Spatial Presence, Situational Interest, and Ideal Future-Self in Virtual Reality among Adult Online Learners in the Philippines, Japan, and France

国際基督教大学　International Christian University202

Immersive capability and spatial presence in virtual reality photo-based tours: implications for distance education

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to describe an educational virtual reality (VR) photo-based tour used in an online course and investigate the influence of immersive capability on the dimensions of spatial presence and their relationship with learning-related variables. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a descriptive and an experimental methodological approach. The research objectives were achieved using a two-group (n1 = 29 and n2 = 30) experiment, employing descriptive statistics, t-test and correlation analysis. Findings – The t-test revealed that the immersive capability had a significant effect on the sense of physical space (SP) , Engagement (EN) and negative effects (NE) dimensions. Correlations between the dimensions of spatial presence were found to confirm reports from the literature. Furthermore, some of the dimensions were found to be correlated with motivational and learning variables. Research limitations/implications – The study reported the results of a one-off experiment among 59 participants. While the results were promising, a longitudinal qualitative study could confirm the results in an actual distance learning context. Practical implications – The study confirmed that adding VR photo-based tours as learning activities may enhance the learning experience of distance learners. Social implications – The study shared a case of a learning activity that can be employed for flexible education. Virtual tours can support the need for context-based learning that the geographical or political constraints may limit. Originality/value – While the paper confirms previous reports on the benefits of using VR photo-based tours as learning activities, this paper has empirically shown the relationship between the dimensions of spatial presence and immersive capability in this specialized context

Uma proposta metodológica de mapeamento de áreas suscetíveis à inundação e/ou alagamento, na bacia hidrográfica do córrego Indaiá-MS

This study aimed at using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) to determine a mathematical model to generate a map that synthesizing the areas susceptible to flooding and flooding for watershed of Indaiá, which has experiencing the occupation processing in recent years. You basin is located in the municipality of Aquidauana, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, located in a rural area. Indeed there are not records of occurrence of floods and / or flooding in the area, on the other hand, although phenomena caused by natural events are of hydrometeorological origin, they can be potentiated and / or triggered by human action, which justifies the search for minimize its consequences through, above all, through regularization of occupation of basin in the case. Aimed at recognizing the conditions and factors that potentially influence the formation and propagation of these events, a geographical research methodology was used. This methodology is based on integrated environmental analysis under the systemic perspective provided by the choice of river basin as the unit of analysis, encompassing multicriteria factors like natural and socioeconomic those contribute to configure the local reality, dynamically.Were researched and used in this work event like floods and flooding events in the basin, and the historical precipitation patterns for the region, geological and geomorphological characteristics, soil, land use and land cover, slope, hypsometry and hydrological conditions of the basin runoff. The methodological procedures were developed through the use of a geographic information system (GIS), using geoprocessing techniques, digital image processing and digital cartography, supported by mathematical and computational techniques for processing and analysis. With the use of this methodology, we reorganized the classes studied, classifying them, according to their degree of susceptibility to flooding and / or flooding. The results showed that the basin has not high susceptibility, since areas with higher sensitivities were around 23% of the total area. Related to the low slopes (outside the floodplain), there are associated soils poorly drained with lack of conservation practices. The intermediate areas (medium susceptibility) represent approximately 42% of the total area and the lower susceptibility covers an area of about 37%. The areas that had higher susceptibility, in particular for the flooding, are mostly related to the flood plain. The areas with the biggest trends to overflow are related to the low slope, added to human occupation in these areas.Neste trabalho propõe-se um modelo matemático para efetuar o mapeamento de áreas suscetíveis à inundação e/ou alagamento, fundamentado no método AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). A bacia hidrográfica do córrego Indaiá foi determinada como área experimental de análise, tendo em vista a sua ocupação que vem se processando nos últimos anos. Esta bacia está localizada no perímetro rural do município de Aquidauana, estado do Mato Grosso do Sul. Não há de fato, registros sobre ocorrência de inundações e/ou alagamentos nesta área; por outro lado, embora sejam fenômenos ocasionados por eventos naturais, de origem hidrometeorológica, eles podem ser potencializados e/ou deflagrados pela ação antrópica, o que justifica a busca pela minimização de suas consequências no meio ambiente, sobretudo, da regularização da ocupação dessa bacia sob análise. Visando o reconhecimento dos condicionantes e fatores que potencialmente exercem influência na formação e propagação desses eventos, foi utilizada uma metodologia de pesquisa geográfica, com base na análise integrada do ambiente sob a perspectiva sistêmica proporcionada pela escolha da bacia hidrográfica como unidade de análise, englobando técnica de análise multicritérios que considera fatores naturais e socioeconômicos que proporcionam a modelagem da realidade local de modo dinâmico. Os resultados mostraram que a bacia não apresenta elevada suscetibilidade, uma vez que as áreas com maior susceptibilidade representaram aproximadamente 23% da área total, relacionadas com as baixas declividades (fora da planície fluvial), solos mal drenados associados ao uso da terra com ausência de práticas conservacionistas. As áreas intermediárias (média suscetibilidade) representaram aproximadamente 42% da área total e as de menor suscetibilidade cerca de 37%. As áreas que apresentaram maiores suscetibilidades, em específico à inundação, estão relacionadas sobretudo com a planície fluvial, já as áreas com maiores tendências aos alagamentos estão relacionadas com a baixa declividade, somadas com as alterações antrópicas

Ocular Myasthenia in a Patient Immunosuppressed for Cadaveric Renal Transplantation

This article details the case history of a 41-year-old patient who had undergone a cadaveric renal transplant in 1983 and developed myasthenia gravis in 1990 despite being on immunosuppressive treatment with prednisone, azathioprine, and cyclosporine. She responded to symptomatic therapy with pyridostigmine. This case report is of interest since the patient developed myasthenia while already being heavily immunosuppressed for prevention of transplant rejection