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Cities represent intense battlefields where patriarchal norms are simultaneously defied and reinforced. In India, as elsewhere, the presence of strees [women] in the streets persists as a ulturally contested phenomenon. Movies shape our perception and experience of the city, even outside the cinema hall. This paper explores how contemporary Hindi cinema portrays men's and women's engagement with the urban space. Borrowing analytical tools from urban geography, it uses movies as a medium to map and quantify the extent to which activities, attitudes and experiences in urban spaces are gendered. The sample consists of 10 movies released between 2010 and 2020, set in cities of different types, and comprising at least one pivotal female character. Leveraging more than 3,000 minutes of footage, it identifies statistical trends in the way female and male characters navigate the city. This study introduces original methodological tools to carry spatial analysis in movies. It also sheds light on recent transformations in Hindi cinema vis-à-vis the place of women in the public space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cable cars are a viable alternative to improve citizens' accessibility in zones with limitations on urban public transport supply due to the topography. In Latin America, such systems have recently been implemented in zones with high levels of poverty and vulnerability. Although the social implications of their implementation are relevant, individual expectations of these systems and how current changes in travel conditions and quality of life are perceived have not been widely reported in the literature. This paper aims to evaluate users' expectations and perceptions of a new cable car in the southern periphery of Bogotá (Colombia). We conducted a panel survey before (n = 341) and after (n = 301) the cable car started operations to evaluate the ranking of preferences toward a set of possible benefits of the project. We estimated discrete choice models to analyze the statistical differences between the expectations and perceptions before and after changes. Results suggest that travel time reductions, comfort improvements, and in-vehicle security are the benefits most valued by the users. Even though the project meets expectations of these aspects, it seems to fall short in expectations of reductions of pollution. Individuals' experience with the cable car shapes their perceptions of the system. We found that perceptions differ between those who have used the service at least once and those who never did. Policy implications derived from this study might be of interest to decision-makers seeking to guarantee the public acceptability of urban projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper claims that we have direct and complete perceptual access to other people's emotions in their bodily and behavioural expression. The claim is understood, not by analogy with the perception of three-dimensional objects or physical processes, but as a form of Gestalt perception. In addition, talk of direct perceptual access to others' emotions is shown not to entail a behaviourist view of mind; and talk of complete perceptual access is shown to include both the phenomenological character and the dispositional nature of emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a comparison of three neutrons identifying methods in scintillators based on ZnS with 6Li and 10B: charge integration method, pulse gradient analysis, and simplified digital charge collection. A quality factor is used for comparison. It is calculated by the distribution of distances from the event position to the discrimination curve. It is shown that the charge integration method is observed to provide the best discrimination performance in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raptors can be important components of urban ecosystems due to their role as apex predators, the presence of which may bring benefits to people. Urban environments may provide good quality habitats, and the raptors' ability to utilize resources found here can contribute to their success. However, urban environments are socio-ecological systems and such mechanisms shaping habitats and ecological resources therein are less understood. This paper explores how raptors utilize urban resources, and the socio-ecological processes influencing their quality and availability. It begins with a systematic mapping of the literature to summarize the utility of urban resources by raptors with European distributions. Eighteen species were documented in the literature successfully exploiting novel hunting and/or nesting opportunities in both green and built-up locations of urban areas. We discuss how these may be consequential of human activities, some of which intentionally provided as subsidies, and how their utility by raptors create opportunities for human-raptor interactions further shaping public perception and decisions which potentially affect the raptors. Finally, we demonstrate these concepts by drawing on our experience from an urban peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) conservation site in London, UK. The paper concludes with a call for urban raptor conservation and research to consider social and ecological aspects together, appropriately reflecting urban environments as socio-ecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated a link between prior experience of physical pain and empathic response within similar settings. However, much less is known about emotional hurt derived from psychologically painful situations and the expression of empathy, despite evidence that different types of pain can be experienced in similar ways. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the current paper explored the relationship between college students' (mostly female) experience with psychological pain and level of empathy evoked by pictures of strangers experiencing physical and psychological pain. Findings from all three studies indicated similar empathic reactions (in the form of pain perception, empathic concern, perspective taking, and intention to help) toward physical and psychological pain. However, participants' feelings after observing physical and psychological pain were related to their prior similar painful experiences. This suggests that similar prior psychological painful experience can impact affective empathy when observing another in psychological pain, but not cognitive empathy. Implication for research on empathy evoked by observing psychological pain and the influence of similar past painful experiences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game theory has found significant applications in a wide range of fields to deal with competitive environments between individuals or organizations. The researchers investigated several augmentations of ordinary game theory to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity in payoffs and goals. However, the quantifiable parts of the problems have been studied in matrix games with payoffs expressed by interval numbers, fuzzy numbers, and intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. In several situations, qualitative information is critical in describing the payoffs of a game problem. Experts frequently prefer expressing their perspective in natural linguistic terms rather than numerical values in real-life decision-making challenges. This linguistic representation has been utilized to resolve plenty of decision-making problems. This paper explores the theory of matrix games under a qualitative information environment. We use linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (LIVIFNs) to describe the payoff values as suggested by experts. The LIVIFNs are more efficient tools that provide experts with a flexible information modeling capability to describe their ambiguous and uncertain perceptions in the form of linguistic terms. The solution of this class of matrix games is attained by resolving a duo of linear or nonlinear programming problems originating through nonlinear bi-objective programming problems. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a digital pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method is proposed to distinguish between neutron and gamma events in radiation detectors. Machine learning is employed for classifying the radiation type according to the feature values that represent the pulse shape parameters. To consider both time and frequency parameters of the pulse signal, the short-time frequency transform is employed for the feature extraction process. The proposed approach utilizes the principal component analysis, for dimensionality reduction, where only the most significant components are selected for the classification procedure. The logistic regression model is chosen, among many classifiers, to provide a discrimination parameter through which performance comparison with conventional PSD techniques can be easily applied. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, the figure of merit and the classification accuracy are calculated at different signal to noise ratios and energy levels. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through a performance comparison with state-of-the art methods and traditional PSD techniques, like charge comparison, pulse gradient analysis, and frequency gradient analysis. Experimental results show that the proposed technique introduces better discrimination capability than that of the other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenge of this paper is to examine how various forms of speed perception affect motor vehicle crash (MVC) involvement. To model this relationship, we use a type-2 fuzzy inference system (T2FIS). Another general challenge is to improve the performance of seven created T2FISs in a sense of compliance with the empirical data. This is achieved by a proposal of an algorithm based on the bee colony optimization (BCO) metaheuristic. The main novelty of this algorithm is the way how the testing points are selected in a type-2 fuzzy environment, which influences the execution efficiency. Data collection was carried out in twelve experiments. A total of 178 young drivers assessed the speed level from four positions; three of them relate to the speed perception of other vehicles on the road, while the remaining one represents the assessment of their own speed. At each position, three speed levels were assessed: 30, 50, and 70 km/h. As a result of the implemented methodology, a relationship between the various forms of speed perception and participation in MVCs can be quantified. The BCO-based algorithm achieved an average improvement of 21.17% in the performance of the initial T2FIS structures. The final results indicate that the drivers whose speed perception of the vehicle they are looking at from the rear side, as well as of the own vehicle, is poor have an elevated risk toward participation in MVCs compared to other forms of speed perception. This can be useful in various educational and recruitment procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JSNS 2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) is an experiment that is searching for sterile neutrinos via the observation of ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e appearance oscillations using muon decay-at-rest neutrinos. Before dedicated data taking in the first-half of 2021, we performed a commissioning run for 10 days in June 2020. Using the data obtained in this commissioning run, in this paper, we present an estimate of the correlated background which imitates the ν ¯ e signal in a sterile neutrino search. In addition, in order to demonstrate future prospects of the JSNS 2 experiment, possible pulse shape discrimination improvements towards reducing cosmic ray induced fast neutron background are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to identify the factors that cause prospective tourists' hesitation to travel. The study also examines whether this relationship is mediated by the tourist perception in Bangladesh. The study is of quantitative design, and the relationships between tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality with tourist hesitation were explored using a sample of 322 Bangladeshi prospective tourists. The three relationships were also examined through tourist perception. By using cross-sectional data, the researchers hypothesized that tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality have a positive and significant effect on tourist hesitation. Besides, the researchers also hypothesized that tourist perception mediates the relationships between tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality with tourist hesitation. In this respect, the Smart PLS 3.0 was employed to analyze the data. The results of the study confirm findings of previous related studies by not only highlighting the importance of tourist perception in shaping tourist hesitation but also indicating the way each dimension of tourism either enhances or inhibits the tourist hesitation. The results of the study also reveal a positive and significant relationship between tourist knowledge and tourist health risk with tourist hesitation. The analysis of data showed no conventional relationship between destination personality and tourist hesitation. Accordingly, this study identified the extent to which tourist perception mediates the relationship between tourist knowledge and destination personality with tourist hesitation. Meanwhile, the results of the study indicate the absence of any mediation role of tourist perception between tourist health risk and tourist hesitation. The study outcomes would encourage the government, policymakers, and tourism managements in creating a tailor-made responsiveness program by building a scenario that could offer more prominent sustainable tourism establishments. Besides, the results may assist stakeholders of tourist destinations in understanding tourist perception and the causes of tourist's hesitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foresight has recently emerged as one of the most attractive and practical fields of study, while being used to draw up a preferable future and formulate appropriate strategies for achieving predetermined goals. The present research aimed at providing a framework for foresight with a primary focus on the role of a cognitive approach and its combination with the concept of fuzzy cognitive map in the environments of uncertainty and ambiguity. The proposed framework consisted of the 3 phases: pre-foresight, foresight, and post-foresight. The main stage (foresight) focused on the role of imagination and intuition in drawing the future in the experts' minds and depicting their perceptions above perceptions in the form of a fuzzy cognitive map influenced by variables related to the subject under study in order to determine a preferable future. The use of a Z-number concept and integrating it with fuzzy cognitive maps in the foresight-oriented decision-making space, which was mainly saturated with uncertainty and ambiguity, was one of the main strengths of the proposed framework in the current investigation. The present paper focused primarily on the evolution of expert's knowledge with regard to the topic of foresight. The role of Z-number in various processes, from data collection to illustration, analysis, and aggregation of cognitive maps, was considered for gaining knowledge and understanding into the nature of future. Moreover, an ultimate objective was realized through identifying, aggregating, and selecting the variables from each expert's perspective and then the relationship between each variable was determined in the main stage of foresight. Finally, the proposed framework was presented and explicated in the form of a case study, which revealed satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its strong coverage, small power consumption, low cost, and large connectivity, narrow-band Internet of Things technology has become the key technology in Internet of Things communication. However, in the face of a large number of terminals, the rational allocation of limited resources and the heterogeneous data fusion in the system become an important topic in the research of narrow-band Internet of Things. So a multi-source heterogeneous data fusion based on perceptual semantics in NB-IoT is proposed in this paper. Firstly, we introduce the advantages and key technologies of NB-IoT, which includes the key techniques of physical layer and media access control layer. Then, in order to eliminate data redundancy and extend the network lifetime, we analyze the centralized mode and distributed mode in NB-IoT network, and proposed a multi-source heterogeneous data fusion based on semantic perception to form a uniform format. Finally, an improved D-S evidence theory is adopted to proceed data fusion, obtaining the final fusion result. The experiment has shown that our proposed algorithm has faster convergence rate, higher stability, and its judgment to fusion results are more suitable to actual conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulse tests are performed on power transformers to assess their insulation integrity. During these tests, impulse voltages are applied, and the resulting voltage and current waveforms are recorded. After postprocessing of these data, the presence of faults in the winding should be detected. Different methods and models have been developed for pattern recognition of transformer winding current and classification of impulse faults, . The drawback of these methods is the representation of a fault as a short circuit with constant conductance. In this paper, the breakdown and arc were modeled to represent a more realistic fault during impulse tests. Using this model, it is possible to generate more realistic data, which are necessary to develop more reliable fault-detecting algorithms and, as a result, better pattern recognition and classification of impulse test waveforms. The model has its roots in the classical Mayr equation, and it is simulated with TACS and MODELS modules in EMTP. The simulation results verify the ability of the suggested method to represent disk-to-disk breakdown and arc fault during impulse testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines Japan's foreign policy towards the South Caucasus through the case study of Japanese engagement in Georgia. The goal of the study is to explore the formulation of Japan's official foreign policy towards Georgia and to highlight the ideational factors influencing the process. As for the timeframe, the thesis is focused on the period from 1992 to 2016. Following the constructivist theory of International Relations, claiming the reality to be shaped by the perceptions of the actors, the study engages in documentary analysis and tries to provide a comprehensive understanding of Japan's policymaking regarding the South Caucasus. The study contradicts the dominant positivist claims and argues that Japan's official foreign policy discourse regarding the South Caucasus is constructed according to Japanese perceptions of world affairs, its domestic environment, the situation in the South Caucasus itself, the imagined role for Japan (identity), and the norms and values that were believed to have universal importance. As for the development of Japanese foreign policy towards Georgia, the author differentiates three stages in the construction of Japan's approach: (1) No strategy (1992–1996); (2) "Eurasian Diplomacy" (1997–2005); and (3) "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity" (2006–2016), while the factors claimed to be influencing these dynamics are the ideas, beliefs, and values of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States continues to experience a persistent rural-urban digital divide. However, in this area of research, less attention has been paid to the divide in regions between these two demographic and geographic extremes. In this paper, we examine the perceived effects of internet inaccessibility in this in-between space, which we term "quasi-rural." Using quasi-rural Illinois as a case study, semi-structured interview data is used to highlight the experiences of those who are directly affected by the digital divide, as well as those who provide service alternatives and advocate for internet connectivity. With this data, we describe the personal experience of at-home internet inaccessibility. We then focus on how limited, or a lack of access shapes the perceptions of community connectedness and disadvantage among those affected by the divide. Our findings demonstrate the internet's function as social infrastructure; differences in access are then conceptualized as a form of socioeconomic inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Privacy and security concerns regarding digital information have been increasing with advancements in multimedia and network technologies. Digital images are an integral component of online-distributed content, which plays a crucial role in forming public perceptions and opinions. They also play a major role in sensitive areas, such as law and defense. Any attempt to tamper with them is, therefore, a serious issue. One common approach to this problem is fragile image watermarking, which is used to ensure the authenticity of digital content. In this paper, a new fragile watermarking method for the authentication of digital images is proposed based on a binary rotation invariant and noise tolerant (BRINT) local texture descriptor and an extreme learning machine (ELM). BRINT is used to generate and retrieve the watermark in both the embedding and extraction procedures. In parallel, ELM is used in both procedures to learn and recover any tampered areas. The experimental results showed that the proposed scheme does not degrade image quality, allows for tamper detection, and has a recovery ability comparable with state-of-the-art fragile and semi-fragile watermarking schemes. Moreover, the proposed scheme has been validated as a fragile watermarking method with the potential to detect and locate modifications in digital images, such as copy-paste forgery, JPEG compression, and noise addition. This method is useful in sensitive fields, like defense, law, and journalism, in which decision-making based on digital visual information is necessary, to ensure that an image is authentic and has not been tampered with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual curve completion is a fundamental problem in understanding the principles of the human visual system. This problem is usually divided into two problems: a grouping problem and a shape problem. On one hand, though perception of the visually completed curve is clearly a global task (for example, a human perceives the Kanizsa triangle only when seeing all three black objects), conventional methods for solving the grouping problem are generally based on local Gestalt laws. On the other hand, the shape of the visually completed curve is usually recovered by minimizing shape energy in existing methods. However, not only do these methods lack mechanisms to adjust the shape of the recovered visual curve using perceptual, psychophysical, and neurophysiological knowledge, but it is also difficult to calculate an explicit representation of the visually completed curve. In this paper, we present a systematic computational model for generating a visually completed curve. Firstly, based on recent studies of perception, psychophysics, and neurophysiology, we formulate a grouping procedure based on the human visual system by seeking a minimum Hamiltonian cycle in a graph, solving the grouping problem in a global manner. Secondly, we employ a Bézier curve-based model to represent the visually completed curve. Not only is an explicit representation deduced, but we also present a means to integrate knowledge from related areas, such as perception, psychophysics, and neurophysiology, and so on. The proposed computational model has been validated using many modal and amodal completion examples, and desirable results were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the effects of the introduction (by either firms or authorities) of a composite good consisting of a fixed proportion of two imperfectly substitutable stand-alone products. First, we find that such a "cocktail" rises the Bertrand equilibrium prices as it introduces a certain degree of complementarity. It also creates incentives to price discriminate and products can be sold at a discount or at a premium (depending on their degree of substitutability) when they are used as part of the composite good. We consider two distinct forms of price discrimination: a traditional one, in which producers set their prices independently of each other and a coordinated one, in which producers cooperate (collude) when setting the price of the composite good. Composite goods might have either a positive or a negative impact on consumer surplus. The sign of the impact depends on the form of price discrimination and consumers tend to be better off if producers coordinate. The impact is also more likely to be positive if "cocktails are done right", i.e., if their quality is high compared to the quality of the stand-alone products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, private health insurance companies are allowed to vary their premiums based on some information on individuals. This practice is intuitively justified by the idea that people should pay the premium corresponding to their own known risk. However, one may consider this as a form of discrimination or wrongful differential treatment. Our goal in this paper is to assess whether profiling is ethically permissible in health insurance. We go beyond the existing literature in considering a wide range of parameters, be they genetic, non-genetic, or even non-medical such as age or place of living. Analyzing several ethical concerns, and tackling the difficult question of responsibility, we argue that profiling is generally unjust in health insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrinoless double-beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay is a hypothetical rare nuclear transition ( T 1 / 2 > 10 25 – 10 26 year). Its observation would provide an important insight into the nature of neutrinos (Dirac or Majorana particle) demonstrating that the lepton number is not conserved. This decay can be investigated with bolometers embedding the double-beta decay isotope ( 76 Ge , 82 Se , 100 Mo , 116 Cd , 130 Te ...), which perform as low-temperature calorimeters (few tens of mK) detecting particle interactions via a small temperature rise read out by a dedicated thermometer. Cryogenic Rare-event Observatory with Surface Sensitivity (CROSS) aims at the development of bolometric detectors (based on Li 2 MoO 4 and TeO 2 crystals) capable of discriminating surface α and β interactions by exploiting superconducting properties of Al film deposited on the detector surface. We report in this paper the results of tests on prototypes performed at CSNSM (Orsay, France) that showed the capability of a-few- μ m -thick superconducting Al film deposited on crystal surface to discriminate surface α from bulk events, thus providing the detector with the required pulse shape discrimination capability. The CROSS technology would further improve the background suppression and simplify the detector construction (no auxiliary light detector is needed to reject alpha surface events) with a view to future competitive double-beta decay searches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks shape perceptions by exposing people to the actions and opinions of their peers. However, the perceived popularity of a trait or an opinion may be very different from its actual popularity. We attribute this perception bias to friendship paradox and identify conditions under which it appears. We validate the findings empirically using Twitter data. Within posts made by users in our sample, we identify topics that appear more often within users' social feeds than they do globally among all posts. We also present a polling algorithm that leverages the friendship paradox to obtain a statistically efficient estimate of a topic's global prevalence from biased individual perceptions. We characterize the polling estimate and validate it through synthetic polling experiments on Twitter data. Our paper elucidates the non-intuitive ways in which the structure of directed networks can distort perceptions and presents approaches to mitigate this bias. Individuals within social networks rarely observe the network as a whole; rather, their observations are limited to their social circles. Here we show that network structure can distort observations, making a trait appear far more common within many social circles than it is in the network as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceptions of entitativity are thought to be influenced by salient features such as the physical proximity and physical similarity of group members (Campbell in Behav Sci 3:14–25, 1958). But social interactions among group members involve a number of low-level alignment (Pickering and Garrod in Behav Brain Sci 27:212–225, 2004) and synchronization (Marsh et al. in Top Cogn Sci 1:320–339, 2009) processes. Conversational partners, for instance, become aligned in syntax, semantics, emotion, and bodily posture. In this paper, we explore whether alignment correlates with observers' judgments of entitativity, and, moreover, which specific forms of alignment have the strongest effects on these judgments. Results revealed that only emotional alignment had on effect on judgments of entitativity. We discuss how future work may further assess the role of various dimensions in shaping the perception of group status in linguistic interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software testing is the most crucial stage in the software development process. Structural testing, functional testing and models that even support hybrid testing are different software testing techniques. Basic path testing, the most significant structural testing approach, is focused on evaluating software source code. The method emphasizes developing test data inputs to produce all feasible and efficient test paths that connect to all nodes and edges of the graph. The objective is to define the number of independent paths that can define the number of test cases needed to maximize test coverage. It ensured the execution of every statement and condition at least once. A nature-inspired Smell Detection Agent (SDA) algorithm is proposed in this paper to select all paths and prioritize the feasible solution. This algorithm is an optimization algorithm suitable for identifying optimal paths with priority. The concept is derived from the natural behaviour of canines that identified optimal path from source to the destination. The SDA algorithm is based on the evaporation of smell molecules in the form of gas and the perception capability of a smelling agent. The number of linearly independent paths through a programme module is measured by creating a Control Flow Graph of the code, which measures cyclomatic complexity. SDA algorithm gives significant increases in performance while considering the cyclomatic complexity. Complexity analysis of SDA trends to be in the O(E+V log V), while the competitor algorithms have an exponential growth of O(n 2 ). Various experiments were also carried out to emphasis the relevance of the proposed method. Ten different benchmarked applications has been taken for experimental analysis and it was observed to have an increased path coverage of 8% when SDA was used over the traditional methods. Also, the time complexity was reduced by 22%, which shows the powerfulness of the proposed SDA algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein sequence diversification significantly impacts physiological traits. In this study, using medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), we identify a novel protein variant affecting shape preference behavior. Re-analysis of sequencing data reveals that LOC101156433 encodes a unique Hmgn2 variant with unusual subnuclear localization, clustered separately from the Hmgn2 clades of other species. Medaka mutants with this variant showed reduce telencephalic regions and altered shape preference, suggesting a link between protein sequence variation and behavioral changes. Additionally, this Hmgn2 variant is common in Acanthopterygii fishes, which are adapted to a variety of environments, indicating its potential evolutionary significance. Our findings highlight the relationship between amino acid sequence variation and the development of new molecular and behavioral adaptations, providing insights into the visual shape perception system in fish. In medaka, a unique Hmgn2 variant showed unusual subnuclear localization and mutants had abnormal shape preference. This variant is common in Acanthopterygii, indicating evolutionary significance and linking sequence variation to adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutting edge advances in electrical visual cortical prosthetics have evoked perception of shapes, motion, and letters in the blind. Here, we present an alternative optical approach using pulsed infrared neural stimulation. To interface with dense arrays of cortical columns with submillimeter spatial precision, both linear array and 100-fiber bundle array optical fiber interfaces were devised. We deliver infrared stimulation through these arrays in anesthetized cat visual cortex and monitor effects by optical imaging in contralateral visual cortex. Infrared neural stimulation modulation of response to ongoing visual oriented gratings produce enhanced responses in orientation-matched domains and suppressed responses in non-matched domains, consistent with a known higher order integration mediated by callosal inputs. Controls include dynamically applied speeds, directions and patterns of multipoint stimulation. This provides groundwork for a distinct type of prosthetic targeted to maps of visual cortical columns. Visual perception is achieved by a chain of specific neural activations in the brain. Here, the authors show that infrared neural stimulation of selected early nodes in the chain leads to predictable shape response in higher areas, providing groundwork for targeted approach to vision restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we introduce a novel framework that allows us to model games with players who reason about the opponents' rationality only in some part of the game tree. We refer to this type of bounded rationality as limited focus. In particular, players try to rationalize their opponents' moves only at the histories they focus on, i.e., formally, they strongly believe in their opponents' rationality in these particular histories only. Our main result characterizes the strategy profiles that can be played under rationality and common strong belief in rationality by means of a simple elimination procedure, for every specification of the players' focus. Finally, we present several special cases and applications of our framework, and we discuss how it differs from other forms of bounded perception such as unawareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, various techniques of shape reconstruction using cast shadows have been proposed. These techniques have the advantage that they can be applied to various scenes, including outdoor scenes, without using special devices. Previously proposed techniques usually require calibration of camera parameters and light source positions, and such calibration processes limit the range of application of these techniques. In this paper, we propose a method to reconstruct 3D scenes even when the camera parameters or light source positions are unknown. The technique first recovers the shape with 4-DOF indeterminacy using coplanarities obtained by cast shadows of straight edges or visible planes in a scene, and then upgrades the shape using metric constraints obtained from the geometrical constraints in the scene. In order to circumvent the need for calibrations and special devices, we propose both linear and nonlinear methods in this paper. Experiments using simulated and real images verified the effectiveness of this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the problem of classification (or pattern recognition), given a set of n samples, we attempt to construct a classifier g n with a small misclassification error. It is important to study the convergence rates of the misclassification error as n tends to infinity. It is known that such a rate can't exist for the set of all distributions. In this paper we obtain the optimal convergence rates for a class of distributions $${\fancyscript D}$$ ( λ,ω) in multicategory classification and nonstandard binary classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that marginalized employees can experience incivility at higher rates, suggesting that incivility can take an insidious form of discrimination termed "selective incivility". A sample of 6706 employees from a public organization completed measures of co-workers and direct supervisor incivility and a measure of psychological distress. In support of the selective incivility theory, our results highlight that employees from racial minorities and those with physical disabilities are more likely to experience incivility in organizations. Our results also indicate that uncivil behaviors from co-workers are the most influential in the relationship between incivility and employees' level of psychological distress. Our results allow a better understanding of intergroup dynamics that exclude and devaluate marginalized employees. The practical implications for controlling selective incivility are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the different tastes, the preference for spiciness seems to be quite common around the world. While widely liked by many people, the psychological effects of eating spicy food have not received too much attention. Can the preference and consumption of spicy food affect our behaviors? More importantly, can spicy food eating affect our emotion perception process which is the core driver of social cognition? The present research explores these questions. More specially, the results showed that spicy food preference positively predicted the perceptual sensitivity for the facial expression of anger and disgust, and the relationship was mediated by trait aggression and trait pathogen avoidance. Additionally, we further explored the effects of spicy food consumption on the perception of anger and disgust, the results demonstrated that consuming spicy food can increase individual's state aggression, which subsequently facilitates the perception of angry expressions. The results of these studies will help us to reveal that how the taste of spiciness shapes the emotion perception process. They will deepen our understanding of the emotion perception process and the relationship between our mind and body, and have great implications for our food industry and our policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious belief, as noted by scholars like Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), Max Weber (1864–1920), Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), and William James (1842–1910), reflects shared values, shapes human conduct, and provides spiritual strength. Furthermore, it is considered a template that expresses the basic spiritual needs and aspirations of human life, containing many cultural values and characteristics of the thinking of ethnic communities. Moreover, people perceive everything by schemas formed in memory. In this study, the authors chose the subject of the belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess—one of the most popular and ancient beliefs in Vietnam and inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. Employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, linguistic materials, and field research, the study explores how Vietnamese cultural beliefs shape perception, behavior, and lifestyle. Therefore, understanding and analyzing the characteristics of the beliefs in worshiping the Mother Goddess through the lens of Cultural Linguistics can present the actual spiritual experiences of Vietnamese people. From this unique perspective, the process of perceiving the world has meaning to the language and behavior of a community culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Remote monitoring of vision, using tools such as the shape discrimination hyperacuity (SDH) test, can detect disease activity in patients with maculopathy. We determined the in-clinic accuracy and repeatability of three myVisionTrack expanded version (mVTx) tests for self-testing of visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity. Methods: Aphelion, a single-arm, prospective study conducted at two sites in the USA, included adults with any maculopathy and a baseline VA of 0.7 log of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (Snellen 20/100) or better. Participants completed the mVTx tests (tumbling E, Landolt C, contrast sensitivity, and SDH) and standard clinical tests (near and distance Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] charts and the Pelli–Robson contrast sensitivity chart). Test–retest repeatability and agreement between the mVTx tests and the corresponding clinical test were assessed by Bland–Altman analyses. Participants also completed a usability survey. Results: The mean age of the 122 participants was 67 years. The most common diagnosis was age-related macular degeneration (42% of patients). The tumbling E test had a test–retest 95% limit of agreement (LoA) of ± 0.18 logMAR; the Landolt C test, ± 0.23 logMAR; the SDH test, ± 0.24 logMAR; and the contrast sensitivity test, ± 0.32 log contrast threshold (logCT). Compared with the distance ETDRS chart, the LoA was ± 0.35 logMAR for the tumbling E test (mean difference, − 0.07 logMAR) and ± 0.39 logMAR for the Landolt C test (mean difference, 0.03 logMAR). For the contrast sensitivity test, the LoA compared with the Pelli–Robson chart was ± 0.30 logCT (mean difference, − 0.25 logCT). Most participants (85%) reported that they learned the tests quickly. The tumbling E test scored the highest on ease of use. Conclusion: The mVTx tests of VA are accurate and repeatable, supporting their potential use alongside the SDH test to detect disease progression remotely between clinic visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative study of six methods for the retrieval and classification of textured 3D models, which have been selected as representative of the state of the art. To better analyse and control how methods deal with specific classes of geometric and texture deformations, we built a collection of 572 synthetic textured mesh models, in which each class includes multiple texture and geometric modifications of a small set of null models. Results show a challenging, yet lively, scenario and also reveal interesting insights into how to deal with texture information according to different approaches, possibly working in the CIELab as well as in modifications of the RGB colour space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual perception is a critical factor in mathematical performance. The current study investigated whether form-perception speed underlies the association between visual perception capability and mathematical performance. Visual form perception tasks having different perceptual loads were administered to 162 adults in Experiment 1 and 273 children in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 showed that adult's visual perception capability correlated with mathematical performance, even after controlling for age, gender, nonverbal matrix reasoning, choice reaction time, and mental rotational ability. However, only the correlation modulated by processing speed—and only visual perceptions with lower perceptual loads— predicted the variance of mathematical performance for adults mathematical performance. The findings in children corresponded to those in adults. Thus, form-perception speed modulates the association between visual perception capability and mathematical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic scintillation detectors like BC501A, BC519, NE213, etc. have an inherent ability to classify neutrons and γ -rays through a process known as pulse shape discrimination (PSD). We developed a deep neural network (DNN)-based machine learning algorithm to discriminate neutrons / γ -rays. The algorithm was trained with data obtained from a BC501A detector considering the Cf-252 source. Further, to assess the performance of the DNN-based PSD algorithm, the algorithm was tested with an independent data set acquired with a different source-detector set-up, namely, BC501 detector with Am–Be source and a different digitiser. Results indicate that our proposed algorithm can successfully discriminate the neutrons and γ -rays with reasonably good accuracy for the independent data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the thermal neutron flux measurements carried out at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC) with two commercial 2 ″ × 2 ″ CLYC detectors. The measurements were performed as part of an experimental campaign at LSC with 3 He detectors, for establishing the sensitivity limits and use of CLYCs in low background conditions. A careful characterization of the intrinsic α and γ -ray background in the detectors was required and done with dedicated measurements. It was found that the α activities in the two CLYC crystals differ by a factor of three, and the use of Monte Carlo simulations and a Bayesian unfolding method allowed us to determine the specific α activities from the 238 U and 232 Th decay chains. The simulations and unfolding also revealed that the γ -ray background registered in the detectors is dominated by the intrinsic activity of the components of the detector such as the aluminum housing and photo-multiplier and that the activity within the crystal is low in comparison. The data from the neutron flux measurements with the two detectors were analyzed with different methodologies: one based on an innovative α /neutron pulse shape discrimination method and one based on the subtraction of the intrinsic α background that masks the neutron signals in the region of interest. The neutron sensitivity of the CLYCs was calculated by Monte Carlo simulations with MCNP6 and GEANT4. The resulting thermal neutron fluxes are in good agreement with complementary flux measurement performed with 3 He detectors, but close to the detection limit imposed by the intrinsic α activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their ubiquitous presence, little has been investigated about the scale variability-the relative variations in the spatial extents of local structures-of 3D geometric data. In this paper we present a comprehensive framework for exploiting this 3D geometric scale variability in range images that provides rich information for characterizing the overall geometry. We derive a sound scale-space representation, which we refer to as the geometric scale-space, that faithfully encodes the scale variability of the surface geometry, and derive novel detectors to extract prominent features and identify their natural scales. The result is a hierarchical set of features of different scales which we refer to as scale-dependent geometric features. We then derive novel local shape descriptors that represent the surface structures that give rise to those features by carving out and encoding the local surface that fall within the support regions of the features. This leads to scale-dependent or scale-invariant local shape descriptors that convey significant discriminative information of the object geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of geometric scale analysis on range images, and show that it enables novel applications, in particular, fully automatic registration of multiple objects from a mixed set of range images and 3D object recognition in highly cluttered range image scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two different modules for the validation of human shape presence in far-infrared images. These modules are part of amore complex system aimed at the detection of pedestrians by means of the simultaneous use of two stereo vision systems in both far-infrared and daylight domains. The first module detects the presence of a human shape in a list of areas of attention using active contours to detect the object shape and evaluating the results by means of a neural network. The second validation subsystem directly exploits a neural network for each area of attention in the far-infrared images and produces a list of votes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research about ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is influenced by cultural and value-based perspectives. It impacts regulations, funding, and clinical practice, and shapes the perception of ART in society. We analyze trends in the global literature on ELSI of ART between 1999 and 2019. As most output is produced by North America, Western Europe, and Australia, we focus on international research, i.e., academic articles studying a different country than that of the corresponding author. Methods: The corpus, extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, includes 7714 articles, of which 1260 involved international research. Analysis is based on titles, abstracts and keywords, classification into ART fields and Topic Modeling, the countries of corresponding author, and countries mentioned in abstracts. Results: An absolute increase in the number of international studies, and their relative proportion. Trends of decentralization are apparent, yet geographic centralization remains, which reflects an unequal distribution of research funds across countries and may result in findings that do not reflect global diversity of norms and values. Preference for studying conceptual challenges through philosophical analysis, and for fields that concern only a portion of ART cycles. Less attention was dedicated to economic analysis and barriers to access, or to knowledge of and attitudes. International studies provide an opportunity to expand and diversify the scope of ELSI research. Conclusion: We call on the research community to promote international collaborations, focus on less explored regions, and divert more attention to questions of cost, access, knowledge, and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning has been successfully used for tasks in the 2D image domain. Research on 3D computer vision and deep geometry learning has also attracted attention. Considerable achievements have been made regarding feature extraction and discrimination of 3D shapes. Following recent advances in deep generative models such as generative adversarial networks, effective generation of 3D shapes has become an active research topic. Unlike 2D images with a regular grid structure, 3D shapes have various representations, such as voxels, point clouds, meshes, and implicit functions. For deep learning of 3D shapes, shape representation has to be taken into account as there is no unified representation that can cover all tasks well. Factors such as the representativeness of geometry and topology often largely affect the quality of the generated 3D shapes. In this survey, we comprehensively review works on deep-learning-based 3D shape generation by classifying and discussing them in terms of the underlying shape representation and the architecture of the shape generator. The advantages and disadvantages of each class are further analyzed. We also consider the 3D shape datasets commonly used for shape generation. Finally, we present several potential research directions that hopefully can inspire future works on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons throughout the sensory pathway adapt their responses depending on the statistical structure of the sensory environment. Contrast gain control is a form of adaptation in the auditory cortex, but it is unclear whether the dynamics of gain control reflect efficient adaptation, and whether they shape behavioral perception. Here, we trained mice to detect a target presented in background noise shortly after a change in the contrast of the background. The observed changes in cortical gain and behavioral detection followed the dynamics of a normative model of efficient contrast gain control; specifically, target detection and sensitivity improved slowly in low contrast, but degraded rapidly in high contrast. Auditory cortex was required for this task, and cortical responses were not only similarly affected by contrast but predicted variability in behavioral performance. Combined, our results demonstrate that dynamic gain adaptation supports efficient coding in auditory cortex and predicts the perception of sounds in noise. The auditory system adapts to properties of sounds reaching the ear, but it is unclear whether this affects the way sounds are perceived. Here, the authors found that auditory responses in the brain predict changes in the perception of sounds, suggesting that adaptation shapes the way we hear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccades change eye position and interrupt vision several times per second, necessitating neural mechanisms for continuous perception of object identity, orientation, and location. Neuroimaging studies suggest that occipital and parietal cortex play complementary roles for transsaccadic perception of intrinsic versus extrinsic spatial properties, e.g., dorsomedial occipital cortex (cuneus) is sensitive to changes in spatial frequency, whereas the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) is modulated by changes in object orientation. Based on this, we hypothesized that both structures would be recruited to simultaneously monitor object identity and orientation across saccades. To test this, we merged two previous neuroimaging protocols: 21 participants viewed a 2D object and then, after sustained fixation or a saccade, judged whether the shape or orientation of the re-presented object changed. We, then, performed a bilateral region-of-interest analysis on identified cuneus and SMG sites. As hypothesized, cuneus showed both saccade and feature (i.e., object orientation vs. shape change) modulations, and right SMG showed saccade-feature interactions. Further, the cuneus activity time course correlated with several other cortical saccade/visual areas, suggesting a 'functional network' for feature discrimination. These results confirm the involvement of occipital/parietal cortex in transsaccadic vision and support complementary roles in spatial versus identity updating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various analytical frameworks, such as the National Innovation System (NISs) and N-tuple innovation helices, have been developed to address technological change at a spatial or sectoral-technological level. Several quantitative methodological approaches have been used to capture the effectiveness, efficiency, and overall performance of innovation at the national level. Reviewing these approaches, we highlight important aspects of the innovation process, such as actor heterogeneity, the intensity of interactions, and evolutionary dynamics within and between innovation subsystems that are often underestimated. We conceive NISs consisting of five interacting helices: government, academia, industry, society, and finance. Actors belonging to these helices develop their behavior – in terms of resource commitment/allocation – in the context of interdependencies and interactions that condition the effectiveness and efficiency of their actions. As a result, their expectations are formed from their perception of how other actors and the system behave. We develop a conceptual framework that goes beyond the static illustration of 'innovation scoreboards' and linear models. It illustrates how individual parameter changes – in one helix of the system – may generate non-linear effects throughout. We use a causal loop diagram (CLD) to depict the intricacies of the interactions amongst various elements in NISs, and a stock-and-flow diagram (SFD), which forces more detailed specification of causal mechanisms. Our framework facilitates helix-based actor heterogeneity and highlights the key causal mechanisms and feedback loops – set in motion from actor interactions – that govern NIS's evolution and performance without losing oneself in immense detailed complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature recognizes the benefits associated with mentorship. Less well understood, however, are the mechanisms that explain why informal mentoring relationships are more positively associated with protégé career outcomes than formal mentoring relationships. Using an experimental vignette method, we examine how the source of mentorship initiation (mentor-initiated vs. organization-initiated) influences protégés' reflected appraisal of their mentoring relationships. Participants (N = 392) in mentor-initiated relationships anticipated mentors to be more genuinely interested in their development than protégés in organization-initiated relationships. Subsequent analyses demonstrated the source of mentorship initiation indirectly predicted mentoring expectations (i.e., anticipated vocational and psychosocial mentoring functions) through genuine interest. An important boundary condition for this finding, however, was that the source of mentorship initiation mattered more when there was uncertainty surrounding mentors' abilities and intentions. That is, mentors described with high levels of interpersonal responsiveness were perceived as genuine regardless of how the relationship was initiated. Our results provide insight into the way that the initiation phase of mentoring relationships shapes initial perceptions and expectancies of a mentor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hypothesized that people's relationship motives would be associated with how they think about their romantic partners' personal qualities. Specifically, across two studies using a community and student sample, we examined how individual differences in social approach and social avoidance goal strength shaped perceptions of traits in romantic partners. We utilized two different reaction-time-based methods that had participants quickly describe or categorize their partner. Through a series of partial correlation analyses, we found that approach goals were associated with more easily perceiving and evaluating partners in terms of positive traits that partners possess. In contrast, avoidance goals were associated with greater ease in perceiving partners in terms of the negative traits they lack. Results are discussed in terms of the ways in which these different patterns of framing a partner's traits may have implications for relationship satisfaction and partner evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How congruence cues and congruence-based expectations may together shape perception in virtual reality (VR) still need to be unravelled. We linked the concept of plausibility used in VR research with congruence-based modulation by assessing brain responses while participants experienced vehicle riding experiences in VR scenarios. Perceptual plausibility was manipulated by sensory congruence, with multisensory stimulations confirming with common expectations of road scenes being plausible. We hypothesized that plausible scenarios would elicit greater cortical responses. The results showed that: (i) vibrotactile stimulations at expected intensities, given embedded audio-visual information, engaged greater cortical activities in frontal and sensorimotor regions; (ii) weaker plausible stimulations resulted in greater responses in the sensorimotor cortex than stronger but implausible stimulations; (iii) frontal activities under plausible scenarios negatively correlated with plausibility violation costs in the sensorimotor cortex. These results potentially indicate frontal regulation of sensory processing and extend previous evidence of contextual modulation to the tactile sense. The effect of trimodal visuo-audio-tactile stimulations on perceptual realism during vehicle riding simulations in virtual reality reveals that multisensory plausibility engages cortical activities in the frontal-parietal and sensorimotor regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many other developing countries, urban sprawl is a growing phenomenon in India, which poses socio-economic and environmental challenges that worryingly affect urban sustainability. In this study, a latent class clustering approach was used to investigate perceptions of urban sprawl among 622 urban and peri-urban dwellers in Hyderabad. The empirical results clustered the respondents into three distinct classes based on their perceptions of urban sprawl impacts: 'undecided respondents', 'negative perceivers', and 'opportunity perceivers'. The majority of respondents were undecided with no strong views towards the impacts of urban sprawl, which may increase their vulnerability and hinder effective adaptation to the adverse economic, social and environmental effects of urban sprawl. This also provokes concerns about the effectiveness of government interventions to build public awareness of urban development and its impacts on the city. With regard to the role of demographic and socio-economic characteristics in shaping the perception of the respondents, the results revealed that social caste plays a determining role in forming dwellers' perception. In particular, members of marginalised social castes were more likely to form positive perceptions of the impacts of urban sprawl as urban expansion generates better and stable income that improve their social status. In addition, individuals with higher levels of education were more likely to form negative or positive perceptions, implying that efforts to raise social capital could be a useful means for mitigating the impacts of urban sprawl. Finally, membership in community development organisations was a key factor in dictating membership of the negative perceivers' class. Overall, our findings suggest that an appropriate policy framework and specific programmes are needed for enhancing dwellers' perception towards the impacts of urban sprawl, which can enhance the design, acceptance, and implementation of a more sustainable governance of urbanisation and contribute to achieving urban sustainability in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate shape perception is critical for object perception, identification, manipulation, and recreation. Humans are capable of making judgements of both objective (physical) and projective (retinal) shape. Objective judgements benefit from a global approach by incorporating context to overcome the effects of viewing angle on an object's shape, whereas projective judgements benefit from a local approach to filter out contextual information. Realistic drawing skill requires projective judgements of 3D targets to accurately depict 3D shape on a 2D surface, thus benefiting from a local approach. The current study used a shape perception task that comprehensively tests the effects of context on shape perception, in conjunction with a drawing task and several possible measures of local processing bias, to show that the perceptual basis of drawing skill in neurotypical adults is not due to a local processing bias. Perceptual flexibility, the ability to process local or global information as needed, is discussed as a potential mechanism driving both accurate shape judgements and realistic drawing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers must track and acquire resources in complex landscapes. Much discussion has focused on the concept of a 'resource gradient' and the mechanisms by which consumers can take advantage of such gradients as they navigate their landscapes in search of resources. However, the concept of tracking resource gradients means different things in different contexts. Here, we take a synthetic approach and consider six different definitions of what it means to search for resources based on density or gradients in density. These include scenarios where consumers change their movement behavior based on the density of conspecifics, on the density of resources, and on spatial or temporal gradients in resources. We also consider scenarios involving non-local perception and a form of memory. Using a continuous space, continuous time model that allows consumers to switch between resource-tracking and random motion, we investigate the relative performance of these six different strategies. Consumers' success in matching the spatiotemporal distributions of their resources differs starkly across the six scenarios. Movement strategies based on perception and response to temporal (rather than spatial) resource gradients afforded consumers with the best opportunities to match resource distributions. All scenarios would allow for optimization of resource-matching in terms of the underlying parameters, providing opportunities for evolutionary adaptation, and links back to classical studies of foraging ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]