Structure Of Different Levels Research Articles

Gabor-net with multi-scale hierarchical fusion of features for fundus retinal blood vessel segmentation

This paper proposes a fundus retinal blood vessel segmentation model based on a deep convolutional network structure and biological visual feature extraction mechanism. It aims to solve the multi-scale problem of blood vessels in the fundus retinal blood vessel segmentation task in the field of medical image processing on the basis of increasing the biological interpretability of the model. First, the subject feature information of the retinal blood vessel image is obtained by using the non-subsampled Residual Bolck convolution main channel. Secondly, combined with the study of biological vision mechanisms, an information processing model of the Retina-Exogenius-Primary visual cortex (V1) ventral visual pathway was established. Gabor functions of different scales are used to simulate the structure of different levels of the visual pathway, and the scale information at different levels is integrated into the corresponding hierarchical stages of the convolutional main pathway network to enrich the information of small blood vessels and enhance the semantic information of the overall blood vessels. Finally, considering the imbalance of the ratio of vessel and nonvessel pixels, an adaptive optimization scheme using hybrid loss function weights is proposed to enhance the priority of blood vessel pixels in the calculation of the loss function. According to the experimental results on the STARE, DRIVE and CHASE_DB1 data sets, the model still achieves superior performance evaluation indicators overall compared with the existing optimal methods in the fundus retinal blood vessel segmentation task. This research is of great significance to the field of medical image processing and can provide more accurate auxiliary diagnostic information for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Low-velocity impact response of a novel bionic turtle shell back armor sandwich structure

Turtle shell dorsal armor comprises a typical lightweight laminated composite structural material, which is constructed by cuticle and bone layer, with high specific strength and high fracture toughness. The red-eared slider turtle, a widely studied species of turtle, has a rich hierarchical structure. In this paper, according to the structure of red-eared slider turtle shell dorsal armor and the characteristics of each layer as well as by taking into full consideration of the fine structure of cuticle and ventral cortex of the shell dorsal armor, two bionic foam silicone rubber sandwich structures of different levels were prepared. Low-velocity impact test and finite element simulation analysis were carried out to study the mechanical response, specific absorbed energy, and damage mode of the two bionic sandwich structures under different impact energies, hammerhead shapes, and hammerhead radii. By comparing the mechanical response and specific energy absorption with the existing ordinary sandwich structure, we find that the two sandwich structures modeled in this paper exhibit better impact resistance than the ordinary sandwich structure. The shape and radius of the hammer head have a significant effect on the energy absorption characteristics of the sandwich structure, and the damage mode under the hemispherical hammer head is mainly dominated by tensile tearing damage, while the damage mode of extrusion fracture is more obvious under the impact of the conical hammer head. With the increase of the radius of the hammer head, the absorbed energy and specific energy absorption of the sandwich structure increases.

Ecological and economic assessment of sustainable spatial land management in the context of global climate change: economic and mathematical modeling

This article emphasises that the degree of anthropogenic (ecodestructive) impact on the state of agricultural production is the main criterion for assessing the development of sustainable spatial land management under certain ecological and economic constraints. The aim of the study is to model the ecological and economic assessment of the transformation of the territorial-spatial management of agricultural land at different levels of management, taking into account the impact of anthropogenic (ecodestructive) factors to ensure sustainable land use in the context of global climate change. Thus, the methodology of territorial-spatial analysis of the efficiency of transformation of modern agricultural land use and use of land and resource potential is aimed at determining its holistic assessment as a systemic and complex phenomenon. An economic-mathematical model for calculating the optimal structure of sown areas by placing crops between production structures of different levels of management, taking into account their susceptibility to the action of a particular ecodestructive (anthropogenic) factor, is proposed. The allocation of agricultural production based on the presented model implies redistribution of production of certain types of products, taking into account minimisation of economic losses from anthropogenic (ecodestructive) factors, in particular, industrial air pollution. The paper considers the possibilities of quantifying the economic consequences of climate change in the system of agricultural land use. It is proved that the assessment of economic losses from climate change in the system of sustainable agricultural land use requires the development of a system of cost standards that correspond to the input climate parameters. This article presents natural indicators and regional adjustment coefficients of agricultural production in case of an increase in the average annual air temperature by one degree, with differentiation by regions of Ukraine. An algorithm for economic assessment of the impact of changes in the thermal regime of the atmosphere on the efficiency of the crop production industry is presented. The proposed modelling of the territorialspatial improvement of agricultural land use efficiency is a methodological approach to assessing the environmental consequences of transforming the efficiency of management in agriculture in terms of reducing and preventing economic losses from anthropogenic (ecodestructive) factors in the context of global climate change. So, the practical implementation of the presented methodological approach to the economic assessment of the impact of global climate change on agriculture will allow to substantiate recommendations for the formation of a system of actions that would allow to avoid or at least reduce the negative climate impact.

Architectural unit in young individuals of Quercus robur L. in meadow steppes and isular forests of the Southern forest-steppe of Voronezh region

From the viewpoint of the hierarchy of shoot systems crown architecture in virginal and young reproductive individuals of Quercus robur L. in meadow steppes and various insular pineries in the Northern Voronezh refion is studied. The number of studied individuals is over 700. While systematized diversity of shoot systems categories of architectural model, architectural unit and architectural type (AT) were used. It has been established that Q. robur in the zone of the southern forest-steppe forms the same AT as in the mixed and broadleaved forest biomes in the Oka River basin. The individuals of the AT I prevail both under full light and canopy. Under shading most individuals of the AT I demonstrate decrease of growth processes and simplification of shoot systems. All AT of Quercus robur in the southern foreststeppe form a wider range of forms than in the mixed and broadleaved forest biomes. This is caused by realization of reduction and increasing processes and by forming new shoot structures of different levels.

Research Progress in the Application of Terahertz Spectroscopy and Imaging Technology in Stomatology

Terahertz waves, the electromagnetic waves in the range of 0.1 to 10 THz, has the advantages of being damage-free, causing no ionizing radiation injury, and being capable of recognizing the fingerprint spectrum of molecular characteristics, thus holding encouraging prospects for wide applications in the field of biomedicine. Terahertz spectrum can be used to identify and characterize biological structures of different levels, from biomolecules such as proteins to cells and tissues, through the spectral signals and/or restored images of the samples. Herein, we summarized the current stomatogical application of and research progress in terahertz spectroscopy and imaging in dentistry, reported the latest research findings, strengths and limitations from three perspectives, tooth anatomical structure, the extent of caries progression, and oral soft tissue, and suggested possible directions for future exploration.

ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ ЦИФРОВІЗАЦІЇ БІЗНЕС-ПРОЦЕСІВ ЯК ІНСТРУМЕНТИ ІННОВАЦІЙНОГО РОЗВИТКУ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

This article examines the digitalization technologies of business processes, which in modern conditions are tools for the innovative development of domestic enterprises. The concepts of "technology", "digitalization technologies", and "digitalization technologies of business processes of enterprises" are characterized. The types of technologies are defined, depending on their connection with production and information and communication support, as well as according to their life cycle. A comparative analysis of the dynamics and structure of different levels of the technological sector over the past ten years has been conducted, which indicates a decrease in the share of the low-tech sector of the Ukrainian economy and a simultaneous increase in the specific weight of the high-tech sector. Goals have been set for the use of digitalization technologies for business processes in the context of innovative enterprise development, and tasks that can be solved with the help of these technologies have been defined, in particular: improving interaction with suppliers and buyers; increasing the flexibility and adaptability of business processes, reducing the time for their execution; obtaining economic, social, technological and environmental effects. The directions of research on digitalization issues at the current stage by scientists and practitioners, representatives of various fields of activity (legal, technical, economic, etc.) are outlined. An analysis of the most widespread digitalization technologies at the current stage has been carried out (Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Cloud Computing (AI), Agile, Chat Bot, Blockchain, etc.), the spheres of their application are defined, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Features of the application of digitization technologies in various spheres and branches of activity: banking, trade, industry, agriculture, transport and logistics, etc. Conclusions were made about the need to use and constantly improve digitization technologies to accelerate the digital transformation of business processes of enterprises, which will contribute to their innovative development and create an opportunity to attract investments to the domestic economy.

The role of religion in the formation of solidarity and social cohesion in independent Ukraine

The article is devoted to the analysis of the role of the religious factor in the formation of solidarity and social cohesion in Ukraine during the period of independence. The relevance of this topic is substantiated by the fact that during the years of independence Ukraine has been going through the path of socio-political transformations, which are marked by important social processes of departure from the Soviet "inheritance" and building social relations on a new democratic basis. These transformational processes take place with certain points of particular aggravation and tension - crises, during which Ukrainians demonstrate an extremely high level of social cohesion, solidarity and readiness for self-sacrifice for the protection of common values. The authors investigate social and transformational processes in Ukrainian society, trying to apply the theoretical and methodological approach and conceptualization of the concept of solidarity carried out by Emile Durkheim and describe the experience of the transition from the USSR and gaining independence of Ukraine as the process of changing the types of solidarity from "mechanical" to "organic". Considerable attention is paid to social factors that affect the social cohesion of society in general and in Ukraine in particular. The article explores the potential of religion as a social institution that unites communities of various levels. The authors, analyzing the main trends of religious life in Ukraine during Ukraine's independence, as well as the state of public trust to the church, religious leaders, as well as the level of tolerance in society, testify the significant influence of the religious factor on social cohesion and solidarity in Ukraine. The courage, sacrifice and absolute unity of Ukrainians in resisting the full-scale aggression of Russia became another vivid confirmation of the "organic" type of solidarity that has formed in Ukraine. Different political forces, state structures of different levels, military, volunteers, civil society organizations and religious organizations acted as a single solidarity organism in defense of common values of freedom, sovereignty, territorial integrity of Ukraine, human dignity and identity. The scientific result is the substantiation of the influence of the religious factor on the formation of social cohesion through indicators of religious pluralism, the level of tolerance on religious grounds, the level of trust in religion. Indicators are derived from the methodological guidelines of E. Durkheim (in particular, his concept of different types of solidarity) and others, as well as modern approaches of international organizations engaged in research on social cohesion. The data of sociological studies of different years conducted in Ukraine, as well as the secondary analysis of sociological results, became the basis for the conclusion that religious organizations in Ukraine are active and equal subjects of civil society, which influenced and influence the formation of public attitudes and positions, and therefore social cohesion and solidarity in society.

Click Chemistry: A Promising Tool for Building Hierarchical Structures.

The hierarchical structures are utilized at different levels in nature. Moreover, a wide spectrum of nature’s properties (e.g., mechanical, physical and biological properties) has been attributed to this hierarchy. Different reviews have been published to cover the use of click chemistry in building hierarchical structures. However, each one of those reviews focused on a narrow area on this topic, i.e., specific chemical reaction, such as in thiol-ene chemistry, or a specific molecule or compound such as polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, or a certain range of hierarchical structures between the nano to micro range, e.g., nanocrystals. In this review, a frame to connect the dots between the different published works has been demonstrated. This article will not attempt to give an exhaustive review of all the published work in the field, instead the potential of click chemistry to build hierarchical structures of different levels using building blocks of different length scales has been shown through two main approaches. The first is a one-step direct formation of 3D micro/macrometer dimensions structures from Pico dimensions structures (molecules, monomers, etc.). The second approach includes several steps Pico ➔ 0D nano ➔ 1D nano ➔ 2D nano ➔ 3D nano/micro/macro dimensions structures. Another purpose of this review article is to connect between (a) the atomic theory, which covers the atoms and molecules in the picometer dimensions (picoscopic chemistry set); (b) “nano-periodic system” model, which covers different nanobuilding blocks in the nanometers range such as nanoparticles, dendrimers, buckyball, etc. which was developed by Tomalia; and (c) the micro/macrometer dimensions level.

The historical example of economic effect resulted from complex interagency interaction in pre-emergency medical care for injured in traffic accident

The work emphasizes the urgency of this problem, the importance of timely and high-quality pre-hospital assistance to victims of road accidents. The purpose was to show the importance of complex, interagency interactions in helping victims on motorways. The existing different tactical schemes to assist victims at the pre-hospital stage were analyzed. The success of the European countries in reducing the level of road accidents has shown their negative consequences compared to the Ukrainian current indicators. Also, the historical example of the constitutional result from the introduction of several provisions and actions in 1985 and 1986 in the USSR to improve pre-emergency care for the injured on the highways. As a result of the introduction of the provisions, the savings from pre-hospital losses amounted to 96.85 % of the total loss of fatalities on motorways. These data show the need to improve the universal organizational scheme of assistance to victims at the pre-hospital stage in Ukraine, which requires significant attention from state structures of different levels.

КОЛИЧЕСТВЕННАЯ ОЦЕНКА ТЕХНИЧЕСКОЙ ОСНАЩЕННОСТИ СТРОИТЕЛЬНЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ

Assessment of technical equipment and the level of mechanization of work are one of the most significant issues in terms of management of construction activities. To date, sufficiently objective and convenient methods of such an assessment have not yet been proposed. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and use them. The author of this article aims to develop a quantitative assessment of the technical equipment of construction organizations of different levels, including integrated ones. Applied, retrospective, statistical, abstract-logical and expert research methods. A system of local indicators for assessing technical equipment is proposed, which subsequently provides the ability to calculate the integral. Indicators for assessing the level of technical equipment can be used by various organizational structures in construction. The weights of particular indicators have been determined and formalized methods for their calculation have been developed. A technique for assessing the general level of technical equipment is proposed. The approaches proposed in the article should be considered as tools that allow an objective assessment of the level of technical equipment for organizational structures of different levels

Research on Structure Characteristics of Surrounding Rock of a Large Underground Oil Storage in Rock Cavern

A series of analyses have been carried out based on geological data uncovered during the investigation and construction of the large underground oil storage in rock cavern, including the geological causes of the joints, structure characteristics of the surrounding rock, and the correlation between rock mass structure and quality. As a result, some significant understandings and practical conclusions were obtained. First, the investigation’s standard technical methods: geophysical exploration and drilling, are effective and applicable in revealing the engineering area’s large-scale structure. In the cavern, however, it is challenging to fully represent the structural characteristics of the surrounding rock. As a result, it is recommended that the adit survey method be used to improve precision and accuracy during the investigation period. Secondly, the existence of noticeable differences in the structural characteristics of granite from different locations is confirmed due to the influence of geological background. Therefore, the statistical distribution of joints based on data collected from a location far from the cavern may not accurately reflect the structural characteristics of the cavern’s surrounding rock mass. Finally, the closer the joints are to the ground surface, the more densely distributed they are and the more complex their geological characteristics become. As a result, the water curtains and main caverns should be designed with similar hydrogeological conditions and buried depths. Finally, because cavern engineering prioritizes hydrogeological characteristics such as surrounding rock permeability, joints with good engineering geological characteristics, such as the dense fracture zone, should be prioritized during the investigation and construction phases. This study gives the typical characteristics of large-scale faults, secondary faults, main permeable structures, secondary structural planes, and other structures of different levels in the survey and construction periods. In addition, the analysis and research methods of various discontinuities are summarized, which can serve as a reference for the subsequent similar cavern engineering practice.

Hierarchical Structure of Protein Sequence.

Most non-communicable diseases are associated with dysfunction of proteins or protein complexes. The relationship between sequence and structure has been analyzed for a long time, and the analysis of the sequences organization in domains and motifs remains an actual research area. Here, we propose a mathematical method for revealing the hierarchical organization of protein sequences. The method is based on the pentapeptide as a unit of protein sequences. Employing the frequency of occurrence of pentapeptides in sequences of natural proteins and a special mathematical approach, this method revealed a hierarchical structure in the protein sequence. The method was applied to 24,647 non-homologous protein sequences with sizes ranging from 50 to 400 residues from the NRDB90 database. Statistical analysis of the branching points of the graphs revealed 11 characteristic values of y (the width of the inscribed function), showing the relationship of these multiple fragments of the sequences. Several examples illustrate how fragments of the protein spatial structure correspond to the elements of the hierarchical structure of the protein sequence. This methodology provides a promising basis for a mathematically-based classification of the elements of the spatial organization of proteins. Elements of the hierarchical structure of different levels of the hierarchy can be used to solve biotechnological and medical problems.

ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ ЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКИХ ПАРАМЕТРОВ РАСТИТЕЛЬНЫХ И ПОЧВЕННЫХ ОБЪЕКТОВ КАК АКТИВНО-ЕМКОСТНЫХ ДВУХПОЛЮСНИКОВ

The key elements of the system for predicting electromagnetic damage are the electromagnetic source and the biological object. There is no complex of analytical models and programs for predicting damaging and critical conditions of electromagnetic impact on biological objects, as well as software components that implement developed mathematical models of real electromagnetic processes occurring in biological structures at different levels of the organization. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in developing a system for determining the electrical parameters of soil and biological objects (to develop ideas about the processes in the structures of different levels of organization of biological objects): in agricultural technologies for diagnostics of plant objects and soil; in laboratory conditions as a medium for creating and studying new electrical technologies, methods of analysis and processing of information signals. (Materials and methods) The method for monitoring electrical properties consists in applying a voltage with a constant and low-frequency component to a plant object, and simultaneously measuring the DC current, capacitive and resistive components of the low-frequency impedance. (Results and discussion) The proposed system for determining the electrical parameters of plant objects and soil allows to visualize the original signal; to perform calculation of informative parameters and statistical processing of the informative signal of a plant object and soil (construction of distribution laws, calculation of variance, mathematical expectation); to calculate the spectrum of the informative signal; to record the values of any of the specified informative parameters, both in real time and at the selected moment; to make time dependencies of informative parameters of plant objects and soil. (Conclusions) Authors implemented modes for measuring local DC resistance and monitoring the capacitive and resistive components in the area of electrical contact of two needles and other measuring electrodes with plant objects in the low-frequency range.

БИО-ОНТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ СТАТУС СТАРЕНИЯ: АТАВИЗМ ИЛИ АДАПТАЦИЯ?

The aim of the article is to reveal the bio-ontological essence of the process of aging. Even today aging is often viewed as a counterbiological process that is opposed to the self-preservation and homeostasis of the living. This leads to a reductionist understanding of the essence of aging, its equalization to a physical or chemical phenomenon in its nature (for example, biological consequences of the second law of thermodynamics) or to a genocentrical paradigm when it is understood just as an installed hereditary program. The article justifies a different point of view: aging, undoubtedly demonstrating negative aspects and being part of the “insufficiency” of the living, has, nevertheless, a purely biological, adaptive meaning. The author first of all uses dialectical and system methods in order to show that aging is a contradictory process which has both positive and negative effects on biological structures of different levels and to use an old idea that every biological system is much more than a simple sum of its parts. The research proves that aging is not purely destructive but has an important role in maintaining biological homeostasis. A number of phenomena (autophagy, cell apoptosis, work of immunity, etc.) show that the higher level of organization of life exists largely due to control over the number and multiplication of elements on the underlying level, to the active containment of their proliferation. It is important not only for the existence of multicellular organisms but also for superorganism systems (population, biocenosis, ecosystem, etc.). Aging, therefore, can be viewed as a “slow” variant of “phenoptosis” (V.P. Skulachev) not only because of destructive physicochemical tendencies growing inside the organism with time, but rather because of more “sophisticated” processes of biological autopoiesis. Living is not just a static self-preserving, but a system dynamically reproducing by self “re-assembly”, in which the survival of the whole dialectically involves the periodical dying of certain parts. Aging and death of elements are among foundations for their collective endosymbiosis within a holistic biosystem; thus, aging cannot be reduced, for instance, to the process of a simple growth of entropy. In some way, aging shows that death (as its result) is not only an opposition of life but is incorporated in it, too. Moreover, aging is also dialectically balanced by protective and regenerative processes (the concept “vitauсt” by V.V. Frolkis), which permanently try to compensate its negative impact. Probably, the main line of future medical progress in the sphere of aging will be connected with these processes’ activization. Consequently, it can be concluded that aging is not a harmful atavism but rather a kind of complex adaptation. Therefore, it is not aging itself but the intention to its full cancellation that is a contra-biological tendency. Aging can be viewed as a vivid example of a deep dialectical, truly Heraclitian, unity of such contradictions as life and death, when self-preservation of the living goes through the limitation or dying of its particular components.

A tessellated continuum approach for the static analysis of perforated structures

Pre-fractals have the capacity to represent structures of different levels of complexity and have recently been shown to be suitable for continuum analysis using a method called tessellated continuum mechanics. Tessellated continuum mechanics is an analytical theory for the analysis of porous/perforated structures but presently has only been tested to any extent on heat transfer problems.This paper is concerned with extending the implementation of the tessellated approach to static structural analysis of one and two dimensions with a particular emphasis on perforated plates. The principal objective of the work is to establish that the structural analysis of perforated structures is possible to a very high degree of accuracy in a continuum mechanics framework. The tessellated approach involves the local expansion of space to close perforations and invokes the concept of finite similitude, which has appeared in the recent literature.The consequences of local-space scaling are examined and static testing for beams and plates, constrained by different boundary conditions are presented.

Spectroscopy of Diatomic Molecules in an Adiabatic Approximation

Modern molecular spectroscopy of diatomic molecules is the precision study of the structure and dynamics of electronically excited states of isolated molecules in the gas phase. At the same time, the energy, radiation, magnetic, and electrical characteristics of excited molecules, which are of interest for different physicochemical applications, must be determined and predicted at the experimental (spectral) level of accuracy in a broad range of electron vibrational and rotational excitations. This problem cannot be solved within spectroscopy’s traditional adiabatic approximation, since a large number of intramolecular interactions (so-called perturbations) inevitably distorts not only the regular energy structure of different levels but he nodal structure of the corresponding wave functions as well. The most accurate solution to both direct and inverse spectroscopic problems with respect to perturbed molecular states is based on constructing a reduced system of the coupled radial Schrodinger equations encountered in the quantum-mechanical modeling of the nonadiabatic interaction of electronic states. The nonadiabatic approach can be employed successfully only through the joint use of precision spectroscopic data and highly precise calculations of electronic structure.

Адаптивная вариативность когнитивного моделирования лексической семантики

The article is devoted to the issues of cognitive modelling of the semantics of English nouns denoting a criminal. The article deals with the question of the variable representation of cognitive information due to adaptive potential of knowledge representation structures depending on the language level and the essence of the phenomenon under study. The results of the analysis of lexical units and their actualization in the literary text are presented. Particular attention is paid to the structures of knowledge representation like frame, prototype, cogniotype and stereotype. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that the work implements a cognitive approach to the study of the semantics of units and the content and structural aspects of the text. Within the framework of this approach, cognitive structures of different levels are involved. The conclusion is made about the complementarity of these structures and about the possibility of their simultaneous functioning. In addition, the paper attempts to formulate rules and principles of cognitive text research. The relevance of the research is caused by the attempt to identify the laws of categorization and conceptualization of reality reflected in the language. The results of cognitive research, usually presented in the form of models or schemes, facilitate subsequent comparison of ways of categorization in other languages, as well as the identification of common universal laws of human cognition and the principles of its reflection in semantics.

The Question of Serfdom in Russia: Social Dialogue and Communicative Practices of Power (First Quarter of the 19th Century)

This article puts forward a research model for studying the interaction between power structures and Russian subjects in the first quarter of the 19th century. The starting point of the model is a revision of the structuralist approach. The author considers it important to study “social dialogue” as a history of the communicative practices emerging among Russian subjects, local representatives of power, and high-ranking officials of the imperial administration. In order to reconstruct the channels, content, and results of this “social dialogue”, the author uses two groups of primary sources: texts produced in the process of public communication with an unspecified addressee that created a general intellectual and emotional context for the perception of existing social, economic, and political issues; and texts of public communication with a specified addressee, aimed at official structures of different levels with the purpose of solving certain practical problems. The author compares publications of Russian journals discussing the problem of “slavery” in different countries of the world, archival materials from the Russian State Historical Archive on “the issues connected with peasants’ appeals for emancipation from non-noble masters”, the serf-owners’ complaints about the “illegal” emancipation of peasants without proper compensation, and projects for the abolition of serfdom created on the basis of the generalisation of complaints and petitions. The author distinguishes the two models of social dialogue, i.e. the conflict model and the project model. Taken together, these two models make it possible to trace both the government’s reaction to amendments of existing laws meant to solve conflicts between serfs and their masters and efforts to develop an all-Russian solution for the issue of serfdom.

Concurrent Dynamics of Category Learning and Metacognitive Judgments.

In two experiments, we examined the correspondence between the dynamics of metacognitive judgments and classification accuracy when participants were asked to learn category structures of different levels of complexity, i.e., to learn tasks of types I, II, and III according to Shepard et al. (1961). The stimuli were simple geometrical figures varying in the following three dimensions: color, shape, and size. In Experiment 1, we found moderate positive correlations between confidence and accuracy in task type II and weaker correlation in task type I and III. Moreover, the trend analysis in the backward learning curves revealed that there is a non-linear trend in accuracy for all three task types, but the same trend was observed in confidence for the task type I and II but not for task type III. In Experiment 2, we found that the feeling-of-warmth judgments (FOWs) showed moderate positive correlation with accuracy in all task types. Trend analysis revealed a similar non-linear component in accuracy and metacognitive judgments in task type II and III but not in task type I. Our results suggest that FOWs are a more sensitive measure of the progress of learning than confidence because FOWs capture global knowledge about the category structure, while confidence judgments are given at the level of an individual exemplar.

A NEW STATISTICAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE COSMIC VOID DISTRIBUTION

ABSTRACT In this study, we obtain the size distribution of voids as a three-parameter redshift-independent log-normal void probability function (VPF) directly from the Cosmic Void Catalog (CVC). Although many statistical models of void distributions are based on the counts in randomly placed cells, the log-normal VPF that we obtain here is independent of the shape of the voids due to the parameter-free void finder of the CVC. We use three void populations drawn from the CVC generated by the Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) Mocks, which are tuned to three mock SDSS samples to investigate the void distribution statistically and to investigate the effects of the environments on the size distribution. As a result, it is shown that void size distributions obtained from the HOD Mock samples are satisfied by the three-parameter log-normal distribution. In addition, we find that there may be a relation between the hierarchical formation, skewness, and kurtosis of the log-normal distribution for each catalog. We also show that the shape of the three-parameter distribution from the samples is strikingly similar to the galaxy log-normal mass distribution obtained from numerical studies. This similarity between void size and galaxy mass distributions may possibly indicate evidence of nonlinear mechanisms affecting both voids and galaxies, such as large-scale accretion and tidal effects. Considering the fact that in this study, all voids are generated by galaxy mocks and show hierarchical structures in different levels, it may be possible that the same nonlinear mechanisms of mass distribution affect the void size distribution.