Search Results (72)

Building information modeling (BIM)-based interior design automation remains constrained by a semantic mismatch: engineering constraints are explicit and categorical, whereas aesthetic style is implicit, contextual, and difficult to formalize. As a result, existing systems often overfit local visual similarity or rely on rigid rules, producing recommendations that drift stylistically at the scene level or conflict with professional design logic. This paper proposes KsDesign, a neuro-symbolic framework for interpretable, retrieval-based BIM scene completion that unifies visual style perception with explicit design knowledge. Offline, KsDesign mines category-level co-occurrence and compatibility patterns from curated designer-quality interiors and encodes them as a weighted Furniture-Matching Knowledge Graph (FMKG). Online, it learns style representations exclusively from BIM-derived 2D renderings/projections of 3D family models and BIM scenes, and applies a knowledge-guided attention mechanism to weight contextual furniture cues, synthesizing a global scene-style representation for candidate ranking and retrieval. In a Top-3 (K = 3) evaluation on 10 BIM test scenes with a 20-expert consensus ground truth, KsDesign consistently outperforms single-modal baselines, achieving 86.7% precision in complex scenes and improving average precision by 23.5% (up to 40%), with a 15.5% average recall increase. These results suggest that global semantic constraints can serve as a logical regularizer, mitigating the local biases of purely visual matching and yielding configurations that are both aesthetically coherent and logically valid. We further implement in-authoring explainability within Revit, exposing KG-derived influence weights and evidence paths to support rationale inspection and immediate family insertion. Finally, the knowledge priors and traceable intermediate representations provide a robust substrate for integration with LLM-driven conversational design agents, enabling constraint-aware, verifiable generation and interactive iteration. Full article

Antonopoulou and Dare’s ongoing collaborative projects (Phi Books 2008: ongoing; Digital Dreamhacker 2013: ongoing) enact an open-ended, experimental set of slow ‘Fictioning’ practices and actions that involve performing, diagramming, or assembling to create or anticipate new modes of existence. In this paper, the authors use the visual essay form to evidence how their daily practices of drawing, writing, and exchanging, position art and the artist. These practices unfold without, in this case, the utilitarian, economic, and epistemic priorities and systems of reductive representation which underpin the extractive models of Generative AI and other ‘innovative’ intermediaries, systems which expedite content and regulate consumption in the cultural and creative industries and in ‘arts and humanities’ education. Focusing on their creative practices, Antonopoulou and Dare reposition commodified notions of productivity, creativity, and innovation, seeking what Haraway describes as a way ‘of making, thinking and worlding’ beyond the neoliberal imperatives of extracting profit from labour. Positioned within an era of escalating precarity combined with ecological and political instability driven by extractive colonialism, the temporality of collaboration and drawing over decades is proposed as an act of material resistance to art’s subsumption into the venture capitalist hype cycles. Such cycles are associated with an accelerating array of crises, discussed here. Full article

This study focuses on Quanti Xinlun (1851), translated and compiled by the Protestant missionary Benjamin Hobson in the late Qing dynasty, examining how the Western anatomical knowledge it introduced challenged and reshaped the traditional Chinese conception of the body grounded in Visceral Manifestation theory. The research finds that the book’s influence was achieved through multiple mechanisms, including conceptual innovation, visual representation, and the creation of terminology. Although Hobson’s original motivation for translation was rooted in Natural Theology, its scientific core was selectively appropriated by the late Qing intellectual community, becoming a tool to address indigenous academic and ideological predicaments. This study argues that Quanti Xinlun facilitated a significant paradigm shift: on the level of the conception of the body, it used the physical body to challenge the traditional perception of a functional, qi-based organism; on the epistemological level, it invoked the authority of empirical positivism to challenge the scholarly method of text-based classicism. This fundamental shift in epistemology not only spurred the medical trend of thought known as “Convergence of Chinese and Western Medicine” but also laid the cornerstone for the modernization of modern Chinese medical education and even the entire knowledge system. Full article

The article focuses on demonstrating the connections between works of visual art and their musical representation—in the sense of a musical response to a work that served as a source of inspiration. The discussion focuses on works by outstanding composers: Zbigniew Bargielski (born 1937), Zygmunt Krauze (born 1938), and a younger composer, Bettina Skrzypczak (born 1961). Among the distinguished artists are also the authors of works of visual art that provided the “causative impulse” for musical compositions: Władysław Strzemiński (1893–1952), Tadeusz Mysłowski (born 1943), Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966). Their works, taken into account by the composers, belong to various genres of visual arts: Strzemiński’s unistic painting fascinated Z. Krauze (including Unistic Compositions for solo piano), Mysłowski’s multimedia objects inspired the musical imagination of Z. Bargielski (Shrine for Anonymous Victim, Light Cross, Towards Organic Geometry), while Giacometti’s sculptures prompted B. Skrzypczak to interpret them musically (Vier Figuren). The methodological basis for developing the topic was the concept of ekphrasis, introduced into the field of musical semiotics (as musical ekphrasis) by the German musicologist Siglind Bruhn, as well as the work by Jacek Szerszenowicz, Artistic Inspirations in Music (2008), whose author, in the Polish context, undertook research on capturing the nature of the relationship between the extra-musical source of inspiration (artistic works) and music. Full article

This study presents a bibliometric review of scientific progress concerning the synergy between microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and textile dye remediation. Drawing from the Scopus database, the analysis spans the years 2005–2025 and applies systematic filters to derive a final corpus of 239 articles compatible with Bibliometrix software (4.2.1). Quantitative and structural analyses were conducted using RStudio with the Bibliometrix package, thematic network visualizations via VOSviewer (1.6.19), and frequency matrices, citation rates, and international collaboration indicators organized in Excel. Results reveal exponential growth in scholarly output, particularly within Environmental Sciences, Chemical Engineering, and Microbiology. China and India lead in publication volume, while countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia show high impact and international collaboration. Co-authorship networks reflect consolidated clusters, though connectivity gaps remain among emerging authors. Bioresource Technology is identified as a central journal, with terms like “wastewater treatment” and “microbial fuel cell” indicating thematic consolidation. Opportunities still exist in areas such as explainable artificial intelligence, integration with microalgae, and heavy metal remediation. Highly cited articles contribute key technical insights, highlighting hybrid configurations and advancements in electrode materials. Strategic mapping suggests that MFCs have evolved from experimental concepts to viable alternatives in industrial sustainability, though scalability, operational costs, and geographic representation remain significant challenges. This bibliometric review not only maps accumulated knowledge but also serves as a strategic compass for guiding future research toward integrated, accessible, and replicable bioelectrochemical technologies for textile dye treatment. Full article

The rise of e-commerce platforms has completely revolutionized the way in which consumers interact with the market. In our digital world, due to the evolution of technology, people can purchase with ease the desired products, regardless of time and place, directly from their personal devices. This has led to a considerable improvement in users’ experiences, saving both time and money and avoiding stores’ congestions. At the same time, the emerging technologies, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and blockchain, registered a substantial contribution to optimizing e-commerce platforms by enhancing the efficiency of the processes, better understanding users’ needs, and offering personalized solutions. Therefore, the present bibliometric investigation aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research domain-electronic commerce exploration using emerging technologies. Based on a dataset collected from the Web of Science database, the study reveals key details of the field, research characteristics, main themes, and current trends. Within the analysis, the R-tool—Biblioshiny 4.2.1—has been used for the creation of tables, graphs, and visual representations. The high importance of the domain, together with the significant interest within academics in publishing papers around this area, is validated by the value obtained for the annual growth rate, more specifically 44.65%, as well as by the cross-validation analyses performed in VOSviewer 1.6.20 and CiteSpace 6.3.R1, along with topic analysis performed through Latent Dirichlet Allocation and BERTopic. The results of this research represent precious information for the scientific community, authorities, and even companies that are oriented to e-commerce platforms, since crucial details about the market trends, domain’s impact, and key contributions are exposed. Full article

This essay argues that female representations at Qusayr Amra reflect a deliberate adaptation of pre-Islamic artistic traditions, expressing evolving Umayyad ideas of beauty, gender, and hierarchy. By analyzing the interplay between visual imagery and written texts, including the Qur’an, it reevaluates the significance of female figures and the representational choices made in 8th-century Umayyad palaces in Bilad al-Sham. Drawing on scholars such as Garth Fowden and Nadia Ali, and informed by contemporary gender studies, this essay foregrounds how artistic choices regarding female imagery negotiate social ideals of belief, gender, and power. The analysis begins by examining the development of figurative imagery in early Islam and its cultural context. It then offers a close reading of a key fresco challenging assumptions about modesty and figural representation. Through comparative analysis with another Umayyad site, this study highlights the complexities and meanings of female depictions, revealing diverse interpretations across contexts. While Patron Walid II was not the sole author of these choices, his patronage was crucial in enabling a bold engagement with Islamic visual culture. In doing so, this essay offers new insights into the complexities of early Islamic visual culture and its negotiation of social values. Full article

This essay proposes operative creativity as a conceptual and artistic response to the shifting roles of images in the age of algorithmic perception. Departing from Harun Farocki’s seminal artwork Eye/Machine, which first introduced the operative image as functioning not to represent but to activate within machinic processes, it traces the transformation of images from representational devices to machinic agents embedded in systems of simulation and realization. Although operative images were initially engineered for strictly technological functions, they have, from their inception, been subject to repurposing for human perception and interpretation. Drawing on literature theorizing the redirection of operative images within military, computational, and epistemic domains, the essay does not attempt a comprehensive survey. Instead, it opens a conceptual aperture within the framework, expanding it to illuminate the secondary redeployment of operative images in contemporary visual culture. Concluding with the artwork Terms and Conditions, co-created by Ruti Sela and the author, it examines how artistic gestures might neutralize the weaponized gaze, offering a mode of operative creativity that troubles machinic vision and reclaims a space for human opacity. Full article

The effective visualization of urban-scale earthquake simulations is pivotal for disaster assessment but presents significant challenges in terms of computational performance and accessibility. This paper introduces a lightweight, browser-based visualization framework that leverages Web Graphics Library (WebGL) to provide real-time, interactive 3D rendering without requiring specialized software. The proposed framework implements a novel dual multi-level-of-detail (LOD) strategy that optimizes both data representation and rendering performance. At the data level, urban buildings are classified into simplified or detailed geometric and computational models based on structural importance. At the rendering level, a dynamic graphics LOD approach adjusts visual complexity based on camera proximity. To realistically reproduce dynamic behaviors of complex structures, skeletal animation is introduced, while a quad tree-based spatial index ensures efficient object culling. The framework’s scalability and efficacy were validated by successfully visualizing the seismic response of approximately 100,000 buildings in New York City. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed strategy maintains interactive frame rates (>24 frames per second) for views containing up to 4000 detailed buildings undergoing simultaneous and dynamic seismic behaviors. This approach significantly reduces rendering latency and proves extensible to other urban regions. The source code supporting this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Full article

This study presents a cross-cultural comparison of two fortified residences—Palazzo Farnese in Italy and Dong’s Fortified Compound in China—through a triadic analytical framework encompassing architectural form, symbolic ornamentation, and public perception. By combining field observation, iconographic interpretation, and digital ethnography, the research investigates how heritage meaning is constructed, encoded, and reinterpreted across distinct sociocultural contexts. Empirical materials include architectural documentation, decorative analysis, and a curated dataset of 4947 user-generated images and 1467 textual comments collected from Chinese and international platforms between 2020 and 2024. Methods such as CLIP-based visual clustering and BERTopic-enabled sentiment modelling were applied to extract patterns of perception and symbolic emphasis. The findings reveal contrasting representational logics: Palazzo Farnese encodes dynastic authority and Renaissance cosmology through geometric order and immersive frescoes, while Dong’s Compound conveys Confucian ethics and frontier identity via nested courtyards and traditional ornamentation. Digital responses diverge accordingly: international users highlight formal aesthetics and photogenic elements; Chinese users engage with symbolic motifs, family memory, and ritual significance. This study illustrates how historically fortified residences are reinterpreted through culturally specific digital practices, offering an interdisciplinary approach that bridges architectural history, symbolic analysis, and digital heritage studies. Full article

This essay examines two hybrid poetic texts that emerged from a period of feminist activism in U.S. and global poetry communities from 2014 to 2017: the collaboratively, anonymously authored “No Manifesto” (2015) and the radically revised second edition of the book of poetry and visual art YOU DA ONE by Jennif(f)er Tamayo. “No Manifesto” and YOU DA ONE embrace the hybrid tactics of collectivity, incongruity, and nonresolution as ways of protesting sexism and sexual violence in poetry communities. Synthesizing theories of hybridity from poetry criticism as well as immigrant and borderlands studies, the essay defines hybridity as a literary representation of cultural positions forcefully imposed upon subjects. Born out of the domination of sexual and state violence, hybridity marks the wound that remakes the subject, who develops strategies for resistance. By refusing to play by the rules of poetic or social discourse—the logics of domination that would have them be singular, cohesive, and compliant—Tamayo and the authors of “No Manifesto” insist on alternative ways of performing activism, composing literature, and entering the public sphere. These socially engaged, hybrid poetic texts demonstrate the power of the collective to disrupt the social and literary status quo. Full article

The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the dentoalveolar changes resulting from the use of clear aligners in the treatment of transverse maxillary deficiency among growing children in the mixed dentition stage. An electronic literature search was carried out using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science. The review protocol was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database. Eligible studies included children aged 6 to 12 years in the mixed dentition period, presenting with erupted maxillary first molars and a transverse deficiency of the maxilla, and undergoing treatment with Invisalign^® First aligners. The review encompassed various study types including retrospective and prospective designs, randomized controlled trials, preliminary studies, and case series. Two independent reviewers conducted the data extraction process. The quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Except for studies by Bruni et al., the risk of bias in selected articles was visually summarized in a traffic light plot using the robvis tool, following the ROBINS-I methodology. For the studies by Bruni et al., a separate visual representation was created using robvis with the RoB2 evaluation framework, prepared by the authors S.E.I. and C.A. In total, 14 studies were included in the final synthesis, selected from 265 records retrieved through electronic searches and an additional 36 identified via manual screening. Several parameters were considered in order to assess dentoalveolar expansion: intercanine width, intercanine transpalatal width, intercanine dentoalveolar width, first and second interdeciduous molar width, first and second interpremolar width, first and second interdeciduous molar transpalatal width, first intermolar width, first intermolar mesial, distal, and transpalatal width, molar inclination, arch depth, and arch perimeter, and intermolar dentoalveolar width. An improvement was recorded in all parameters. The studies comparing treatment with Invisalign^® First clear aligners and rapid maxillary expander highlighted that these both determined statistically significant differences compared to the natural growth group. Treatment with Invisalign^® First in mixed dentition proved to be very effective for dentoalveolar expansion of the maxillary arch, with good control of the crown angulation of the upper first molar and an increase in the palatal area similar to RME, compared to pre-treatment or to the natural growth group. It could represent an effective and comfortable alternative to the traditional rapid maxillary expander treatment. However, further high-quality studies are required to support our current observations and verifying the stability of treatment outcomes on a long-term basis. Full article

Children’s graphic development reflects cognitive, emotional, motor and social processes, and is an indicator of the infant’s integral development. This study analyzed the validity of Viktor Lowenfeld’s developmental model in children aged 3 to 5 years, assessing whether the stages proposed by the author correspond to the patterns of graphic representation currently observed. A mixed design with a descriptive–comparative approach was used. The sample consisted of 218 drawings collected in educational centers in Madrid. Each drawing was evaluated according to criteria derived from Lowenfeld’s model (stroke, motor control, symbolism, use of color, spatial organization) and classified into one of the five developmental stages. The analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests (χ² = 104.92, gl = 10, p < 0.0001), and Spearman correlations (ρ = 0.661, p < 0.0001), in addition to qualitative interpretation by inter-rater consensus. The results confirm that the general graphic sequence follows Lowenfeld’s scheme, but with notable variations in the age of onset of each stage. Pre-schematic manifestations were observed in children as young as 3 years old and persistence of scribbling in some 5-year-olds. These findings point to the influence of individual, sociocultural, and technological factors on the rate of graphic development. Lowenfeld’s model remains a valid framework for observing children’s drawing, but its application should be flexible. Interindividual differences and contemporary visual culture require a pedagogical adaptation that addresses the diversity of developmental rhythms. Its integration with inclusive methodologies and future cross-cultural studies is suggested. Full article

Wind turbines are a focal point of contemporary environmental debates, symbolizing progress in renewable energy but also generating significant social tension. This study introduces FactoShinySR, a web-based application designed to facilitate correspondence factor analysis (Corr.F.A.) for studying social representations, making complex analyses accessible to researchers without advanced programming skills. Using data from 323 participants who completed free association tasks and Likert-scale questionnaires, the tool was applied to examine social representations, attitudes toward wind turbines, and trust in authorities. Corr.F.A. revealed two primary dimensions: ecological versus critical attitudes and systemic optimism versus concrete opposition. Positive representations highlighted environmental benefits, while negative perceptions focused on local impacts, such as noise, visual disruption, and ecological harm. Trust in authorities emerged as a critical factor shaping attitudes. FactoShinySR proved instrumental in visualizing the complex socio-representational structures surrounding wind turbines, offering a platform for analyzing environmental perceptions. By bridging methodological complexity and practical application, this tool enables researchers and practitioners to better understand and address public social representations. Full article

In Italy, the current demographic transition makes it a strategic goal to realign the distribution of health services based on the population aged over 65. The traditional challenge of achieving a fine-grained assessment of health resource statistics and evaluating the fairness of health services across regions is a concern in current research on the fairness of health services. In this study, the authors propose a methodological approach to foster a novel analysis of fairness in the allocation of primary health care services in Italy with a specific focus on the population aged 65 or over, which facilitates the processing of extensive administrative and demographic data to ensure a clear and precise visualization for informed decision making. The proposed methodology integrates convolution matrices weighted by aged population density within a fine-grained geographic grid representation. This approach is combined with an image convolution technique for filtering, enabling an effective estimation of health resource impact and a clear visualization of their spatial distribution across geographical areas. The integration of several data sources to evaluate the equity in accessibility distribution through the Gini index is also exploited to quantify the disparity between healthcare service provision and the aged population at the regional district level. Our findings showed a substantial unfairness in service distribution, with a concentration of healthcare effect in prominent regions such as Campania, Lazio, and Lombardia, indicating that healthcare accessibility is predominantly disproportionate in Italy, particularly for the population aged over 65. Full article