Ocular effects caused by viral infections and corresponding vaccines: An overview of varicella zoster virus, measles virus, influenza viruses, hepatitis B viruses, and SARS-CoV-2

Many viral infections can affect vision and the visual system. Vaccination to prevent diseases is commonplace today, acting by stimulating an immune response without developing the pathology. It involves the production of persisting antibodies against the pathogen and the activation of T cells. Certain diseases have already been eradicated by rigorous vaccination campaigns, while others are hoped to be eliminated soon. Vaccines currently available on the market are largely safe, even if they can rarely cause some adverse effects, such as ocular complications. Analyzing existing literature, we aimed to compare the pathological effects on the eye due to the most common viral infections [in particular varicella zoster virus (VZV), measles virus, influenza viruses, hepatitis B virus, and SARS-CoV-2] with the possible ocular adverse effects of their relative vaccines, in order to establish a risk-benefit relationship from an ophthalmological point of view

Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice: A Ten-Year Retrospective Review of Catholic Educational Research

The journal has a brief but important history, encompassing the support of major Catholic colleges and universities across the United States. In particular, the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame have provided a home for the editorial offices and the contributed services of the editors. As the journal prepares for a transition to its third home at Boston College, this article offers a summative and evaluative overview of the contents of the journal since its inception. Recommendations are offered regarding ways to continue to grow the field of educational research situated in Catholic schools

Body measurement estimations using 3D scanner for individuals with severe motor impairments

In biomechanics, a still unresolved question is how to estimate with enough accuracy the volume and mass of each body segment of a subject. This is important for several applications ranging from the rehabilitation of injured subjects to the study of athletic performances via the analysis of the dynamic inertia of each body segment. However, traditionally this evaluation is done by referring to anthropometric tables or by approximating the volumes using manual measurements. We propose a novel method based on the 3D reconstruction of the subject’s body using the commercial low-cost camera Kinect v2. The software developed performs body segment separation in a few minutes leveraging alpha shape approximation of 3D polyhedrons to quickly compute a Montecarlo volume estimation. The procedure was evaluated on a total of 30 healthy subjects and the resulting segments’ lengths and masses were compared with the literature