Use Of Shadow Research Articles

L’enigma dell’ombra: l’ombra portata come misura e presenza dell’altro


 
 
 Shadow, a physical phenomenon that we experience every day and is intuitively easy to understand, does not seem to hide great mysteries. However, through the study of texts and works of Western figurative art, a different reality linked to its use can be observed. In fact, the presence of shadow in Western art and representation is profoundly discontinuous and non-linear, and it does not become more frequent with a greater mastery of representation techniques. There are authors who were knowledgeable about and studied the phenomenon in detail but nonetheless advised against its use or avoided it altogether.
 For these reasons, we have decided to delve into the use and representation of shadow in figurative art and its significance, focusing specifically on two distinct artistic techniques. The objective of this article is to demonstrate: 1) that the use of shadow in figurative art and representation is not simply a coincidental fact or a mere attempt to imitate reality, but rather reveals a specific conscious intention of the artist to represent; 2) that there is a difference in the use of cast shadow, particularly regarding the presence or absence of the subject casting the shadow within the framed and represented scene.
 To support this thesis, an interdisciplinary analysis of two examples is conducted, one from painting and one from cinema. However, due to the vastness of the time span and examples, it was necessary to narrow down the scope of research by limiting the analysis to two examples from the 20th century in painting and cinema: Giorgio de Chirico (1888 – 1978) and Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007).
 
 

A Reference Framework for Zero Energy Districts in Panama Based on Energy Performance Simulations and Bioclimatic Design Methodology

The need for efficient buildings to contribute to sustainable development has led to the proposal of goals and regulations in different countries linked to net zero energy objectives, following approaches specific to their regions. Such regulations are not yet developed in a developing country such as Panama. Thus, this study develops the first framework for Zero Energy Districts (ZED) in Panama based on passive and active solutions through dynamic simulation. For this, an existing urbanization area consisting of 34 residential buildings, called the existing case (EC), was studied. After undergoing a design based on the bioclimatic methodology, a redesigned case (RC) is proposed to maintain thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption. Key redesign factors are the buildings’ shape, orientation, glazing, the use of shadows, material of the walls, and the air conditioning configuration. Results showed energy consumption decreases by 37.5% when considering all buildings with natural ventilation, reaching ranges of positive net energy (+356.50 kWh/m2y). In the case of nearly ZED in Panama, the ranges could be considered between 14 and 180 kWh/m2y. This balance indicates that there is potential on site to develop zero energy districts.

The Shadow Effect on Surface Biophysical Variables Derived from Remote Sensing: A Review

In remote sensing (RS), shadows play an important role, commonly affecting the quality of data recorded by remote sensors. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to detect and model the shadow effect in RS data as well as the information that is obtained from them, particularly when the data are to be used in further environmental studies. Shadows can generally be categorized into four types based on their sources: cloud shadows, topographic shadows, urban shadows, and a combination of these. The main objective of this study was to review the recent literature on the shadow effect in remote sensing. A systematic literature review was employed to evaluate studies published since 1975. Various studies demonstrated that shadows influence significantly the estimation of various properties by remote sensing. These properties include vegetation, impervious surfaces, water, snow, albedo, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and land surface temperature. It should be noted that shadows also affect the outputs of remote sensing processes such as spectral indices, urban heat islands, and land use/cover maps. The effect of shadows on the extracted information is a function of the sensor–target–solar geometry, overpass time, and the spatial resolution of the satellite sensor imagery. Meanwhile, modeling the effect of shadow and applying appropriate strategies to reduce its impacts on various environmental and surface biophysical variables is associated with many challenges. However, some studies have made use of shadows and extracted valuable information from them. An overview of the proposed methods for identifying and removing the shadow effect is presented.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Light Installations and Night Urban Environment

The article reveals the specifics of the modern development of computer systems in the urban environment, within which augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR) technologies can be applied using special observation and perception devices, tablets, smartphones, sensors. An analysis of scientific research shows that AR and VR technologies have many opportunities to change various parameters of the night-time urban environment in an imitation, artificial form, as well as to influence the social and visual psychology of a person for a long time. At the same time, virtual and augmented reality technologies are an effective tool for modelling light-colour figures, checking light-composition parameters, light-urban and figurative light-colour concepts under artificial lighting, which is a practical tool in lighting design. The experience of using virtual and augmented reality in the light forms of the urban environment, installations and various media is considered. Emphasis is placed on the use of shadows as a decorative and semantic means, a component of immersion in light installations and forms.

Shadows in Renaissance Painting: 'Standing Between Darkness and Light'

Defined by Leonardo as 'standing between darkness and light', shadows are and always have been everywhere, but they are not always depicted in art. Rarely shown in Early Christian and medieval art, the portrayal of shadows really comes into its own in Renaissance Italy – linked with the immense advances in scientific study of the age. The Renaissance interest in shadows and optics, as with linear perspective, demonstrates a wish to explore, explain, and depict the natural world. The role of shadow in Renaissance painting can be either the use of shading to give bodily and other forms a three-dimensionality hitherto not achieved, or the actual depiction of cast shadows, sometimes with symbolic meaning. Shadows were also considered scientifically in relation to science and the new learning (optics and astronomy), as well as the use of shadows to bring a psychological or even magical resonance to Renaissance painting – mysterious, ethereal, or even divine.

Embracing Darkness and Silence: A Cognitive Reading of Trauma in A Small Silence, by Jumoke Verissimo

The purpose of the present article is to discuss how A Small Silence (2019), by the Nigerian author Jumoke Verissimo, conjures up a provocative approach to traumatic memories. The tropes of silence and darkness—closely bound to the Nigerian context where power outages are frequent—are sensuously explored in evocative prose. Darkness is offered as a refuge against the blinding effect of light, and silence is oftentimes preferred to healing through narrativisation. Desire and Prof, the two main fictional characters, devise a peculiar dialogue of half-uttered and unspoken words—and reminiscences—that are arguably in tune with cognitive literary approaches to individual trauma. In addition, in this article an Oriental aesthetics is deployed to delineate the novel’s use of shadows and isolation. In contrast to classical trauma fiction, A Small Silence presents a less experimental literary narrative of individual trauma. At the same time, the novel rejects simplistic binaries such as trauma-health, dark-light, forgetfulness-memory and mind-body. Rather, it lingers in a space between individual healing and Nigeria’s intricate neocolonial circumstances.

On the Use of Shadow following in English Listening

With the continuous progress of world integration and the steady improvement of China's overall education level, more and more people realize the importance of Learning English including English listening. This puts forward new standards and requirements for the application of English listening learning. This paper emphasizes the importance of shadow following reading method in English listening learning, expounds a series of effects of shadow following reading method on English listening learning, and systematically discusses the detailed process of shadow training.

Incorporating environmental impacts into the economic evaluation of health care systems: Perspectives from ecological economics

Health care is responsible for a range of negative environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, plastics waste, and pharmaceutical pollution of ecosystems through excretion and inappropriate disposal. Evidence on the scale of these impacts has been growing in high-income countries. To date, there has been only limited discussion of how environmental impacts might be incorporated into economic evaluations of health care programs, including health technology assessment. This paper considers why and how this aim might be achieved, using perspectives from both mainstream and ecological economics. There are strong arguments for using economic evaluation to internalise the negative environmental externalities currently being generated by health care, as well as precautionary arguments for health systems to better understand their exposure to their environmental impacts. The paper tests the feasibility of incorporating the costs of greenhouse gas emissions within costing for economic evaluation, and concludes that the use of shadow prices to achieve this aim is feasible. It suggests that this cost-based approach is preferable to more convoluted attempts to incorporate environmental impacts in the outcome component of health economic evaluations. The interaction between overuse, antimicrobial resistance and environmental harms of health care is identified as an area that would benefit from investigation using innovative economic methods.

Can people detect errors in shadows and reflections?

The increasing sophistication of photo-editing software means that even amateurs can create compelling doctored images. Yet recent research suggests that people’s ability to detect image manipulations is limited. Given the prevalence of manipulated images in the media, on social networking sites, and in other domains, the implications of mistaking a fake image as real, or vice versa, can be serious. In seven experiments, we tested whether people can make use of errors in shadows and reflections to determine whether or not an image has been manipulated. Our results revealed that people’s ability to identify authentic and manipulated scenes based on shadow and reflection information increased with the size of the manipulation, but overall, detection rates remained poor. Consistent with theories of incomplete visual representation, one possible reason for these findings could be that people rarely encode the details of scenes that provide useful cues as to the authenticity of images. Overall, our findings indicate that people do not readily make use of shadow and reflection cues to help determine the authenticity of images—yet it remains possible that people could make use of these cues, but they are simply unaware of how to do so.

IDENTIFICATION OF GAPS IN SPATIAL AWARENESS DEVELOPMENT TESTS AND MEANS OF THEIR ELIMINATION

The article examines the existing methods for checking spatial awareness on the basis of which seven of the most common defects of test content are detected, which automatically grow into a gap in the spatial awareness development tests (SADT). The work describes ways to minimize the effect of gaps in the test, or complete elimination by the proposed and proven methods. There was found the essence of the analogy of various SADT and the direct application of general and innovative testing principles as means of overcoming the gaps. The cases, where overcoming of the gaps is the basis for the development of spatial awareness and spatial thinking, were identified. There was systematically reviewed the module of unprocessed, missed tasks in the test, which led to a detailed analysis and investigation of the representation of graphic material in the tasks. Mini-testing of the influence of the graphic component on the speed and quality of the accomplishment of spatial tasks was carried out. The results of the mini-test showed the smallest number of errors in the cubic traditional model and the traditional model with use of shadows, indicating their successful use in the created training and evaluation course «PROSTIR-UA». Also, there was illustrated the necessity after processing of the test results, there was presented an example of the use of a block diagram of a combined algorithm of the spatial awareness development test, in the final stage of which, for the test taker, a recommendation base of the necessary auxiliary tasks is made, based on the results of the testing. The presented study aims to offer advanced approaches to existing methods and methods of motivating students to effectively use spatial awareness development tests and new tools for expanding and applying spatial knowledge.

Review of techniques for ultrasonic determination of kidney stone size.

IntroductionImaging is a vital cog in the wheel of diagnosis and management of patients suspected with renal and ureteric calculi, and it is imperative to choose the appropriate investigation that is accurate as well as safe for the patient. At present, computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard for a patient suspected to have stone disease. However, CT scan is associated with the hazards of radiation and high cost. Ultrasonography (US) is cheap and also devoid of any radiation hazard to the patient. But, at the same time, its usage is limited by decreased sensitivity and specificity, inaccuracy in measuring stone size, and observer dependency. In this article, we review the techniques to improve the accuracy of US in measuring stone size.Accuracy of USAccording to a review, the sensitivity and specificity for renal calculi are 45% and 88%, respectively, and for ureteric calculi, they are 45% and 94%, respectively. The sensitivity of US decreased when the size of the stone is <3 mm and also in a nondilated system, and the sensitivity increased as the size of the stone increased.Tools to improve accuracyThere are factors that can be adjusted to increase the accuracy of stone measurement. The main factors are changes in gain and depth and alternate modes such as flash angle imaging, harmonic mode, and S mode. Also measures such as use of shadow for size measurement can help in improving the accuracy of stone size measurement. A new automated computerized stone-sizing program improves the accuracy of stone size calculation and reduces user variability.ConclusionUS is an ideal first-line imaging modality for nephrolithiasis due to its advantages such as low cost, absence of radiation, and easy availability. However, the only limitation is its reduced sensitivity and specificity when compared with CT. The addition of newer modes can improve the accuracy in stone size measurement.

Shadowing: What is It? How to Use It. Where Will It Go?

Twenty-five years have passed since a teaching technique, called shadowing, was introduced in Japanese EFL contexts. Recently, this technique has gradually been recognized around the world. Given that many studies have been published about shadowing, the time is ripe to summarize the results of the studies and to propose how shadowing should be used. This article introduces shadowing, first referring to theoretical explanations provided so far, especially in terms of attention, cognitive process, and listening process.The article then summarizes past studies on the effects of shadowing on listening and speaking. Next, it discusses challenges in research and also introduces shadowing variations for further use of shadowing. As a classroom teaching tool, this article suggests that beginner level learners should start from shadowing for listening and proceed to shadowing for speaking.

Monetary valuation of salicylic acid, methylparaben and THCOOH in a Mediterranean coastal wetland through the shadow prices methodology

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products and drugs of abuse (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) indicates discharge of the effluent may not be suitable for the ecological balance of water ecosystems, such as wetlands. These PPCPs degrade water quality, considered as an ecosystem service (ES), provoking serious environmental impacts. Assessing the monetary value of PPCPs can be used as a proxy for environmental status of the ES of water quality (ESWQ). Considering PPCPs as non-desirable outputs of WWTPs, the shadow prices methodology has been implemented using directional distance function to measure the environmental avoided cost of removing salicylic acid (SA), methylparaben (MP), and THCOOH from WWTPs effluents discharged to Albufera Natural Park (Spain). The SA shows the highest shadow price (138.16 €/μg), followed by THCOOH (48.15 €/μg), and MP (30.66 €/μg). These values are interpreted as the environmental cost that would be avoided if SA, MP, and THCOOH were removed from WWTPs effluents. The non-parametric tests show that wastewater treatment technology, together with population equivalent (as a proxy of the size of urban areas) and seasonality are factors that influence shadow prices obtained. The approach used in this study highlights the use of PPCPs as status indicators of ESWQ quantified in monetary units. As a way to synthesize the essential concepts to implement the shadow prices approach, this study proposes a flow diagram to represent the relationship between all the factors involved in this work. The use of shadow prices methodology proves that removing SA, MP, and THCOOH is associated with a measurable improvement in the ESWQ of Albufera Natural Park. The findings of this study will be useful for plant managers in order to make decisions about the removal of PPCPs in WWTPs effluents.

Depth Perception and the History of Three-Dimensional Art: Who Produced the First Stereoscopic Images?

The history of the expression of three-dimensional structure in art can be traced from the use of occlusion in Palaeolithic cave paintings, through the use of shadow in classical art, to the development of perspective during the Renaissance. However, the history of the use of stereoscopic techniques is controversial. Although the first undisputed stereoscopic images were presented by Wheatstone in 1838, it has been claimed that two sketches by Jacopo Chimenti da Empoli (c. 1600) can be to be fused to yield an impression of stereoscopic depth, while others suggest that Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the world’s first stereogram. Here, we report the first quantitative study of perceived depth in these works, in addition to more recent works by Salvador Dalí. To control for the contribution of monocular depth cues, ratings of the magnitude and coherence of depth were recorded for both stereoscopic and pseudoscopic presentations, with a genuine contribution of stereoscopic cues revealed by a difference between these scores. Although effects were clear for Wheatstone and Dalí’s images, no such effects could be found for works produced earlier. As such, we have no evidence to reject the conventional view that the first producer of stereoscopic imagery was Sir Charles Wheatstone.

Use of shadow for enhancing mapping of perennial desert plants from high-spatial resolution multispectral and panchromatic satellite imagery

Satellite remote-sensing techniques face challenges in extracting vegetation-cover information in desert environments. The limitations in detection are attributed to three major factors: (1) soil background effect, (2) distribution and structure of perennial desert vegetation, and (3) tradeoff between spatial and spectral resolutions of the satellite sensor. In this study, a modified vegetation shadow model (VSM-2) is proposed, which utilizes vegetation shadow as a contextual classifier to counter the limiting factors. Pleiades high spatial resolution, multispectral (2 m), and panchromatic (0.5 m) images were utilized to map small and scattered perennial arid shrubs and trees. We investigated the VSM-2 method in addition to conventional techniques, such as vegetation indices and prebuilt object-based image analysis. The success of each approach was evaluated using a root sum square error metric, which incorporated field data as control and three error metrics related to commission, omission, and percent cover. Results of the VSM-2 revealed significant improvements in perennial vegetation cover and distribution accuracy compared with the other techniques and its predecessor VSM-1. Findings demonstrated that the VSM-2 approach, using high-spatial resolution imagery, can be employed to provide a more accurate representation of perennial arid vegetation and, consequently, should be considered in assessments of desertification.

Interface Management for a NASA Flight Project using Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

AbstractThe goal of interface management is to identify, define, control, and verify interfaces; ensure compatibility; provide an efficient system development; be on time and within budget; while meeting stakeholder requirements. This paper will present a successful seven‐step approach to interface management used in several prior NASA flight projects. The seven‐step approach using Model Based Systems Engineering will be illustrated by interface examples from the Materials International Space Station Experiment‐X (MISSE‐X) project. The MISSE‐X was being developed as an International Space Station (ISS) external platform for space environmental studies, designed to advance the technology readiness of materials and devices critical for future space exploration. Emphasis will be given to best practices covering key areas such as interface definition; writing good interface requirements; utilizing interface working groups; developing and controlling interface documents; handling interface agreements; the use of shadow documents; and the importance of interface requirement ownership, interface verification, and product transition.

Photoresist-less patterning of silicone substrates for thick film deposition

Traditionally, fabrication processes to produce microelectrode arrays for neural stimulating electrodes have employed photolithography and a photoresist layer to produce a pattern on a substrate which subsequently has a metal layer deposited. The deposited metal layer is then used to create stimulating electrodes that will ultimately be in close contact with neural tissue. While the process enables accurate fabrication at a reasonable cost, the use of photoresist in the process presents a number of issues. Photoresist is a contamination risk with the potential for chemicals to be absorbed into the silicone, which will then subsequently be in close proximity to neural structures, introducing a risk of toxicity. In addition, due to the use of flexible substrates such as silicone elastomer, patterning of films greater than 1μm thick can be difficult.Whilst an obvious solution would be to avoid using photoresist in the fabrication process, few alternatives have been systematically investigated. We investigated use of shadow masks fabricated from glass, brass and silicone elastomer, and exploitation of the natural tackiness of the silicone substrate for mask adhesion. All three mask materials attached well to silicone, but each presented differing degrees of difficulty during alignment and mask removal.Subsequently, thin gold films (∼20nm) and thick platinum films (∼8μm) were deposited on the silicone substrates using the shadow masks. We discuss the mask fabrication, pattern definition, the difficulties which arose, and the benefits of using shadow masks for the fabrication of medical devices.

The use of shadows in high spatial resolution, remotely sensed, imagery to estimate the height of individual Eucalyptus trees on undulating land

The shadows cast by 180 individual Eucalyptus trees, of varying canopy condition, on undulating land in south-eastern Australia were used to infer their heights from 50-cm spatial resolution, multispectral aerial imagery (blue = 0.4–0.5 μm; green = 0.5–0.6 μm; red = 0.6–0.7 μm; near infrared = 0.7–1 μm). A geometrical shadow model was developed incorporating the local slope and aspect of the ground from a digital elevation model at each tree location. A method of deriving ‘local tree time’ to infer the solar elevation angle, in situations where the image acquisition time is not available, was also developed. Based on a measurement of the shadow length from the geometric centre of the tree crowns, and ignoring the role of the crown periphery in distorting the shadow shape, the tree heights were estimated with a root mean square error of ±5.6 m (~±27%) with some overestimated by as much as 50%. A geometric correction for shadow distortion assuming spherical crown geometry provided an improved estimate with a root mean square error of ±4.8 m (~±23%).

The Ghost of Humanism: Rethinking the Subjective Turn in Postwar American Photography

This article examines the use of shadow, blur, graininess, and reflection in the work of the postwar photographers Robert Frank, William Klein, and Ralph Eugene Meatyard as a response to the rhetoric of Cold War containment. In contrast to the more comforting images in Edward Steichen’s popular exhibit The Family of Man, which sought to downplay Cold War anxieties, the photographs of Frank, Klein, and Meatyard challenged viewer expectation by presenting human figures in varying states of disintegration and disappearance. The term ‘subjective’ has long been used to describe a return to personal and private concerns during the postwar years, but discussion has focused mainly on the subjectivity of the artist rather than the viewer. By challenging the sanctity of the human figure, Frank, Klein, and Meatyard force viewers to confront such difficult images and, in the process, re-examine the fears and anxieties that lay dormant during the tense years of the early Cold War.

On the energy utilization for WSN based on BPSK over the Generalized-K shadowed fading channel

Energy is a scarce resource in the battery-powered nodes of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper the energy utilization for WSN based on BPSK communications has been investigated over the Generalized-K shadowed fading channel. A comprehensive analysis is reported based on the various important performance metrics like: amount of fading, average bit error probability, outage probability and energy utilized per bit (EUB). Simulation results reveal that composite use of shadowing and fading degrade energy levels to a considerable extent and hence contribute in downsizing the network life-span. We have derived the EUB metric and performed its evaluation with respect to optimal transmit energy levels by varying fading and shadowing severity parameters. We also considered the impact of varying transmit energy levels on the outage probability and hence on transmit and EUB levels. Although, embedding of training sequences and re-transmissions do help in enhancing effective synchronization and improved reliability, but this is done at a cost of higher energy utilization. Under the given set of assumptions, it is observed that an decrease in fading by about 11 %, improves the EUB by about 7 %. With increase in outage probability by about 10 %, EUB improves by about 3 %. An increase in SNR by 6 % improves the EUB levels by about 7 %. The investigations reported in this paper may enable designers to optionally choose suitable parameters to make WSN communications energy-efficient.