Preferred Distance Research Articles

Smaller preferred interpersonal distance for joint versus parallel action.

During social interaction, humans prefer to keep a certain distance between themselves and other individuals. This preferred 'interpersonal distance' (IPD) is known to be sensitive to social context, and in the present study we aimed to further investigate the extent to which IPD is affected by the specific type of social interaction. In particular, we focused on the contrast between joint actions, where two or more individuals coordinate their actions in space and time to achieve a shared goal, and parallel actions, where individuals act alongside each other but individually. We predicted that joint action would be associated with a smaller preferred IPD compared to parallel action. Additionally, given that this research took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to assess whether IPD preferences are affected by individuals' concerns about infection in general, as well as COVID-19 in particular. We predicted that higher individual concerns would be associated with greater preferred IPD. To test these hypotheses, we asked participants to imagine different social scenarios (involving either joint or parallel actions alongside a stranger) and indicate, on a visual scale, their preferred IPD. The results of two experiments (n = 211, n = 212) showed that participants preferred a shorter distance when they imagined acting jointly compared to when they imagined acting in parallel. Moreover, participants who reported higher discomfort for potential pathogen contact and who were more aware of the COVID-19 context in which the study took place preferred a larger IPD in general. Our results provide further evidence that different types of social interaction shape IPD preference. We discuss potential reasons for this phenomenon and highlight remaining questions for future research.

Altered interpersonal distance regulation in autism spectrum disorder.

Interpersonal distance regulation is an essential element of social communication. Its impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely acknowledged among practitioners, but only a handful of studies reported empirical research in real-life settings, focusing mainly on children. Interpersonal distance in adults with ASD and related autonomic functions received less attention. Here, we measured interpersonal distance along with heart rate variability (HRV) in adults with ASD, and tested the modulatory effects of eye-contact and attribution. Twenty-two adults diagnosed with ASD and 21 matched neurotypical controls participated in our study from October 2019 to February 2020. Our experimental design combined the modified version of the stop distance paradigm with HRV measurement controlling for eye contact between the experimenter and the participant to measure interpersonal distance. Still, we did not detect significant modulatory effect of eye contact and attribution. Our results showed a greater preferred distance in ASD. Moreover, we found lower baseline HRV and reduced HRV reactivity in ASD; however, these autonomic measurements could not predict preferred interpersonal distance. Our study highlights the importance of interpersonal space regulation in ASD: it might be considered that people with ASD need individually variable, presumably greater interpersonal distance. In addition, regardless of the distance they may have reduced autonomic regulatory capacity in social situations. Our results could help shape future experiments with sophisticated designs to grasp the complexity and underlying factors of distance regulation in typical and atypical populations.

Binocular Visual Outcomes Comparison of Two Trifocal Intraocular Lenses in High-Myopic Cataract Patients: A 1-Year Multicenter Study

To compare the postoperative visual outcomes and quality of vision obtained with 2 types of diffractive trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients with highly myopic cataracts. Prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Patients with high-myopic cataracts were randomized to binocular implantation of either the TFNT00 (n=27) or the 839 MP (n=28) trifocal IOLs at 3 surgery centers in China and were followed up for 1 year. Postoperative uncorrected distance, uncorrected intermediate, and uncorrected near visual acuity, and best-corrected distance visual acuity were measured. The defocus curve, high-order aberrations, modulation transfer function curve, Strehl ratio, and reading ability were compared between both groups. The functional vision and incidence of photic phenomena were surveyed using questionnaires. Visual acuity at all ranges of vision was significantly improved in both groups. The TFNT00 group showed superior uncorrected intermediate visual acuity to that in the 839 MP group (P=.013). Reading ability at 40 and 60 cm was similar in both groups (P ≥ .05), whereas the preferred reading distances for near and intermediate were significantly different. The TFNT00 group had a significantly higher mean Visual Function Index 14 score, lower incidence of photic phenomena, and less posterior capsular opacity than the 839 MP group. Bilateral implantation of both types of trifocal IOLs in patients with high-myopic cataracts provided good whole-course visual restoration, although recognition of fine Chinese characters remained impeded. As compared with 839 MP IOL, TFNT00 IOL resulted in greater patient satisfaction in intermediate activities, with a lower photic phenomena incidence.

Ideologically‐based contact avoidance during a pandemic: Blunt or selective distancing from ‘others’?

AbstractThis project sought to understand when ideology is relevant (or not) to predicting contact avoidance of ‘others’ during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Right‐leaning ideologies (political conservatism, right‐wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation) were not expected to predict greater contact avoidance per se, but rather exhibit selective avoidance of outgroup (vs. ingroup) members. White British participated in one exploratory (Study 1 N = 364) and two pre‐registered (Study 2 N = 431, Study 3 N = 700) studies. As expected, right‐leaning ideologies were significantly stronger predictors of greater preferred personal distance and contact discomfort regarding foreign outgroups (vs. British ingroup) in Studies 1 and 3 (partially supported in Study 2). Ideology rarely predicted ingroup reactions. This Ideology × Target pattern was itself not moderated by the perceived COVID‐19 threat. Pre‐pandemic theorizing that heightened behavioural immune system responses are associated with heightened right‐leaning ideologies appear insufficient for use in actual pandemic contexts, especially when highly politicized.

Clinical Evaluation of Reading Performance in Refractive Lens Exchange With a Diffractive Continuous-Range-of-Vision Intraocular Lens

Evaluation of reading performance with a novel presbyopia correcting intraocular lens (IOL) in refractive lens exchange using an electronic reading desk. Prospective interventional before-and-after clinical study. In total, 56 eyes of 28 patients were included. Bilateral implantation of the TECNIS Synergy IOL (Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision) during a bilateral delayed sequential refractive lens exchange procedure. Uncorrected and distance corrected reading acuity, reading distance, reading speed, and the smallest print size that could be read effectively at a set (40 cm/80 cm) and subjectively chosen near and intermediate distance were assessed using the Salzburg Reading Desk preoperatively and 6 months after surgery. Uncorrected near reading acuity increased from 0.61 ± 0.16 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) preoperatively to 0.05 ± 0.09 logMAR postoperatively at the set near distance (40 cm) and from 0.60 ± 0.11 logMAR to 0.07 ± 0.08 logMAR at the subjectively preferred distance (39.6 ± 5.3 cm and 37.7 ± 4.3 cm). Uncorrected intermediate reading acuity was 0.39 ± 0.19 logMAR preoperatively and 0.08 ± 0.07 logMAR postoperatively at the set intermediate distance (80 cm) and 0.43 ± 0.21 logMAR preoperatively and 0.07 ± 0.08 logMAR postoperatively at the preferred intermediate distance (73.5 ± 9.5 cm and 73.3 ± 5.9 cm). Uncorrected intermediate and near reading function considerably improved after bilateral implantation of the TECNIS Synergy IOL. Patients preferred a closer near and intermediate distance to the set distances. However, reading function was comparable for the set and subjectively preferred distances.

Preferred distance from camera for online interactions and its relation with individual differences in pathogen sensitivity

Humans maintain distance from others in their interpersonal interactions and this has been documented in previous research in real-world scenarios. However, thanks to telecommunication technologies, humans are also interacting online with each other. While individuals are competent in adjusting their interpersonal distance based on their own preferences and others' considerations in a real-world situation, they might not be as competent in their online interactions. The aim of the current study is twofold: a) to investigate individuals’ preferred distance from a camera both for themselves and others while in an online interaction, and b) to test whether individual differences in pathogen sensitivity influence their preferred distances in an online interaction. Participants (N = 159) were asked to indicate their comfort distance from a camera for themselves and others while interacting in an online scenario. The distance from the camera varied systematically from 50 cm to 200 cm. Results showed that participants preferred to stand 80 cm–120 cm from a camera. As for the avatars that the participants viewed online, men and women preferred female avatars to stand between 80 cm and 130 cm from a camera, and male avatars to stand between 80 cm and 150 cm from a camera. And although the chances of contracting a disease online is zero, we found that germ aversion and concern about contracting COVID-19 were associated with the preferred distances from the camera. We attribute this result to a false positive error in social cognition.

All the gear: The prevalence and perceived effectiveness of recovery strategies used by triathletes

BackgroundTo minimise the deleterious effects of fatigue and muscle soreness and maintain availability for training and competition, triathletes may implement recovery strategies that act on various physiological, biomechanical, neurological or psychological domains. However, the use of common recovery strategies is yet to be investigated in this population. Methods322 triathletes (109 female, 212 male) of varying competition levels from 39 countries participated in the current study. Participants completed an anonymous online survey to determine their use and perceived effectiveness of various recovery strategies. Multiple chi-square tests were conducted to examine the association between training week type (normal vs post-competition), preferred event distance (short or long course), competition level and use of recovery strategies. ResultsThe most frequently used recovery strategies during normal training weeks were active recovery (51%), stretching (47%) and additional sleep (32%), while foam rolling (35%), massage guns (20%) and compression garments (19%) were the most commonly used recovery devices. The use of active recovery, additional sleep and professional massage was significantly (p = <.002) more common in the week following a competitive event than during a normal training week. Long course triathletes were more likely to use intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices (p = .008) and hydrotherapy (p = .05) than were short-course triathletes. ConclusionActive recovery, additional sleep and stretching are the preferred recovery choices for triathletes of all levels, though the use of foam rolling, massage guns and compression garments is common in this population. Active recovery, additional sleep and professional massage are more frequently used by triathletes in the week following a competitive event and are perceived to be the most effective recovery strategies overall.

Outpatient Therapists’ Perspectives on Working With Persons Who Are Sexually Interested in Minors

Minor-attracted persons (MAPs; i.e., people who are sexually interested in children and adolescents below the age threshold of legal consent for sexual activity) exhibit high psychological distress but report difficulties finding therapeutic help and are reluctant to start treatment due to fears of therapist stigmatization. This research sought to elucidate the link between outpatient therapists’ stigmatizing attitudes toward non-offending versus offending MAPs and therapists’ willingness to treat MAPs as well as how stigmatization was related to treatment-relevant aspects such as perceived MAP treatment needs, treatment barriers, and specific MAP treatment skills. Results from a brief, anonymous online survey conducted among N = 427 Swiss outpatient therapists working in the primary healthcare system are reported. Although therapists were less stigmatizing than the general public, considerable individual differences in the stigmatization of non-offending MAPs emerged. Stigmatizing attitudes toward non-offending MAPs and a perceived lack of specific treatment competences were negatively related to therapists’ willingness to treat MAPs. A network analysis revealed direct links between subjectively perceived MAP treatment competence and treatment willingness and between treatment willingness and social distance attitudes. Other stigmatizing attitudes were only indirectly linked to treatment willingness through preferred social distance. It is a paradox that therapists believe that MAPs should greatly benefit from secondary prevention but many are unwilling to provide therapy (45% in case of non-offending MAPs vs. 63% in case of offending MAPs) or do not feel competent to provide MAPs with professional help (47% with and 88% of therapists without previous MAP treatment experience). Implications for increasing therapists’ treatment willingness are discussed.

Multi-color dSTORM microscopy in Hormad1-/- spermatocytes reveals alterations in meiotic recombination intermediates and synaptonemal complex structure.

Recombinases RAD51 and its meiosis-specific paralog DMC1 accumulate on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in meiosis. Here we used three-color dSTORM microscopy, and a mouse model with severe defects in meiotic DSB formation and synapsis (Hormad1-/-) to obtain more insight in the recombinase accumulation patterns in relation to repair progression. First, we used the known reduction in meiotic DSB frequency in Hormad1-/- spermatocytes to be able to conclude that the RAD51/DMC1 nanofoci that preferentially localize at distances of ~300 nm form within a single DSB site, whereas a second preferred distance of ~900 nm, observed only in wild type, represents inter-DSB distance. Next, we asked whether the proposed role of HORMAD1 in repair inhibition affects the RAD51/DMC1 accumulation patterns. We observed that the two most frequent recombinase configurations (1 DMC1 and 1 RAD51 nanofocus (D1R1), and D2R1) display coupled frequency dynamics over time in wild type, but were constant in the Hormad1-/- model, indicating that the lifetime of these intermediates was altered. Recombinase nanofoci were also smaller in Hormad1-/- spermatocytes, consistent with changes in ssDNA length or protein accumulation. Furthermore, we established that upon synapsis, recombinase nanofoci localized closer to the synaptonemal complex (SYCP3), in both wild type and Hormad1-/- spermatocytes. Finally, the data also revealed a hitherto unknown function of HORMAD1 in inhibiting coil formation in the synaptonemal complex. SPO11 plays a similar but weaker role in coiling and SYCP1 had the opposite effect. Using this large super-resolution dataset, we propose models with the D1R1 configuration representing one DSB end containing recombinases, and the other end bound by other ssDNA binding proteins, or both ends loaded by the two recombinases, but in below-resolution proximity. This may then often evolve into D2R1, then D1R2, and finally back to D1R1, when DNA synthesis has commenced.

Visual recognition of social signals by a tectothalamic neural circuit

Social affiliation emerges from individual-level behavioural rules that are driven by conspecific signals1–5. Long-distance attraction and short-distance repulsion, for example, are rules that jointly set a preferred interanimal distance in swarms6–8. However, little is known about their perceptual mechanisms and executive neural circuits3. Here we trace the neuronal response to self-like biological motion9,10, a visual trigger for affiliation in developing zebrafish2,11. Unbiased activity mapping and targeted volumetric two-photon calcium imaging revealed 21 activity hotspots distributed throughout the brain as well as clustered biological-motion-tuned neurons in a multimodal, socially activated nucleus of the dorsal thalamus. Individual dorsal thalamus neurons encode local acceleration of visual stimuli mimicking typical fish kinetics but are insensitive to global or continuous motion. Electron microscopic reconstruction of dorsal thalamus neurons revealed synaptic input from the optic tectum and projections into hypothalamic areas with conserved social function12–14. Ablation of the optic tectum or dorsal thalamus selectively disrupted social attraction without affecting short-distance repulsion. This tectothalamic pathway thus serves visual recognition of conspecifics, and dissociates neuronal control of attraction from repulsion during social affiliation, revealing a circuit underpinning collective behaviour.

The scale of seasonal migrations in the urban part of the Great Tit population in the southeast of the West Siberian plain

Aim. This research aims to study the Great Tit breeding density, depending on the distance from preferred wintering sites with all other things being equal.Material and Methods. 36 route counts were carried out in 22 locations ranging up to 95 km away from the preferred wintering sites. The data was collected in the same weather and climatic zone. The route counts were carried out in the wintering season (January) and in the breeding season (16 April – 15 May) in 2014‐2018. To consider the influence of small settlements, where a smaller number of tits spends winter in comparison with a large city, sample sites were characterized by the population of people living within a radius of 25 km around the sample site.Results. Most Great Tits prefer to minimise the distance from their wintering sites to their nesting sites. The most preferred distance of seasonal movement is 10‐20 km from a large city, the main wintering place for this species.Conclusions. The density of the Great Tit population during the nesting period increases exponentially with the proximity of wintering sites. When more than 20 km from wintering sites, the density of the species during the nesting period does not change reliably. The maximum immanent density during the nesting period is achieved in places of favourable wintering of the species, that is, in a metropolis with agglomeration.

Altered interpersonal distance regulation in autism spectrum disorder

IntroductionInterpersonal distance regulation is an essential element of social communication. Its impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely acknowledged among practitioners, but only a handful of studies reported empirical research. However, these studies did not measure the alterations of vegetative functions related to interpersonal distance.ObjectivesWe introduced a new experimental design to systematically measure interpersonal distance along with heart rate variability (HRV) in adults with ASD and tested the modulatory effect of intentionality, eye contact, moving activity, and attribution.MethodsTwenty-two adults diagnosed with ASD and 21 matched neurotypical controls participated in our study from 2019 October to 2020 February. Our new experimental design combined the modified version of the stop distance paradigm with HRV measurement controlling for eye contact between the experimenter and the participant to measure interpersonal distance in incidental and intentional conditions.ResultsOur results showed greater preferred distance in ASD in the intentional (W=103, p=0.002) but not in the incidental condition. These results were altered with eye contact and the participant’s role (active vs. passive) in the stop distance task (F(1,41)=6.150, p=0.017). Moreover, we found lower baseline HRV (t =-2.060, p=0.023) and reduced HRV reactivity in ASD; however, these vegetative measurements could not predict preferred interpersonal distance.ConclusionsOur study highlights the importance of interpersonal distance regulation in ASD and the need for comprehensive experimental designs to grasp the complexity and underlying factors of distance regulation in typical and atypical populations.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Middle School Students' Views on Distance Education: Turkish Language Teaching under the Shadow of COVID-19 Pandemic

In this study, it was aimed to determine the strengths, deficiencies, and weaknesses of distance education process of learning-teaching activities in Turkish lesson by asking the opinions of students who are the subject of the learning process. In the study, the basic qualitative research design was preferred considering the nature of the research subject. The study group of the research consists of twenty-eight 7th grade students who continue their education activities in Eskişehir in the 2020-2021 academic year. The online interviews were conducted with the teachers through a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers. The data were analyzed by content analysis using the MAXQDA program. The students stated that distance education is more functional than face-to-face education in vocabulary activities of listening and comprehension skills. In speaking and writing skills, students mostly preferred distance education. The students explained the strengths and weaknesses of the two educational environments compared to each other in terms of all skills, with their justifications. In the study, students were also asked to write the five most useful features of both educational environments. Thus, the strengths of both learning environments in terms of Turkish lessons were revealed. Based on the data obtained, it has been determined that distance education cannot create an alternative to face-to-face education in terms of social interaction, teacher-student interaction, group studies at the desired level, but distance education is clearly preferred by students as it offers many opportunities that face-to-face education does not offer. For this reason, based on the prominent skills and activities of distance education, it can be said that it will be more beneficial to continue Turkish lessons by adopting a mixed (hybrid) model in the future.

A computational model of stereoscopic prey capture in praying mantises.

We present a simple model which can account for the stereoscopic sensitivity of praying mantis predatory strikes. The model consists of a single “disparity sensor”: a binocular neuron sensitive to stereoscopic disparity and thus to distance from the animal. The model is based closely on the known behavioural and neurophysiological properties of mantis stereopsis. The monocular inputs to the neuron reflect temporal change and are insensitive to contrast sign, making the sensor insensitive to interocular correlation. The monocular receptive fields have a excitatory centre and inhibitory surround, making them tuned to size. The disparity sensor combines inputs from the two eyes linearly, applies a threshold and then an exponent output nonlinearity. The activity of the sensor represents the model mantis’s instantaneous probability of striking. We integrate this over the stimulus duration to obtain the expected number of strikes in response to moving targets with different stereoscopic disparity, size and vertical disparity. We optimised the parameters of the model so as to bring its predictions into agreement with our empirical data on mean strike rate as a function of stimulus size and disparity. The model proves capable of reproducing the relatively broad tuning to size and narrow tuning to stereoscopic disparity seen in mantis striking behaviour. Although the model has only a single centre-surround receptive field in each eye, it displays qualitatively the same interaction between size and disparity as we observed in real mantids: the preferred size increases as simulated prey distance increases beyond the preferred distance. We show that this occurs because of a stereoscopic “false match” between the leading edge of the stimulus in one eye and its trailing edge in the other; further work will be required to find whether such false matches occur in real mantises. Importantly, the model also displays realistic responses to stimuli with vertical disparity and to pairs of identical stimuli offering a “ghost match”, despite not being fitted to these data. This is the first image-computable model of insect stereopsis, and reproduces key features of both neurophysiology and striking behaviour.

Perceptions of Medical Students on Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Bahrain

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden shift from face-to-face to distance learning. We explored medical students’ views of online learning during this pandemic at the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of students in years two, three and four (n= 559) using an electronic questionnaire. Data were collected from April 10 to May 5, 2021. The survey included three domains: behavioral, affective, and cognitive. We also analyzed the association between students’ perceptions and certain demographic and institutional factors.ResultsThe number of respondents was 311 (response rate: 55.6%; 27.7% males, 72.3% females). Participants were generally satisfied with distance learning (54.6%), although they had less motivation (46.3%) and required more effort (32.2%). Most students preferred distance learning for theoretical parts, and face-to-face approach for practical components (73.3%). Participants reported that distance learning, improved interaction with instructors and classmates (45.6% and 48.9%, respectively), small group learning (47.6%), independent learning (75.3%) and problem-solving skills (44.7%). The students were comfortable with online assessment (60.1%), and reported improved achievement in written (42.1%) and practical examinations (46%), but not in professional skills grades (21.6%). There was no association between students’ perceptions and gender (p= 0.079), year of study (p= 0.28) or attendance of live or recorded sessions (p= 0.904), but there was a positive association with the availability of WiFi (p< 0.01) and attendance of college-organized activities (p< 0.0001).ConclusionDistance learning was successfully implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were generally satisfied with distance learning and online assessment, but they had concerns about the clinical skills learning. After the pandemic is over, theoretical components of the curriculum can be delivered using distance learning, whereas hands on elements should be offered face-to-face. However, those curricular reforms will likely need investing in the information technology infrastructure.

Activity-induced interactions and cooperation of artificial microswimmers in one-dimensional environments

Cooperative motion in biological microswimmers is crucial for their survival as it facilitates adhesion to surfaces, formation of hierarchical colonies, efficient motion, and enhanced access to nutrients. Here, we confine synthetic, catalytic microswimmers along one-dimensional paths and demonstrate that they too show a variety of cooperative behaviours. We find that their speed increases with the number of swimmers, and that the activity induces a preferred distance between swimmers. Using a minimal model, we ascribe this behavior to an effective activity-induced potential that stems from a competition between chemical and hydrodynamic coupling. These interactions further induce active self-assembly into trains where swimmers move at a well-separated, stable distance with respect to each other, as well as compact chains that can elongate, break-up, become immobilized and remobilized. We identify the crucial role that environment morphology and swimmer directionality play on these highly dynamic chain behaviors. These activity-induced interactions open the door toward exploiting cooperation for increasing the efficiency of microswimmer motion, with temporal and spatial control, thereby enabling them to perform intricate tasks inside complex environments.

Developing Guidelines for Age-Friendly Buses: a Survey of Older Peoples’ Preferences Regarding Headways, Distance to the Bus Stop and Destinations

Background: Transport providers and policy makers should be guided by research evidence when developing age-friendly transportation services. There are significant gaps in the literature regarding older peoples’ preferences for bus headways, distance to the bus stop and destinations. Therefore, the aims of this study are to 1) quantify the preferred headways for older people, 2) quantify the preferred distance to the bus stop for older people, and 3) list and rank the preferred destinations of older people. Methods: A survey of community-dwelling older people in Hervey Bay and Brisbane (both in Australia) was conducted to quantify the preferences of older people regarding headways, distance to the bus stop and destinations. Results: One hundred participants completed the survey. The majority of older people preferred headways of a maximum of 30 minutes during the day and hourly at other times. The preferred distance to the bus stop was 200m or less. Preferred destinations included cross-suburban travel, leisure destinations, shops, central business district, medical services and other towns. Conclusion: These results contrast with usual practice and industry conventions. Transport providers and policy makers who are interested in providing age-friendly services should attempt to meet these guidelines. They may need to consider innovative approaches in order to meet these requirements.

Learning Activities for Modular Distance Learning in Dr. Francisco L. Calingasan Memorial Colleges Foundation Inc. Tuy and Nasugbu Campuses

In the era of globalization and internationalization, the school is at the forefront of meeting the challenges of the 21st century education. Innovations abound, millions of information are made available in the worldwide web and new ways of management practices and learning have emerged (Dayagbil, 2016). Distance learning is a learning delivery modality which occurs when the teacher and learners are geographically remote from each other. Modular Distance Learning (MDL) is a type of distance learning that uses modules to transfer learning to the students. (Llego, 2020). The education system has immensely transformed from traditional way of learning into a more diverse one which can cope with the fast-changing world. It can now address the different skills of the 21st century learners. The integration of different learning modalities into the curriculum makes it more accessible for everyone. In the Philippines, the Department of Education widens learners’ access to quality education through the Alternative Delivery Mode. Based on Republic Act 10618 or an Act Establishing Rural Farm Schools as Alternative Delivery Mode of Secondary Education and Appropriating Funds of 2013, the Alternative Delivery Mode may include the use of facilitator - aided and interactive self - instructional print and audio - based learning materials, video tapes, face - to - face structured learning groups, demonstration sessions, home visits, mentoring and remediation. This implies that aside from the formal education in which students are confined in the classrooms, there are ways to reach out to learners especially if they are incapable of attending regular class days. To further address the accessibility of education for the Filipino learners, the Philippines reaffirmed its global commitment to bring benefits of education to “every citizen to every society” and developed the National Plan of Action to Achieve Education for All which also aimed to achieve an improved quality of basic education for every Filipino. It includes reforms in the curriculum and introduced the Alternative Delivery Modes that promote access and holding power of school through the implementation of the Project EASE (Effective Alternative Secondary Education) to complement the existing formal education to make secondary education more accessible to students in disadvantaged situations. Learning is facilitated through the use of modules as instructional materials during the period when students are out of the classroom. Truly, the Philippine government together with the Department of Education continuously strive to provide and improve the quality of education for every Filipino to meet the demands of the global community. Even during these trying times as we face the COVID-19 pandemic, the department yield ways to adapt to the new normal by launching various distance learning modalities for the school year 2020-2021. This is to ensure that the pandemic will not hinder learning but also to secure the health of every stakeholder in the learning process. Based on the survey results from the Learner Enrolment and Survey Forms distributed by the schools nationwide, both private and public, the parents as well as the learners’ preferred modular distance learning than online distance learning. The 8.8 million parents opted for modular learning while only 3.8 million chose online learning. On the other hand, 7.2 million enrolees preferred modular distance learning while only 2 million enrolees opted for online distance learning. (Malipol, 2020). It is for this that this study was thought of. It attempts to assess the utilization of Modular Distance Learning Strategies of Teachers in Dr. Francisco L. Calingasan Memorial Colleges Foundation Inc. Tuy and Nasugbu Campuses during the academic year 2020 - 2021.

Distance Education System in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in Turkey and Croatia

Distance education, which was implemented as a form of education in the past years, has become more important with the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic all over the world. In Turkey, since March 23, 2019, education had passed gradually to distance education at all educational levels, including physiotherapy and rehabilitation study programs at universities. There are 123 departments the Distance Education University in Turkey. 87.5% of students found the efficiency of distance education low for practical courses and 78.5% for theoretical courses. 90.3% of the students preferred traditional education and 9.7% preferred distance education. The first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Croatia was confirmed on February 25, 2020. In the research by Puljak et al., regarding the opinions of university students of health sciences, many students did not express concern about the lack of practical lessons, voicing opinions that this can be compensated once they start working. Most students indicated that in the future, they would prefer to combine traditional teaching and e-learning (N = 1403; 55.7%). The obtained results raise questions of students' perception of the importance of practical teaching during their university studies. The distance education system in the field of physiotherapy and rehabilitation in Turkey and Croatia will influence the revision of the curriculum and the use of a combined learning model (blended learning) also called integrated learning system.

Effect of human library intervention on mental health literacy: a multigroup pretest\u2013posttest study

BackgroundMental health literacy (MHL) is an evolving concept encompassing knowledge of mental illness, help-seeking options, perceived stigma, and discrimination. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a human library intervention at enhancing MHL. A human library intervention was adopted to enhance MHL in this study. The human library intervention aims to establish a positive framework and safe space for dialogue between readers and a ‘human book’. It works to promote dialogue, reduce prejudice, and encourage understanding of people who are regarded as disadvantaged or in a minority group.MethodsAn experimental approach with a multigroup pretest–posttest design was adopted. Forty-five participants aged between 18 and 23 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental group (human library intervention), comparison group (didactic teaching session), or control group (no intervention). Adapted vignette-based MHL scale scores were used as the outcome measures. The overall and subscale scores were included in the analysis.ResultsThe human library intervention group showed a significant improvement in overall MHL compared with the other two groups. In a multivariate analysis of the variance in subscale scores, the intervention was shown to significantly reduce stigma and preferred social distance, but had no significant effect on knowledge acquisition.ConclusionsThe human library intervention is effective at enhancing overall MHL and reducing stigma and preferred social distance. Further studies are suggested to further develop the MHL construct, human library interventions, and the MHL scales for consolidating evidence-based practice.