Texture-like representation of objects in human visual cortex

The human visual ability to recognize objects and scenes is widely thought to rely on representations in category-selective regions of visual cortex. These representations could support object vision by specifically representing objects, or, more simply, by representing complex visual features regardless of the particular spatial arrangement needed to constitute real world objects. That is, by representing visual textures. To discriminate between these hypotheses, we leveraged an image synthesis approach that, unlike previous methods, provides independent control over the complexity and spatial arrangement of visual features. We found that human observers could easily detect a natural object among synthetic images with similar complex features that were spatially scrambled. However, observer models built from BOLD responses from category-selective regions, as well as a model of macaque inferotemporal cortex and Imagenet-trained deep convolutional neural networks, were all unable to identify the real object. This inability was not due to a lack of signal-to-noise, as all of these observer models could predict human performance in image categorization tasks. How then might these texture-like representations in category-selective regions support object perception? An image-specific readout from category-selective cortex yielded a representation that was more selective for natural feature arrangement, showing that the information necessary for object discrimination is available. Thus, our results suggest that the role of human category-selective visual cortex is not to explicitly encode objects but rather to provide a basis set of texture-like features that can be infinitely reconfigured to flexibly learn and identify new object categories.

Note on Historical Records, Geographical Distribution, and Ecological Characteristics of a Mud Lobster, Thalassina anomala (Herbst, 1804) (Decapoda, Gebiidea, Thalassinidae) in Sarawak, Borneo

The presence of mud lobster mounds is a common natural feature along coastal areas and tidal influence habitats in Sarawak. However, the number of species of mud lobsters that constructed the mounds is yet to be ascertained. This paper reviews historical records and geographical distribution of mud lobster in Sarawak from various forms of literature. The early records of mud lobster were from Buntal in Kuching, and Lingga in Sri Aman back more than 130 years ago. A few other records were reported from the central and northern regions of Sarawak between 1928 and 2019. All these records have identified mud lobster of Sarawak as Thalassina anomala (Herbst, 1804). Our present study at two sites in Buntal area with a careful examination of morphological characters of fresh specimens has confirmed the taxonomy of the species and its existence in the area. Some ecological characteristics of the mud lobster, such as size variation, population density, and mound characteristics, are also discussed. The present study also found that construction of massive mounds by mud lobster has posed a conflict to farmers and coastal communities at Buntal area, who regarded the animal as a pest. On the other hand, research on the potential medicinal value of mud lobster in Sarawak is growing. This implies that accurate taxonomy and comprehensive ecological data of T. anomala are necessary to support best practices of mud lobster pest management and sustainable harvesting of the animal for medicinal purposes, which eventually lead to conserving the animal.

On the relation between visual quality and landscape characteristics: a case study application to the waterfront linear parks in Shenyang, China

In recent years, Chinese cities have begun to pay attention to their rivers, and a large number of waterfront linear parks have been built in the riverside areas, so that the public can easily enjoy their landscape and entertainment functions. In this study, the visual quality of the waterfront trails and the greenbelt trails in the Waterfront linear Park around the Hunhe river in Shenyang was evaluated the basis of the Scenic Beauty Estimation Method and Semantic Differential Method, and the principal components of the landscape characteristics were extracted and a regression model of the visual quality and the landscape characteristics was established. Results show that the natural feature and the formal feature have a positive influence on the visual quality in waterfront linear parks, and the man-made feature has a negative impact on the visual quality. The six landscape characteristics are Sense of seclusion, ecology, intactness, uniqueness, unity and vitality, which are the main factors which affect the visual quality. This study puts forward improvement measures for the waterfront trails and the greenbelt trails, and the results can be applied to the planning, construction, and management of waterfront linear parks.

Augmented Reality Pengenalan Landmark Negara Asia Tenggara Menggunakan Algoritma FAST Corner dan Natural Feature Tracking

Pada saat ini diseluruh bagian dunia sedang terlanda sebuah virus yaitu COVID-19 yang membuat setiap orang tidak dapat berpergian ke luar negri dengan mudah. Namun di era sudah canggih ini semua informasi dapat disajikan secara digitalisasi mulai dalam bentuk tulisan maupun gambar dan dapat juga ditampilkan berbentuk objek 3 dimensi dibantu dengan Augmented Reality untuk menampilkannya. Peneleitian ini memanfaatkan teknologi Augmented Reality digunakan untuk alat pengenalan landmark dari negara Asia Tenggara agar tampilan objek akan menjadi lebih atraktif dan dapat mengetahui informasi tentang landmark dari setiap negara dengan mudah. Dalam penelitian ini aplikasi Augmented Reality dibuat menggunakan FAST Corner Detection (FCD) algoritma dan Natural Feature Tracking (NFT) untuk mendeteksi marker. Pengujian dari aplikasi ini dilakukan pada tiga perangkat smartphone android, pada sudut kemiringan 20° - 90° ketiga smartpone dapat mendeteksi marker menggunakan kameranya dan menampilkan objek 3 dimensi sesuai dengan landmark yang dipilih pada layar smartphone. Untuk pengukuran jarak maximal yang dapat dibaca oleh handphone rata-rata ±75cm dan jarak minimun pendeteksian yaitu ±10cm.

Algoritma Fast Corner Detection dan Natural Feature Tracking Media Tumbuhan Berbasis Augmented Reality

Kemajuan teknologi dimasa sekarang sangatlah pesat, Salah satunya dalam bidang media pembelajaran atau edukasi.Teknologi Augmented Reality (AR) Merupakan sebuah penggabungan dari digital konten yang telah di buat di komputer dari dengan dunia nyata.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberi pengenalan tentang tumbuhan sehingga dapat mengetahui informasi tentang tanaman tersebut. Penelitian ini menggunakan sebuah metode yaitu natural feature tracking serta menggunakan sebuah sistem pengembangan yaitu MDLC( Multimedia Development Life Cycle) dan memakai algoritma Fast Corner Detection dan Natural Feature Tracking, Sehingga menghasilkan sebuah aplikasi yang dapat menampilkan objek 3D tentang tumbuhan, dan terdapat penjelasan singkat mengenai tumbuhan, Aplikasi ini dapat menggunakan sistem operasi Android, Pengujian aplikasi menggunakan 3 handphone android yaitu Samsung A2018 dengan versi andorid 9,Oppo A9 2019 dan Samsung A51 2020 bahwa pada saat kemiringan<18° ketiga handphone tersebut tidak mendeteksi marker sedangkan saat pada sudut 20°-60° dan 61°-90° ketiga handphone tersebut dapat mendeteksi dan terbaca pada layar handphone.

Investigación filosófica y emociones

Los estudios filosóficos sobre emociones se pueden dividir en dos grandes grupos: 1) aquellos que consideran que las emociones son naturales, resultado de nuestra evolución; 2) aquellos que, interesados en el pensamiento de autores concretos respecto a las emociones, no sostienen ninguna posición sustantiva acerca de ellas. En este artículo exploramos una tercera opción: entender que las emociones son históricas, contextuales y socialmente definidas. Abrimos así la posibilidad a una nueva forma de investigación filosófica, que partiría de la ontología histórica del filósofo Ian Hacking como herramienta desde la que abordar el estudio filosófico de las emociones en la historia. Emotions research in Philosophy could be classified into two main groups: 1) Those that considers emotions as a natural feature, the result of our evolutionary history; 2) Those that are interested in the study of what a particular philosopher said about the emotions, and, therefore, do not sustain any substantive claim about the nature of the emotions. I explore a third option: to understand emotions as historical, contextual, and socially constituted. This new approach opens up the door to a new form of philosophical inquiry on emotions in their historical contexts, based on Ian Hacking’s historical ontology.

California harbor dredging: History and trends

California is a major shipping point for exports and imports across the Pacific Basin, has large commercial and recreational fisheries, and an abundance of marine recreational boaters. Each of these industries or activities requires either a port or harbor. California has 26 individual coastal ports and harbors, ranging from the huge sprawling container ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to small fishing ports like Noyo Harbor and Bodega Bay. Almost all of California’s ports and harbors were constructed without any knowledge or consideration of littoral drift directions and rates and potential future dredging issues. Rather, they were built where a need existed, where there was a history of boat anchorage, or where there was a natural feature (e.g. bay, estuary, or lagoon) that could be the basis of an improved port or harbor. California’s littoral drift rates and directions are now well known and understood, however, and have led to the need to perform annual dredging at many of these harbors as a result of their locations (e.g. Santa Cruz, Oceanside, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Channel Islands harbors) while other harbors require little or no annual dredging (e.g. Half Moon Bay, Moss Landing, Monterey, Redondo-King and Alamitos Bay). California’s coastal harbors can be divided into three general groups based on their long-term annual dredging volumes, which range from three harbors that have never been dredged to the Channel Islands Harbor where nearly a million cubic yards is removed on average annually. There are coastal harbors where dredging rates have remained nearly constant over time, those where rates have gradually increased, and others where rates have decreased in recent years. While the causal factors for these changes are evident in a few cases, for most there are likely a combination of reasons including changes in sand supply by updrift rivers and streams related to dam construction as well as rainfall intensity and duration; lag times between when pulses of sand added to the shoreline from large discharge events actually reach downdrift harbors; variations in wave climate over time; shoreline topography and nearshore bathymetry that determine how much sand can be trapped upcoast of littoral barriers, such as jetties and breakwaters, before it enters a harbor; and timing of dredging. While there is virtually nothing that can be done to any of these harbors to significantly reduce annual dredging rates and costs, short of modifying either breakwater or jetty length and/or configuration to increase the volume of sand trapped upcoast, thereby altering dredging timing, they are clearly major economic engines, but come with associated costs.

Metode Natural Feature Tracking dan Fast Corner Detection dengan Teknik Virtual Button Pada Aplikasi Sistem Pernafasan Manusia

At this time the development of information and communication technology has developed very rapidly. As in smartphones, the technology contained in smartphones today has an important role for human activities. The technology that is currently being implemented on smartphones is Augmented Reality. Augmented reality can be used in all fields of human activity, one of which is in the field of education. The purpose of this research is to develop an educational media about the organs of the human respiratory system that is interactive and can be understood by users such as students. In this study, 2 methods were used, namely Fast Corner Detection and Natural Feature Tracking Methods to read a marker which would later bring up information and also use the virtual button technique in the application. In testing using 5 smartphones. The results of testing at an angle of 60o and 90o the five smartphones can detect markers. The distance test has different results from the smallest having a minimum distance of ±70 cm to a maximum distance of ±150 cm. In tests based on light intensity, the five smartphones can detect markers at light intensities above 5 lux