We propose a novel interest point detector stemming from the intuition that image patches which are highly dissimilar over a relatively large extent of their surroundings hold the property of being repeatable and distinctive. This concept of contextual self-dissimilarity reverses the key paradigm of recent successful techniques such as the Local Self-Similarity descriptor and the Non-Local Mean...

How can we encourage greater energy efficiency? Estimates that take account of behavioral plasticity—the ease with which actions can be taken—indicate that the United States could reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 7% if households adopted simple and money-saving efficiency actions (1). However, most households are not taking these actions despite the benefits for the environment and fo...

Mitigation of climate change is often described as a tragedy of the commons. According to this theoretical framework, it is collectively rational for present-generation countries to mitigate climate change, but not individually rational to do so. It is rather in national self-interest to ‘free-ride’ on the mitigation actions of other countries. In this paper, I discuss two arguments criticizing...

Humans are unique among all species of terrestrial history in both ecological dominance and individual properties. Many, or perhaps all, of the unique elements of this nonpareil status can be plausibly interpreted as evolutionary and strategic elements and consequences of the unprecedented intensity and scale of our social cooperation. Convincing explanation of this unique human social adaptati...

In a closed-list proportional-representation system, where votes are cast for a given political party, not for any particular candidate, the seat distribution in the parliament is highly sensitive to small changes in the vote distribution among political parties. This creates randomness in who gets elected as a Member of the Parliament (MP). Using a detailed data set of the MPs in Turkish Parli...

Many people are suspicious of self-interest and incentives and oppose motivating humans through incentives. I analyze the meaning of incentives in the logic of choice and argue that it is inconceivable that purposeful actions are anything other than responses to incentives. Money is not always the best way to motivate people. But where money incentives are required, they are required precisely ...

We propose a novel interest point detector stemming from the intuition that image patches which are highly dissimilar over a relatively large extent of their surroundings hold the property of being repeatable and distinctive. This concept of contextual self-dissimilarity reverses the key paradigm of recent successful techniques such as the Local Self-Similarity descriptor and the Non-Local Mean...

The definition of altruism will be presented, highlighting the enigma behind this phenomenon in today’s highly competitive world of market economy. The growing challenges of hunger and poverty plague the world even as we entered the new millennium. As the gap between the rich and the poor widens, there is also a trend showing the increase of charitable acts and a growing interest in altruistic ...

The Effects of 8th Graders’ Attitude, Interest, and Math Self-Concept on their Math Performance in TIMSS 2003-2015: A Trend Study*   M. Ja’fari** A.R. Kiamanesh, Ph.D.*** A. Karimi, Ph.D.****   To determine the effects of self-concept, attitude, and interest on the math performance of 21082 eight graders participating in four TIMSS studies from 2003-2015, and the trend of these effects...

This paper explains people’s preferences for ethnic and racial diversity in higher education through a model based on self interest. Although all citizens from the majority group value diversity and their own education in the same way, their preferences for the level of diversity as well as the means of achieving it depend on their competitive positions in university admissions. High-income maj...