Among George Orwell's many remarkable formulations in his novel 1984 there is the Party command to reject the evidence of what we see and hear. And yet, in resisting the Party command, can nowadays ...seeing and hearing provide evidence? Do, perhaps, the „lower" senses of touch, smell, and taste prove to be the more reliable witnesses? These questions gained poignancy in the wake of the lockdowns and the push towards virtualization which reduced our senses to the two "higher" ones – the ones technologically transmittable, technologically surveillable, and increasingly susceptible to digital simulation. The lower ones are as yet elusive. My reflections on this paradox were triggered by a study (Excrementum: Senses of Proximity by Nina Nikolova) and an exhibition (Noli me tangere by Minna Antova), which coincided in time with the lockdowns. In my attempt ‒ largely against the grain of Baudrillard ‒ to extract utopia from the wreck of the human senses, I will turn to the lessons of an earlier era through two very different novels, Ivan Efremov's The Andromeda Nebula (1957) and Philip K. Dick's Simulacra (1964).
Background: Cold exposure (CE) has been repeatedly shown to increase energy expenditure, leading some scientists to conclude that it could be used to aid in body weight regulation. However, the ...orexigenic effects of CE have not been documented in humans, especially those living with obesity. The goal of this study is to examine the acute impact of CE on appetite regulation, specifically focusing on gustation and olfaction outcomes. Methods: Nine individuals living with obesity (BMI 33.9±5.1 kg/m2, 34.8±9.6 years old) underwent two experimental sessions: 90 minutes of CE in a liquid conditioned suit infused with water at 10°C or 90 minutes of ambient control. The exposure was followed by a battery of smell (Sniffin' Sticks) and taste (Taste Strips) tests. Data collection is ongoing. Results: Outcomes for the ability to identify a smell (12.4±1.2 vs. 12.4±1.0), discriminate between smells (12.8±1.8 vs. 13.4±1.2), and threshold of determining a smell (10.5±1.4 vs. 10.9±1.8) were similar between the ambient control and CE, respectively. Further, the ability to identify various tastes (salty, sweet, bitter, and sour) was similar between control and CE conditions, respectively (12.3±2.2 vs. 11.8±2.4). Conclusions: Although there is a noted increase in energy expenditure, smell and taste abilities do not appear to change following a singular bout of CE.
Full text
Available for:
FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
6.
Commentary: The rose continues to smell sweetly Anderson, Robert H.
The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery,
March 2022, 2022-03-00, 20220301, Volume:
163, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background:
The prevalence of smell dysfunction, along with its risk factors, has been evaluated in previous literature; however, little has been established regarding its relation to other factors ...such as disease severity, history of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations, and medical treatment for COVID-19 infection. These factors may impact the overall recovery of olfaction in COVID-19 patients.
Objective:
This study investigated the prevalence of early olfactory recovery from COVID-19 infection and its associated factors.
Methods:
This study was a prospective cohort study on 348 COVID-19 patients with a new onset of anosmia or hyposmia. Smell sensation scores on the olfactory self-assessment test were collected at baseline and every week until 6 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the prevalence of early olfactory recovery. The secondary outcomes were analyzing factors associated with early olfactory recovery and the median time to complete recovery of smell loss.
Results:
The prevalence of early olfactory recovery was 63.1% (95% CI: 0.58-0.68), and significant associated factors in multivariate analysis included patients without allergic rhinitis (OR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.12-4.40, P = 0.023) and no alteration of taste perception (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.02-2.57, P = 0.042). The median time to complete recovery from smell loss was 2 weeks.
Conclusion:
The present study found that the prevalence of early olfactory recovery within 2 weeks was 63.1%. The median time to olfactory recovery was also 2 weeks. Patients without allergic rhinitis and taste alteration had a significantly better chance of early recovery of olfactory function.
•Explore opportunities beyond the audio-visual design space in HCI: sense of smell.•Create the first steps towards a common language for smell-based experience design.•Establish the requirements for ...a device-independent design toolkit for smell.•Implement four key toolkit features (i.e., intensity, emotions, associations, spatial).•Enable replication of olfactory experiences and future odour interface design.
Interactive technologies are transforming the ways in which people experience, interact and share information. Advances in technology have made it possible to generate real and virtual environments with breath-taking graphics and high-fidelity audio. However, without stimulating the other senses such as touch and smell, and even taste in some cases, such experiences feel hollow and fictitious; they lack realism. One of the main stumbling blocks for progress towards creating truly compelling multisensory experiences is the lack of appropriate tools and guidance for designing beyond audio-visual applications. Here we focus particularly on the sense of smell and how smell-based design can be enabled to create novel user experiences. We present a design toolkit for smell (i.e., OWidgets). The toolkit consists of a graphical user interface and the underlying software framework. The framework uses two main components: a Mapper and Scheduler facilitating the device-independent replication of olfactory experiences. We discuss how our toolkit reduces the complexity of designing with smell and enables a creative exploration based on specific design features. We conclude by reflecting on future directions to extend the toolkit and integrate it into the wider audio-visual ecosystem.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
À vue de nez Munier, Brigitte
Hermès (Paris, France : 1988),
01/2016, Volume:
74, Issue:
1
Journal Article
La culture occidentale a crédité l’odorat d’un statut ambigu, animal et spirituel tout à la fois, comme en témoigne l’expression « ne pouvoir sentir » quelqu’un. L’article prétend explorer la ...fonction sociale et symbolique de l’olfaction selon le point de vue des sciences humaines puis confronter les résultats obtenus avec les recherches des neurosciences.
PDF
