Search Results (135)

Triangular shapes have been studied from different perspectives over a wide temporal frame since ancient times. Initially, fundamental theorems were formulated to demonstrate their geometrical properties. Philosophy and art leveraged the peculiar aspects of triangles as building blocks for more complex geometrical shapes. This paper will review triangles by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, recalling ancient science and Plato’s arguments in relation to their connection with philosophy. It will then consider the artistic utilization of triangles, particularly in compositions created during the medieval era, as exemplified by the Cosmati Italian family’s masterpieces. Various scientific environments have explored triangular 2D and 3D shapes for different purposes, which will be briefly reviewed here. After that, Sierpiński geometry and its properties will be introduced, focusing on the equilateral shape and its internal complexity generated by subdividing the entire triangle into smaller sub-triangles. Finally, examples of triangular planar shapes that fulfill the Sierpiński geometry will be presented as an application in signal processing for high-frequency signals in the microwave and millimeter-wave range. Full article

Headache represents one of the most prevalent and disabling conditions in the pediatric population, with significant repercussions on mental and psychological well-being, as well as on academic achievement and social functioning, ultimately leading to a marked reduction in quality of life. Currently, the diagnosis of headache is based on the clinical criteria of the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3). However, the characteristics of headache may differ between adults and children, as well as the ability of children to provide a complete description of the pain and associated symptoms. The immature narrative skills of children can represent a limitation in defining the clinical phenotype of headache, making the diagnosis more complex. This is even more challenging when extracting information about the characteristics of the headache in children whose verbal expression is poorly developed or completely absent. Given these limitations, clinical psychology has long used drawing as an effective diagnostic instrument to bypass verbal communication barriers. This tool provides unique access to children’s psychological and emotional states, as a direct window into their inner world and as an expressive medium that often generates more detailed, accurate, and clinically actionable information, compared to verbal reports alone. For these reasons, drawing has been recognized as a valuable diagnostic tool for decades, with multiple studies demonstrating specificity and accuracy rates comparable to standard clinical assessments. Particularly for young children, drawings may give access to fundamental information that might otherwise remain inaccessible, thereby allowing both accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment planning. Multiple studies have highlighted and confirmed the graphic differences between representations of various types of headaches and the undeniable utility of an “artistic diagnosis” alongside the clinical one. Furthermore, the literature suggests and encourages the use of drawing in clinical practice, both in the diagnostic process and during subsequent follow-up, as an effective, enjoyable, easy-to-use, and low-cost resource. Accordingly, we propose a narrative review accompanied by a curated collection of drawings that may help identify and categorize specific correlations between graphic representations and clinical phenotypes, such as pain location, quality, intensity, association with nausea and vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia, and types of migraine aura. Our goal is to create a visual reference that can aid clinicians in the accurate interpretation of children’s drawings. Additionally, we aim to promote the integration of this method into routine clinical practice to improve diagnostic precision and support a more child-centered model of care. We also hope to propose new iconographic models to further enrich the diagnostic framework. Full article

Research on fish skin artefacts’ dyeing practices among the Nivkh, Nanai, Ulchi, Udegei, Oroch, and Negidal Indigenous Peoples of the Amur River basin remains scarce. These fishing communities traditionally crafted fish skin garments, essential to their subsistence and spiritual life, adorning them with protective motifs. While artistic and cultural aspects of these belongings have been explored, their dyeing techniques remain understudied. This multidisciplinary research examines natural colourants in fish skin artefacts from international museum collections, using historical textual research, ethnographic records, Native Traditional Knowledge, and previous dye analysis by museum conservators. Findings reveal a restricted but meaningful palette of red, blue, yellow, and black colourants, sourced from plants, minerals, and organic materials. Early dyers extracted blue from indigotin-rich plants such as Polygonum tinctorium, or from Commelina communis petals. Red hues were obtained from Carthamus tinctorius petals, introduced through Silk Route trade networks, or from minerals like red ochre. Black was derived from carbon black, while riverine minerals were ground with dry fish roe diluted with water to create additional colour variations. This study first reviews fish skin use in Amur River Indigenous cultures, explores nineteenth-century dyeing materials and techniques, and finally considers broader implications for Indigenous material heritage. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pressure to stay lean may lead adolescent athletes to dietary restraint and disordered eating. Lack of nutrition awareness can also contribute to suboptimal dietary habits, increasing the risk of eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport [RED-S], though evidence in competitive athletes is limited. This study explored eating disorder symptoms and RED-S knowledge in adolescent artistic gymnasts. Methods: Eighty-four female artistic gymnasts, thirty-nine international and national level gymnasts [high-level; 14 [14, 15] y] and forty-five recreational and club level gymnasts [low-level; 14 [13, 15] y] completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire [EDE-Q 6.0], the RED-S knowledge Questionnaire and provided training details. Results: Seventeen gymnasts (20.2%) scored above the cutoff point on the EDE-Q. In addition, high-level gymnasts scored higher than low-level on EDE-Q [2.21 ± 1.37 (35.9%) vs. 1.19 ± 0.79 (6.7%), respectively; p < 0.001] and on its subscales: Restraint, Eating Concerns, Weight Concerns, and Shape Concerns [p < 0.001 to 0.009], thus indicating more severe disordered eating symptoms. No group differences were found in binge eating and compensatory behaviors. An important percentage of gymnasts reported at least one episode of binge eating and excessive training [39.3–58.3%], while four gymnasts reported self-induced vomiting. RED-S knowledge did not differ between groups. On average, gymnasts were unaware of correct answers related to RED-S [51.5%], its definitions [79.8–92.9%], and its association with menstrual disturbances and bone health [54.8–86.9%]. However, gymnasts reported better awareness of the impact of food restriction on illness and performance [47.6–84.5%]. Conclusions: Elite artistic gymnasts exhibited a higher prevalence of eating disorder symptoms than lower-level peers. Gymnasts at all levels demonstrated limited knowledge of the effects of RED-S on menstrual and bone health. Failure to recognize these risks may influence gymnasts’ eating behaviors and delay RED-S detection and management. Full article

The spontaneous use of verbal expressions to articulate and describe abstract auditory phenomena in everyday interactions is an inherent aspect of human nature. This occurs without the structured conditions typically required in controlled laboratory environments, relying instead on intuitive and spontaneous modes of expression. This study explores the relationship between auditory perception and descriptive language for abstract sounds. These sounds, synthesized without identifiable sources or musical structures, allow listeners to engage with sound perception free from external references. The investigation of correlations between subjective descriptors (e.g., “rough”, “bright”) and physical sound attributes (e.g., spectral and dynamic properties) reveals significant cross-modal linguistic associations in auditory perception. An international survey with a diverse group of participants revealed that listeners often draw on other sensory domains to describe sounds, suggesting a robust cross-modal basis for auditory descriptors. Moreover, the findings indicate a correlation between subjective descriptors and objective sound wave properties, demonstrating the effectiveness of abstract sounds in guiding listeners’ attention to intrinsic qualities. These results could support the development of new paradigms in sound analysis and manipulation, with applications in artistic, educational, and analytical contexts. This multidisciplinary approach may provide the foundation for a perceptual framework for sound analysis, to be tested and refined through theoretical modelling and experimental validation. Full article

Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar has been detected early on by film critics as a Baroque filmmaker, a qualification to which he has agreed in interviews. This promotion of his style is certainly questionable as the word ‘Baroque’ is often used outside of its artistic and historical contexts. It is undeniable, however, that there are many Baroque features in his tragicomedy. One of the key aspects that ties Almodóvar’s early films to Baroque art is their exaggerated and melodramatic storytelling. Like Baroque art, which often featured grandiose and emotionally charged narratives, Almodóvar’s films are filled with intense emotions, complex relationships, and larger-than-life characters. This exaggerated portrayal of human emotions and experiences is a hallmark of Baroque aesthetics, which sought to evoke strong emotional responses from the audience. This paper seeks to focus exclusively on the rise of the director’s style in the last two decades of the 20th century that corresponds to Spain’s problematic and somewhat tragic transition from dictatorship to democracy and explore the ‘Baroque transitions’ that led Almodóvar to national, European and international recognition prior to the obtention of the Academy Awards he received for “All about my mother” in 2000. After defining the Baroqueness of his early filmography, this article will take a closer look at the ricochet trajectory he designed for actors such as Carmen Maura, Victoria Abril, and Antonio Banderas, who will all act in several corresponding roles and embody characters in transition, before becoming emblematic for the public. In the tradition of the Spanish Baroque, Almodóvar will develop his tragic outlook on his ever-changing culture around these iconic actors who will, in turn, unfold the complexity of the transition years for Spanish women and men. Full article

Augmenting the author’s prior research on lyrical code-switching, as presented in Picone, “Artistic Codemixing”, published in 2002, various conceptual frameworks are made explicit, namely the enlistment of multimodal and intertextual approaches for their methodological usefulness in analyzing and interpreting message-making that incorporates lyrical code-switching as one of its components. Conceived as a bipolarity, the rooted (or local) and the transcendent (or global), each having advantages in the negotiation of identity, is also applied to the analysis. New departures include the introduction of the notion of “curated lyrical code-switching” for the purpose of analyzing songs in which multiple performers are assigned lyrics in different languages, as a function of their respective proficiencies, as curated by the person or persons having authorial agency and taking stock of the social semiotics relevant to the anticipated audience. Moving beyond the negotiation of the identity of the code-switching composer or performer, in another new departure, attention is paid to the musical identity of the listener. As a reflection of the breadth of lyrical code-switching, a rich assortment of examples draws from the musical art of Beyoncé, Jon Batiste, Stromae, Shakira, BTS, NewJeans, Indigenous songsmiths, Cajun songsmiths, Latin Pop and Hip-Hop artists, songs composed for international sports events, and other sources. Full article

The article examines the exhibition history of hand-painted ceramic objects from the “Fajans” factory in Włocławek and the politics of regional contextualization during the period of détente in the 1970s and 1980s. It extends both existing scholarship on transnational art history in socialist Europe and the notion of cultural diplomacy, approached here in the context of regional politics and economic frameworks. The paper highlights the peripheral networks and movements that developed in relation to the socialist cultural politics of working-class artistic engagement and artistic practice as labor. Questions of cooperation between Poland and other socialist states are of particular interest, as are the implications of détente for East Central Europe. The reconstruction of the transnational circulation of “Fajans” objects is based on a comparative analysis of international “Fajans” exhibitions, using documentation from the archives of the Faience Department of the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land, as well as from the archives of the city of Novi Sad. Based on the researched material and the conceptual framework of transnational art history, the article proposes a concept of regional cultural diplomacy. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most controversial tools of recent times. Offering an extremely simple operating system, users can generate texts, images, videos and even human voices. The possibility of using such a powerful tool creates new paths and challenges in the field of environmental education: How does it influence natural heritage protection? Is it considered positive within sustainability and quality education? The reality is very different, showing algorithms trained with information of dubious quality and, on many occasions, obtained without permission from authors and artists around the world. UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) are international references in education at all levels, related to territorial development and geoscience education. This article discusses if generative AI is, nowadays, an effective and applicable educational tool for the strategies developed and promoted by UGGps. This designation exists for people’s opportunities. The use of these tools in their current state could make the UGGp figure change its values and fundamental pillars in the future. Full article

Cultural assets are all movable and immovable assets that have been the subject of social life in historical periods, have unique scientific and cultural value, and are located above ground, underground or underwater. Today, the fact that most of the analyses conducted to understand the technologies of these assets require sampling and that non-destructive methods that allow analysis without taking samples are costly is a problem for cultural heritage workers. In this study, which was prepared to find solutions to national and international problems, it is aimed to develop a non-destructive, cost-minimizing and easy-to-use analysis method. Since this article aimed to develop methodology, the materials were prepared for preliminary research purposes. Therefore, it was limited to four primary colors. These four primary colors were red and yellow ochre, green earth, Egyptian blue and ultramarine blue. These pigments were used with different binders. The produced paints were photographed in natural and artificial light at different light intensities and brought to a 256 × 256 pixel size, and then trained on support vector machine, convolutional neural network, densely connected convolutional network, residual network 50 and visual geometry group 19 models. It was asked whether the trained VGG19 model could classify the paints used in archaeological and artistic works analyzed with instrumental methods in the literature with their real identities. As a result of the test, the model was able to classify paints in artworks from photographs non-destructively with a 99% success rate, similar to the result of the McNemar test. Full article

The revelation of the internal structure of objects through computed tomography (CT scan) contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of their creation, the assessment of their preservation status, and the prediction of their future behavior. Consequently, in the case of Yiannis Pappas’ collection, this knowledge aids in the perpetuation of the models it hosts, which are made from malleable materials, such as wax, plasticine, and mazut, on metallic armature. This publication presents the complete methodology for extracting three-dimensional (3D) models (reconstructions) of the individual construction materials of the figurines, with the aim of subsequently utilizing them in research, as well as in their digital preservation and restoration. The 3D reconstructions were obtained by automatic segmentation algorithms based on the absorption measurements of the materials of the specific figurines, and were furthered edited (post-processing) to obtain the final models. Full article

Caused by nonlinear vibration, ocean white noise exhibits complex dynamic characteristics and nonlinear perception characteristics. To explore the potential application of ocean white noise in engineering and health fields, novel methods based on deep learning algorithms are proposed to generate ocean white noise, contributing to marine environment simulation in ocean engineering. A comparative study, including spectrum analysis and auditory testing, proved the superiority of the generation method using deep learning networks over general mathematical or physical methods. To further study the nonlinear perception characteristics of ocean white noise, novel experimental research based on multi-modal perception research methods was carried out within a constructed multi-modal perception system environment, including the following two experiments. The first audiovisual comparative experiment thoroughly explores the system’s user multi-modal perception experience and influence factors, explicitly focusing on the impact of ocean white noise on human perception. The second sound intensity testing experiment is conducted to further explore human multi-sensory interaction and change patterns under white noise stimulation. The experimental results indicate that user visual perception ability and state reach a relatively high level when the sound intensity is close to 50 dB. Further numerical analysis based on the experimental results reveals the internal influence relationship between user perception of multiple senses, showing a fluctuating influence law to user visual concentration and a curvilinear influence law to user visual psychology from the sound intensity of ocean white noise. This study underscores ocean white noise’s positive effect on human perception enhancement and concentration improvement, providing a research basis for multiple field applications such as spiritual healing, perceptual learning, and artistic creation for human beings. Importantly, it provides valuable references and practical insights for professionals in related fields, contributing to the development and utilization of the marine environment. Full article

A visual stimulus that is divided in harmonic proportions is often judged as more pleasant than others. This is well known by artists that often used two main types of geometric harmonic patterns: symmetry and the golden ratio. Symmetry refers to the property of an object to have two similar halves, whereas the golden ratio consists of dividing an object in a major and a minor part so that their proportion is the same as that between the whole object and its major part. Here we investigated looking behaviour and explicit preferences for different regularities including symmetry and golden ratio. We selected four Mark Rothko’s paintings, a famous abstract expressionism artist, characterized by two main areas depicted by different colours: one symmetric (ratio between areas: 50–50%), one in golden ratio (38–62%), one in an intermediate ratio (46–54%), and one in a ratio exceeding the golden ratio (32–68%). Thirty-six healthy participants (24.75 ± 3.71 years old) completed three tasks: observation task (OT), pleasantness task (PT), and harmony task (HT). Findings for explicit ratings of pleasantness and harmony were very similar and were not significantly correlated with patterns of looking behaviour. Eye Dwell Time mainly depended on stimuli orientation (p < 0.001), but for the harmony task also by ratio and their interaction. Our results showed that the visual scanning behaviour of abstract arts primarily depends on the orientation of internal components, whereas their proportion is more important for the pleasantness and harmony explicit judgments. Full article

This paper aims to observe, contextualize, and analyze the multifaceted religious fungal foundations of Moscow Conceptualism within the context of Slavic and European esoteric mythological praxis. By unveiling the thematic basis of their transgressive spiritual endeavors, this study seeks to enhance our comprehension of this artistic and literary movement in the Western world. Besides exploring the erotic aesthetics associated with mushrooms, significant attention is devoted to various flies, as the biological vitality of the mukhomor (‘fly agaric’ or amanita muscaria) is inconceivable without them. Moscow Conceptualist visionaries, including Andrey Monastyrsky, Ilia Kabakov, Elagina and Makarevich, and the Mukhomor Moscow collectives, along with their no less famous colleague from Leningrad, Sergey Kuriokhin, emerge not only as artists but also as literary innovators. They seamlessly integrate advancements from the realm of art, giving rise to a novel form of religiously symbiotic semiosis. Consequently, the traditional boundaries between diverse art forms become blurred, marking a distinctive characteristic that aligns with international contemporary avant-garde aesthetics. Full article

This article delves into the unique evolution of Lanzarote as a benchmark for sustainable tourism. It examines how the island’s cultural values and political influences have shaped its sustainable tourism model over the last 50 years. This study utilizes a review of academic literature on tourism sustainability and case studies, emphasising the need for a conceptual and analytical framework. By analysing Lanzarote’s sustainable practices and challenges, this article highlights the island’s paradoxical status as both a mass tourism hub and a sustainable destination, led by the artist César Manrique’s visionary approach, which seamlessly integrates art and nature while providing a blueprint for sustainable tourism. Key milestones and achievements are identified, such as UNESCO’s designation of the entire island as a Biosphere Reserve in 1993, showcasing Lanzarote’s governance approach to balancing economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability. The findings underscore Lanzarote’s role as an international benchmark in sustainable tourism, offering insights and lessons applicable to other destinations. The article concludes that Lanzarote’s sustained commitment to social awareness and natural resource protection continues to address global challenges, serving as a reference for sustainable development in island tourism destinations. Full article