Happiness tracking software could gauge mood in photos

SMILE ? you're on camera! If you want a quick way to pick out the happiest snaps from a wedding or judge the changing mood of a crowd, now there's software that can do it for you.

Developed by Abhinav Dhall at the Australian National University in Canberra and colleagues, the software analyses all the faces in a photo to give the shot an overall "mood score".

The team used face tracking software to analyse the smiles of the faces in a group by noting the positions of nine spots on the face such as the corners of the mouth and eyes. A machine learning algorithm, trained on photos that had been pre-labelled by humans, then used this data to give each face a smile intensity score.

The team also programmed the system to incorporate information from volunteers, who assessed how important the intensity of any individual's smile was to the overall mood score of a photo. Those who were standing near the centre of a picture were given a stronger weighting, for example, while partially obscured faces were less influential. When asked to gauge the happiness level of a photo, the system only deviated from the opinion of a human by around 7 per cent. The software was presented at the Conference on Multimedia Retrieval in Dallas, Texas, last week.

Dhall says the aim is to be able to assess the overall mood of a group from a single shot. By looking at a sequence of frames in a video, it could even gauge the mood of a crowd in real time. "If the mood score goes down over the time, we can assume that the group are getting angry," says Dhall. It could also be used to view albums on Facebook by arranging photos so the happiest ones are shown first, for example.

Ranael Kaliouby says the work fits well with what she is doing with her emotion analysis company, Affectiva. "I love the application ? namely, understanding and modelling the overall mood of a crowd," she says. "It gets us one step further to applying emotion measurement technologies in the real world."

This article appeared in print under the headline "Get your grin on to light up the happiness tracker"

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Surprise! Michael Buble Performs in the NYC Subway

Michael Buble made an unexpected stop to promote his new album, To Be Loved: the New York City subway system! The 37-year-old Grammy-winner held an impromptu acapella show underground while joined by the band Naturally 7. The surprise concert took place at the W. 66 Street stop, and he performed his new ballad, "Who's Lovin' You." Watch it below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/michael-buble-performs-surprise-concert-nycs-subway/1-a-534429?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Amichael-buble-performs-surprise-concert-nycs-subway-534429

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Heat set franchise home mark, top Bulls 105-93

Miami Heat's Norris Cole, left, Dwyane Wade, second from left, Chris Bosh, second from right, and LeBron James, right, watch from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat's Norris Cole, left, Dwyane Wade, second from left, Chris Bosh, second from right, and LeBron James, right, watch from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat's LeBron James 96) reacts after being called for an offensive foul during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls Sunday April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chicago Bulls' Kirk Hinrich (12) shoots as Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng, right, drives to the basket as Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau yells from the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat Sunday April 14, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

MIAMI (AP) ? LeBron James scored 24 points, Dwyane Wade added 22 and the Miami Heat set a franchise record for home wins in a season, topping the Chicago Bulls 105-93 on Sunday.

Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen each scored 15 for Miami, which improved to 36-4 at home ? topping the 35-6 mark by the 2004-05 Heat. Miami held Chicago without a 2-point basket for the first 16 minutes of the second half, with the Bulls relying almost exclusively on 3-pointers.

Carlos Boozer finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds for the Bulls, who snapped Miami's 27-game winning streak last month. Chicago finished with 29 field goals and 30 fouls, allowing the Heat to shoot a season-high 41 free throws.

The loss keeps Chicago in the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. Miami has wrapped up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Chris Bosh had 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Miami, which also got 11 points from Mike Miller. Luol Deng led Chicago in scoring with 19, Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson scored 14 apiece and Jimmy Butler added 13 for the Bulls, who shot just 35 percent.

Any Miami-Chicago game tends to be physical, and this was no exception. There were no fewer than six instances of Heat players ending up on the floor in the first 6 minutes alone, though Miami hardly seemed to be bothered by it all.

Wade, still working his way back from bone bruises around his right knee, tipped the ball away to start a break that resulted in a 3-pointer by Chalmers to give Miami a 16-9 edge. And moments later, Bosh head-faked Boozer into the air, then drove past for a two-hand dunk and a quick nine-point lead.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game he would not play Bosh, Wade and James their usual big minutes, and wasn't kidding, with each of Miami's "Big Three" on the bench with 3:45 left in the opening quarter ? something that hardly ever happens.

James made his first seven shots, one of them a dunk off a bounce pass by Chalmers to give Miami a 46-31 lead midway through the second quarter. The dunk was with such force, Hinrich found himself flinching to get out of the ball's way.

The Bulls, still in a battle with Atlanta for the No. 5 seed in the East, bounced back fast. A 23-10 run to end the first half got Chicago within 56-54 at the break, and briefly took the lead when Jimmy Butler converted a four-point play to make it 61-60.

It didn't take long for Miami to regain control, with the lead at 86-77 entering the fourth.

NOTES: Bosh had four blocked shots, the sixth time he's done that since joining the Heat. ... Chicago allowed 30 first-quarter points for the third time in its last four games. ... The Heat bench went into hysterics in the second quarter, when a young boy who was drawn up to look like Andersen ? replete with the multi-colored neck tattoos ? was shown on the scoreboard screens throughout the arena. ... Butler, perhaps generously listed by the Bulls at 6-foot-7, took the opening tap against Bosh. Predictably, Bosh prevailed. ... Media outlets from France, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Italy, Australia, China and Spain were among those in attendance.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-14-Bulls-Heat/id-2a42b2903bd747e5828b0ad4e62c520e

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High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues

Apr. 15, 2013 ? High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels.

Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston University have discovered that a certain type of protein found in organs that repeatedly stretch and retract -- such as the heart and lungs -- is the source for a favorable electrical property that could help build and support healthy connective tissues. But when exposed to sugar, some of the proteins no longer could perform their function, according to findings published April 15 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The property, called ferroelectricity, is a response to an electric field in which a molecule switches from having a positive to a negative charge. Only recently discovered in animal tissues, researchers have traced this property to elastin and found that when exposed to sugar, the elastin protein sometimes slows or stops its ferroelectric switching. This could lead to the hardening of those tissues and, ultimately, degrade an artery or ligament.

"This finding is important because it tells us the origin of the ferroelectric switching phenomenon and also suggests it's not an isolated occurrence in one type of tissue as we thought," said co-corresponding author Jiangyu Li, a UW associate professor of mechanical engineering. "This could be associated with aging and diabetes, which I think gives more importance to the phenomenon."

About a year ago, Li and collaborators discovered ferroelectric switching in mammalian tissues, a surprising first for the field. Ferroelectricity is common in synthetic materials and is used for displays, memory storage and sensors. Li's research team found that the wall of a pig's aorta, the largest blood vessel carrying blood to the heart, exhibits ferroelectric switching properties.

Li said that discovery left researchers with a lot of questions, including whether this property is found in other soft tissues and the health implications of its presence. Observing differences in ferroelectric behavior at the protein level has helped to answer some of those questions.

The research team separated the aortic tissue into two types of proteins, collagen and elastin. Fibrous collagen is widespread in biological tissues, while elastin has only been found in animals with a backbone. Elastin, as its name suggests, is springy and helps the heart and lungs stretch and contract. Ferroelectric switching gives elastin the flexibility needed to perform repeated pulses as with an artery.

When researchers treated the elastin with sugar, they found that glucose suppressed ferroelectric switching by up to 50 percent. This interaction between sugar and protein mimics a natural process called glycation, in which sugar molecules attach to proteins, degrading their structure and function. Glycation happens naturally when we age and is associated with a number of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis, a thickening and hardening of the arteries.

The research team has focused solely on the aortic tissues, but this finding likely applies to other biological tissues that have the protein elastin, such as the lungs and skin.

"I would expect the same phenomena will be observed in those tissues and organs as well," Li said. "It will be more common than what we originally thought."

Researchers next will drill down even more to look at the molecular mechanics of ferroelectric switching and further try to connect the process with disease onset.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yuanming Liu, Yunjie Wang, Ming-Jay Chow, Nataly Q. Chen, Feiyue Ma, Yanhang Zhang, and Jiangyu Li. Glucose suppresses biological ferroelectricity in aortic elastin. Physical Review Letters, 2013 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Justin Bieber criticized for hoping Anne Frank would've been a 'belieber'

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Singer Justin Bieber stirred controversy over the weekend for claiming that Anne Frank, who wrote movingly of her years spent hiding from the Nazis, might have been a fan of his.

Staff of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, where Frank and family hid from the Nazis until they were betrayed in 1944,?posted on Facebook?that Bieber visited the landmark building.

The staff noted that Bieber signed the museum's guestbook with, "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

Facebook readers were not happy with Bieber's assumption.

"She would've been a WHAT?" wrote Kevin Garcia Leon. "That little idiot is way too full of himself. She's an important historical figure so show some respect."

"Way to turn an inspiring moment into something about yourself," wrote Meghan Mausteller.

On Monday, the Anne Frank House defended Bieber on the museum's Facebook page, with staff writing, "The Anne Frank House was pleased to welcome Justin Bieber to the Anne Frank House last Friday. We think it is very positive that he took the time and effort to visit our museum. He was very interested in the story of Anne Frank and stayed for over an hour. We hope that his visit will inspire his fans to learn more about her life and hopefully read the diary."

According to the Facebook page, fans waited outside the Amsterdam landmark just to see Bieber, who was in The Netherlands for a concert.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2ab84d49/l/0Ltodayentertainment0Btoday0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C150C177493490Ejustin0Ebieber0Ecriticized0Efor0Ehoping0Eanne0Efrank0Ewouldve0Ebeen0Ea0Ebelieber0Dlite/story01.htm

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Experience The Brilliance Of Rebel Wilson In GIFs

FROM NEXT MOVIE Tomorrow, the epicness of Rebel Wilson will be fully realized when she takes the stage as host of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards. To fully prepare yourself for that schooling in ruling, we highly recommend that you take a look at the GIF collection that Next Movie has put together. The GIFs [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/04/13/experience-the-brilliance-of-rebel-wilson-in-gifs/

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Aung San Suu Kyi Visits Japan (Voice Of America)

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