Search Results (304)

Under the combined pressures of urbanization and tourism development, terraced agricultural heritage sites are increasingly threatened by the degradation of traditional landscapes, the weakening of living cultural practices, and mismatches between the supply and demand of cultural ecosystem services (CESs). As a representative type of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHSs), the rice terrace landscapes of southern China have formed an integrated system of forests, villages, terraces, and water networks, embodying multiple values related to production, ecology, landscape, and culture. To support the coordination of heritage conservation, tourism development, and the transformation of cultural value, this study takes the core area of the Longji Terraced Fields as a case study and develops an improved SolVES–IPA collaborative assessment framework from the perspective of tourist perception. Four CES categories are examined: recreational value, aesthetic value, historical and cultural value, and educational value. The results show that (1) the four CES categories exhibit significant spatial differentiation. Recreational and aesthetic values are mainly concentrated in high-altitude viewing spaces, whereas historical, cultural, and educational values depend more heavily on traditional architectural spaces and interpretive nodes. (2) Clear supply–demand mismatches exist across CES categories. Recreational value is constrained by limited activity diversity; aesthetic value is limited by inadequate architectural harmony; historical and cultural value is primarily restricted by insufficient continuity of living traditions; and educational value is constrained by incomplete interpretive content and single presentation formats. (3) CES optimization in the Longji Terraced Fields should adopt both type-specific and hierarchical intervention strategies, including priority optimization for high-value units with critical shortcomings, near-term improvement for high-value units with general shortcomings, functional enhancement for medium-value units with critical shortcomings, progressive optimization for medium-value units with general shortcomings, and potential cultivation of low-value units. Based on these findings, this study proposes several optimization directions, including strengthening participatory experiences, promoting the coordinated renewal of the architectural landscape, creating multisensory cultural display spaces, and establishing a multidimensional interpretation network. The improved SolVES–IPA collaborative assessment framework developed in this study integrates CES spatial identification, supply–demand diagnosis, and optimization priority setting, providing a methodological reference and practical support for enhancing cultural services and promoting the coordinated development of heritage conservation and cultural tourism in the Longji Terraced Fields and similar agricultural heritage sites. Full article

Background: Attractiveness plays an important role in social interactions. However, it remains unclear whether presenting attractiveness information across multiple sensory modalities facilitates attractiveness evaluation, and how cross-modal congruency modulates this process. Methods: The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate these questions. Participants judged the attractiveness of voices presented alone or paired with faces that were congruent or incongruent in attractiveness. Results: Significant differences were found between unimodal and audiovisual conditions, as well as between congruent and incongruent pairs, during both early perceptual (N1) and later evaluative (P3) stages. Both audiovisual conditions elicited larger N1 amplitudes than the auditory-only condition, and congruent pairs produced larger N1 amplitudes than incongruent pairs. At a later stage, the auditory-only condition produced larger P3 amplitudes than the audiovisual conditions. Furthermore, the interaction between voice attractiveness and visual context on P3 amplitudes was significant. Audiovisual incongruent pairs elicited larger P3 amplitudes than congruent pairs, but only when the voice was unattractive. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that redundant visual cues of attractiveness both accelerate and alter the perception of auditory attractiveness. These audiovisual integration effects occur across different processing stages and may reflect enhanced processing efficiency in multisensory social perception. Full article

Background/Objectives: Migraine with aura (MwA) is a heterogeneous disorder comprising pure visual aura (MwAv) and more complex phenotypes with additional somatosensory and/or dysphasic symptoms (MwAvsd). Previous structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated hippocampal subfield volume reductions associated with aura complexity, suggesting a role for the hippocampus in MwA pathophysiology. However, functional network mechanisms underlying these structural differences remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in MwA subtypes and healthy controls (HCs), and to determine whether hippocampal connectivity patterns differ according to aura complexity. Methods: In this comparative cross-sectional study, 27 patients with MwAvsd, 18 with MwAv, and 29 age- and sex-matched HCs underwent resting-state functional MRI on a 3T scanner. Seed-based FC analyses were performed using both hippocampi as regions of interest. Results: MwAvsd patients demonstrated significantly increased FC between the right hippocampus and the left dorsal parietal cortex and right sensory association cortex compared with MwAv patients. In contrast, MwAv patients showed increased FC between the left hippocampus and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with MwAvsd patients. Additionally, MwAv patients exhibited stronger FC between the left hippocampus and bilateral anterior prefrontal cortices and the left angular cortex compared with HCs. No other significant hippocampal FC differences were observed. Conclusions: Hippocampal FC is altered in MwA and varies according to aura phenotype. Complex aura is characterized by enhanced hippocampal coupling with multisensory integration regions and reduced connectivity with executive control areas, whereas pure visual aura demonstrates increased hippocampal–prefrontal and hippocampal–parietal associative connectivity compared with HCs. These findings suggest that the hippocampus might serve as a target for future neuromodulatory and therapeutic investigations in MwA patients. Full article

Background/Objectives: In Italy, food waste within school meal services represents a major public health and sustainability challenge, with approximately 21.7% of meals discarded, and vegetables and legumes among the most frequently rejected components. Low consumption of these foods during childhood contributes to unhealthy dietary trajectories and increased long-term cardiometabolic risk. Evidence indicates that information-based nutrition education alone is insufficient to modify children’s eating behaviors within complex food environments. This study aimed to describe and evaluate the LO-VEg project, a school-based intervention designed to address dietary behavior and food waste simultaneously by integrating environmental nudging with child-centered communication strategies. Methods: The LO-VEg project was implemented as a quasi-experimental ecological school-based intervention combining environmental nudging strategies and multisensory communication tools to promote vegetable and legume consumption in primary school canteens. The intervention involved approximately 1500 pupils across four primary schools in the Lombardy region of Italy and was conducted over a 10-week period within routine school meal settings. Consumption outcomes were assessed through aggregated anonymous plate-waste observations collected during school meals. Results: Preliminary aggregated analyses indicated favorable trends in vegetable and legume consumption and plate-waste reduction during the intervention period. The broader intervention architecture also included communication, digital, and family-oriented components, which are described in the present manuscript as part of the implementation framework. Conclusions: The LO-VEg project suggests that integrating environmental nudging with child-centered communication strategies may represent a scalable approach to improving dietary behaviors and reducing food waste in school settings. Full article

Background: Pediatric cancer is a highly stressful and potentially traumatic condition affecting physical health, emotional well-being, developmental trajectories, and family functioning. Hospitalization and intensive treatments often exacerbate emotional distress and symptom burden, negatively impacting quality of life (QoL). Integrating psychosocial and expressive interventions into pediatric oncology care is increasingly recognized as essential. Clay therapy is a multisensory, hands-on creative intervention that may promote emotional regulation, coping, and a sense of agency in hospitalized children. Objectives: This prospective pilot study evaluated the effects of clay therapy on emotional and physical well-being in pediatric oncology patients and explored potential indirect effects on caregivers’ emotional status. Methods: From December 2023 to December 2024, forty hospitalized children with onco-hematological diseases and one parent per patient were enrolled. Each child participated in a one-hour clay therapy workshop led by a professional ceramist. Emotional outcomes were assessed before (T0) and immediately after (T1) the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the ArtsObs observational scale. Physical symptoms, including pain, fatigue, and nausea, were also evaluated. Results: Following clay therapy, children showed statistically significant improvements across all VAS emotional domains, independent of age and gender. ArtsObs assessments confirmed a significant increase in observed mood, with high levels of relaxation and engagement; female patients demonstrated greater mood improvement than males. Significant reductions in pain, fatigue, and nausea were also observed. Parents exhibited a significant improvement in mood following their child’s participation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that clay therapy is feasible and could be an effective supportive intervention in pediatric oncology, benefiting both emotional and physical well-being. Its integration into multidisciplinary, family-centered care models may enhance QoL during hospitalization and provide holistic support for children with cancer and their families. Full article

Postural balance is a foundational component of human motor behavior, yet it remains conceptually ambiguous and methodologically heterogeneous across the clinical, educational, and sport sciences. This narrative review aims to provide an integrative framework that clarifies key concepts (postural control vs. postural balance), synthesizes the main sensorimotor and biomechanical mechanisms underpinning balance, and organizes current assessment approaches and functional implications across populations. Narrative literature synthesis was conducted to integrate evidence covering multisensory integration and sensory reweighting, central neural control (spinal, brainstem, cerebellar, and cortical contributions), neuromuscular and biomechanical strategies (e.g., ankle/hip/stepping), and cognitive influences (e.g., dual-task effects). We further summarize commonly used instrumental outcomes derived from force-platform center-of-pressure metrics and widely adopted clinical and functional balance tests, highlighting their typical applications and limitations across the lifespan including pediatric, general adults, older adults, and athletic populations. This review proposes a closed-loop, systems-based model in which postural balance is conceptualized as an emergent functional outcome arising from distributed postural control processes shaped by task, environmental, and individual constraints. In conclusion, integrating mechanistic understanding with population-specific assessment enhances interpretability and supports more precise, context-sensitive balance evaluation and intervention in both health and performance settings. Full article

The brain’s primary sensory processing areas often present a topographical organization and are distributed following hierarchical architecture, permitting the integration of the information in higher levels of its hierarchy: a process referred to as multisensory integration. A system with such characteristics naturally computes in a parallel and distributed manner and is based in associations between the different symbols built from our perceptions of the environment. In this work, we take inspiration from the sensory processing areas of the brain and propose proof-of-concept of a multi-layered neuromorphic system with parallel and distributed computing capabilities by means of simulation. The proposed neuromorphic architecture is constituted by identical self-organizing modules which are trained with on-line unsupervised-friendly learning rules, such as the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). These self-organizing modules are constituted by oxide-based resistive random access memory (OxRAM) devices, which play the analog synaptic role. The different modules display a topographical organization according to the input dataset features they have been trained with and are organized following a hierarchical system. The system exhibits conceptual associative behavior between inputs with clustering capabilities, able to classify inputs which have never been seen before by the system, according to their similarity with the ones it has been trained with. Full article

Background: Sensorimotor differences have frequently been reported in children with developmental dyslexia, but are often considered secondary or comorbid to phonological deficits. Within an embodied cognition perspective, reading acquisition emerges from dynamic interactions between bodily regulation, multisensory integration, and learning-related neural plasticity. Proprioception contributes to spatial orientation, motor coordination, and perceptual stabilization, while sleep-dependent processes play a critical role in the consolidation and automatization of cognitive and motor skills. Objectives: Building on early clinical observations, including the hypothesis proposed by Martins da Cunha, this review explores whether variations in proprioceptive processing and sensorimotor regulation may influence multisensory stability and the conditions under which reading skills develop in some individuals with dyslexia. Methods: This narrative synthesis integrates clinical observations and experimental paradigms examining proprioceptive function in children with dyslexia, including studies conducted in our laboratory over the past two decades. These investigations address postural regulation under varying attentional demands, laboratory measures of proprioceptive acuity, visuospatial localization tasks, multisensory interactions, and exploratory observations concerning sleep–wake regulation. Results: Across studies, children with dyslexia often show differences in proprioceptive processing associated with variations in postural regulation, visuospatial stability, and multisensory tasks. Laboratory measurements suggest reduced proprioceptive acuity in some individuals, with moderate correlations observed between proprioceptive sensitivity and reading-related measures. Additional observations suggest that nocturnal physiological regulation—including respiratory dynamics and sleep architecture—may interact with daytime sensorimotor stability and attentional functioning. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that variations in sensorimotor regulation across the sleep–wake cycle may influence the stability of multisensory processing and attentional conditions relevant for reading acquisition. Within this perspective, proprioception is not proposed as an alternative explanation for dyslexia but as a complementary dimension that may contribute to the heterogeneity of dyslexic profiles. Further longitudinal and controlled studies are required to clarify the relationships between sensorimotor regulation, sleep-dependent plasticity, and learning processes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Severe acquired brain injury (sABI) disrupts early rehabilitation because arousal fluctuates, trunk control is fragile, and agitation limits therapy tolerance; land-based practice is frequently constrained by fall risk and staffing. We aim to reframe aquatic therapy as a programmable multisensory environment to stabilize arousal and support axial alignment before conventional impairment targets are feasible. Here, programmable denotes the deliberate titration and reporting of water depth, turbulence or perturbation, temperature, body orientation, and flotation and manual support as intervention inputs. Methods: This perspective integrates principles from neurobehavioral assessment, motor control, and immersion physiology to propose the Arousal–Alignment–Action loop as a falsifiable model and to define manipulable aquatic inputs (water depth, turbulence or perturbation, temperature, body orientation, and flotation and manual support) as dosing parameters. We outline a pragmatic testing ladder (within-session micro-experiments, feasibility studies, and embedded evaluations) and a minimal outcomes and confounder set to support cumulative evidence. Results: The framework links state regulation to alignment and goal-directed behavior, specifies predictions that can fail, and highlights boundary conditions (sedation, autonomic instability, pain, recent surgery or wounds, and cervical or cardiopulmonary constraints). A minimal outcome package spanning arousal/responsiveness, trunk control, behavioral dysregulation, participation/tolerance, and basic physiology is proposed, with optional objective adjuncts for mechanism-oriented studies. Conclusions: Treating water as a measurable and titratable medium, rather than a generic modality, may reduce early intensity bottlenecks and improve implementability and comparability of aquatic neurorehabilitation research in medically stable sABI; however, the model is intended as hypothesis-generating until supported by stronger direct clinical evidence. Full article

Background/Objectives: Peripheral vestibular hypofunction (PVH) commonly causes dizziness, imbalance, gait disturbances, and reduced quality of life. Task-oriented circuit training (TOCT) is a rehabilitation approach in which patients perform structured, task-specific functional movements repetitively to improve real-life motor performance. TOCT integrates functional, multisensory, and repetitive exercises based on motor learning and neuroplasticity principles, potentially enhancing rehabilitation outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of TOCT on dizziness, vertigo, balance, gait, disability, and quality of life in patients with PVH. Methods: In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial, 28 patients with PVH were randomly allocated to either a task-oriented circuit training (TOCT) group (n = 16) or a control group (n = 12). The control group performed a conventional home-based vestibular exercise program consisting of gaze stabilization and walking exercises. The TOCT group completed 25 task-specific stations, targeting gaze stabilization, balance, and gait, three times per week for four weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Visual Analog Scale for dizziness and vertigo, the Sensory Organization Test for balance, spatiotemporal gait analysis, and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) for disability and quality of life. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA, with the group × time interaction used to determine whether changes over time differed between the TOCT and control groups. Results: Significant time × group interactions favored TOCT for dizziness severity, vertigo severity, vestibular-related balance parameters, cadence during eyes-closed walking, and DHI total scores (p < 0.05). Within-group analyses demonstrated moderate-to-large improvements in all measured outcomes for the TOCT group, whereas the control group showed limited improvements in dizziness measures and minimal changes in balance, gait, and DHI scores. Conclusions: Task-oriented circuit training significantly improves dizziness, vertigo, balance, gait, disability, and overall quality of life in patients with PVH compared with conventional home-based vestibular exercises. Incorporating functional, multisensory, and task-specific activities within structured circuits may optimize vestibular rehabilitation outcomes. Full article

The ACE-funded project Clay and Augmented Reality (CAR) explored how the combination of tactile and digital media might activate embodied memory, foster art expression, and stimulate new forms of creative learning. The project investigated memory recollection by integrating clay sculpting with immersive Augmented Reality (AR), focusing on psychoanalysis and participatory art research. The created multisensory environment was a significant element in reconnection with early-life experiences. Six workshops engaged over 40 participants in memory-mapping through AR interfaces and tactile activities. Extensive theoretical and methodological research focuses on theories of Freud, Polanyi, Ettinger, and art practice of Hepworth, integrating embodied making with experimental technologies, including 3D scanning, ARvid/HoloLens experiences, and qualitative feedback analysis. The outcome is a hybrid repository of over 120 memory-informed artefacts titled My Mother and I, presented on the sketchfab platform. The collection showcases intergenerational memory, imprints of intangible and visual storytelling. During the research, the significance of slowness, play, and relational presence was underlined as conditions for memory activation. It concludes that memory lives in gesture, spatial perception and given care, and that hybrid arts-based methods offer new epistemologies of healing, creativity and pedagogical inquiry. CAR presents a model for participatory research that bridges physical and digital realms in deeply human ways. Full article

Human information processing is often considered vision-dominant. However, perception is multisensory and shaped by interactions among sensory modalities as well as by top-down processes that integrate prior knowledge and context. Research demonstrates that these mechanisms influence early neural processing and enrich perception beyond purely bottom-up input. For individuals who are blind, this adaptability allows for the effective acquisition of information through alternative sensory channels, provided that accessibility systems are in place. A central challenge is the limited access to written materials, including text, numerical data, and music notation. Assistive technologies such as speech synthesis and Braille have become key solutions. This contribution focuses on Braille, discussing issues of organization, standardization, and technical design. It also introduces the project “Braille Display Screen Based on Long-Wave Infrared Radiation,” which seeks to create a passive Braille display as an alternative to conventional actuator-based devices. Full article

Background: Balance impairment and falls are a major health concern in older adults. Beyond vestibular and visual factors, growing evidence indicates that age-related hearing loss contributes to postural instability through altered multisensory integration. However, interventions addressing the interaction between auditory input and postural control remain limited. This study examined whether integrating Taopatch^® nanotechnology, based on localized photobiomodulation, into conventional hearing aids could influence postural control in individuals with hearing loss. Methods: Forty experienced hearing aid users (mean age 77.3 ± 15.6 years) completed five postural assessments using a SensorMedica^® baropodometric platform. Four sessions employed a placebo patch identical in appearance to the active device, and the fifth used Taopatch^®. Static and stabilometric parameters were analyzed under open- and closed-eye conditions. Results: Significant improvements were observed with the Taopatch^®-integrated device. Sway path length (−8%, p = 0.002), mean velocity (−8%, p = 0.002), and low-frequency sway (−30%, p = 0.04) decreased, indicating smoother and more efficient postural control. A lateral redistribution of plantar load and an increase in contact surface area (up to +15%) were also found. These effects were less evident without visual input. Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that localized photobiomodulation integrated into hearing aids may positively influence postural stability in older adults with hearing impairment, possibly by supporting sensory integration processes. Further controlled studies are needed to confirm these effects and clarify the underlying mechanisms. Full article

Although street ambiance, understood as a multisensory and cognitive experience, has been widely discussed in theory, empirical evidence on how it is perceived across specific urban contexts remains limited. This study explores the differences in ambiance-related responses between the two contrasting streets—one historic and one non-historic—by integrating brain, body, and mind measures within a controlled immersive framework. A VR-based, multimodal experimental protocol was employed, presenting participants with 360° audiovisual representations of two real-world streets. Data were collected using EEG, a wrist-worn physiological sensor, and self-report evaluations. Subjective responses consistently differentiated between the two streets’ ambiances, reflecting a coherent, environmentally grounded appraisal shaped by each street’s combined visual and auditory attributes. Neural responses clearly differentiated between the two streets, demonstrating that the distinct experiential character of the historic street was also reflected at the level of brain activity. Within the historic street, an asymmetric relationship emerged in which subjective evaluations differentiated ambiance more robustly than corresponding psychophysiological modulation, indicating context-dependent sensitivity across modalities. Taken together, the findings suggest that subjective and psychophysiological responses do not differ merely in magnitude but also in their mode of organization, revealing street ambiance as a multisensory and relational experience rather than the sum of isolated environmental attributes or historicity alone. Full article

Extended Reality (XR) technologies are increasingly used to create immersive and interactive systems across domains such as education, training, health, and entertainment. As these systems become more complex and multisensory, evaluating user experience (UX) in XR environments requires approaches that go beyond traditional usability assessments and consider perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and interaction-related factors. However, existing UX evaluation efforts in XR often rely on isolated instruments or domain-specific studies, lacking a systematic and reusable evaluation methodology. This paper proposes a human-centered methodology for evaluating user experience in extended reality applications, integrating UX dimensions and XR-specific characteristics into a structured and coherent evaluation process. The methodology is grounded in a multi-phase research process that includes a comprehensive literature review, expert consultation, correlation analysis between UX dimensions and XR features, and formal specification of evaluation phases and activities. Based on this process, the proposed methodology supports evaluators in selecting appropriate UX evaluation methods and instruments according to the characteristics and experiential goals of XR applications. The methodology defines a set of UX dimensions tailored to immersive environments, capturing perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and interaction aspects that are critical for the design and evaluation of adaptive and human-centered XR systems. An expert-based validation was conducted to assess the clarity, usefulness, and applicability of the methodology, leading to refinements in its structure and descriptions. The methodology promotes a human-centered approach by considering user perception, emotional impact, and contextual experience across XR modalities. It additionally contributes to the field by offering a reusable process for UX evaluation in XR, supporting more consistent, transparent, and human-centered assessment practices. It also provides a foundation for future empirical studies and the development of evaluation approaches inspired by natural and adaptive human–environment interactions. Full article