Redistributive preferences: Why actual income is ultimately more important than perceived income

An emerging consensus claims that ‘subjective’ (mis)perceptions of income inequality better explain redistributive preferences than actual ‘objective’ conditions. In this article, we critically re-assess this view. We compare perceived and actual income positions as predictors for preferences for redistribution. We argue that perceived income is partly endogenous to actual income and its effect on preferences conditional on ideology. Using an original survey experiment from Switzerland, we show that the predictive power of perceived income is lower compared to actual income. Perceived income is only associated with redistribution preferences among centre-right respondents, but not among left-wing respondents. Furthermore, providing respondents with corrective information about their true position in the income hierarchy has no effect on redistribution preferences. These findings go against the new consensus about the superior explanatory power of subjective perceptions of income inequality. We argue instead that absolute objective conditions should be at the centre of explaining redistributive preferences.

On some estimation problems for nonlinear dynamic systems

Two problems of nonlinear guaranteed estimation for states of dynamical systems are considered. It is supposed that unknown measurable in $t$ disturbances are linearly included in the equation of motion and are additive in the measurement equations. These disturbances are constrained by nonlinear integral functionals, one of which is analog of functional of the generalized work. The studied problem consists in creation of the information sets according to measurement data containing the true position of the trajectory. The dynamic programming approach is used. If the first functional requires solving a nonlinear equation in partial derivatives of the first order which is not always possible, then for functional of the generalized work it is enough to find a solution of the linear Lyapunov equation of the first order that significantly simplifies the problem. Nevertheless, even in this case it is necessary to impose additional conditions on the system parameters in order for the system trajectory of the observed signal to exist. If the motion equation is linear in state variable, then many assumptions are carried out automatically. For this case the issue of mutual approximation of information sets via inclusion for different functionals is discussed. In conclusion, the most transparent linear quadratic case is considered. The statement is illustrated by examples.

The Benefits of 3D and 4D Synthesis of Marine Geophysical Datasets for Analysis and Visualisation of Shipwrecks, and for Interpretation of Physical Processes over Shipwreck Sites: A Case Study off Methoni, Greece

Through the study of three wreck sites over the Methoni Bay (Greece), this article presents the benefits of spatio-temporal integration and correlation of marine geophysical data in a common three-dimensional (3D) geographical platform for analysis, and visualisation of shipwreck ruins and for interpretation of physical processes over wreck sites. The integration of 3D datasets has been proven to support identification of archaeological features over and under the seafloor, evaluation of the wreck structure state, and assessment on the wrecking event and the wreck site arrangement at that time, due to interactive cross-examination of datasets acquired in separate planes. Data synthesis is fundamental for 3D digital reconstruction of scattered and partially buried shipwreck ruins in complex geology as every dataset acts as interpretive and complimentary to each other. It is also shown that data synthesis highlights the signatures of physical processes over the wreck sites, and the interaction between the processes and the shipwrecks. The analysis of spatio-temporal, four-dimensional (4D) integrated datasets has proved to provide knowledge on the wreck site evolution through time, and highlights the disturbance of underwater archaeological resources due to human activities. The study has also shown that the creation of a shoalest depth true position bathymetric surface supports the realistic 3D wreck representation over the seafloor.

A Real-Time BLE/PDR Integrated System by Using an Improved Robust Filter for Indoor Position

Indoor position technologies have attracted the attention of many researchers. To provide a real-time indoor position system with high precision and stability is necessary under many circumstances. In a real-time position scenario, gross errors of the Bluetooth low energy (BLE) fingerprint method are more easily occurring and the heading angle of the pedestrian will drift without acceleration and magnetic field compensation. A real-time BLE/pedestrian dead-reckoning (PDR) integrated system by using an improved robust filter has been proposed. In the PDR method, the improved Mahony complementary filter based on the pedestrian motion states is adopted to estimate the heading angle reducing the drift error. Then, an improved robust filter is utilized to detect and restrain the gross error of the BLE fingerprint method. The robust filter detected the gross error at different granularity by constructing a robust vector changing the observation covariance matrix of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) adaptively when the application is running. Several experiments are conducted in the true position scenario. The mean position accuracy obtained by the proposed method in the experiment is 0.844 m and RMSE is 0.74 m. Compared with the classic EKF, these two values are increased by 38% and 18%, respectively. The results show that the improved filter can avoid the gross error in the BLE method and provide high precision and scalability in indoor position service.

Grid-cell modules remain coordinated when neural activity is dissociated from external sensory cues

The representation of an animal's position in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) is distributed across several modules of grid cells, each characterized by a distinct spatial scale. The population activity within each module is tightly coordinated and preserved across environments and behavioral states. Little is known, however, about the coordination of activity patterns across modules. We analyzed the joint activity patterns of hundreds of grid cells simultaneously recorded in animals that were foraging either in the light, when sensory cues could stabilize the representation, or in darkness, when such stabilization was disrupted. We found that the states of different grid modules are tightly coordinated, even in darkness, when the internal representation of position within the MEC deviates substantially from the true position of the animal. These findings suggest that internal brain mechanisms dynamically coordinate the representation of position in different modules, to ensure that grid cells jointly encode a coherent and smooth trajectory of the animal.

Accurate Segmentation of Bacterial Cells using Synthetic Training Data

We present a novel method of bacterial image segmentation using machine learning based on Synthetic Micro-graphs of Bacteria (SyMBac). SyMBac allows for rapid, automatic creation of arbitrary amounts of training datathat combines detailed models of cell growth, physical interactions, and microscope optics to create synthetic images which closely resemble real micrographs, with access to the ground truth positions of cells. We also demonstrate that models trained on SyMBac data generate more accurate and precise cell masks than those trained on human annotated data, because the model learns the true position of the cell irrespective of imaging artefacts

Temporal discounting mediates the relationship between socio-economic status and social trust

Social trust and income are associated both within and across countries, such that higher income typically correlates with increased trust. While this correlation is well-documented, the psychological mechanisms sustaining this relationship remain poorly understood. One plausible candidate is people’s temporal discounting: on the one hand, trust has a strong time component—it exposes the individual to immediate costs in exchange of uncertain and delayed benefits; on the other hand, temporal discounting is robustly influenced by income. The goal of our studies was to test whether temporal discounting mediates the relationship between income and trust and whether experimentally manipulating perceived income has a downstream impact on temporal discounting and trust. To do so, participants who underestimated their relative income position received information about their true position in the income distribution in order to correct their misperception. Our results indicate that temporal discounting partially mediates the effect of income on social trust in a pre-registered online study on British participants ( N = 855). However, receiving a positive information shock on one’s income position had no impact on either temporal discounting or social trust. In a second pre-registered study, we replicated the finding that temporal discounting partially mediates the effect of income on social trust in a representative sample of the British population ( N = 1130).

Visual aspects of unlocking the meaning in a literary work (based on Alexander Grin’s novella “Legless”

The object of this research is the semantic structure of a literary work. The subject of this research is the nature of interrelation between visual and semantic aspects of the work. The “visual” implies not a characteristic of the text of the novella, but rather one of the “properties of artistic imagery” (S. P. Lavlinsky, N. M. Gurovich). On the one hand, the article interprets the semantics of visual images in A. S. Grin’s novella "Legless"; while on the other hand, reveals and describes the visual aspects of the very meaning of the novella. The author examines the dependence of understanding of the meaning of text on a certain “setting” of readers’ view. The scientific novelty consists in identification of the semantic aspects of visual images along with the visual aspects of unlocking the meaning based on Alexander Grin’s novella “Legless”. The impossibility of actualizing the meaning in the literary work without its visualization is explained the peculiar – incarnated – nature of the artistic meaning. The fact that in the literary work the meaning is translated into the actual existence of the heroes (is being  incarnated) determines the integrity of the process of understanding from scrutinization into objective forms of this existence. Missing one or another feature of the artistic world by the reader would mean shifting away from adequate understanding. If for the hero of the novella “Legless”, the understanding of Self and his true position in the world is generally associated with the rejection of vision, then for the reader of “Legless” (or other literary text) vision (that corresponds to what is depicted in the text) is the key to understanding.

Edge Detection in 3D Point Clouds Using Digital Images

This paper presents an effective and semi-automated method for detecting 3D edges in 3D point clouds with the help of high-resolution digital images. The effort aims to contribute towards addressing the unsolved problem of automated production of vector drawings from 3D point clouds of cultural heritage objects. Edges are the simplest primitives to detect in an unorganized point cloud and an algorithm was developed to perform this task. The provided edges are defined and measured on 2D digital images of known orientation, and the algorithm determines the plane defined by the edge on the image and its perspective center. This is accomplished by applying suitable transformations to the image coordinates of the edge points based on the Analytical Geometry relationships and properties of planes in 3D space. This plane inevitably contains the 3D points of the edge in the point cloud. The algorithm then detects and isolates those points which define the edge in the world system. Finally, the goal is to reliably locate the points that describe the desired edge in their true position in the geodetic space, using several constraints. The algorithm is firstly investigated theoretically for its efficiency using simulation data and then assessed under real conditions and under different image orientations and lengths of the edge on the image. The results are presented and evaluated.

The Effect Of The Nature In Thomas Hardy, S Poetry

This research aims to discover the effect of Nature in Thomas Hardy's chosen literary works. The treatment of Hardy's ecology illustrates the roots of thought that have led to our contemporary environmental crisis. Hardy shares affinity by philosophically reconstructing society in the center of natural elements and images by introducing the true meaning of literary art and nature. Hardy self-consciously depicts the naked reality of nature, property, and the place of man as a reaction towards a mechanized and materialized culture that values technological innovations and expositions politically. Hardy has distinguished nature with his distinctive style and insight. Analyzing the work of Hardy helps to know the social and ecological critiques of Victoria on the relationship between the human environment that are biologically and psychologically fascinating and strange when it comes to placing humans into the universe. The research demonstrates how someone such as Hardy represented his knowledge of nature as a mere reflection of man's harmony or disharmony with his climate. Hardy promotes the belief that setting is an important and fundamental factor of human lives that has a direct effect on their lives consciously and unconsciously. Discussing different characters and their various attributes and functions concerning the natural world around them are of great importance for understanding the link between man and the environment. Hardy not only depicts in his novels but also in his poetry the portrayal of the true position of man in nature and the significance of this representation in human life.