Aesthetic Quality Research Articles

INVESTIGATION OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF ENAMEL GRAINS FOR THE FORMATION OF MICROMOSAICS

The paper investigates the possibilities of grains from hot enamels for the formation of micromosaics. Enamel grain with a diameter of 0.4…5.0 mm is made from pieces of crushed hot enamels that acquire a spherical shape during firing in a muffle furnace or with the help of a gas burner flame. The mosaic image is formed by densely laying out on a metal base with an applied adhesive layer of enamel grains of the same or different diameter in accordance with the artistic idea. Enamel grain from hot enamels has high techno-logical and aesthetic characteristics characteristic of hot enamels: hardness, durability, wide colour palette, beautiful shine, etc. All this makes enamel grain a promising material for mosaic work. The technique of mi-cromosaic from enamel grains has the widest potential for decorating jewellery and art products, as it al-lows you to embody any design ideas.

A clinical approach for no prep direct composite veneers with opaquer/ tint to reshape a smile: a case report

Dental aesthetic has a profound influence on both self-esteem and social interactions. Patients desire changes in their smiles, while dentists aim for the preservation of dental and adjacent structures, as well as durability. In this context, no-prep resin veneers emerge as a potential solution, as they allow for the preservation of the maximum amount of healthy dental structure, pulp integrity, and dental strength. Nevertheless, treating darkened substrates poses a challenge, and conservative options like composite resins have gained recognition as restorative materials due to their aesthetic qualities and ability to preserve healthy dental tissue. A protocol can help dentists, especially by describing the stages of making direct no-prep veneers, achieving better clinical success. This article presents a clinical step-by-step guide approach to fabricating light-cured composite prepless veneers, using opaque and tints to mask dark backgrounds, and preserving the dental substrate in a patient with multiple restorations, changes in color, and shape. Light-cured composite prepless veneers comply with the principles of biomimetics and offer advantages such as conservation of dental structures, versatility, one-session preparation, cost, mechanical properties, and excellent aesthetics, however, skill with this technique is required.

Anti-hero, Anti-drama and Surreal ——On the Poetic Presentation of Jia Zhangke's Films

Jia Zhangke, a prominent figure among the sixth generation of directors, is known for his works that embody strong poetic aesthetic qualities. His films are rooted in realistic documentation, while poetic expression serves as the hallmark of his cinematic style. This paper aims to analyze and synthesize the methods of poetic depiction employed in Jia Zhangke's oeuvre. Through meticulous film screenings and literature reviews, several recurring features have been identified. Firstly, his narratives often revolve around anti-heroic, marginal characters, observing the lives of various beings amidst shifting times. Secondly, he eschews the conventional "four-act" narrative structure, exhibiting an anti-dramatic tendency, and employs block narration. By steering away from suspenseful plot devices and softening the logical coherence of his film stories, he cultivates a poetic narrative akin to prose poetry. Lastly, Jia Zhangke incorporates open-ended conclusions and surreal scenes laden with poetic metaphors into his films, thereby constructing narratives with symbolic implications. This approach elicits empathy from viewers, imbuing Jia Zhangke's films with a profound sense of poetry and offering inspiration for filmmakers seeking to incorporate poetic elements into their creations.

Water safety planning application for aesthetic quality of drinking water

ABSTRACT The World Health Organization considers water quality aesthetic parameters affecting taste, odor, and appearance, as factors to be monitored to determine the overall safety of water. Water safety plans (WSPs) can be used by utilities to proactively identify aesthetic hazards, rank them by likelihood of occurrence and consequence to the utility, generate risk scores, and provide direction on how to monitor, mitigate, and verify that controls are in place. The City of Wichita Falls Public Water System (CWF PWS) used the water safety planning approach to outline how aesthetics may negatively affect the system from source water, in-plant processes, and into the distribution system. By proactively identifying these hazards and outlining what to do using a WSP, the utility has put measures in place to ensure that aesthetically acceptable water is delivered to their customers. This article outlines the water safety planning process for water quality aesthetics and how the CWF PWS developed and implemented its WSP.

Analysing brand attachment for restaurant table booking mobile application

PurposeRestaurant table booking (RTB) mobile apps are transforming how consumers reserve tables in the restaurants of their choice. This study analyses how RTB mobile apps influence brand attachment (BA) and brand commitment (BC), highlighting the moderation effect of desire for uniqueness (DU) by integrating visual content theory and social exchange theory.Design/methodology/approachData [N = 414] were collected through the survey method from consumers having experience in using RTB mobile apps. The data were analysed through structural equation modelling using AMOS and SPSS PROCESS macro to examine moderated relationship.FindingsThe results confirm that content aesthetic quality, perceived technical interactivity and brand investments influence BA and BC in the RTB mobile app and also confirm the moderating role of the DU.Originality/valueThe present work is among the first to study the sources of BA in the RTB mobile app domain. Thus, it contributes to the literature on the restaurant industry to understand consumers' BA behaviour to achieve BC.

Am I attached? A patient-partnered approach to creating infographics about attachment to primary care in Ontario, Canada

BackgroundHaving a primary care provider is associated with better care experiences and lower care costs. In 2021, INSPIRE-PHC released Primary Care Data Reports - publicly available summaries of administrative billing data about how populations in each of Ontario’s 60 health teams use primary care services. Given the characterization of Canadian primary care systems as ‘in crisis’, publicly available data about primary care at the regional level presented a significant opportunity for knowledge mobilization. An understandable resource could ground the public conversation about primary care access in data. Recognizing the role that lived experience plays in ensuring the public understands research findings, a partnership between patient advisors, Ontario Health Team representatives, researchers, and trainees was established to co-produce public-facing infographics based on primary care data.MethodsEvidence-based guidelines for public health infographic creation and elements of transformative action research guided a six-meeting process to engage up to 14 patient advisors, three Ontario Health Team staff and two primary care trainees. Patient advisors were affiliated with a provincial patient-oriented primary health care research group or a Hamilton-based Ontario Health Team. Ninety-minute meetings were conducted virtually, and notes were shared with attendees to ensure they accurately reflected the conversation. Two consultations with Ontario Health Team-affiliated primary care providers provided direction and ensured project outputs aligned with local priorities.ResultsProject partners shared feedback on draft infographics, audience identification, priority elements from Primary Care Data Reports to include in the infographics, and aesthetic features (e.g., headings, colour scheme, charts). Project partners felt the most important metrics to convey to the public were those that simultaneously reinforced the benefits of primary care on individual health outcomes and health system costs.ConclusionsPatient engagement in research is becoming widespread, but co-developing knowledge products with patient and health system partners is less common. Our approach to engaging patients prevented both oversimplification and unnecessary complexity in a public-facing visual about attachment to primary care.

Immortalization of patient-derived lip cells for establishing 3D lip models

IntroductionThe lips fulfill various critical physiological roles besides being viewed as a fundamental aesthetic feature contributing to the perception of health and beauty. Therefore, any lip injury, abnormality, or congenital malformation, such as cleft lip, needs special attention in order to restore proper lip function and aesthetics. To achieve this goal, a better understanding of the complex lip anatomy, function, and biology is required, which can only be provided by basic research endeavors. However, the current lack of clinically relevant human lip cells and three-dimensional in vitro lip models, capable of replacing ethically questionable animal experimentations, represents a significant limitation in this area of research.MethodsTo address these limitations, we aimed to pioneer the introduction of immortalized healthy lip- and cleft lip-derived keratinocytes. Primary keratinocytes were isolated from patients’ samples and immortalized by introducing the catalytic domain of telomerase, combined with the targeted knockdown of the cell cycle inhibitor gene, p16INK4A. We then focused on validating the newly established cell lines by comparing their genetic stability and key phenotypic features with their primary keratinocyte counterparts.ResultsThe newly established immortalized keratinocyte cell lines demonstrated genetic stability and preserved the main phenotypic characteristics of primary keratinocytes, such as cellular morphology and differentiation capacity. Three-dimensional lip models, generated using these cell lines, proved to be effective and convenient platforms for screening applications, including wound healing and microbial infection of the lip epithelium.DiscussionThe establishment of immortalized keratinocytes derived from healthy and cleft lips represents a significant achievement in lip research. These cell lines and the associated three-dimensional lip models are valuable tools that can be used as convenient screening platforms for various assays in a multitude of lip-related research areas, including dermatology, skin care, wound healing, tissue engineering, and craniofacial anomalies. This work opens new avenues in studying lip abnormalities and provides unique tools for personalized medicine approaches beneficial to patients.

Choreographing multi-degree of freedom behaviors in large-scale crowd simulations

This study introduces a novel framework for choreographing multi-degree of freedom (MDoF) behaviors in large-scale crowd simulations. The framework integrates multi-objective optimization with spatio-temporal ordering to effectively generate and control diverse MDoF crowd behavior states. We propose a set of evaluation criteria for assessing the aesthetic quality of crowd states and employ multi-objective optimization to produce crowd states that meet these criteria. Additionally, we introduce time offset functions and interpolation progress functions to perform complex and diversified behavior state interpolations. Furthermore, we designed a user-centric interaction module that allows for intuitive and flexible adjustments of crowd behavior states through sketching, spline curves, and other interactive means. Qualitative tests and quantitative experiments on the evaluation criteria demonstrate the effectiveness of this method in generating and controlling MDoF behaviors in crowds. Finally, case studies, including real-world applications in the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, validate the practicality and adaptability of this approach.

Research on the Intervention and Integration of Calligraphy Aesthetics in Oil Painting Creation

From the comparative perspective of Eastern and Western art, this paper discusses and analyzes the unique aesthetic characteristics of Oriental calligraphy. We will focus on the use of brush skills in calligraphy, the clever arrangement of cloth and the layout of calligraphy art, all of which are crucial elements in Eastern calligraphy. Through the detailed analysis of these typical aesthetic characteristics, we will further combine with the current situation of Chinese oil painting creation in the new era and explore how to extract the beauty of form in calligraphy and apply it to oil painting creation. This process not only involves the modern transformation of traditional art forms, but also involves how to find new creative inspiration and expression techniques in cross-cultural artistic exchanges.

Theoretical Analysis of a Novel Rock Wall to Limit Heating Demands in Historical Buildings

In the near future, the building sector will continue to absorb the greatest share of primary energy worldwide. It is necessary to find innovative solutions that promote energy efficiency through renovation measures, especially in historical buildings, for which refurbishment is constrained by several issues. In this study, we propose a novel Trombe Wall configuration that is easily integrable and based on a rock wall made of caged stone to use as a thermal accumulator. The system was investigated preliminarily using a transient Finite Difference Method (FDM) code to analyse the temperature field inside the rock wall. Successively, FDM results were employed as input data in TRNSYS simulations to determine the savings achievable in thermal heating requirements. The results demonstrated that the proposed solution, in the considered climate and on a reference historic building, can produce monthly heating savings varying between 26% and 85%. So, the rock wall results in a reliable solution for buildings in which refurbishment is difficult, allowing for preserving aesthetic features and improving energy efficiency by rationally using solar radiation.

Impact of Formwork Materials on Concrete Surface Quality

Given the functional and aesthetic quality expected from concrete surfaces, this study investigated the influence of different formwork materials on their surface density, porosity, voids, and elementary chemical composition by relying on X-ray Microtomography (μCT), Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The formwork materials assessed were galvanized steel, regular plywood (pink), marine plywood, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and silicone. μCT showed that distinct formwork affected the surface density of the concrete. In this case, specimens cast within silicone and marine plywood had similar pore volumes although different pore sizes, whereas PVC led to the highest pore volume with small pore sizes. Galvanized steel and regular plywood resulted in similar porosity. SEM showed that the concrete surfaces produced with marine plywood formwork had the highest void content. EDS identified surface products resulting from the contact of concrete with the different formwork materials, suggesting the potential migration of chemical elements. This research significantly contributes to optimizing formwork material selection and enhancing concrete quality and durability. Moreover, it establishes a foundation for further investigations into how formwork materials affect concrete surfaces and the pathological manifestations potentially arising from the molding process.

Multifunctional 3D food printer with quad-screw nozzle for four-color printing and dual ink mixing

This paper presents a novel multifunctional 3D food printer that significantly enhances conventional food manufacturing techniques. The printer features a quad-screw nozzle system capable of precisely mixing up to four different bioinks simultaneously, enabling the creation of complex multicolor food structures. Utilizing its four distinct functions—quad, replicator, multicolor, and mixing print—the printer facilitates a flexible design tailored for various culinary applications. Various bioinks, including polysaccharide curdlan, vegetable, and dairy powders, were tested to evaluate their mechanical properties and printability. Quantitative analyses were conducted using rheological measurements to assess apparent viscosity, while texture profile analysis (TPA) was employed to measure ink hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness. The results indicated that the composition of the inks critically influenced the structural integrity and aesthetic quality of the printed food items. Computed tomography (CT) was used to investigate the accuracy of the printed structures. This technique allows a detailed evaluation of the shape and structure of printed foods, contributing to the improvement of product quality. This innovative approach expands the possibilities of food design and production and paves the way for diverse and creative culinary applications.

Comparative Study on the Aesthetic Characteristics of The Nightingale and the Rose and The Narrow Door from the Perspective of Aestheticism

Based on the aesthetic background of aestheticism, this paper studies the common and different aesthetic characteristics of the two works. By using the method of comparative research, this paper compares the characteristics of Wilde’s The Nightingale and the Rose and Gide’s The Narrow Door from the direction of tragedy, and analyzes the differences in story content, expression techniques, and emotional expression, to achieve a unique interpretation of beauty. Although the two have their emphasis on the expression technique and theme, they both embody strong aesthetic characteristics and a profound reflection on life, love, and faith. Through the comparative study of these two works, one can deeply explore their similarities and differences in tragedy, aesthetic view, and emotional expression, and reveal the unique interpretation and pursuit of beauty of the two writers under the background of aestheticism. Through the comparative study of this paper, can see that the two works have aesthetic characteristics, critical characteristics, death art characteristics, and faith complexes. Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale and the Rose also has a scathing quality, while Andre’s “The Narrow Door” embodies a contradictory quality.

Evaluating Policy Shifts on Perceived Greenspace Quality: Applying Regression Discontinuity During the COVID-19 Reopening Period

Abstract: Urban greenspaces have been essential in supporting residents’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly under strict lockdown measures. However, the impact of changing containment policies on residents’ perceived greenspace quality remains insufficiently explored. This study utilized online survey data collected between 11 October and 29 December 2022, in Shanghai, coinciding with the major policy shift on 5 December 2022. A probability proportionate to size sampling was adopted to survey residents aged 18 and above who had lived in the city for at least six months, yielding a total of 577 valid responses. We assessed residents’ perceived greenspace quality using 20 park- and community-level variables, focusing on both overall quality and specific features of greenspaces. A regression discontinuity design (RDD) was applied to evaluate how the lifting of the COVID-19 policies influenced residents’ perceptions of parks and community greenspaces. Our RDD estimation indicates no statistically significant change in residents’ overall perceived quality of parks after the policy shift, except for increased satisfaction with specific features such as plant diversity, maintenance, seating areas, trails, and large open spaces. In contrast, residents who responded after the policy shift reported a significantly higher perceived quality of community greenspaces compared to those who completed the survey before the shift (0.609 score difference, p < 0.01), with notable increases in satisfaction regarding plant diversity, maintenance, and seating areas. Perception of plant quantity remained unchanged in both types of greenspaces. Residents expressed greater satisfaction with sports facilities in parks, while community greenspaces were preferred for their water features and esthetic qualities. By adopting an RDD with a unique dataset, this study contributes empirical evidence to the current ongoing debate on the role of urban greenspace during the later stages of COVID-19. Specifically, it examines how changes in public health policy and the resulting increase in mobility might affect residents’ perceived greenspace quality. The findings can assist decision-makers and urban planners in developing more adaptive strategies to address the diverse needs of residents for greenspaces during the transitional period of a public health crisis.

Strategy and Management of Aesthetic Education in Vocational Ability Cultivation—Explore the Practice and Achievements of "Family Culture" of Chinese Business Characteristic Education

Under the background of the rapid development of today's society, vocational ability cultivation has become an important issue that cannot be ignored in education. Aesthetic education, as a key link in the national comprehensive quality education system, is becoming increasingly important. It is not only related to the improvement of individual aesthetic quality, but also the key factor to promote the comprehensive development of students and enhance their professional competitiveness. Through the in-depth study of the practice of "family culture" of Chinese business characteristic education in the cultivation of professional ability, this paper not only verifies the significant role of aesthetic education on the improvement of students' comprehensive quality, but also reveals its unique strategy and management path. According to the data, students who participated in the practice of "family culture" of Chinese businessmen showed higher teamwork willingness and leadership potential in the career orientation test. Their average teamwork ability score was 15% higher than that of the control group, and their leadership self-evaluation score also increased by about 10 percentage points. In terms of management strategy, Through the construction of a multi-level aesthetic education curriculum system, Huashang College organically integrates art appreciation, creative thinking, professional ethics and other contents into daily teaching, forming an interdisciplinary and comprehensive training mode. Using Internet technology to build an online aesthetic education platform, provide rich artistic resources and learning communication space, and further broaden the learning boundary of students. This mixed online and offline teaching mode not only improves students' interest and participation in learning, but also effectively promotes the internalization and application of knowledge. In short, integrating aesthetic education into the vocational education system can not only enhance students' aesthetic perception and creativity, but also show a positive impact on key professional abilities such as teamwork, leadership and social responsibility.

Green Connections: Adaptive, Integrated, and Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Historic Centres

Choosing adaptation and mitigation actions, through nature-based solutions, fosters the ecological transition process, which is necessary to face the challenges of climate change. However, these interventions are often discontinuous and disconnected, especially within dense and delicate urban fabrics such as historic centres. The research proposes a multi-scalar methodological approach aimed at defining an integrated design tool to improve the microclimatic well-being, accessibility and aesthetic quality of open spaces located in consolidated urban environments. Through the synergy between natural, technological and social components, the aim is to create replicable minimum intervention units designed to foster democratic and ecosystemic connections.

Recycling of Plastics in the Automotive Sector and Methods of Removing Paint for Its Revalorization: A Critical Review

The presence of plastics in the automotive industry is increasingly significant due to their lightweight nature, which contributes to reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while improving versatility and mechanical properties. Polypropylene (PP) and other polyolefins are among the most commonly used materials, especially for components such as bumpers. The use of composite materials, i.e., a combination of different polymers, improves the properties through synergistic effects, thereby also improving the performance of the final product. In the automotive industry, PP reinforced with 20% talc or CaCO3 is commonly used. The mechanical recycling of polypropylene bumpers is the most common type of recycling. However, challenges arise during this process, such as the presence of impurities like paint, chemical contaminants from previous use, and polymeric impurities from different polymers mixed into the polymer matrix, among others. Paint affects both the aesthetic quality and the mechanical and intrinsic properties of the recycled material. This review aims to analyze the main methods reported in the literature, focusing on those with low environmental impact. Furthermore, these methods are classified according to their capacity, effectiveness, substrate damage, environmental hazards, and economic feasibility. It also aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the mechanical recycling of plastic waste in the automotive industry.

Correlating FDM Printing Parameters with Mechanical Properties and Surface Quality of PLA Printouts

Abstract This study explores the correlation between four critical Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) parameters—extrusion temperature, layer height, print speed, and infill density—and the mechanical properties and surface quality of PLA (Polylactic Acid) printouts. The mechanical properties, including Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and bending strength, were evaluated alongside surface roughness and dimensional accuracy. The results indicate that extrusion temperatures between 200°C and 220°C optimize mechanical performance, enhancing tensile strength and bending strength, while smaller layer heights (0.1 mm) improve surface smoothness but increase print time. Moderate print speeds (around 60 mm/s) offer the best balance between strength and efficiency, while higher infill densities (above 80%) enhance mechanical properties, increasing both tensile and bending strength by up to 25%. These findings provide key insights into optimizing FDM printing parameters to achieve improved structural integrity and aesthetic quality in PLA prints.

Nasolabial Transfer Flap with Auricular Cartilage Graft after Fat Grafting for Nasal Ala Reconstruction in Parry-Romberg Syndrome.

Alar atrophy associated with Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) can lead to significant nasal contour deformities. The primary objective of this study was to address nasal alar deformities in PRS patients through the application of a nasolabial transfer flap combined with an auricular cartilage graft after sequential fat grafting. All PRS patients with alar deformities who underwent our reconstructive surgery were included in this case series. Sequential fat grafting was performed on the affected nasolabial area, followed by a nasolabial transfer flap combined with an auricular cartilage graft. Surgical outcome and complications were recorded during postoperative follow-up. From September 2021 to November 2023, a total of 14 PRS patients presenting nasal alar defects underwent nasolabial transfer flap combined with an auricular cartilage graft after sequential fat grafting. Complications at 1 month postoperatively included partial flap necrosis (21%), hyperplastic scarring (14%), undercorrection (14%), overcorrection (7%), and pain (7%). The surgery significantly improved the patient's nasal symmetry. FACE-Q questionnaire indicated the overall aesthetic outcome and quality of life were deemed satisfactory for all patients. After sequential fat grafting, the nasolabial fold transfer flap with an auricular cartilage graft is effective to address alar deformities associated with PRS. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Self-Supervised Image Aesthetic Assessment Based on Transformer

Visual aesthetics has always been an important area of computational vision, and researchers have continued exploring it. To further improve the performance of the image aesthetic evaluation task, we introduce a Transformer into the image aesthetic evaluation task. This paper pioneers a novel self-supervised image aesthetic evaluation model founded upon Transformers. Meanwhile, we expand the pretext task to capture rich visual representations, adding a branch for inpainting the masked images in parallel with the tasks related to aesthetic quality degradation operations. Our model’s refinement employs the innovative uncertainty weighting method, seamlessly amalgamating three distinct losses into a unified objective. On the AVA dataset, our approach surpasses the efficacy of prevailing self-supervised image aesthetic assessment methods. Remarkably, we attain results approaching those of supervised methods, even while operating with a limited dataset. On the AADB dataset, our approach improves the aesthetic binary classification accuracy by roughly 16% compared to other self-supervised image aesthetic assessment methods and improves the prediction of aesthetic attributes.