Aesthetic Variables Research Articles

Quality of Life of Schoolchildren May Be Affected by Poor Alignment of their Teeth

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Malocclusion: Esthetic Impact and Quality of Life among Brazilian Schoolchildren Marques LS, Ramos-Jorge ML, et al. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2006;129(3):424-7 Level of Evidence 2c Purpose/Question To assess the impact of malocclusion on the daily lives of Brazilian school children and evaluate if an association existed between esthetic impact and psychosocial variables. Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Cohort Study: Cross-Sectional Study; 2c Outcomes Research

Perception of tap water risks and quality: a structural equation model approach

The present study aims to test a model of tap water risk and quality perception. A questionnaire was designed and applied to a convenience sample of 499 people in Portugal. The model includes aesthetic variables (colour, odour, and flavour), contextual indicators and risk perception. Other variables were also considered, including external information, trust in water companies, familiarity with tap water, and past water-related health problems. A behavioural outcome--drinking tap water--was also studied. Due to multivariate non-normality (Mardia's Coefficient (G2,P) = 460.3), the AGLS estimator was used for the structural equation model (SEM). A triangulation approach with multivariate regression analysis was used to explain the use of tap water to drink and to propose a more holistic model that could not be tested using SEM. Results show that perceived water quality is largely influenced by flavour. Other factors, such as perceived risk and contextual indicators, also have a role but their relevance is relatively weak. On the other hand, risk perception seems to be mainly a result of external information, past health problems, and water colour. Finally, the use of tap water to drink at home can be moderately explained and depends mostly on the ability to use alternatives (i.e. bottled water), tap water taste, and perceived risk.

Art Economics: A New Approach

This paper presents a new concept of art economics, here understood as an economics of the diffusion of artistic knowledge. Our thesis is that, in order to solve problems linked to public funding of the arts and to the efficiency of the culture industry, the economist has to set foot on the terrain of aesthetics and, with complete autonomy, has to build for himself a set of aesthetic variables to be applied to an industrial economic model. This implies that the art economist has to concern himself with art, which, paradoxically, contrasts markedly with the present economic tradition. The legitimation of the aesthetic variables selected occurs empirically, with reference to specific works of art, which the economist is able to evaluate by relying simply on his competence as an art consumer. Art economics, thus understood, has therefore a marked consumerist connotation. The art economist is a defender of art-consumer rights, which are presently trampled on by the inefficiency of the culture industry.

Ecological and aesthetic values in urban forest management

In the planning processes of urban forests there are frequent conflicting opinions about the extent to which forests should be managed. On the one hand, management is needed to deal with the intensive use of forests, as well as unfavourable growing conditions, security factors and aesthetic variables. On the other hand, there is an increasing demand for unmanaged areas which is based primarily on ecological arguments. This paper presents research that was conducted in connection with the participatory planning process of Helsinki City forests. The main aim of this research was to study whether aesthetic and ecological values can be combined in the management of urban forests. Furthermore, the stability of forest landscape preferences during the participatory planning process was studied, along with the representativeness of planning groups compared to larger user groups. The data was collected in planning group meetings and public hearings in Helsinki during 1998–2000. Respondents evaluated a set of photographs designed to cover the main conflict situations in urban forest management: Thinnings, understorey management, the leaving of dead snags and decaying ground-wood. These results show that the majority of residents in Helsinki prefer managed forests. The preferences are, however, closely connected to the background characteristics of respondents. Younger residents with a higher education and active urban forest users prefer more ecologically-oriented management when compared to older residents with less education, or less active users. The individuals had a rather clear and relatively stable opinion of what constitutes suitable management in urban forests, but the views differed considerably as a whole. This means that a participatory planning process will typically lead to some type of compromise. Moreover, the planning groups in Helsinki reflected the opinions of the larger user groups rather well. This indicates that the currently used participatory planning approach sufficiently integrates public values into its planning process.

Female circumcision and ethnic identification in Sudan with special reference to the Berti of Darfur1

This article assesses the state of female circumcision in the Sudan with the primary emphasis being placed on the Berti of Darfur. Among other things, the article examines the factors that have so far led to the perpetuation of the practice and the failure of the anti-circumcision campaign. The author suggests a renewal of the campaign through the use of a comprehensive approach which encompasses the social, aesthetic, medical, identificational and religious variables involved in the practice.

The Glabellar Transposition “Banner” Flap

The frontoglabellar skin has long served in reconstruction of certain nasal and canthal defects. The glabellar transposition "banner" flap is relatively simple and efficient. It can be designed either on a curved glabellar line or as a vertical midline closure, depending upon requirements and aesthetic variables.

Anthropology in the Park: A Behavioral Model for the Planning and Evaluation of Urban Open Spaces

In recent years, urban planners have found that urban open spaces are not utilized simply because they are there. Indeed, Jane Jacobs pointed out seventeen years ago that "for every Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, or Rockefeller Plaza, or Washington Square in New York or their beloved equivalents in other cities, there are dozens of dispirited city vacuums called parks…little used… unloved" (The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961, p. 81). Part of the problem can be found in the beginning stages of the park planning process. In the past, very little attention, if any, was given to user needs and perspectives of the user environment. Priority was given to aesthetic and economic variables and, as a result, we find that many of the areas planned as parks in urban environments are being grossly under-utilized.

Aesthetic Dimensions and Picture Memory: A Structural Re-Analysis

The data of Franken and Davis (1975) on the prediction of memory for pictures from aesthetic ratings were re-analyzed, employing smallest space analysis to explore the structural aspects of memory and the aesthetic dimensions. The major results of this re-analysis identified one relatively pervasive dimension, distinctiveness, which encompassed most of the memorial and aesthetic variables.

An Aesthetic Theory of Vandalism

An aesthetic theory of vandalism is proposed. The theory posits that the variables accounting for the enjoyment associated with socially acceptable aesthetic experiences are similarly responsible for the pleasure associated with acts of destruction. Previous theory and research in aesthetics have identified many important factors, such as complexity, expectation, novelty, intensity, and patterning, which are responsible for the pleasure that accompanies an aesthetic experience. These same psychological processes are involved in the destruction of an object. Furthermore, aesthetic variables implicated in an object's initial appearance and in its appearance after being vandalized may serve as eliciting or discriminative stimuli for destructive behavior. Several studies provide support for hypotheses derived from the aesthetic theory of vandalism. In conclusion, we examine the theory's practical implications for reducing vandalism in the schools.