Invariant representation of facial expressions for blended expression recognition on unknown subjects

Facial expressions analysis plays an important part in emotion detection. However, having an automatic and non-intrusive system to detect blended facial expression is still a challenging problem, especially when the subject is unknown to the system. Here, we propose a method that adapts to the morphology of the subject and that is based on a new invariant representation of facial expressions. In our system, one expression is defined by its relative position to 8 other expressions. As the mode of representation is relative, we show that the resulting expression space is person-independent. The 8 expressions are synthesized for each unknown subject from plausible distortions. Recognition tasks are performed in this space with a basic algorithm. The experiments have been performed on 22 different blended expressions and on either known or unknown subjects. The recognition results on known subjects demonstrate that the representation is robust to the type of data (shape and/or texture information) and to the dimensionality of the expression space. The recognition results on 22 expressions of unknown subjects show that a dimensionality of the expression space of 4 is enough to outperform traditional methods based on active appearance models and accurately describe an expression.     

A new probabilistic scheme for information retrieval in hypertext

Abstract

The aim of probabilistic models is to define a retrieval strategy within which documents can be optimally ranked according to their relevance probability, with respect to a given request. In this scheme, the underlying probabilities are estimated according to a history of past queries along with their relevance judgments. Having evolved over the last twenty years, these estimations allow us to take both document frequency and within-document frequency into account.

In the current study, we suggest representing documents not only by index term vectors as proposed by previous probabilistic models but also by considering relevance hypertext links. These relationships, which provide additional evidence on document content, are established according to requests and relevance judgments, and may improve the ranking of the retrieved records, in a sequence most likely to fulfill user intent. Thus, to enhance retrieval effectiveness, our learning retrieval scheme should modify: (1) the weight assigned to each indexing term, (2) the importance attached of each search term, and (3) the relationships between documents. Using a simple additive scheme applied after a ranked list of documents has been determined, with the aid of a probabilistic retrieval strategy, our proposed solution is well suited to a hypertext system. Based on the CACM test collection which includes 3,204 documents and the CISI corpus (1,460 documents), we have built a hypertext and evaluated our proposed retrieval scheme. The retrieval effectiveness of this approach presents interesting results.     

Thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs from the upper Great Lakes are related to maternal diet

Thiamine deficiency is responsible for reproductive impairment in several species of salmonines in the Great lakes, and is thought to be caused by the consumption of prey containing thiaminase, a thiamine-degrading enzyme. Because thiaminase levels are extremely high in dreissenid mussels, fish that prey on them may be susceptible to thiamine deficiency. We determined thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis eggs from the upper Laurentian Great Lakes to assess the potential for thiamine deficiency and to determine if thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were related to maternal diet. Mean thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were highest in Lake Huron, intermediate in Lake Superior, and lowest in Lake Michigan. Some fish had thiamine concentrations below putative thresholds for lethal and sublethal effects in salmonines, suggesting that some larval lake whitefish may currently be at risk of at least sublethal effects of low thiamine concentrations, although thiamine thresholds are unknown for lake whitefish. Egg thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were statistically significantly related to isotopic carbon signatures, suggesting that egg thiamine levels were related to maternal diet, but low egg thiamine concentrations did not appear to be associated with a diet of dreissenids. Egg thiamine concentrations were not statistically significantly related to multifunction oxidase induction, suggesting that lower egg thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish were not related to contaminant exposure.     

A wireless embedded tongue tactile biofeedback system for balance control

We describe the architecture of an original biofeedback system for balance improvement for fall prevention and present results of a feasibility study. The underlying principle of this biofeedback consists of providing supplementary information related to foot sole pressure distribution through a wireless embedded tongue-placed tactile output device.Twelve young healthy adults voluntarily participated in this experiment. They were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of no-biofeedback and biofeedback. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Results showed reduced CoP displacements in the biofeedback relative to the no-biofeedback condition.On the whole, the present findings evidence the effectiveness of this system in improving postural control on young healthy adults. Further investigations are needed to strengthen the potential clinical value of this device.     

Disturbance attenuation by dynamic output feedback for input-delay systems

This paper addresses the optimal disturbance attenuation problem by output feedback for multivariable linear systems with delayed inputs. The attenuation is optimal in the sense that the controller minimizes the maximal amplitude of the plant output in response to such a disturbance. The controller is a general feedback, involving an observer, a state predictor, and a predicted state feedback. The optimal disturbance attenuation problem is formulated in terms of an equivalent system without delay. The optimal bound of the disturbance attenuation is then characterized, and it is shown that the optimal controller tends to have high gains. A necessary and sufficient condition to guarantee the existence of an optimal solution is provided using the geometric approach.     

Synthesis methods of array antenna excitation laws

Standard numerical optimization methods become very computational time consuming when dealing with synthesis of array antenna excitation laws, especially when number of elements exceeds a few tenths. Array antenna designer needs a fast and efficient synthesis tool, since the design phase implies several reoptimizations within the definition phase, in order to satisfy tradeoffs on antagonistic requirements : performances, size, cost,… We propose the use of an efficient, from the computational time point of view, and secured, from the convergence point of view, synthesis method illustrated by two examples. The optimized solution satisfies a sta-tionarity condition, which leads to steady solutions in frequency but also with regard to errors (manufacturing, …). Based on analytical calculus performed before any numerical resolution and together with the use of fast Fourier transform algorithms, this method leads to reduced optimization times (in the order of a minute) for arrays of some tenths up to some hundred feeds, computations being performed on a pc. Two theoretical applications are presented and for each of them a computed example is also shown; moreover possible extensions are considered.     

Use of a laser beam with an oblique angle of incidence to measure the reduced scattering coefficient of a turbid medium

A simple and quick approach is used to measure the reduced scattering coefficient (μ(s)') of a semi-infinite turbid medium having a much smaller absorption coefficient than μ(s)'. A laser beam with an oblique angle of incidence to the medium causes the center of the diffuse reflectance that is several transport mean-free paths away from the incident point to shift away from the point of incidence by an amount Δx. This amount is used to compute μ(s)' by μ(s)' = sin(α(i))/(nΔx) where n is the refractive index of the turbid medium divided by that of the incident medium and α(i) is the angle of incidence measured from the surface normal. For a turbid medium having an absorption coefficient comparable with μ(s)', a revision to the above formula is made. This method is tested theoretically by Monte Carlo simulations and experimentally by a video reflectometer.     

Analytic investigation of frequency sensitivity in microwave oscillators: Application to the computation of phase noise in a dielectric resonator oscillator

The conversion of low frequency noise into phase noise in microwave oscillators is studied through an analytical calculation of the pushing factor. This calculation is based on a simplified equivalent circuit for two types of active devices : field effect transistors (Fet) and heterojunction bipolar transistors (hbt). The preeminence in the conversion process of the gate- source capacitance in theFet and the base- emitter junction in thehbt is pointed out. Practical methods are proposed to reduce the phase noise in these circuits.