Objective Look Research Articles

The Quasi-experimental Design Approach to Causality and the Credibility Revolution in Empirical Economics: A Review of Main Contributions by 2021 Nobel Economics Laureates

How to evaluate the causal relationship between economic variables credibly using observational data is a common problem faced by empirical economists. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in economics to David Card for his empirical contributions to labor economics, and Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships. This paper reviews how they devise quasi-experimental designs for causality evaluation with the help of natural experiments and the credibility revolution in empirical labor economics with emphasis on the analysis of century-old questions: the employment effects of minimum wage, the labor market impact of immigration and educational investments. The main conclusions are as follows: Firstly, various seemingly different quasi-experimental designs of causality evaluation have the same basic logic. They all use the scene of natural experiments to imitate the way of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and look for research objects with the same or similar characteristics as the control group that constitutes the counterfactual result of causality evaluation. Moreover, a survey of the classical literature of empirical labor economics shows that the credibility of causality evaluation does not depend on the data and econometric methods themselves, but on the in-depth understanding and thorough analysis of the operation mechanism of social and economic system. Therefore, the in-depth investigation and discussion of natural experiments is essential. Finally, China’s economic reform provides abundant natural experimental resources for quasi-experimental designs. Researchers, who want to tell the Chinese stories with scientific and standardized economic research methods, should pay attention to the in-depth investigation and analysis of the systems behind natural experiments, standardize the quasi-experimental design process to avoid p-hacking, and strengthen the theoretical research of influence mechanism. Policy-makers should pay attention to the limitations and external validity of the research conclusions when learning from quasi-experimental designs to evaluate the effective of policy.

Multimessenger analysis strategy for core-collapse supernova search: gravitational waves and low-energy neutrinos

Core-collapse supernovae are fascinating astrophysical objects for multimessenger studies. Gravitational waves are expected to play an important role in the supernova explosion mechanism. Unfortunately, their modeling is challenging, due to the stochastic nature of the dynamics and the vast range of possible progenitors. Therefore, the gravitational wave detection from these objects is still elusive with already advanced detectors. Low-energy neutrinos will be emitted copiously during the core-collapse explosion and can help the gravitational wave counterpart search. In this work, we develop a multimessenger strategy to look for such astrophysical objects. We exploit a global network of both low-energy neutrino and gravitational wave detectors. First, we discuss how to improve the detection potential of the neutrino sub-network by exploiting the time profile of a neutrino burst from a core-collapse supernova. We show that in the proposed approach, neutrino detectors can gain at least 10% of detection efficiency at the distance where their efficiency drops. Then, we combine the information provided by gravitational wave and neutrino signals in a multimessenger analysis. In particular, by using the clusters of low-energy neutrinos observed by LVD and KamLAND detectors in combination with the gravitational wave triggers from LIGO-Virgo detector network, we obtain an increase of the probability to detect the gravitational wave signal from a core-collapse supernova at 60 kpc, from zero to ∼33% for some specific gravitational wave emission model.

How to Get There When You Are There Already? Defining Presence in Virtual Reality and the Importance of Perceived Realism.

The aim of the current opinion paper is to challenge the current definition of presence in the context of virtual reality (VR). Opticians do not only measure visual acuity but also the visual field, stereoscopic vision, and color vision. In the same vein, presence researchers are encouraged to not only measure the experience of “being there” in the sense of attentional allocation to the virtual environment (VE), but also the perceived realism of the VE. Perceived realism is the result of an evaluation of the virtual world regarding (1) the subjective degree of reality of the depicted environment and (2) its overall plausibility and credibility. Thus, the sense of presence in a VE is conceived as a composite of being there and perceived realism. When in VR, a user will inevitably compare the look of virtual objects to real-world objects and judge the level of congruence (Sutcliffe and Gault, 2004). The user evaluates the plausibility and naturalness of the depicted world as well as the ease of interaction within the VE by answering questions such as: is there a shadow cast? Are the proportions of objects correct? Does the environment correspond to my own movements? Does my virtual body match the proportions of my real body? Just like the visual features, a story and its characters are also evaluated in terms of consistency and plausibility (Park et al., 2010; Gorini et al., 2011): are the consequences of actions plausible? Is the story coherent in itself? Does the causal sequence of events make sense? The answers to these questions define the degree of perceived realism. Perceived realism leads to the experience that a user not only feels surrounded by the VE, but rather has a compelling sense of reality and in extreme cases even forgets that he or she is wearing a head-mounted display (HMD). Previous papers on presence are based on the assumption that realism enhances presence (e.g., Heeter, 1992; Welch et al., 1996; Lombard and Ditton, 1997; Bystrom et al., 1999) suggested a conceptualization of presence as the degree to which a medium seems realistic. Interestingly, perceived realism is nevertheless not part of the most widely used presence definitions. It is either a possible trigger of presence or is blended in with the term being there. The conceptualization of presence as the experience of being there in a mediated environment dominates current presence definitions. Being there is strongly associated with attentional allocation and the sensation of being surrounded and absorbed by a mediated world. However, we claim that presence in VR requires much more than just being there. With the widespread use of immersive VR technology, it has become an easy task to absorb users in a VE. Thus, judgments about the realism of the VE become increasingly important. Being there and perceived realism are both important but yet different aspects of presence. They need to be combined in order to (1) adequately describe and define the experience of presence and (2) to obtain an appropriate and more complete assessment of presence in VR. Thus, theories and measures of presence need to be extended and establish perceived realism as an important domain besides being there. Presence in VR as a Two-Dimens

Active thermal cloaking and mimicking.

We present an active cloaking method for the parabolic heat (and mass or light diffusion) equation that can hide both objects and sources. By active, we mean that it relies on designing monopole and dipole heat source distributions on the boundary of the region to be cloaked. The same technique can be used to make a source or an object look like a different one to an observer outside the cloaked region, from the perspective of thermal measurements. Our results assume a homogeneous isotropic bulk medium and require knowledge of the source to cloak or mimic, but are in most cases independent of the object to cloak.

Depth-aware blending of smoothed images for Bokeh effect generation

Bokeh effect is used in photography to capture images where the closer objects look sharp and everything else stays out-of-focus. Bokeh photos are generally captured using Single Lens Reflex cameras using shallow depth-of-field. Most of the modern smartphones can take bokeh images by leveraging dual rear cameras or a good auto-focus hardware. However, for smartphones with single-rear camera without a good auto-focus hardware, we have to rely on software to generate bokeh images. This kind of system is also useful to generate bokeh effect in already captured images. In this paper, an end-to-end deep learning framework is proposed to generate high-quality bokeh effect from images. The original image and different versions of smoothed images are blended to generate Bokeh effect with the help of a monocular depth estimation network. The model is trained through three phases to generate visually pleasing bokeh effect. The proposed approach is compared against a saliency detection based baseline and a number of approaches proposed in AIM 2019 Challenge on Bokeh Effect Synthesis. Extensive experiments are shown in order to understand different parts of the proposed algorithm. The network is lightweight and can process an HD image in 0.03 s. This approach ranked second in AIM 2019 Bokeh effect challenge-Perceptual Track.

Developing vocabulary card base on Augmented Reality (AR) for learning English

The application of technology in the world of education can affect the quality of students in understanding learning material because technology is one of the important elements to assist in the teaching and learning process. One educational application that can be developed is Augmented Reality (AR) technology. AR is one of the learning media that can be used to combine virtual objects or objects into a real environment with the virtual world to be able to interact in realtime. English is a foreign language that must be mastered. In learning English, students need to be given adequate vocabulary learning that can be provided through reading or listening activities. The importance of adequate vocabulary in English to support the smoothness of oral communication, where there are 2 things that inhibit the ineffectiveness of oral communication namely students do not have adequate vocabulary mastery and do not know how to use vocabulary in their spoken language. Effective and interactive learning media will facilitate students in learning vocabulary. This research an instructional media based on augmented reality vocabulary cards will be made for learning English vocabulary. Learning English vocabulary developed is a basic vocabulary consisting of object recognition and greeting. The learning media will display real objects and sounds, so that the object looks real and the ease of pronunciation of English consonants correctly.

A Survey on Object Detection and Tracking in Soccer Videos

"The players and ball are the most important object in soccer game videos and detected them are a challenging task because of many difficulties, such as shadow and illumination, ball size, several other objects look like a ball, often the ball overlapping with players or merged with lines, as well as the ball may be disappear which be hidden in the stadium or flying on air, and similar appearance of players, etc. The detect ball is the first step for tracking in broadcast soccer video. There are several methods of ball-tracking are based on their problem. In this paper, we have discussed different methods of object detection and tracking in the soccer videos which are available in the literature.

Possibility of Geometrical Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and Geometrical Meaning of “Hidden Variables”

Interpretation of wave function for free particle is suggested as a description of microscopic distortion of the space-time geometry, namely, as some closed topological 4-manifold. Such geometrical object looks in three-dimensional Euclidean space as its topological defect having stochastic and wave-corpuscular properties of quantum particle. All possible deformations (homeomorphisms) of closed topological manifold play the role of “hidden variables”, responsible for statistical character of the theory.

Conspiracy Theories, Mistrust Take Root During Pandemic

Conspiracy Theories, Mistrust Take Root During Pandemic

The search for novel targets in Alzheimer's disease-The 90s redux.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease of the brain. Despite over 100 years of basic and clinical research, significantly intensified in the last three decades, the exact cause of this neurodegeneration is still an enigma. Based on neuroanatomical, experimental, and clinical findings, a series of hypotheses on AD pathogenesis have evolved. Among them, the "amyloid cascade hypothesis" has been most prominent. Clinical efforts targeting the biochemistry of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) as causal therapy have all failed so far, which may mean that the pathogenic mechanism of AD is less straightforward than initially thought. While there was good scientific reason to support this hypothesis before, the exclusive concentration on it may have impeded a more objective look and prevented the pursuit of alternative approaches to decipher the cause of AD. Here, a few key hypotheses of AD are summarized, and it is proposed that our view of the cause (or causes) of this detrimental disease be widened. This includes looking back, reactivating, and revisiting findings that were ignored over the last decades. Alternative and amyloid-independent ways to explain AD pathogenesis should receive more attention and are appearing.

Development of dumbbell-shaped La2Si2O7:Eu3+ nanocrystalline phosphors for solid-state lighting applications

There are ongoing efforts to develop novel phosphors with the properties required to make an object look as natural as it does under sunlight. It has been proven that particle morphology influences the luminescent properties of a phosphor. The rare-earth pyrosilicates, such as La2Si2O7 (LSO) are currently regarded as novel promising scintillators and protective pigments because of their good chemical and thermal stabilities. However, to date, there have been no reports available on the definite morphology of the LSO matrix and the precise luminescent properties of the trivalent europium (Eu3+)-doped LSO phosphor. Herein, we report the development of Eu3+-activated dumbbell-shaped LSO nanocrystalline phosphors using a two-step solvothermal and hydrothermal approach. After regrowth, the amorphous natured LSO:Eu3+ precursor was transformed into well-defined LSO:Eu3+ dumbbell-shaped nanocrystalline phosphors (LSO-R:Eu3+) with a pure monoclinic phase. The phase purity was verified by Rietveld refinement analysis. The formation mechanism of the dumbbell-shaped particles was evaluated using surface morphological studies, and the involvement of the crystal splitting mechanism was established. The luminescence spectra revealed robust red emission at 614 nm under ultraviolet (UV) and near-UV excitations. The dipole-dipole interactions between the neighboring Eu3+ ions induced the concentration quenching in LSO host matrix. Chromaticity coordinates (0.645, 0.342) emerged in the reddish-orange region and were comparable to the standard-definition and high-definition digital television coordinates (0.640, 0.330). Therefore, these results indicate that the synthesized LSO-R:Eu3+ dumbbell-shaped nanocrystalline phosphor is a promising auxiliary red component for assembling desired white light-emitting diodes for indoor illuminations.

Between Progress and Backwardness. A Look at the Housing Policy of the Period of the People’s Republic of Poland from the Social and Economic Perspective After 1989

Abstract The article deals with the issue of the place, role and significance of the achievements of the housing policy of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) and in the economy before and after 1989, observed from the contemporary social and economic point of view. In the period of systemic transformation, expert and opinion-makers were, in majority, critical of the achievements of the housing policy of the prior period. This led to the creation and subsequent consolidation in public discourse of the negative image of the housing construction of the PRL period. 30 years after the collapse of communism, during which time the free market economy developed and Poland became a member of EU, this topic requires a more objective look and a more focused approach to the range of socio-demographic and economic changes that took place during that period. The current perception of the problem is also influenced by the lack of solutions to the housing issue by successive governments of the Third Republic of Poland.

Review on analysis of interesting whitening agents in cosmetics products

The skin whitening as known as skin lightening or skin bleaching is the most commonly used skincare treatment that helps to achieve a lighter and healthier skin complexion by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin in the practice of using chemical products. Several chemicals are effective in skin whitening, while some of them are toxic or have problematic safety profiles. The products requiring to contain either kind of whiting agents were seen to display labeling issues. Such an elevated number of differences suggested concerns of whether such differences between stated and revealed content of whiting agents. The Analytical chemical measurements of these objects look necessary, no reliable analytical methods have been recorded to determine most of these chemicals. Just the measurement of hydroquinone and some of its ethers is treated by a method registered by the European Commission.

How big should this object be? Perceptual influences on viewing-size preferences

When viewing objects depicted in a frame, observers prefer to view large objects like cars in larger sizes and smaller objects like cups in smaller sizes. That is, the visual size of an object that looks best is linked to its typical physical size in the world. Why is this the case? One intuitive possibility is that these preferences are driven by semantic knowledge: For example, when we recognize a sofa, we access our knowledge about its real-world size, and this influences what size we prefer to view the sofa within a frame. However, might visual processing play a role in this phenomenon--that is, do visual features that are related to big and small objects look better at big and small visual sizes, respectively, even when observers do not have explicit access to semantic knowledge about the objects? To test this possibility, we used images, which are synthesized versions of recognizable objects, which critically retain local perceptual texture and coarse form information, but are no longer explicitly recognizable. To test for visual size preferences, we used a two-interval forced choice task, in which each texform was presented at the preferred visual size of its corresponding original image, and a visual size slightly bigger or smaller. Observers consistently selected the texform presented at the canonical visual size as the more aesthetically pleasing one. These results suggest that the preferred visual size of an object depends not only on explicit knowledge of its real-world size, but also can be evoked by mid-level visual features that systematically covary with an object9s real-world size.

Which Side Looks Better? Cultural Differences in Preference for Left- or Right-Facing Objects

An oblique view of three-dimensional objects is preferred over a frontal or lateral view, partly because it is more familiar and easily recognizable. However, which side of a symmetric object looks better remains unsolved. Reading direction, handedness, and the functionality of objects have been suggested as the potential sources of directional bias. In this study, participants of three online surveys (total N = 1082) were asked to choose one item that looked better or was more aesthetically pleasing; the test was performed between 100 pairs of left- and right-facing mirror-images. The results showed that Japanese participants (both vertical and left-to-right readers) and Israeli participants (right-to-left readers) preferred left-facing images over right-facing images, whereas American participants (left-to-right readers) preferred right-facing images over left-facing images. Weak effects of handedness and object functionality were also found: Left-handers tended to choose right-facing images more than right-handers, and the view of objects with a handle that is graspable by the dominant hand was more likely to be chosen over the opposite side view, regardless of culture. Although previous studies have emphasized the role of reading direction, a close look at the results suggests that it cannot fully account for the preferred facing direction of oblique objects.

What are the building blocks of parent-infant coordinated attention in free-flowing interaction?

The present article investigated the composition of different joint gaze components used to operationalize various types of coordinated attention between parents and infants and which types of coordinated attention were associated with future vocabulary size. Twenty-five 9-month-old infants and their parents wore head-mounted eye trackers as they played with objects together. With high-density gaze data, a variety of coordinated attention bout types were quantitatively measured by combining different gaze components, such as mutual gaze, joint object looks, face looks, and triadic gaze patterns. The key components of coordinated attention that were associated with vocabulary size at 12 and 15months included the simultaneous combination of parent triadic gaze and infant object looking. The results from this article are discussed in terms of the importance of parent attentional monitoring and infant sustained attention for language development.

The Effect of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Image Reflection on Different Pipes and Soil

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) works as an instrument to look for buried objects whether it is natural or man-made. GPR transmits electromagnetic (EM) wave to the ground by transmitter and the signal reflects back to the receiver. In this study, the soil characteristics were monitored based on various types of pipe underground in order to determine the reflectivity of the EM wave. Two types of pipes; iron and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe were buried in two different types of soil; clay and sand. These simulations were used to monitor which type of pipe will give the most effective reflection of EM wave on that particular type of soil. The study was performed by using multiband frequency GPR of 250MHz, 400MHz, 700MHz and 900MHz. The use of multiband frequency was to identify the most suitable frequency in order to gain the most effective reflection of EM wave. The data was processed by using Reflex2DQuick software. The higher the frequency, the lower the depth penetration, but the better the resolution. The study findings showed that the power of reflectivity was high at 700MHz frequency for both pipes in both clay and sand soil types. However, the value of power reflectivity for iron pipe was higher than compared to PVC pipe at both soil textures. Meanwhile, the resolution of radargram for both pipes were much better at sand compared to clay. This information would be a helpful to the surveyors and this knowledge will make their consumed work time more efficient as they get to know more specific value of frequency that is the most suitable to gain the most effective reflection of EM wave.

Against Block on attention and mental paint

ABSTRACT In two papers, Ned Block has argued that representationalists have trouble with the empirical discovery that differences in the degree of visual attention to an object can lead to a difference in how the object looks. I here respond on behalf of the representationalist. Against the argument of Block, I give a “companions-in-guilt” argument that the dilemma Block claims to find for the representationalist will, in fact, arise for anyone who accepts that attention can alter appearance in the described manner. I conclude that the facts about attention’s effects on appearance give no specific reason to reject representationalism alone. Meanwhile, I argue that Block fails to adequately motivate a key claim, the ‘phenomenal precision principle’ upon which he relies. I conclude that the representationalist has nothing to fear from.

The capacity of multiple-target search

ABSTRACT Can individuals look for multiple objects at the same time? A simple question, but answering it has proven difficult. In this review, we describe possible cognitive architectures and their predictions about the capacity of visual search. We broadly distinguish three stages at which limitations may occur: (1) preparation (establishing and maintaining a mental representation of a search target), (2) selection (using this mental representation to extract candidate targets from the visual input), and (3) post-selection processing (verifying that the selected information actually is a target). We then review the empirical evidence from various paradigms, together with their strengths and pitfalls. The emerging picture is that multiple target search comes with costs, but the magnitude of this cost differs depending on the processing stage. Selection appears strongly limited, while preparation of multiple search target representations in anticipation of a search is possible with relatively small costs. Finally, there is currently not sufficient information to determine the capacity limitations of post-selection processing. We hope that our review contributes to better targeted research into the mechanisms of multiple-target search. A better understanding of multiple-target search will also contribute to better design of real-life multiple-target search problems, reducing the risk of detrimental search failures.

DoTrompe l'oeilsLook Right When Viewed from the Wrong Place?

AbstractPicture perception and ordinary perception of real objects differ in several respects. Two of their main differences are: (1) Depicted objects are not perceived as present and (2) We cannot perceive significant spatial shifts as we move with respect to them. Some special illusory pictures escape these visual effects obtained in usual picture perception. First, trompe l'oeil paintings violate (1): the depicted object looks, even momentarily, like a present object. Second, anamorphic paintings violate (2): they lead to appreciate spatial shifts resulting from movement. However, anamorphic paintings do not violate (1): they are still perceived as clearly pictorial, that is, nonpresent. What about the relation between trompe l'oeil paintings and (2)? Do trompe l'oeils allow us to perceive spatial shifts? Nobody has ever focused on this aspect of trompe l'oeil perception. I offer the first speculation about this question. I suggest that, if we follow our most recent theories in philosophy and vision science about the mechanisms of picture perception, then, the only plausible answer, in line with phenomenological intuitions, is that, differently from nonillusory, usual picture perception, and similarly to ordinary perception, trompe l'oeil perception does allow us to perceive spatial shifts resulting from movement. I also discuss the philosophical implications of this claim.