Cyberbullying: Effect of emergency perception on the helping tendencies of bystanders

The effect of the emergency perception of bystanders of cyberbullying victims on helping behaviors is often neglected in research on cyberbullying. In this study, we explored the influence of this cognitive factor on cyber-bystanders’ helping tendencies as well as elucidated possible underlying processes. The results of two studies were reported. In Study 1, 150 undergraduates read a true case of a girl experiencing cyberbullying. The results indicated that when the participants perceived the victim’s situation to be more critical (i.e., higher emergency perception), their helping tendencies were stronger, partly through increased state empathy followed by feelings of responsibility to help. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 300 undergraduates to two groups. The low emergency group read the same cyberbullying case as Study 1, whereas the cyberbullying case read by the high emergency group contained additional emergency information of the victim. The results indicated that the high emergency group expressed stronger helping tendencies than did the low emergency group. This effect was caused by a stronger perception that the victim was in an emergency situation, which not only strengthened the participants’ helping tendencies directly but also indirectly through increasing their state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help.     

基于多尺度的贝叶斯模型显著性检测

针对传统基于贝叶斯模型的显著性检测算法存在准确率不理想的问题,提出了一种基于多尺度的贝叶斯模型显著性检测算法。通过超像素分割算法(SLIC)将原图分割成不同尺度的超像素,根据超像素边界信息得到背景种子,进而通过距离计算和多尺度融合得到背景先验;对原图进行颜色增强,采用Harris算子对增强图进行检测角点求得凸包,融合不同尺度下的超像素得到凸包先验;融合背景先验和凸包先验得到最终先验;利用颜色直方图和凸包计算似然概率;将最终先验和似然概率通过贝叶斯模型计算显著图。在公开数据集MSRA1000、ECSSD上与多种传统算法进行准确率和召回率对比,该算法有更好的表现。     

基于自适应阈值活动语音检测和最小均方误差对数谱幅度估计的低信噪比降噪算法

针对低信噪比(SNR)环境下传统方法对声信号降噪的局限性，提出了一种联合自适应阈值活动语音检测（VAD）算法和最小均方误差对数谱幅度估计（MMSE-LSA）的实时降噪算法。首先，在VAD算法中通过基于能量概率最大值的概率统计来对背景噪声进行估计，对得到的背景噪声进行实时更新并保存；然后，将实时更新的背景噪声作为MMSE-LSA的参考噪声，并对噪声幅度谱进行自适应更新，最后进行降噪处理。通过在真实场景中对四类声信号进行实验，结果表明，该算法在保证对低SNR声信号的实时处理的情况下，相较于传统MMSE-LSA算法，降噪信号的SNR能够提高10~15 dB，且不存在信号过减的情况，可应用于实际工程。     

Rainbow over the Internet: How Internet use curtails homophobia in China

China, despite its rapid economic modernization and the lack of powerful conservative institutions, is not known for embracing diverse sexual orientation. The present study investigates whether and how Internet use, a increasingly important part of contemporary people's daily life, leads to changes in people's attitudes toward homosexuality in China, and relevant policy implications. Analyzing the Chinese General Social Survey data from 2010 to 2015, this paper develops an ordered probit model to quantify the influence of Internet use on homosexuality tolerance, adopts a substitution variable method to conduct the robustness check, and utilizes instrument variables to address the potential endogeneity in the regressions. The results show that Internet use has a significant positive impact on Chinese people's homosexuality tolerance. Further studies have found that the influence of Internet use on homosexuality tolerance is also heterogeneous to different populations. Besides, compared with traditional media, the Internet has a more significant impact on homosexuality tolerance. This paper provides some explanations for the rise in China's homosexuality tolerance from 2010 to 2015, and additional impetus for the international community to push for a liberal Internet policy in China.     

基于视觉颜色感知——光学相似的图像去雾方法

针对雾霾环境影响致使户外获取的图像质量严重下降问题，提出了一种基于视觉颜色感知—光学相似的图像去雾方法。充分利用人眼感知颜色的视觉机理，结合图像的相似性原理，构造了光学相似度函数，建立了新的基于视觉颜色感知—光学相似的图像去雾模型并设计相关算法，进而进行仿真验证。仿真实验结果表明，提出的方法在对有雾图像清晰化处理过程中效果明显，并与现有的图像去雾方法在主观视觉和客观量化方面进行图像去雾效果对比，进一步表明提出的方法在清晰化含雾图像处理中取得了较好的效果。     

A comparison of visual ability and its importance awareness between novice and experienced drivers

The visual ability factors of peripheral perception, visual reaction and visual pursuit ability are important for safe driving. Thus, this study explored the influence of driving experience on these visual ability factors. Sixty-five drivers, including novice and experienced drivers, participated in this study. The visual ability levels of the three factors were measured by the Vienna Test System. In addition, driver's awareness of the three factors' importance for safe driving was measured by questionnaire items. Results showed that out of the three factors, drivers' peripheral perception ability was correlated significantly with their driving experience. Experienced drivers had higher peripheral perception ability than that of novice drivers. In addition, compared with novice drivers, experienced drivers believed that peripheral perception was more important whereas visual reaction was less important. It is suggested that higher attention should be paid to peripheral perception in driving training and novice drivers should increase their importance awareness for this factor.     

On the bright side: The influence of brightness on overall taste intensity perception

Ambient light luminance (i.e., brightness or dimness) is a frequently used tool by managers to enhance the overall ambience in their restaurants. The current research explores how a change in a restaurant’s ambient brightness influences the overall taste intensity perception of the food that is being served there. We conducted a between-group experiment in a field setting (i.e., a fine-dining restaurant), where we manipulated the illuminance level of the ambient light (dim vs. bright). Guests were served a dish—tailored to our research question—and asked to evaluate its overall taste intensity. The results demonstrate that guests exposed to the bright ambient light perceived the overall taste of the dish as more intense as opposed to guests exposed to the dim ambient light. The results thus show that modifying the ambient illuminance level in a restaurant does not only affect the overall ambience but also changes the overall taste experience of the food being served. This finding is not only theoretically relevant for research on multisensory integration, but it also provides tools for taste modulation, and—as such—for strategies to decrease salt and sugar consumption among diners.     

矿用无人卡车国内外研究现状及关键技术

分析了国内外露天矿山用卡车无人驾驶技术发展现状,详细介绍了露天矿山卡车无人驾驶关键技术;通过分析对比前装线控和后装线控两种技术路线的优缺点以及超声波雷达、毫米波雷达、激光雷达、4D光场智能感知系统、红外传感器、视觉传感器等环境感知技术的优缺点;提出多传感器高度融合将是露天矿山卡车实现全天候环境感知的发展方向。通过分析对比惯性导航系统、GNSS差分定位技术、车联网定位技术、电子地图定位技术、视觉传感器等定位导航技术的差异,指出多定位技术融合是露天矿山无人驾驶卡车定位方式的必然选择。结合露天煤矿的生产实际,提出将现有的无人驾驶各种技术算法与露天矿山标准作业流程有机融合是实现卡车无人驾驶的必由之路。最后指出无人驾驶卡车应用5G技术是露天矿山安全生产的关键和核心,是无人驾驶的必备技术。     

Perception of creaminess in foods

Food texture and mouthfeel play a crucial role in product and consumer acceptability. Creaminess, enjoyed by consumers, is a complex, multimodal sensory perception involving olfactory, gustatory and tactile cues. Oral viscosity and lubrication are the key underlying physical properties that define the mechanism of creaminess perception. Thickness, smoothness, mouth-coating, and dairy flavor can together play roles in the sensation of creaminess. The aim of this review is to present an understanding of the term” creaminess” along with different modalities involved in its perception, and to explore the oral physiological parameters and key physical properties that may be involved in the different oral modalities. An analysis of the previously examined links between food structure and composition and oral physiological parameters is presented. The review also presents a brief summary of previous models describing contributions of taste, aroma, and textural sensations. It emphasizes on the role of oral processing in testing proposed models with experimental evidence supporting those models and the future trends to enhance creaminess.