scholarly journals Aesthetics and Psychological Effects of Fractal Based Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly E. Robles ◽  
Michelle Roberts ◽  
Catherine Viengkham ◽  
Julian H. Smith ◽  
Conor Rowland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Experience ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Pattern Complexity ◽  
Fractal Patterns ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Complexity Preference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Tree Seed

Highly prevalent in nature, fractal patterns possess self-similar components that repeat at varying size scales. The perceptual experience of human-made environments can be impacted with inclusion of these natural patterns. Previous work has demonstrated consistent trends in preference for and complexity estimates of fractal patterns. However, limited information has been gathered on the impact of other visual judgments. Here we examine the aesthetic and perceptual experience of fractal ‘global-forest’ designs already installed in humanmade spaces and demonstrate how fractal pattern components are associated with positive psychological experiences that can be utilized to promote occupant wellbeing. These designs are composite fractal patterns consisting of individual fractal ‘tree-seeds’ which combine to create a ‘global fractal forest.’ The local ‘tree-seed’ patterns, global configuration of tree-seed locations, and overall resulting ‘global-forest’ patterns have fractal qualities. These designs span multiple mediums yet are all intended to lower occupant stress without detracting from the function and overall design of the space. In this series of studies, we first establish divergent relationships between various visual attributes, with pattern complexity, preference, and engagement ratings increasing with fractal complexity compared to ratings of refreshment and relaxation which stay the same or decrease with complexity. Subsequently, we determine that the local constituent fractal (‘tree-seed’) patterns contribute to the perception of the overall fractal design, and address how to balance aesthetic and psychological effects (such as individual experiences of perceived engagement and relaxation) in fractal design installations. This set of studies demonstrates that fractal preference is driven by a balance between increased arousal (desire for engagement and complexity) and decreased tension (desire for relaxation or refreshment). Installations of these composite mid-high complexity ‘global-forest’ patterns consisting of ‘tree-seed’ components balance these contrasting needs, and can serve as a practical implementation of biophilic patterns in human-made environments to promote occupant wellbeing.

Simulation of the Impact of Higher Ammonia Recycle Loads Caused by Upgrading Anaerobic Sludge Digesters

2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy T. Kraemer ◽  
David M. Bagley
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Anaerobic Sludge ◽  
Content Increase ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Dynamic Simulations ◽  
Treatment Train ◽  
Temperature Liquid ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Upgrading conventional single-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion to an advanced digestion technology can increase sludge stability, reduce pathogen content, increase biogas production, and also increase ammonia concentrations recycled back to the liquid treatment train. Limited information is available to assess whether the higher ammonia recycle loads from an anaerobic sludge digestion upgrade would lead to higher discharge effluent ammonia concentrations. Biowin, a commercially available wastewater treatment plant simulation package, was used to predict the effects of anaerobic digestion upgrades on the liquid train performance, especially effluent ammonia concentrations. A factorial analysis indicated that the influent total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and influent alkalinity each had a 50-fold larger influence on the effluent NH3 concentration than either the ambient temperature, liquid train SRT or anaerobic digestion efficiency. Dynamic simulations indicated that the diurnal variation in effluent NH3 concentration was 9 times higher than the increase due to higher digester VSR. Higher recycle NH3 loads caused by upgrades to advanced digestion techniques can likely be adequately managed by scheduling dewatering to coincide with periods of low influent TKN load and ensuring sufficient alkalinity for nitrification.

Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 During the First Nationwide Lockdown in Vietnam: Web-Based, Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khanh Ngoc Cong Duong ◽  
Tien Nguyen Le Bao ◽  
Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen ◽  
Thanh Vo Van ◽  
Toi Phung Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
General Population ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The first nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was implemented in Vietnam from April 1 to 15, 2020. Nevertheless, there has been limited information on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of the public. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological issues and identify the factors associated with the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the first nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. METHODS We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. A self-administered, online survey was used to collect data and assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants from April 10 to 15, 2020. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were utilized to assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants during social distancing due to COVID-19. Associations across factors were explored using regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 1385 respondents completed the survey. Of this, 35.9% (n=497) experienced psychological distress, as well as depression (n=325, 23.5%), anxiety (n=195, 14.1%), and stress (n=309, 22.3%). Respondents who evaluated their physical health as average had a higher IES-R score (beta coefficient [B]=9.16, 95% CI 6.43 to 11.89), as well as higher depression (B=5.85, 95% CI 4.49 to 7.21), anxiety (B=3.64, 95% CI 2.64 to 4.63), and stress (B=5.19, 95% CI 3.83 to 6.56) scores for DASS-21 than those who rated their health as good or very good. Those who self-reported their health as bad or very bad experienced more severe depression (B=9.57, 95% CI 4.54 to 14.59), anxiety (B=7.24, 95% CI 3.55 to 10.9), and stress (B=10.60, 95% CI 5.56 to 15.65). Unemployment was more likely to be associated with depression (B=3.34, 95% CI 1.68 to 5.01) and stress (B=2.34, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.85). Regarding worries about COVID-19, more than half (n=755, 54.5%) expressed concern for their children aged <18 years, which increased their IES-R score (B=7.81, 95% CI 4.98 to 10.64) and DASS-21 stress score (B=1.75, 95% CI 0.27 to 3.24). The majority of respondents (n=1335, 96.4%) were confident about their doctor’s expertise in terms of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, which was positively associated with less distress caused by the outbreak (B=–7.84, 95% CI –14.58 to –1.11). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on mental health during the nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. The study provides useful evidence for policy decision makers to develop and implement interventions to mitigate these impacts. CLINICALTRIAL

The Role of Understanding on Architectural Beauty: Evidence From the Impact of Semantic Description on the Aesthetic Evaluation of Architecture

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110021
Author(s):  
Sizhe Liu ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Xianyou He ◽  
Xiaoxiang Tang ◽  
Shuxian Lai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Aesthetic Evaluation ◽  
Abstract Description ◽  
Social Meanings ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Appearance Design ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Impact

There is evidence that greater aesthetic experience can be linked to artworks when their corresponding meanings can be successfully inferred and understood. Modern cultural-expo architecture can be considered a form of artistic creation and design, and the corresponding design philosophy may be derived from representational objects or abstract social meanings. The present study investigates whether cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design is perceived as more beautiful and how architectural photographs and different types of descriptions of architectural appearance designs interact and produce higher aesthetic evaluations. The results showed an obvious aesthetic preference for cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design (Experiment 1). Moreover, we found that the aesthetic rating score of architectural photographs accompanied by an abstract description was significantly higher than that of those accompanied by a representational description only under the difficult-to-understand design condition (Experiment 2). The results indicated that people preferred cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design due to a greater understanding of the design, providing further evidence that abstract descriptions can provide supplementary information and explanation to enhance the sense of beauty of abstract cultural-expo architecture.

scholarly journals The Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias on Dental Care Utilization and Costs in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 800-800
Author(s):  
Sam Li ◽  
Isaac Donkor ◽  
Liang Hong ◽  
Kevin Lu ◽  
Bei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Dental Care Utilization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care Costs

Abstract There is limited information on the impact of cognition function on dental care utilization and costs. This study used the Medicare current beneficiaries survey in 2016 and included 4,268 participants 65+. Dental care utilization and costs were measured by self-report and included preventive and treatment events. Negative binomial regression and generalized linear regression were used to examine the impact of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia (RD) on dental care utilization and costs. We found that AD was not associated with dental care utilization, but RD was associated with a lower number of total treatment dental care visits (IRR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.37~0.98). RD was not associated with dental care costs, but AD was associated with higher total dental care costs (estimate: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.14~2.01) and higher out-of-pocket costs (estimate: 1.25; 95% CI: 0.17~2.32). AD and RD had different impacts on different types of dental care utilization and costs. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Oral Health Interest Group.

scholarly journals The Impact of Interruptions on Feature Change Detection within Dynamic Scenes

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1430-1434
Author(s):  
Kimberly N. Perry ◽  
Mark W. Scerbo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Dynamic Scenes ◽  
Feature Change ◽  
Activation Level ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Perceptual Changes ◽  
The Impact

The goal of the present study was to examine how interruptions occurring in dynamic scenes affect the ability to detect perceptual changes during level 1 situation awareness (SA). Undergraduates were asked to watch 24 brief videos (half with interruptions) including 8 with perceptual feature changes. All videos were unique and contained multiple dynamic objects. Three different sets of instructions regarding the changes were given to successive groups: no information, limited information, and feature specific information. Of the eight changes, half occurred during a visual interruption and half with no interruption. Results showed that participants detected few changes, but detections increased when given more information about the nature of the changes in the absence of interruptions. The findings suggest that interruptions may facilitate the decay of an objects’ activation level in working memory and that level 1 SA may be particularly fragile when the visual scene is interrupted.

scholarly journals Cyborgsportpersons: Between Disability and Enhancement

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Pérez Triviño
Keyword(s):  
Moral Panic ◽  
Obvious Advantage ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Athletic Competitions

Abstract The cyborgization of sport has occupied a noticeable role in the fields of sport and medicine in recent years due to the fact that this issue calls into question the very foundations of contemporary sport. As a result, it gives rise to doubt about whether cyborg athletes should be able to take part in different athletic competitions, and if they are allowed, under what circumstances. After examining the impact of enhancing implants and prosthesis in sport, I have considered which objections can be raised to this particular sort of enhancement. In this regard, I think that several aspects have to be taken into account: 1. The possibility of producing severe harm to the athletes; 2. The effect it has on equality among athletes when the improvement grants an obvious advantage; 3. The dehumanization of sport, and 4. The aesthetic problem My position has been to temper the “moral panic” that some may feel given the progressive (and future) use of enhancing implants and prosthesis as used by (cyborg)athletes.

scholarly journals Influence of the Anthocyanin and Cofactor Structure on the Formation Efficiency of Naturally Derived Pyranoanthocyanins

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6708
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Miyagusuku-Cruzado ◽  
Danielle M. Voss ◽  
M. Monica Giusti
Keyword(s):  
Caffeic Acid ◽  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Sinapic Acid ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Tandem Mass ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Formation Efficiency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Storage ◽  
H 20

Pyranoanthocyanins are anthocyanin-derived pigments with higher stability to pH and storage. However, their slow formation and scarcity in nature hinder their industrial application. Pyranoanthocyanin formation can be accelerated by selecting anthocyanin substitutions, cofactor concentrations, and temperature. Limited information is available on the impacts of the chemical structure of the cofactor and anthocyanin; therefore, we evaluated their impacts on pyranoanthocyanin formation efficiency under conditions reported as favorable for the reaction. Different cofactors were evaluated including pyruvic acid, acetone, and hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, and sinapic acid) by incubating them with anthocyanins in a molar ratio of 1:30 (anthocyanin:cofactor), pH 3.1, and 45 °C. The impact of the anthocyanin aglycone was evaluated by incubating delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, or malvidin derivatives with the most efficient cofactor (caffeic acid) under identical conditions. Pigments were identified using UHPLC-PDA and tandem mass spectrometry, and pyranoanthocyanin formation was monitored for up to 72 h. Pyranoanthocyanin yields were the highest with caffeic acid (~17% at 72 h, p < 0.05). When comparing anthocyanins, malvidin-3-O-glycosides yielded twice as many pyranoanthocyanins after 24 h (~20%, p < 0.01) as cyanidin-3-O-glycosides. Petunidin- and delphinidin-3-O-glycosides yielded <2% pyranoanthocyanins. This study demonstrated the importance of anthocyanin and cofactor selection in pyranoanthocyanin production.

Population genetic structure and dispersal of Pinus occidentalis in the Dominican Republic by chloroplastic SSR with implications for its conservation, management, and reforestation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis E. Rodríguez de Francisco ◽  
Rosanna Carreras-De León ◽  
Rafael M. Navarro Cerrillo ◽  
Liz A. Paulino-Gervacio ◽  
María-Dolores Rey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pinus Occidentalis

<i>Pinus occidentalis</i> is the dominant species of forest ecosystems in the Dominican Republic, located between 200 and 3000 meters above sea level, with extensive and overexploited natural populations. However, over the years, various restoration plans have been performed, which could affect the genetic structure of <i>P. occidentalis</i>. Despite being the species with the highest occurrence in the Dominican forests, there is no existing information on genetic structure and molecular characterization among natural populations with limited information on both phenological and productive characterization. In this study, the genetic structure, diversity, and gene flow of the five <i>P. occidentalis</i> natural populations of the Dominican Republic were determined using microsatellite markers. A total of 145 individuals were genotyped with eight polymorphic chloroplastic microsatellites, producing an average of 41 haplotypes with high genetic diversity across populations (H<sub>E</sub> = 0.90). Significant population genetic structure was found between populations (F<sub>ST</sub> = 0.123). These results reflect the impact of reforestation programs on natural populations and diluting the natural genetic signature. Analysis of population genetic data is, therefore, crucial for the breeding and conservation programs of <i>P. occidentalis</i> in the country.

Survey of Musculoskeletal Injuries among Female Bharatanatyam Dancers in the Udupi District of India

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
Lavanya P Kumar ◽  
Shruti J Shenoy
Keyword(s):  
Medical Professional ◽  
Musculoskeletal Injuries ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Classical Dance ◽  
Dance Training ◽  
Lower Back ◽  
Injury Occurrence ◽  
Indian Classical Dance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Training

BACKGROUND: Bharatanatyam is an Indian classical dance form that is practiced globally. There is limited information about the prevalence of injuries in Bharatanatyam dancers. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries and specifics of dance training in female Bharatanatyam dancers in the Udupi district of India. METHODS: We developed and tested a survey for Bharatanatyam dancers regarding injury history in the prior year, including location, time loss, cause, and need for medical help. We also obtained demographic and training information. RESULTS: 101 dancers completed the survey. 10.8% of dancers reported musculoskeletal injuries because of participation in dance. They sustained 0.65 injuries/1,000 hours of dancing. The most frequently injured areas were ankle (27.2%) and knee (27.2%) followed by lower back (13.6%) and hip (9%). Despite being injured, 36.4% of the dancers continued to dance. 54.5% of the injured dancers sought the help of a medical professional for their dance-related injuries. The most common surface for dance was concrete followed by other hard surfaces such as marble and tile. CONCLUSION: Female Bharatanatyam dancers are prone to injuries of the lower extremity and back. Most dancers in our study practice the Pandanalluru style on hard surfaces. There is a need to investigate the impact of training factors on the injury occurrence.

Treating Afro hair loss: signs, symptoms and specialist interest

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 190-197
Author(s):  
Ingrid Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Hair Loss ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Hair Care ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Symptoms And Signs

This article explores the different types of hair loss that black women may experience more than other groups of patients. Properties of African hair and the impact of hair care practices are discussed, as well as factors affecting the presentation of other hair loss conditions. It is important for the aesthetic practitioner to be able to distinguish between the temporary forms of hair loss that they can help to treat and the permanent or scarring forms of hair loss, which need a prompt referral to a dermatologist with a specialist interest in hair. Prompt recognition and referral can help to delay the progression of hair loss. The symptoms and signs that patients and practitioners should be alerted to are explored, as well as the treatments that can help and where referrals may be necessary. Recent developments and gaps in knowledge are summarised.

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