Cato Institute

We present an approach to water quality monitoring using gallium oxide (Ga2O3) ultrawide-band-gap semiconductors. Nitrates, dissolved organic carbon, and suspended solid concentrations are three commonly measured water quality parameters that display optical absorption ranging from the deep ultraviolet to the visible region. This broad spectral region poses a challenge for accurate and efficient (simultaneous) measurement of absorption/extinction arising from varying concentrations of these parameters because silicon (Si), the classical detector material, has poor performance across this optical region. To overcome these limitations, we propose the use of ultrawide-band-gap semiconductors to trace changes in optical absorption from varying water compositions by measuring the photocurrent response at different wavelengths. Here, we use α-phase Ga2O3 as a suitable material to measure a broad photocurrent response ranging from 200 to 465 nm. The photocurrent response consisted of three well-defined regions inherently linked to the rich electronic landscape of the material. Region (i) (200-250 nm) corresponds to band-to-band excitation of charge carriers, aligning well with the absorption characteristics of nitrates. Region (ii) (250-350 nm) corresponds to band tail-related transitions, allowing a photocurrent response to dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Finally, we utilize defect-mediated transitions in Region (iii) (350-465 nm) to monitor suspended solid concentrations. It was observed here that the sensitivity of the photocurrent response to the changing water composition strongly depends on the excitation wavelength, where 225, 260, and 465 nm excitation yielded (for our setup) the best results for the monitoring of nitrates, dissolved organic carbon, and suspended solid concentrations, respectively.

Eye contact is a crucial aspect of social interaction, conveying social cues based on the direction of one's gaze. Perceiving eye contact affects behavior and social processing. The widespread use of remote video conferencing technologies impacts these social cues, because most technologies do not support natural eye contact. We consider the question of how to best achieve the perception of eye contact when a person is captured by a camera and then rendered on a two-dimensional display. To test this, 17 participants were asked to rate whether 3 actors, photographed while looking at different vertical locations, were making eye contract (yes–no analysis), or were looking up or down (up–down analysis). We quantitatively assessed the gaze direction required to optimize the perception of eye contact with the camera lens. Contrary to conventional wisdom, which suggests looking directly into the camera leads to the perception of eye contact, results from both the yes–no and the up–down analyses showed that it is preferable to look approximately 2° below the camera lens. These results provide a surprising answer to the question of where to look to convey an impression of eye contact in screen-mediated interactions.

Augmented reality (AR) aims to combine elements of the surrounding environment with additional virtual content into a combined viewing scene. Displaying virtual human faces is a widespread practical application of AR technology, which can be challenging in optical see-through AR (OST-AR) because of limitations in its color reproduction. Specifically, OST-AR's additive optical blending introduces transparency and color-bleeding, which is exacerbated especially for faces having darker skin tones, and for brighter and more chromatic ambient environments. Given the increasing prevalence of social AR applications, it is essential to better understand how facial color reproduction is impacted by skin tone and ambient lighting in OST-AR. In this study, a psychophysical experiment was conducted to investigate how participants adjusted colorimetric dimensions of OST-AR-displayed faces to match the color of the same faces viewed on a conventional emissive display. These adjustments were made for faces having six different skin tones, while under different simulated ambient luminance (“low” vs. “high”) and chromaticity (warm, neutral, cool). Additionally, participants rated their adjustments for overall appearance match and preference. The results indicate that the magnitude and specific dimensions of colorimetric adjustments needed to make matches varied across skin tones and ambient conditions. The current work is expected to facilitate virtual human face reproduction in AR applications and to foster more equitable and immersive extended reality environments.

A irritabilidade acomete um terço das crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção/Hiperatividade (TDAH), associando-se a vários desfechos negativos no desenvolvimento. O ambiente em que a criança vive é essencial no processo de regulação emocional, especialmente durante o período pré-escolar, e pouco se sabe sobre a associação entre fatores ambientais familiares específicos e irritabilidade em crianças com TDAH. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar a relação entre fatores ambientais familiares específicos e irritabilidade em crianças pré-escolares com TDAH. Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal aninhado a um ensaio clínico randomizado que incluiu 153 crianças pré-escolares com TDAH o estudo MAPPA. Apenas dados pré-intervenção foram considerados em nossas análises. Para a avaliação de irritabilidade, utilizou-se a escala Affective Reactivity Index (ARI). Os fatores ambientais familiares foram investigados e categorizados em três dimensões: parentalidade, ambiente familiar e psicopatologia materna. A parentalidade foi avaliada utilizando-se o Preschool Five-Minute Speech Sample (PFMSS), a Parenting Scale, a Parenting Sense of Competence Scale e a Parent Practices Scale. O ambiente familiar foi analisado pela Chaos, Hubbub, and Order Scale. E a psicopatologia materna foi examinada por meio do Beck Depression Inventory-II, da Adult Self-Report Scale, da Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III e do Adult Temperament Questionnaire. Realizou-se uma análise exploratória para avaliar o poder explicativo das variáveis individualmente e aplicou-se uma regressão stepwise de Poisson para identificar quais desses fatores ambientais poderiam ser potenciais preditores de irritabilidade. Os resultados demonstraram associações entre irritabilidade e as dimensões de parentalidade e psicopatologia materna. A parentalidade com disciplinas disfuncionais associou-se a um maior nível de irritabilidade, enquanto as práticas parentais mais positivas, melhor qualidade na relação mãe-filho e a maior percepção de competência parental associaram-se a um menor nível de irritabilidade nas crianças da amostra. Sintomas de depressão e de TDAH nas mães foram relacionados a níveis mais elevados de irritabilidade. A análise pela regressão de Poisson revelou que uma maior frequência de comentários negativos em relação aos positivos no PFMSS, menos práticas parentais positivas e sintomas de TDAH nas mães foram os preditores significativos de irritabilidade. Esses achados destacam a importância de uma avaliação completa das práticas parentais, da interação entre pais e filhos e da saúde mental dos cuidadores ao planejar intervenções voltadas para a redução de irritabilidade em crianças pré-escolares com TDAH.

<h3>Abstract</h3> I evaluate the impact of abortion clinic closures on violence against women of reproductive age. Using a difference-in-differences approach and data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, I find that increasing the distance to abortion clinics had sizable and nonlinear effects on violence against women. A 25-mile increase in the distance to the nearest clinic increases the number of reported violent offenses against women by up to 1.9 percent; the effect decreases as the initial distance from a clinic rises. The largest effects occur among Hispanic and Black women. The evidence also suggests that violence against children increases after clinic closures.

The present paper studies the little known figure of Simón Diego Lacasa Castro (*1708 -†1764), a polyfacetic and prolific Aragonese sculptor about whom we knew only that he was responsible for the sculpture of Saint Michael, patron of the parish church in Borja (Zaragoza) where he was baptised, of notable artistic merit. Now, due to the discovery of new documentary sources situating him in Zaragoza, Huesca and Cartagena (Murcia), we aim to bring together all the information known up to the present moment and make a first approach to a catalogue of his works. En el presente estudio se aborda la figura prácticamente desconocida del aragonés Simón Diego Lacasa Castro (*1708-†1764), un polifacético y prolífico escultor del que solo conocíamos que era el autor de la escultura de San Miguel, titular de esta iglesia parroquial de Borja (Zaragoza) en la que fue bautizado, y de notabilísimo mérito artístico. Ahora, gracias a la aparición de nuevas fuentes documentales que lo sitúan en Zaragoza, Huesca y Cartagena (Murcia), pretendemos reunir las noticias conocidas hasta el momento y acometer una primera aproximación a su catálogo de obras.