LEARNING PREFERENCES AND VACCINATION STATUS OF STUDENTS IN A TERTIARY INSTITUTION: BASIS FOR FLEXIBLE LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION 2.0

The objective of this study is to determine the learning preferences and vaccination status of students from a local college in Olongapo City, Philippines. The investigators employed a descriptive-survey research among 5,021 students who were currently enrolled in the academic year of 2021-2022.  Results show that 94.7% prefer online mode of learning; 79.7% show intention to enroll for the next semester of the new academic year; however only 51.7% of the students wanted a face-to-face class and 61.4% of the students’ parents/guardian approve their son/daughter to attend face-to-face classes. In terms of vaccination status, 95.3% of the students have their vaccinations shots already (fully vaccinated) and Pfizer was the brand of choice of the 38% students. The study concluded that students are still prefer online mode of learning. Also, majority of the students were fully vaccinated. The study recommends continue and enhance the implementation of flexible learning of the institution

Large-Fiber Dysfunction in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Is Predicted by Cardiovascular Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE Diabetic large–nerve fiber dysfunction, as measured by vibration perception threshold (VPT), predicts foot ulceration, amputation, and mortality. Thus, determination of modifiable risk factors is of great clinical importance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed 1,407 patients with type 1 diabetes and a normal VPT participating in the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study, at baseline mean ± SD age of 32.7 ± 10.2 years with diabetes duration of 14.7 ± 9.3 years and follow-up of 7.3 ± 0.6 years. VPT was measured using biothesiometry on the right big toe and medial malleolus. An abnormal result was defined as >2 SD from the predicted mean for the patient s age. RESULTS An abnormal VPT was associated with an increased incidence of gangrene, amputation, foot ulceration, leg bypass or angioplasty, and mortality (P ≤ 0.02). The incidence of abnormal VPT was 24% over the 7.3-year follow-up. Duration of diabetes and A1C significantly influenced the incidence of abnormal VPT (P < 0.0001). After correction for these, established risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including male sex (P = 0.0004), hypertension (P < 0.0001), total cholesterol (P = 0.002), LDL cholesterol (P = 0.01), smoking (P < 0.0001), weight (P < 0.0001), and diabetes complications (retinopathy [P = 0.0001], nephropathy [P = 0.01], and autonomic neuropathy [P = 0.001]), were all found to be significant risk factors. A previous history of CVD doubled the incidence of abnormal VPT. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study indicates that cardiovascular risk factors predict development of large-fiber dysfunction, which may account for the high mortality rate in patients with an abnormal VPT, and emphasizes the importance of early determination of VPT to detect subclinical neuropathy and to address cardiovascular risk factors

Investigating the effect of pictorial depth cues on distance perception in a virtual environment

In the last years, many experiments about distance perception in virtual environments (VEs) have been undertaken. Aim of these researches was to study the effect of different depth cues in estimating the distances. Many theories have been proposed regarding the relation between different cues; but none of them seems to be conclusive. However, a common conclusion is that observers underestimate long distances in VEs. In this work, we present the results of experiments considering different pictorial cues (shadows, reflections, and texture gradients). The observers' task was to estimate the distance of a sphere floating inside a VE in the action space. After 15 s, the sphere was moved to another position, and the observer was asked to move it, by means of a gamepad, to the previous position. The apparatus used for the experiments is the Virtual Theater of the Milan University , an installation of virtual reality characterized by a large semicylindrical screen that covers 120\ub0 of field of view. The results seem to suggest that shadows and texture gradients could improve distance estimations inside the VE. The implications of the results will be discussed within the relevant literature

Perceptual enhancement of degraded Etruscan wall paintings

In this paper, we present a method for unsupervised digital image enhancement, finalized to the visual analysis of degraded Etruscan wall paintings. In many cases, original Etruscan wall paintings are not well-preserved and the simple photographic acquisition does not allow a successful visual investigation. The use of commercial softwares as image enhancers generally do not lead to satisfactory results. Here, we propose an algorithm based on a computational model of human vision, called Automatic Color Equalization (ACE). ACE allows an unsupervised filtering of the degraded wall paintings; it is able to equalize automatically color and contrast, allowing in this way an easier and more successful visual investigation