participated in the study. Demographic data, dietary habits, and medical history were collected. Taste perception was assessed using a taste strip test and psychophysical scaling methods, including magnitude estimation and the method of constant stimuli. Fungiform papillae density was quantified using high-resolution images of the tongue. Statistical analyses, including t-tests and correlation analyses, were conducted to compare the groups and explore relationships between hemoglobin levels, papillae density, and taste perception. Results The study found that anemic individuals had a slightly lower mean fungiform papillae density (49 papillae per square centimeter) compared to healthy controls (57 papillae per square centimeter). In the taste strip test, anemic participants showed reduced accuracy in taste perception, particularly for bitter flavors. However, psychophysical scaling results, as measured by magnitude estimation, revealed no statistically significant difference in subjective taste intensity between the anemic and healthy control groups (p=0.8666). Conclusion The study suggests that while anemic individuals may exhibit reduced fungiform papillae density and altered taste perception, particularly for bitter flavors, the overall subjective perception of taste intensity does not significantly differ from that of healthy controls. These findings contribute to the understanding of taste disturbances in anemia and may inform future diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for managing taste disorders in affected individuals.

Research on multi-UUV mission planning for mine countermeasures based on preferred multi-objective optimization

Facing rising maritime security threats, this study presents T-MOEA/D, a sophisticated evolutionary algorithm enhancing UUVs’ capabilities in mine detection and neutralization. The algorithm tackles the multi-objective challenge by balancing time and energy, integrating user preferences into its optimization process. It leverages genetic operators such as dual chromosome encoding and partially mapped crossover to evolve efficient solutions, outperforming T-NSGA-II and T-NSGA-III in hypervolume and operational time. The UUV, directed by T-MOEA/D, navigates to operational areas and employs StyleGAN and YOLOv9 for accurate mine perception, crucial for executing mine countermeasure tasks. The system’s effectiveness is confirmed through Unity3D simulations and real-world tests, demonstrating its practicality and reliability. The study’s findings offer strategic guidance for planning large-scale mine countermeasure missions with multiple UUVs, ensuring operational efficiency and safety in complex underwater environments. The Pareto optimal solutions align with user preferences, reflecting a tailored approach to mine countermeasure missions.

Effects of experimental, network-based social circle norm feedback on studying behavior and alcohol consumption.

Misrepresentation of peer behavior has often been observed in college students and may lead to over-expression of alcohol consumption and under-expression of studying. While social norm feedback approaches have had mixed success in addressing these misrepresentations and altering behavior, they may have been too unspecific to be effective and did not directly assess individual perception accuracy. We thus investigated how specific, one-time feedback on the behavioral distribution of alcohol consumption or study time of a clearly defined, individually-adjusted social circle would affect the respective norm estimations and behavior of a class of Psychology students (n = 89 in January) across their first year of study. Students overestimated alcohol consumption and partially underestimated studying norms. While social circle feedback on alcohol consumption did not clearly affect both individual estimation accuracy and alcohol consumption, feedback on peers' studying time increased studying with no clear effect on estimation accuracy. This indicates that social circle norm feedback may be suitable to evoke behavioral effects. The correction of the detected inaccuracies did not appear to be a precondition for the feedback to be effective.

Perceived versus actual HIV risk among PrEP indicated persons with criminal legal involvement

ABSTRACT Individuals involved with community supervision experience multi-level obstacles impacting health outcomes. This is a high-risk period for HIV acquisition due to potential reengagement in unprotected sex and/or unsafe injection drug practices. This study aimed to assess the congruence between actual and perceived HIV risk and the degree to which individual, social, and behavioral factors impact risk perception among individuals on community supervision. While all participants were clinically indicated for PrEP, most participants (81.5%) did not consider themselves at risk for HIV (69.5%) or were not sure of their risk (12.0%). Among those with no or unsure perceived risk, 94% engaged in sexual behaviors that put them at-risk of HIV. Perceived HIV risk was associated with sharing injection equipment (aPR = 1.8, 95% CI [1.02, 3.3]), identifying as a sexual minority (aPR = 2.3, 95% CI [1.3, 3.9]), and having sex with a partner living with HIV (aPR = 2.4, 95% CI [1.3, 4.3]). Having sex with a partner living with HIV was the only sexual risk behavior associated with a perceived risk of HIV. These findings indicate a substantial discrepancy between actual and perceived HIV risk, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve risk perception accuracy and enhance risk prevention among individuals on community supervision.

The role of politicians' perceptual accuracy of voter opinions in their reelection

The role of politicians' perceptual accuracy of voter opinions in their reelection

Adaptative machine vision with microsecond-level accurate perception beyond human retina

Visual adaptive devices have potential to simplify circuits and algorithms in machine vision systems to adapt and perceive images with varying brightness levels, which is however limited by sluggish adaptation process. Here, the avalanche tuning as feedforward inhibition in bionic two-dimensional (2D) transistor is proposed for fast and high-frequency visual adaptation behavior with microsecond-level accurate perception, the adaptation speed is over 104 times faster than that of human retina and reported bionic sensors. As light intensity changes, the bionic transistor spontaneously switches between avalanche and photoconductive effect, varying responsivity in both magnitude and sign (from 7.6 × 104 to −1 × 103 A/W), thereby achieving ultra-fast scotopic and photopic adaptation process of 108 and 268 μs, respectively. By further combining convolutional neural networks with avalanche-tuned bionic transistor, an adaptative machine vision is achieved with remarkable microsecond-level rapid adaptation capabilities and robust image recognition with over 98% precision in both dim and bright conditions.

Recognition of overweight and obesity by patients and medical practitioners and their practices related to weight reduction; a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Accurate perception of weight by overweight/obese patients and the acknowledgment of their excess weight by medical practitioners are pivotal in managing obesity. This study aims to assess knowledge, perception and practices related to weight reduction among overweight/obese patients and the recognition of their overweight status and interventions by medical practitioners.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study interviewed 317 overweight/ obese patients during their first visits to general medical clinics at the University Hospital of Kotelawala Defence University. A structured questionnaire assessed their demographic characteristics, comorbidity, knowledge, perception and practices related to weight reduction. Recognition and management of overweight/ obesity by medical practitioners were evaluated through recall of previous six-month consultations and review of medical records.Results: Among the study participants, 163 (51.4%) were obese and 154 (48.6%) were overweight. Only 63 (19.9%) patients knew the meaning of BMI, and 306 (96.5%) could not define the ideal BMI for a Sri Lankan adult. Less than half (45.4%) considered overweight/obesity a medical problem. Body weight misperception observed among 92 (59.7%) overweight and 150 (92.0%) obese participants. Of the 267 participants who reported being evaluated by another medical practitioner in the previous six months, 102 (38.2%) were told the diagnosis of overweight/obesity. However, weight status was documented only in seven (2.6%) patient records. Nonetheless, 110 (41.2%) patients had received weight reduction advice during previous consultations, and 68 (61.8%) had attempted to lose weight.Conclusions: Low comprehension of the term BMI and misperception of body weight among the studied population is concerning. Patients who received weight reduction advice from medical practitioners were more inclined to lose weight. However, acknowledgment and intervention of the excess weight status of overweight /obese patients by medical practitioners were largely inadequate.

Prosodic discrimination skills mediate the association between musical aptitude and vocal emotion recognition ability

The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between musical ability and vocal emotion recognition skills is mediated by accuracy in prosody perception. Furthermore, it was investigated whether this association is primarily related to musical expertise, operationalized by long-term engagement in musical activities, or musical aptitude, operationalized by a test of musical perceptual ability. To this end, we conducted three studies: In Study 1 (N = 85) and Study 2 (N = 93), we developed and validated a new instrument for the assessment of prosodic discrimination ability. In Study 3 (N = 136), we examined whether the association between musical ability and vocal emotion recognition was mediated by prosodic discrimination ability. We found evidence for a full mediation, though only in relation to musical aptitude and not in relation to musical expertise. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals with high musical aptitude have superior prosody perception skills, which in turn contribute to their vocal emotion recognition skills. Importantly, our results suggest that these benefits are not unique to musicians, but extend to non-musicians with high musical aptitude.