Accurate Reflections Research Articles

Rendering transparent objects with caustics using real-time ray tracing

After the release of the NVIDIA RTX platform, ray tracing methods are available in real-time rendering and improves the render quality. Therefore, realistic results can be produced in real time by combining ray tracing with rasterization techniques. However, rendering transparent objects with roughness and caustics in real time is still a challenge. We focus on these points and propose a model to render transparent objects based on real-time ray tracing. The model consists of two parts: Iterative Ray Tracing Transparency (IRTT) and Light Half Path Caustics (LHPC). IRTT approximates accurate reflections and refractions by tracing rays, computes volumetric absorption using the length that a ray propagates inside a transparent object, and simulates the rough transparency by bending the normal vector. Meanwhile, LHPC approximates caustics with a method named Local Light Tracing (LLT), where the main task is finding the point of incidence by tracing rays in the direction of the light source. After, a denoiser assisted by a distribution method is applied to suppress the noise. In the experiments, we design a combined pipeline and compare it with our model in terms of performance and render quality. In addition, our results are also compared with rasterization techniques. The experimental results reveal that our model improves the quality of the rendered image and offers a playable framerate.

The Characterization of Miṣwot and Conception of Halakhah in Rabbinic Non-Halakhic Literature

Abstract Scholarly discussion concerning rabbinic conceptions of the nature of halakhah—realist vs. nominalist—has for the most part focused on halakhic content and discourse. However, as Schremer has shown, non-halakhic passages may present conceptions that differ from those found in halakhic sources. Following Schremer’s suggested distinction, in this study I examine non-halakhic texts which use various metaphors or linguistic styles to characterize the miṣwot. In the cases I examine, I will demonstrate that the authors could have formulated their content in more than one way, and thus their choice of a particular linguistic style reflects their particular conception of the nature of the miṣwot. My suggestion is that non-halakhic sources that display both modes of thought, realist and nominalist views of Jewish law, offer more accurate reflections of the multifaceted conceptual world of the rabbis than do halakhic texts.

Comparative study of very short-term flood forecasting using physics-based numerical model and data-driven prediction model

Reliable hourly flood forecasting using weather radar rainfall data for early warning system is essential for reducing natural disaster risk during extreme typhoon events. This study proposed a novel approach integrated with physics-based WASH123D and HEC-HMS models to forecast 1 h ahead flood level in the Fengshan Creek basin, northern Taiwan. The comparison was done with data-driven support vector machine (SVM) model, and performances were assessed by using statistical indicators (root mean square error, correlation coefficient, the error of time to peak flood level, the error of peak flood). Four typhoons and two plum rain events (with 620 data sets) were selected for the process of model calibration and validation. The model performs better when it used quantitative precipitation estimate radar data rather than rain gauge data. Results of using 1 h ahead quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) as input for flood forecasting were encouraging but not feasible to use directly for early flood warning system due to errors in peak flood levels and timing. Therefore, the improvement in accuracy of 1 h ahead flood forecasting was done using physics-based approach and SVM model. The systematic comparison revealed that the SVM model is an attractive way out to improve the accuracy of QPF forecasted flood levels but unable to fully describe the flood level patterns in terms of timings and flood peaks, while the results obtained by the physics-based approach were accurate and much better than the SVM model. The approach fully described the physics of hydrograph patterns and outputs have exactly the same 1 h ahead predictions, in excellent agreement with observations. The reliable and accurate reflections of timing and amount of flood peaks in all selected typhoons by a newly developed physics-based approach with its operational nature are recommended to use by the government in the future for early warning to reduce the flood impacts during typhoon events.

Multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma treated with cytoreductive surgery followed or not by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: results from a large multicentric cohort

Background Multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (MCPM) is a rare, slowly growing, condition prone to recur after surgery. The role of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) added to complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) remains controversial and difficult to assess. As patients are mostly reproductive age women, surgical approach, and fertility considerations are important aspects of the management. This observational retrospective review aimed to accurate treatment strategy reflections. Methods The RENAPE database (French expert centers network) was analyzed over a 1999–2019 period. MCPM patients treated with CRS were included. A special focus on HIPEC, mini-invasive approach, and fertility considerations was performed. Results Overall 60 patients (50 women) were included with a median PCI of 10 (4–14) allowing 97% of complete surgery, followed by HIPEC in 82% of patients. A quarter of patients had a laparoscopic approach. Twelve patients (20%) recurred with a 3-year recurrence free survival of 84.2% (95% confidence interval 74.7–95.0). The hazard of recurrence was numerically reduced among patients receiving HIPEC, however, not statistically significant (hazard ratio 0.41, 0.12–1.42, p = 0.200). A severe post-operative adverse event occurred in 22% of patients with five patients submitted to a subsequent reoperation. Among four patients with a childbearing desire, three were successful (two had a laparoscopic-CRS-HIPEC and one a conventional CRS without HIPEC). Conclusion MCPM patients treatment should aim at a complete CRS. The intraoperative treatment options as laparoscopic approach, fertility function sparing and HIPEC should be discussed in expert centers to propose the most appropriate strategy.

Leitura em foco: estratégias de produção e consumo de produtos editoriais no Brasil

Dos produtos comunicacionais, o livro e a leitura são os que historicamente acabam por merecer menor atenção de investigadores da área. Esse cenário tem mudado com o já consolidado grupo de pesquisa da Intercom (Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Interdisciplinares da Comunicação), que desde 1994 é destinado aos estudos das produções editoriais e sua recepção. A obra aqui resenhada, Edição: agentes e objetos, organizada por Ana Cláudia Gruszynski, Bruno Guimarães Martins e Márcio Souza Gonçalves, é resultado de investigações capitaneadas por profissionais desse time de pesquisadores, propondo investigações acuradas e reflexões profícuas sobre o universo da leitura e do leitor no Brasil.

Measurement and Structural Factors Influencing China’s Provincial Total-Factor Energy Efficiency Under Resource and Environmental Constraints

We studied the measurement and structural factors influencing China’s provincial total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) under resource and environmental constraints, using spatial weight matrix analysis, spatial econometric model selection, a generalized spatial econometric model with unknown heteroscedasticity, and a directional distance function global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) superefficient model. The findings of this empirical research are as follows. Resource and environmental constraints should be considered while measuring TFEE. The results obtained in such cases are more accurate reflections of the actual situation in China. Furthermore, spatial effects should be considered when analyzing the factors influencing provincial TFEE; otherwise, the estimates will be biased. The following conclusions were obtained from the results of the empirical analysis: China’s provincial TFEE continued to decline under resource and environmental constraints, and the trend is not optimistic, implying an undue reliance on coal resources, which reduce TFEE by a considerable extent. Moreover, China’s interprovincial TFEE is affected by a variety of structural factors.

Profiting from overreaction in soccer betting odds

Abstract Betting odds are generally considered to represent accurate reflections of the underlying probabilities for the outcomes of sporting events. There are, however, known to be a number of inherent biases such as the favorite-longshot bias in which outsiders are generally priced with poorer value odds than favorites. Using data from European soccer matches, this paper demonstrates the existence of another bias in which the match odds overreact to favorable and unfavorable runs of results. A statistic is defined, called the Combined Odds Distribution (COD) statistic, which measures the performance of a team relative to expectations given their odds over previous matches. Teams that overperform expectations tend to have a high COD statistic and those that underperform tend to have a low COD statistic. Using data from twenty different leagues over twelve seasons, it is shown that teams with a low COD statistic tend to be assigned more generous odds by bookmakers. This can be exploited and a sustained and robust profit can be made. It is suggested that the bias in the odds can be explained in the context of the “hot hand fallacy”, in which gamblers overestimate variation in the ability of each team over time.

Culture Moderates the Normative and Distinctive Impact of Parents and Similarity on Young Adults’ Partner Preferences

To examine cultural, parental, and personal sources of young adults’ long-term romantic partner preferences, we had undergraduates ( n = 2,071) and their parents ( n = 1,851) in eight countries (Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Philippines, the United States) rate or rank qualities they would want in the student’s partner. We introduce and use a method for separating preference patterns into normative patterns (shared across families and generations) and distinctive patterns (that characterized particular families or individuals). We found that youth everywhere wanted partners who aligned with both their own dispositions and their parents’ preferences, and these alignments reflected both culturally normative preferences and preferences distinctive to specific individuals or families. Students also predicted their parents’ responses: Their predictions were reasonably accurate reflections of what a typical parent prefers, but also reflected distinctive assumed agreement (i.e., they overestimated the degree to which their particular parents shared their particular preferences for qualities that diverged from culturally normative ideals). Culturally normative patterns exerted a stronger influence on actual or assumed parent–child agreement and accuracy in relatively collectivistic Southeast Asia (Philippines and Malaysia) than in relatively individualistic English-speaking North America (the United States and Canada). Conversely, preferences for partners who shared one’s distinctive personal dispositions were stronger in Western than Asian countries.

The influence of conscious thought is best observed over time.

The capacity for complex, conscious thought is arguably the human mind's most defining feature. Nevertheless, the efficacy of consciousness has long been debated, with some arguing that consciousness is a feckless epiphenomenon or that its influence on behavior is trivial. We focus specifically on conscious thought, which appears to be a uniquely human capacity, rather than the more basic phenomenal consciousness that humans appear to share with other animals. We argue that the influence of conscious thought on behavior is profound, and that to detect this influence requires observing behavior across multiple events scattered across time. In our view, conscious thought is not the executor of behavior but rather serves as an input into an unconscious executive. Specifically, conscious thought comprises mental simulations that enable the person to imagine and respond to reflections on the past, anticipations about the future, and other nonpresent events. Thus, conscious thought should not be expected in most cases to influence behavior directly and in the current moment. Instead, we argue that conscious thought is for planning for the future, that conscious thought changes automatic responses slowly over time, and that accurate conscious reflections requires observation across multiple events. Therefore, to detect conscious thought's influence requires tests with much broader time spans than is typical in extant research. We argue that an empirical approach that takes such a broad perspective is necessary for understanding fully how conscious thought guides behavior, makes decisions, and otherwise adapts the self to the complexities of human social life.

Conscience Dissenters and Disagreement: Professions are Only as Good as Their Practitioners.

In this paper, I consider the role of conscience in medical practice. If the conscientious practice of individual practitioners cannot be defended or is incoherent or unreasonable on its own merits, then there is little reason to support conscience protection and to argue about its place in the current medical landscape. If this is the case, conscience protection should be abandoned. To the contrary, I argue that conscience protection should not be abandoned. My argument takes the form of an analysis of an essential feature of the conscience dissenter's argument, the role of disagreement within "the medical profession." Conscience dissenters make certain assumptions within their arguments about the profession, disagreements within the professions, and how such disagreement should be adjudicated. If it is the case that these assumptions are accurate reflections of the current medical landscape, then the advocate of conscience protection has one less leg to stand on. I aim to show that this is not the case and that the assumptions of the conscience dissenter are not only mistaken but are mistakes of significant magnitude, so significant as to raise serious questions about the merit of their position. If the argument in this paper is sound, then, at the very least, the conversation over conscience protection in medicine, in particular, and health care, in general, must continue.

DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK TO EVALUATE INDIVIDUAL LEARNING IN ENGINEERING DESIGN PROBLEMS – PART 2: ASSESSMENT OF INDIVIDUAL LEARNING IN TEAM ENVIRONMENTS

Engineers often model their teaching based on how they expect students to function once they graduate, and as a result they typically have a strong affinity for Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Team-Based Learning (TBL) approaches. In many cases, this works quite well and has been proven to increase student engagement and performance of design teams. At the same time, as more of the curriculum relies on group projects, there is a simple dilemma that is created: how do you ensure that the learning outcomes a team demonstrates are accurate reflections of what each individual in the team is learning? This rarely poses a challenge in engineering practice, as engineers are expected to specialize, but in an outcome-based accreditation, this can become a serious issue if there isn’t a careful consideration of this in the structure of TBL courses. This paper explores the application of an evaluative framework to a course with strong PBL and TBL components that is set up to ensure that students are not only exposed to all learning outcomes as they tackle a project, but are individually evaluated on their ability to show competence in these outcomes. The prime methodology of this framework is an evaluative tool called an "open-ended design exam" that uses a 1:1 mapping of team and individual learning, with scaffolding in the course frameworks to support this. This paper presents application of this approach to two courses developed at the University of Manitoba, outcomes and responses to the course layout, and suggestions for extensions to other courses or programs.

Robotic Assisted MRI-Guided Interventional Interstitial MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Ablation in a Swine Model.

Ablative lesions are current treatments for epilepsy and brain tumors. Interstitial magnetic resonance (MR) guided focused ultrasound (iMRgFUS) may be an alternate ablation technique which limits thermal tissue charring as compared to laser therapy (LITT) and can produce larger ablation patterns nearer the surface than transcranial MR guided focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS). To describe our experience with interstitial focused ultrasound (iFUS) ablations in swine, using MR-guided robotically assisted (MRgRA) delivery. In an initial 3 animals, we optimized the workflow of the robot in the MR suite and made modifications to the robotic arm to allow range of motion. Then, 6 farm pigs (4 acute, 2 survival) underwent 7 iMRgFUS ablations using MRgRA. We altered dosing to explore differences between thermal dosing in brain as compared to other tissues. Imaging was compared to gross examination. Our work culminated in adjustments to the MRgRA, iMRgFUS probes, and dosing, culminating in 2 survival surgeries; swine had ablations with no neurological sequelae at 2 wk postprocedure. Immediately following iMRgFUS therapy, diffusion-weighted imaging, and T1 weighted MR were accurate reflections of the ablation volume. T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) images were accurate reflections of ablation volume 1-wk postprocedure. We successfully performed MRgRA iFUS ablation in swine and found intraoperative and postoperative imaging to correlate with histological examination. These data are useful to validate our system and to guide imaging follow-up for thermal ablation lesions in brain tissue from our therapy, tcMRgFUS, and LITT.

Magnesium: Are We Consuming Enough?

Magnesium is essential for maintaining normal cellular and organ function. In-adequate magnesium balance is associated with various disorders, such as skeletal deformities, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome. Unfortunately, routinely measured serum magnesium levels do not always reflect total body magnesium status. Thus, normal blood magnesium levels eclipse the wide-spread magnesium deficiency. Other magnesium measuring methods, including the magnesium loading test, may provide more accurate reflections of total body magnesium status and thus improve identification of magnesium-deficient individuals, and prevent magnesium deficiency related complications.

Technicalizing non-technical participatory social impact assessment of prospective cellulosic biorefineries: Psychometric quantification and implications

Participatory social impact assessments (PSIAs) are most accurate reflections of social impacts. But, effective integration of PSIAs into Environmental Impact Assessments, decision-making and project implementation present drawbacks. Because of its qualitative content, PSIAs outcomes are termed non-technical—allegedly defying reliable and valid quantification, and consequently impeding determination of impact rankings that inform social investment priorities given limited mitigation and enhancement resources. The participatory fora typically used in PSIAs leads to inadequate representation and outcomes that reflect mostly the perspectives of those who can afford to attend. Social impact assessments are also criticized for lacking reliability. We present a mix methods approach for reliable and representative quantification of PSIAs of cellulosic biorefineries. We conducted 35 structured stakeholder deliberative fora. Four main impact dimensions, each with positive and negative sub-dimensions, emerged from those fora: economic, technical, environmental, and socio-cultural and political impacts. We used these results to develop eight psychometric scales used to quantitatively appraise PSIAs of proposed biorefineries. We compared impacts among social groups differentiated by: un/familiarity with other forms of bioenergy operations and industrial activity, and in/activity in the labor force. No nonresponse biases were detected. All PSIA instruments were highly reliable; Cronbach α ranged from 0.73 to 0.93. There were significant differences in impacts based on stated differentiating criteria, the most distinguishing of which were positive economic, and negative socio-political and cultural, impacts. We found evidence of the operation of the familiarity heuristic. We show that PSIAs of cellulosic biorfineries can be reliably quantified while ensuring representation, comparisons and determination of priorities to facilitate decision making. Hence, unreliable quantification may no longer deter effective use of PSIAs in cellulosic biorefinery establishment and operation. We discuss the implications of our findings for the sitting of biorefineries, impact mitigation and enhancement, and for PSIAs of other forms of energy.

"Healthy Sexuality": Opposing Forces? Autism and Dating, Romance, and Sexuality in the Mainstream Media

Autism and romance occupy a space of discomfort in mainstream media conversation. Employing post-structuralist textual analysis, I explore themes arising from mainstream media representations of autism and dating, sexuality, and romance through eleven feature articles from major American newspapers. The United States mainstream media applies a medical model lens to autism, associates immaturity and a lack of empathy with autistic people, and positions autistic sexuality as disruptive and dangerous. Because autistic sexuality representation counters conventional concepts of romance, autism and romance are positioned as opposing forces. The mainstream media portrays autistic people who date through supercrip narratives. Rather than showing the vast diversity of autism communities, mainstream news articles present autistic people through a heterosexualized, gendered, and whitewashed lens. As a disability studies scholar and autistic writer, I advocate for mainstream news coverage that takes a social model approach to autism, incorporates multiple identities, and provides accurate reflections of autistic people as loving adults, as well as disability rights activism that addresses underlying sexual ableism in American society.

Subjective Evaluation of High-Fidelity Virtual Environments for Driving Simulations

Virtual environments (VEs) grant the ability to experience real-world scenarios, such as driving, in a virtual, safe, and reproducible context. However, in order to achieve their full potential, the fidelity of the VE must provide confidence that it replicates the perception of the real-world experience. The computational cost of simulating real-world visuals accurately means that compromises to the fidelity of the visuals must be made. In this paper, a subjective evaluation of driving in a VE at different quality settings is presented. Participants ( n = 44) were driven around in the real world and in a purposely built representative VE and the fidelity of the graphics and overall experience at low-, medium-, and high-visual settings were analyzed. Low quality corresponds to the illumination in many current traditional simulators, medium to a higher quality using accurate shadows and reflections, and high to the quality experienced in modern movies and simulations that require hours of computation. Results demonstrate that graphics quality affects the perceived fidelity of the visuals and the overall experience. When judging the overall experience, participants could tell the difference between the lower quality graphics and the rest but did not significantly discriminate between the medium and higher graphical settings. This indicates that future driving simulators should improve the quality, but once the equivalent of the presented medium quality is reached, they may not need to do so significantly.

It is written all over your face: Socially rejected people display microexpressions that are detectable after training in the Micro Expression Training Tool (METT)

AbstractSocial rejection is a powerful negative emotional experience, yet rejected people often appear stoic and unmoved. That is, their macroexpressions of emotion are not accurate reflections of their emotional states. Yet, there is reason to believe that rejected people exhibit involuntary microexpressions of negative emotion. We contrasted people's macroexpressions of emotion with their microexpressions subsequent to an acceptance or rejection experience. Observers coded microexpressions after being trained with the Micro Expression Training Tool. Rejected participants expressed more sad and angry microexpressions than did accepted participants. This research demonstrates that socially rejected people display negative microexpressions that are detectable by observers trained in the Micro Expression Training Tool.

Estimating local commuting patterns from geolocated Twitter data

The emergence of large stores of transactional data generated by increasing use of digital devices presents a huge opportunity for policymakers to improve their knowledge of the local environment and thus make more informed and better decisions. A research frontier is hence emerging which involves exploring the type of measures that can be drawn from data stores such as mobile phone logs, Internet searches and contributions to social media platforms and the extent to which these measures are accurate reflections of the wider population. This paper contributes to this research frontier, by exploring the extent to which local commuting patterns can be estimated from data drawn from Twitter. It makes three contributions in particular. First, it shows that heuristics applied to geolocated Twitter data offer a good proxy for local commuting patterns; one which outperforms the current best method for estimating these patterns (the radiation model). This finding is of particular significance because we make use of relatively coarse geolocation data (at the city level) and use simple heuristics based on frequency counts. Second, it investigates sources of error in the proxy measure, showing that the model performs better on short trips with higher volumes of commuters; it also looks at demographic biases but finds that, surprisingly, measurements are not significantly affected by the fact that the demographic makeup of Twitter users differs significantly from the population as a whole. Finally, it looks at potential ways of going beyond simple frequency heuristics by incorporating temporal information into models.

Statistical and methodological problems with concreteness and other semantic variables: A list memory experiment case study

The purpose of this article is to highlight problems with a range of semantic psycholinguistic variables (concreteness, imageability, individual modality norms, and emotional valence) and to provide a way of avoiding these problems. Focusing on concreteness, I show that for a large class of words in the Brysbaert, Warriner, and Kuperman (Behavior Research Methods 46: 904–911, 2013) concreteness norms, the mean concreteness values do not reflect the judgments that actual participants made. This problem applies to nearly every word in the middle of the concreteness scale. Using list memory experiments as a case study, I show that many of the “abstract” stimuli in concreteness experiments are not unequivocally abstract. Instead, they are simply those words about which participants tend to disagree. I report three replications of list memory experiments in which the contrast between concrete and abstract stimuli was maximized, so that the mean concreteness values were accurate reflections of participants’ judgments. The first two experiments did not produce a concreteness effect. After I introduced an additional control, the third experiment did produce a concreteness effect. The article closes with a discussion of the implications of these results, as well as a consideration of variables other than concreteness. The sensorimotor experience variables (imageability and individual modality norms) show the same distribution as concreteness. The distribution of emotional valence scores is healthier, but variability in ratings takes on a special significance for this measure because of how the scale is constructed. I recommend that researchers using these variables keep the standard deviations of the ratings of their stimuli as low as possible.

Development and Validation of the Conceptual Assessment of Natural Selection (CANS).

We developed and validated the Conceptual Assessment of Natural Selection (CANS), a multiple-choice test designed to assess how well college students understand the central principles of natural selection. The expert panel that reviewed the CANS concluded its questions were relevant to natural selection and generally did a good job sampling the specific concepts they were intended to assess. Student interviews confirmed questions on the CANS provided accurate reflections of how students think about natural selection. And, finally, statistical analysis of student responses using item response theory showed that the CANS did a very good job of estimating how well students understood natural selection. The empirical reliability of the CANS was substantially higher than the Force Concept Inventory, a highly regarded test in physics that has a similar purpose.