The perception of facial asymmetry using 3-dimensional simulated images

Objective: To investigate the perception of facial asymmetry in young adults to identify the amounts of chin asymmetry that can be regarded as normal and may benefit from correction. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional (3D) images of 56 individuals of mixed ethnicity were obtained and used to produce average 3D images of male and female faces. Distortion was then applied to these average faces using a 3D graphics package to simulate different amounts of chin point asymmetry. Five observer groups (lay individuals, dental students, dental care professionals, dental practitioners, and orthodontists) assessed timed presentations of 3D images, rating them as “normal,” “acceptable,” or “would benefit from correction.” Time-to-event analysis was used to assess the level of chin asymmetry perceived as normal and beneficial for correction for each group. Results: The factors influencing the perception of facial asymmetry were the degree of asymmetry and the observer group. Direction of the asymmetry and gender of the assessed individual did not affect the perception of asymmetry, except in the 4- to 6-mm distortion range. The gender of the observer had no influence on perception. There were statistically significant differences in the amounts of asymmetry that the laypeople and orthodontists considered to be normal (5.6 ± 2.7 mm and 3.6 ± 1.5 mm, respectively; P < .001) and felt would benefit from surgical correction (11.8 ± 4.0 mm and 9.7 ± 3.0 mm, respectively; P  =  .001). Conclusions: Perception of asymmetry is affected by the amount of asymmetry and the observer group, with orthodontists being more critical

Depleted by debt: ‘green’ microfinance, over-indebtedness, and social reproduction in climate-vulnerable Cambodia

The operations of microfinance are exalted in mainstream development thinking as a key means of supporting smallholder farmers facing growing crises of agricultural productivity in the context of daily, ongoing, and often slow-onset climate disasters. Enhancing coping and adaptative capacity, the provision of microfinance products and services would facilitate adaptation by facilitating both risk recovery and reduction. Bringing together original and mixed-method data collected between 2020-2022 in Cambodia, this paper critically examines this ‘green microfinance’ narrative by highlighting the ways in which microfinance contributes to reproducing and exacerbating climate precarity and harm for many. We evidence how credit-taking can lead to more dangerous and individualised efforts to cope with, and adapt to, existing conditions at home, often at the cost of emotional and bodily depletion. By doing so, we contribute to answering calls for connecting the literatures on social reproduction, depletion, and climate change adaptation