Papers by 20210102289 Diana Tan
Cornell University - arXiv, Sep 26, 2022
A longitudinal examination of perinatal testosterone, estradiol and vitamin D as predictors of handedness outcomes in childhood and adolescence
Laterality
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
The broad autism phenotype commonly refers to sub-clinical levels of autistic-like behaviour and ... more The broad autism phenotype commonly refers to sub-clinical levels of autistic-like behaviour and cognition presented in biological relatives of autistic people. In a recent study, we reported findings suggesting that the broad autism phenotype may also be expressed in facial morphology, specifically increased facial masculinity. Increased facial masculinity has been reported among autistic children, as well as their non-autistic siblings. The present study builds on our previous findings by investigating the presence of increased facial masculinity among non-autistic parents of autistic children. Using a previously established method, a ‘facial masculinity score’ and several facial distances were calculated for each three-dimensional facial image of 192 parents of autistic children (58 males, 134 females) and 163 age-matched parents of non-autistic children (50 males, 113 females). While controlling for facial area and age, significantly higher masculinity scores and larger (more ma...
Cornell University - arXiv, Feb 16, 2021
Previous research has found that voices can provide reliable information to be used for gender cl... more Previous research has found that voices can provide reliable information to be used for gender classification with a high level of accuracy. In social psychology, perceived masculinity and femininity (masculinity and femininity rated by humans) has often been considered an important feature when investigating the influence of vocal features on social behaviours. While previous studies have characterised the acoustic features that contributed to perceivers' judgements of speakers' masculinity or femininity, there is limited research on developing a machine masculinity/femininity scoring model and characterizing the independent acoustic factors that contribute to perceivers' masculinity and femininity judgements. In this work, we first propose a machine scoring model of perceived masculinity/femininity based on the Extreme Random Forest and then characterize the independent and meaningful acoustic factors that contribute to perceivers' judgements by using a correlation matrix based hierarchical clustering method. Our results show that the machine ratings of masculinity and femininity strongly correlated with the human ratings of masculinity and femininity when we used an optimal speech duration of 7 seconds, with a correlation coefficient of up to .63 for females and .77 for males. Nine independent clusters of acoustic measures were generated from our modelling of femininity judgements for female voices and eight clusters were found for masculinity judgements for male voices. The results revealed that, for both genders, the F0 mean is the most important acoustic measure affecting the judgement of acoustic-related masculinity and femininity. The F3 mean, F4 mean and VTL estimators were found to be highly intercorrelated and appeared in the same cluster, forming the second most significant factor in influencing the assessment of acoustic-related masculinity and femininity. Next, F1 mean, F2 mean and F0 standard deviation are independent factors that share similar importance. The voice perturbation measures, including HNR, jitter and shimmer, are of lesser importance in influencing masculinity/femininity judgements.
Animation, Theory of Mind and Humanoid Robots: Creating a Social Robot Video Task
Leonardo, 2022
Theory of Mind (ToM)—a social cognitive ability commonly underdeveloped in individuals with autis... more Theory of Mind (ToM)—a social cognitive ability commonly underdeveloped in individuals with autism—is necessary to attribute mental states to oneself and others. Research into robot-assisted interventions to improve ToM ability in children with autism has become increasingly popular. However, no appropriate task currently exists to measure the degree of efficacy of robot-assisted interventions targeting ToM ability. The authors demonstrate how animation techniques and principles can be leveraged to develop and produce videos of humanoid robots interacting, which could selectively measure ToM.
Asd-Sibs-Faces
'alg_valid' contains data points used for comparing facial distances between boys and gir... more 'alg_valid' contains data points used for comparing facial distances between boys and girls without a family history of autism. <br><br>'main_data' contains data points used for comparing facial distances between non-autistic siblings of autistic children and children without a family history of autism. <br><br>.rda is a R readable data file. .csv format is available as well. <br>
MOESM3 of Characteristics and health burden of the undiagnosed population at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China
Additional file 3. Supplemental analyses on the impact of provincial air pollution exposure on CO... more Additional file 3. Supplemental analyses on the impact of provincial air pollution exposure on COPD status. Table and figure showing the results of group comparisons by air pollution exposure status and an odds ratio model where pollution exposure status was added to the list of predictors.
MOESM2 of Characteristics and health burden of the undiagnosed population at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China
Additional file 2. Health-related quality of life, healthcare resource use and productivity outco... more Additional file 2. Health-related quality of life, healthcare resource use and productivity outcome measures as a function of 'COPD Diagnosed' status. Table showing logistic regression for the 'COPD Diagnosed' group.
MOESM1 of Characteristics and health burden of the undiagnosed population at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China
Additional file 1. Further details on study methodology. Additional information on study methodol... more Additional file 1. Further details on study methodology. Additional information on study methodology including study recruitment, covariates, the Lung Function Questionnaire, and sample weighting.
Validation of a Novel Theory of Mind Measurement Tool
Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 2021
Social communication difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been associated with poo... more Social communication difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been associated with poor Theory of Mind (ToM)¬, an ability to attribute mental states to others. Interventions using humanoid robots could improve ToM that may generalize to human-human interactions. Traditionally, ToM has been measured using the Firth-Happe Animations (FHA) task which depicts interactions between two animated triangles. Recently, we developed a Social Robot Video (SRV) task which depicts interactions between two NAO robots. In this study, we administered both tasks to 8 children with ASD and 9 typically-developing children to examine the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the SRV task. Results suggest that SRV has face validity, partial inter-rater reliability and could differentiate between the two groups. In sum, the SRV task could be used to assess effectiveness of ToM interventions using humanoid robots.
OP366 Characterizing The Population At Risk Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In China Using A Real-World Population Survey
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 2020
IntroductionChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mort... more IntroductionChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. However, early identification of patients with COPD in the community is challenging. This study used a real-world survey of the Chinese urban adult population to estimate the prevalence of COPD diagnosis or COPD-risk, examine the health outcomes and healthcare resource use of these groups, and investigate the sociodemographic factors associated with these statuses.MethodsRespondents to the 2017 National Health and Wellness Survey in China (n = 19,994) were classified into: COPD (diagnosed), COPD-risk (undiagnosed), and control (undiagnosed, not at-risk) using their self-reported diagnosis and Lung Function Questionnaire (LFQ) score. These groups were compared by healthcare resource use and health outcomes (EuroQol [EQ-5D] and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaires). Factors associated with being in these groups were investigated using pairwise comparison...
Interspeech 2020, 2020
Human voices vary in their perceived masculinity or femininity, and subjective gender scores prov... more Human voices vary in their perceived masculinity or femininity, and subjective gender scores provided by human raters have long been used in psychological studies to understand the complex psychosocial relationships between people. However, there has been limited research on developing objective gender scoring of voices and examining the correlation between objective gender scores (including the weighting of each acoustic factor) and subjective gender scores (i.e., perceived masculinity/ femininity). In this work we propose a gender scoring model based on Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and using weakly labelled data to objectively rate speakers' masculinity and femininity. For 434 speakers, we investigated 29 acoustic measures of voice characteristics and their relationships to both the objective scores and subjective masculinity/femininity ratings. The results revealed close correspondence between objective scores and subjective ratings of masculinity for males and femininity for females (correlations of 0.667 and 0.505 respectively). Among the 29 measures, F0 was found to be the most important vocal characteristic influencing both objective and subjective ratings for both sexes. For female voices, local absolute jitter and Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio (HNR) were moderately associated with objective scores. For male voices, F0 variance influenced objective gender scores more than the subjective ratings provided by human listeners.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020
Atypical facial morphology, particularly increased facial asymmetry, has been identified in some ... more Atypical facial morphology, particularly increased facial asymmetry, has been identified in some individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Many cognitive, behavioural and biological features associated with ASC also occur on a continuum in the general population. The aim of the present study was to examine subthreshold levels of autistic traits and facial morphology in non-autistic individuals. Facial asymmetry was measured using three-dimensional facial photogrammetry, and the Autism-spectrum Quotient was used to measure autistic-like traits in a community-ascertained sample of young adults (n = 289). After accounting for covariates, there were no significant associations observed between autistic-like traits and facial asymmetry, suggesting that any potential facial morphology differences linked to ASC may be limited to the clinical condition.
Translational Psychiatry, 2020
Autism spectrum disorder is a heritable neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed based on social an... more Autism spectrum disorder is a heritable neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed based on social and communication differences. There is strong evidence that cognitive and behavioural changes associated with clinical autism aggregate with biological relatives but in milder form, commonly referred to as the ‘broad autism phenotype’. The present study builds on our previous findings of increased facial masculinity in autistic children (Sci. Rep., 7:9348, 2017) by examining whether facial masculinity represents as a broad autism phenotype in 55 non-autistic siblings (25 girls) of autistic children. Using 3D facial photogrammetry and age-matched control groups of children without a family history of ASD, we found that facial features of male siblings were more masculine than those of male controls (n = 69; p < 0.001, d = 0.81 [0.36, 1.26]). Facial features of female siblings were also more masculine than the features of female controls (n = 60; p = 0.005, d = 0.63 [0.16, 1.10]). Overal...
BMC Public Health, 2019
Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and morta... more Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. However, identifying patients has proved challenging, resulting in widespread under-diagnosis of the condition. We examined the prevalence of COPD diagnosis and COPD risk among adults in urban mainland China, the factors associated with having a COPD diagnosis or COPD risk, and the healthcare resource use and health outcomes of these groups compared with controls. Methods Respondents to the 2017 National Health and Wellness Survey in China (n = 19,994) were classified into three groups: ‘COPD Diagnosed’, ‘COPD Risk (undiagnosed)’, and Control (unaffected), based on their self-reported diagnosis and Lung Function Questionnaire (LFQ) score. The groups were characterised by sociodemographic, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity impairment, and healthcare resource use. Pairwise comparisons (t tests and chi-squared tests) and multivariable regression analyses we...
British Journal of Psychology, 2019
Reports linking prenatal testosterone exposure to autistic traits and to a masculinised face stru... more Reports linking prenatal testosterone exposure to autistic traits and to a masculinised face structure have motivated research investigating whether autism is associated with facial masculinisation. This association has been reported with greater consistency for females than for males, in studies comparing groups with high and low levels of autistic traits. In the present study, we conducted two experiments to examine facial masculinity/femininity in 153 neurotypical adults selected for either low, mid-range or high levels of autistic traits. In the first experiment, their three-dimensional facial photographs were subjectively rated by 41 raters for masculinity/femininity and were objectively analysed. In the second experiment, we generated 6-face composite images which were rated by another 36 raters. Across both experiments, findings were consistent for ratings of photographs and composite images. For females, a linear relationship was observed where femininity ratings decreased as a function of higher levels of autistic traits. For males, we found a U-shape function where males with mid-range levels of traits were rated lowest on masculinity. Objective facial analyses revealed that higher levels of autistic traits were associated with less feminine facial structures in females and less masculine structures in males. These results suggest sexspecific relationships between autistic traits and facial masculinity/femininity.
Alcohol exposure during pregnancy has been associated with altered brain development and facial d... more Alcohol exposure during pregnancy has been associated with altered brain development and facial dysmorphology. While autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not specifically related to distinct facial phenotypes, recent studies have suggested certain facial characteristics—increased facial masculinity and asymmetry—may be associated with ASD and its clinical presentations. In the present study, we conducted a preliminary investigation to examine the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on facial morphology in autistic children with (n = 37; mean age = 8.21 years, SD = 2.72) and without (n = 100; mean age = 8.37 years, SD = 2.47) prenatal alcohol exposure. Using three-dimensional facial scans and principal component analysis, we identified a facial shape associated with prenatal alcohol exposure in autistic children. However, variations in the alcohol-related facial shape were generally not associated with behavioural and cognitive measures. These findings suggest that while early exposure...
PloS one, 2018
It is suggested that testosterone may play a part in the higher prevalence of Autism Spectrum Dis... more It is suggested that testosterone may play a part in the higher prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in males compared to females. Previous studies have reported elevated postnatal testosterone levels in children and women with ASD but not in men. We compared levels of salivary testosterone across 67 undergraduate males (Mage 19.5 yrs, SD 1.92) selected for low, mid-range and high levels of autistic traits assessed using the Autism-spectrum Quotient. Analyses revealed no significant differences in testosterone concentrations across the three groups. The current data add to the increasing evidence for the lack of relationship between autistic traits and postnatal levels of testosterone in men.
Scientific Reports, 2017
Elevated prenatal testosterone exposure has been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) a... more Elevated prenatal testosterone exposure has been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and facial masculinity. By employing three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry, the current study investigated whether prepubescent boys and girls with ASD present increased facial masculinity compared to typically-developing controls. There were two phases to this research. 3D facial images were obtained from a normative sample of 48 boys and 53 girls (3.01-12.44 years old) to determine typical facial masculinity/femininity. The sexually dimorphic features were used to create a continuous 'gender score', indexing degree of facial masculinity. Gender scores based on 3D facial images were then compared for 54 autistic and 54 control boys (3.01-12.52 years old), and also for 20 autistic and 60 control girls (4.24-11.78 years). For each sex, increased facial masculinity was observed in the ASD group relative to control group. Further analyses revealed that increased facial masculinity in the ASD group correlated with more social-communication difficulties based on the Social Affect score derived from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale-Generic (ADOS-G). There was no association between facial masculinity and the derived Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours score. This is the first study demonstrating facial hypermasculinisation in ASD and its relationship to social-communication difficulties in prepubescent children. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by difficulties in social communication and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviours 1. While genetic factors are known to play a major role in ASD 2-4 , a growing body of scientific literature has examined the influence of endocrine factors in the development of the condition. The 'extreme male brain' theory holds that cognitive and behavioural characteristics of ASD represent an extreme form of the typical male phenotype as a result of exposure to elevated levels of prenatal testosterone 5. However, empirical findings accumulated from the past few decades of research suggest that the link between prenatal testosterone and behaviours associated with ASD is not a clear-cut one. Whilst several studies reported that increased concentrations of prenatal testosterone were related to more pronounced autistic traits 6, 7 , increased male-type play 8 , enhanced visuospatial skills 9 , and poorer social and language skills 10 , other studies have either identified a link restricted to one sex 11-13 or observed no association in both sexes 14-17. Also, a recent study of typically-developing children with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD 18 found that elevated levels of prenatal testosterone were not associated with autistic traits in the full sample, but an association was found for the subgroup of children who had a female older sibling with ASD. Furthermore, a case-control study of boys with and without ASD 19 indicated that whereas the groups had comparable prenatal testosterone concentrations, a latent factor score derived from prenatal levels of cortisol and steroids associated with the biosynthesis of testosterone showed elevated levels in the ASD group compared to the controls. These inconsistent results may be attributed to methodological differences in deriving prenatal testosterone measures
Autism Research, 2017
Atypical facial characteristics have been observed in many disorders associated with developmenta... more Atypical facial characteristics have been observed in many disorders associated with developmental disability. While autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have not previously been thought to be associated with a distinct facial phenotype, an emerging research literature is casting doubt on this assumption. The identification of differences in the facial phenotype of individuals with ASC may contribute to efforts to promote early identification of the condition and help elucidate etiological pathways. With the aim of identifying facial phenotypes associated with ASC, this commentary evaluated facial features purported to distinguish ASC from typical development. Although there is little consensus across the reviewed studies for the majority of facial characteristics described, preliminary evidence suggests increased facial asymmetry may be more common in ASC. There is also evidence to suggest that there are morphologically distinct subgroups within ASC that correspond with different cognitive and behavioral symptomatology. However, in light of the various inconsistencies in the reported literature, and based on an accumulating understanding of etiological pathways proposed to be associated with ASC, we propose an alternative paradigm for investigating facial phenotypes in ASC. A series of studies are outlined to demonstrate the promise of a research program that has taken a hypothesisdriven approach to examine facial phenotypes associated with increased exposure to prenatal testosterone and to ASC.
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Papers by 20210102289 Diana Tan