Sight Research Articles

Level of Gamification Instruction in Language, Literacy, and Communication Domains for Kindergarten

This study aimed to assess the level of gamification instruction in language, literacy, and communication domains for kindergarten, in private schools, in a highly urbanized city in Central Philippines during the school year 2023-2024. Data for this descriptive study was collected from 34 kindergarten teachers using a self-made data-gathering instrument that underwent a stringent validity and reliability test with scores of 4.51 and 0.848, respectively. The results reveal that teachers’ level of gamification instruction was generally very high. Subsequent analysis indicated no significant difference in the level of gamification instruction in auditory perception and discrimination, oral language, alphabet knowledge, and study skills when grouped by age, area of concentration, length of service, and number of trainings attended. Meanwhile, a significant difference was observed in auditory perception and discrimination, visual perception discrimination, alphabet knowledge, and study skills when grouped by highest educational attainment. Likewise, there was a significant difference in visual perception and discrimination when grouped by highest educational attainment and length of service. Hence, this study recommends professional development for younger teachers, tailored gamified activities pieces of training, and the creation of a climate conducive to learning in the research environment. Keywords: Gamification Instruction, Language, Literacy, Communication, Kindergarten

Assessment of Quality of Life, Self-Esteem and Body Image Perception According to Marital Status in Employed Women

Assessment of Quality of Life, Self-Esteem and Body Image Perception According to Marital Status in Employed Women

Expectation generation and its effect on subsequent pain and visual perception.

Bayesian accounts of perception, such as predictive processing, suggest that perceptions integrate expectations and sensory experience, and thus assimilate to expected values. Furthermore, more precise expectations should have stronger influences on perception. We tested these hypotheses in a paradigm that manipulates both the mean value and the precision of cues within-person. Forty-five participants observed cues-presented as ratings from 10 previous participants-with varying cue means, variances (precision), and skewness across trials. Participants reported expectations regarding the painfulness of thermal stimuli or the visual contrast of flickering checkerboards. Subsequently, similar cues were each followed by a visual or noxious thermal stimulus. While perceptions assimilated to expected values in both modalities, cues' precision mainly affected visual ratings. Furthermore, behavioral and computational models revealed that expectations were biased towards extreme values in both modalities, and towards low-pain cues specifically. fMRI analysis revealed that the cues affected systems related to higher-level affective and cognitive processes-including assimilation to the cue mean in a neuromarker of endogenous contributions to pain and in the nucleus accumbens, and activity consistent with aversive prediction-error-like encoding in the periaqueductal gray during pain perception-but not systems related to early perceptual processing. Our findings suggest that predictive processing theories should be combined with mechanisms such as selective attention to better fit empirical findings, and that expectation generation and its perceptual effects are mostly modality-specific and operate on higher-level processes rather than early perception.

Visual Quality Analysis of Diyarbakır Sur District's Historical Buildings and Surroundings

Historical sites are structures, monuments, or areas that carry the traces of the past and hold significant importance in the collective memory of society. The cultural, historical, and architectural value of historic places is important for visual perception. Visual quality analysis aims to assess the physical condition and appearance of these historic places and to identify their conservation and maintenance needs. This analysis plays an important role in the decisions to be taken for the preservation of the place. The parameters that influence visual quality reflect the preservation and maintenance of the place, the visitor experience, the importance of cultural heritage for conservation, tourism and economy, and social awareness. Visual perception of historic places refers to how people perceive these places and how this perception is associated with the historical, cultural, and architectural features of the place. The visual perception of historic places may vary depending on various factors. The visual perception of historic places is important for their preservation, visitor experience and the continuation of cultural heritage. While a positive visual perception of historic places can make them more valuable and important in society, a negative perception can damage their reputation and make it difficult to preserve them. For this reason, the visual perception of historical places is an important factor that should be taken into account in determining conservation and maintenance strategies and in the promotion of places. In this study, thirty historical places in Diyarbakır Sur District were evaluated by 10 experts according to visual quality parameters. As a result, with the scores obtained in the visual perception of historical places, suggestions were made for the protection of these places, their importance in terms of tourism and the continuation of cultural heritage.

Non-orthogonal spectacle correction for irregular astigmatism.

To investigate the potential improvement in visual acuity and subjective perception of image quality in patients with keratoconus using non-orthogonal correction (NOC) cylinder trial lenses where the steep and flat power meridians are set at angles less or greater than 90°. A set of NOC plano/cylindrical trial lenses, where the axes between the power meridians were set at a range of non-orthogonal angles, were used to refract 18 participants with keratoconus in whom 23 eyes were used for testing. Corneal elevation data were processed by bespoke MATLAB code from Pentacam Scheimpflug tomographer scans. Each participant first underwent subjective refraction using standard orthogonal cylinder trial lenses, and the monocular best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR) was recorded for each eye. They then underwent a second subjective refraction using NOC cylinder trial lenses created for the study and completed a questionnaire to elicit their subjective appraisal of letter clarity and ghosting. Fourteen (61%) eyes demonstrated an increase in objective BCVA with the NOC versus the orthogonal correction; seven (30%) eyes showed no change and in two (9%) eyes, the BCVA was slightly worse. Further, 87% and 79% experienced an increase in letter clarity and a reduction in ghosting, respectively, independent of changes in BCVA. The majority of non-orthogonal angles were in the range of 80°-85°, and it was possible to refine the cylinder and axis of the NOC further compared with the orthogonal correction. All but one of the participants said they would be interested in trying non-orthogonal spectacles if the opportunity arose. Correcting irregular astigmatism in keratoconic individuals with non-orthogonal spectacle correction may provide benefit in terms of increased visual acuity, improvements in letter clarity and a reduction of ghosting effects. This type of correction has the potential to improve the overall quality of life for patients with keratoconus.

Francisco de Melo’s theory of vision

ABSTRACT As a complement to his version of Euclid’s Optics, the Portuguese mathematician Francisco the Melo (1490-1536) wrote a short treatise on the principles of vision that also included a summary description of the components of the eye. Combining arguments of geometric and anatomical nature, that text helps us to understand some of the conflicting ideas of the Renaissance period, before Kepler, but it also invites us to reread the contributions of a number of authors from the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on Alhacen and Witelo. Although Melo's theory of vision cannot be classified as exactly groundbreaking, it presents many interesting and singular peculiarities. In particular the way in which Melo justifies the existence of rays emitted by the eye while incorporating, at the same time, some elements of the intromission theories, and the clear steps he gives to single out the perpendicular ray in the mechanism behind a faithful and distinct vision.

Pre-stimulus neural activity and visual perception in schizophrenia

Pre-stimulus neural activity and visual perception in schizophrenia

Learning Internal Representations of 3D Transformations From 2D Projected Inputs.

We describe a computational model for inferring 3D structure from the motion of projected 2D points in an image, with the aim of understanding how biological vision systems learn and internally represent 3D transformations from the statistics of their input. The model uses manifold transport operators to describe the action of 3D points in a scene as they undergo transformation. We show that the model can learn the generator of the Lie group for these transformations from purely 2D input, providing a proof-of-concept demonstration for how biological systems could adapt their internal representations based on sensory input. Focusing on a rotational model, we evaluate the ability of the model to infer depth from moving 2D projected points and to learn rotational transformations from 2D training stimuli. Finally, we compare the model performance to psychophysical performance on structure-from-motion tasks.

A Longitudinal Study on Body Image Perception and Size among Italian Early Adolescents: Changes over Time and Discrepancies between Genders.

The discrepancy between the current perceived body image (BI) and beauty ideals leads to dissatisfaction, which is believed to be common among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the stability in BI perceptions and dissatisfaction during early adolescence. Another aim was to highlight differences in dissatisfaction according to Body Mass Index (BMI) and inconsistencies in weight status perception. Two hundred and nine participants (mean age at first survey: 11.33 ± 0.38 years) were enrolled in this longitudinal study with three years of follow-up. Data on size and BI perceptions were collected through individual interviews. Stature and weight were directly measured. Findings indicated significant changes over three years in anthropometric traits but not in weight status prevalence or BI perception and dissatisfaction, except for the ideal figure in males and weight control in females. The results also indicated a significant difference in BI perception and dissatisfaction by BMI categories. Self-reported body measurements were found to be unreliable with a weak-to-moderate agreement between self-perceived and actual weight status. BI perception appears quite stable across the three years considered. Dissatisfaction is similar in both genders, although a tendency toward different gender aesthetic ideals is already appreciable in early adolescence. We suggest that the lower frequency of normal-weight adolescents compared with peers in previous studies is attributable to the effects of the recent pandemic. Given the growing dissatisfaction with increasing BMI and misinterpretations of weight status, school actions to promote a healthy lifestyle and positive BI should be undertaken.

The Influence Of Brand Image, Taste, And Price Perception On Purchasing Decisions For Sarimi Instant Noodles In Surabaya

Sarimi is a brand of instant noodles in Indonesia produced by Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur which was launched in 1982. Just like other instant noodle products, sarimi is sold in various types of products and flavors according to consumer needs. With so many brands of instant noodles in Indonesia, the reality is that sales of Sarimi instant noodles have decreased from year to year. This research aims to determine the influence of brand image, taste and price perception on purchasing decisions for sarimi instant noodles. The population of this study were Active Students of UPN "Veteran" East Java who had purchased and consumed sarimi instant noodles in Surabaya. This research used a quantitative method with 80 respondents collected using purposive sampling, namely, the sampling technique was determined using special or specific criteria for the sample. Meanwhile, the analysis used was Partial Least Square (PLS). The research results show that brand image, taste and price perception have a positive and significant effect on purchasing decisions for sarimi instant noodles.

Efficacy of an Animal-Assisted Therapy Program in the Development of Children With Down Syndrome

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a dog-assisted intervention program in occupational therapy (OT) sessions in the treatment of children with Down syndrome (DS). A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 14 children with DS (9–12 years old) randomly distributed into two groups: control and experimental. Both received 12 OT sessions, one per week. The experimental group also received dog-assisted therapy. To evaluate the effects of the program, the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI), the Test of Playfulness (ToP), an ethogram of positive and negative social behaviors, and comparisons of vasopressin levels in the urine of children upon awakening and after sessions were used. The results showed that after the conventional intervention, the control group had a significant increase in visual perception and attention scores. The experimental group showed a significantly higher frequency of satisfaction and interactivity behaviors. We found that the presence of the dog maximizes the social skills of children with DS and increases their engagement in positive social interactions; however, conventional OT sessions were more effective with visual-motor performance. No physiological changes were observed in either group after the intervention.

From pathogens to paintings: A preliminary investigation into the behavioral immune system’s influence on visual aesthetic appreciation and perception.

From pathogens to paintings: A preliminary investigation into the behavioral immune system’s influence on visual aesthetic appreciation and perception.

Sensory-memory interactions via modular structure explain errors in visual working memory.

Errors in stimulus estimation reveal how stimulus representation changes during cognitive processes. Repulsive bias and minimum variance observed near cardinal axes are well-known error patterns typically associated with visual orientation perception. Recent experiments suggest that these errors continuously evolve during working memory, posing a challenge that neither static sensory models nor traditional memory models can address. Here, we demonstrate that these evolving errors, maintaining characteristic shapes, require network interaction between two distinct modules. Each module fulfills efficient sensory encoding and memory maintenance, which cannot be achieved simultaneously in a single-module network. The sensory module exhibits heterogeneous tuning with strong inhibitory modulation reflecting natural orientation statistics. While the memory module, operating alone, supports homogeneous representation via continuous attractor dynamics, the fully connected network forms discrete attractors with moderate drift speed and nonuniform diffusion processes. Together, our work underscores the significance of sensory-memory interaction in continuously shaping stimulus representation during working memory.

Cognitive Functions in Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa during Nutritional Rehabilitation.

The present study aimed to evaluate cognitive function and laboratory parameters in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa (AN) before and after nutritional rehabilitation (NR) compared to healthy female peers (CG). We evaluated 36 girls with AN at two-time points, during acute malnutrition (AN1) and after NR, in a partially normalized weight status (AN2). We compared their cognitive functions and laboratory parameters to 48 healthy CG subjects. Cognitive function was assessed using a Cognitive Assessment Battery (CAB) assessment, depressive symptom levels were assessed using a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) assessment, and eating disorders were assessed using an Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26). The AN1 group scored better in total cognition, attention, estimation, and spatial perception than the CG group (p < 0.05), with scores increasing in the AN2 group. Shifting and visual perception values did not differ between the study groups (p = 0.677, p = 0.506, respectively). Laboratory tests showed no significant abnormalities and did not differ significantly between groups (p > 0.05). There was a negative correlation for EAT-26 and CAB in the AN1 group (rho = -0.43, p = 0.01), but not for BDI. Cognitive function in adolescent girls with AN was better than CG and correlated with EAT-26 score. These results highlight the high compensatory capacity of the adolescent body to maintain cognitive function despite severe malnutrition. Our results suggest that although normalization of body weight is crucial, other factors can significantly influence improvements in cognitive function. Cognitive deficits and laboratory tests may not be biomarkers of early forms of AN.

A Near-Infrared Retinomorphic Device with High Dimensionality Reservoir Expression.

Physical reservoir-based reservoir computing (RC) systems for intelligent perception have recently gained attention because they require fewer computing resources. However, the system remains limited in infrared (IR) machine vision, including materials and physical reservoir expression power. Inspired by biological visual perception systems, the study proposes a near-infrared (NIR) retinomorphic device that simultaneously perceives and encodes narrow IR spectral information (at ≈980nm). The proposed device, featuring core-shell upconversion nanoparticle/poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanocomposite channels, enables the absorption and conversion of NIR into high-energy photons to excite more photo carriers in P3HT. The photon-electron-coupled dynamics under the synergy of photovoltaic and photogating effects influence the nonlinearity and high dimensionality of the RC system under narrow-band NIR irradiation. The device also exhibits multilevel data storage capability (≥8 levels), excellent stability (≥2000 s), and durability (≥100 cycles). The system accurately identifies NIR static and dynamic handwritten digit images, achieving recognition accuracies of 91.13% and 90.07%, respectively. Thus, the device tackles intricate computations like solving second-order nonlinear dynamic equations with minimal errors (normalized mean squared errorof 1.06 × 10⁻3 during prediction).

Thalamic Roles in Conscious Perception Revealed by Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation.

The neural basis of conscious perception remains incompletely understood. While cortical mechanisms of conscious content have been extensively investigated, the role of subcortical structures, including the thalamus, remains less explored. We aim to elucidate the causal contributions of different thalamic regions to conscious perception using transcranial low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) neuromodulation. We hypothesize that modulating different thalamic regions would result in distinct perceptual outcomes. We apply LIFU in human volunteers to investigate region-specific and sonication parameter-dependent effects. We target anterior (transmodal-dominant) and posterior (unimodal-dominant) thalamic regions, further divided into ventral and dorsal regions, while participants perform a near-threshold visual perception task. Task performance is evaluated using Signal Detection Theory metrics. We find that the high duty cycle stimulation of the ventral anterior thalamus enhanced object recognition sensitivity. We also observe a general (i.e., region-independent) effect of LIFU on decision bias (i.e., a tendency toward a particular response) and object categorization accuracy. Specifically, high duty cycle stimulation decreases categorization accuracy, whereas low duty cycle shifts decision bias towards a more conservative stance. In conclusion, our results provide causal insight into the functional organization of the thalamus in shaping human visual experience and highlight the unique role of the transmodal-dominant ventral anterior thalamus.

Towards equal neighborhood evolution? A longitudinal study of soundscape and visual evolution and housing value fluctuations in shenzhen

The equitable evolution of neighborhood environments is closely linked to housing economics. However, the lack of quantitative and longitudinal evaluation methods makes it challenging to assess residents' neighborhood perceptions and achieve social inclusiveness goals. Using long-time series street view imagery, we quantified Shenzhen residents' multidimensional neighborhood perceptions before and after micro-renovations, including visual and soundscape dimensions, and revealed the association between perceptual evolution and the housing value. We identified inequitable results during neighborhood renewal: Neighborhoods with high soundscape scores are accompanied by low visual perception scores, and vice versa. The spatial inequality is reflected in the perceptual differentiation prevalent between urban and suburbs. Visual aspects showed a stable but weak relationship with housing value fluctuations, while soundscape aspects had a strong but more dynamic impact. The inequitable spatial evolution is facilitated by changes in residents' perceptions: expectations for positive audio-visual perceptions are increasing, but sensitivity for negative soundscape is decreasing. Meanwhile, residents are increasingly seeking diverse and rich visual neighborhood landscapes and atmospheres filled with human voices. This study provides quantitative support for the equitable evolution of neighborhoods and the economics of neighborhood landscapes. It offers a novel method for measuring multidimensional perceptions that can be applied to settlements worldwide.

Contour Detection Algorithm for α Phase Structure of TB6 Titanium Alloy fused with Multi-Scale Fretting Features

Aiming at the problems of inaccuracy in detecting the α phase contour of TB6 titanium alloy. By combining computer vision technology with human vision mechanisms, the spatial characteristics of the α phase can be simulated to obtain the contour accurately. Therefore, an algorithm for α phase contour detection of TB6 titanium alloy fused with multi-scale fretting features is proposed. Firstly, through the response of the classical receptive field model based on fretting and the suppression of new non-classical receptive field model based on fretting, the information maps of the α phase contour of the TB6 titanium alloy at different scales are obtained; then the information map of the smallest scale contour is used as a benchmark, the neighborhood is constructed to judge the deviation of other scale contour information, and the corresponding weight value is calculated; finally, Gaussian function is used to weight and fuse the deviation information, and the contour detection result of TB6 titanium alloy α phase is obtained. In the Visual Studio 2013 environment, 484 metallographic images with different temperatures, strain rates, and magnifications were tested. The results show that the performance evaluation F value of the proposed algorithm is 0.915, which can effectively improve the accuracy of α phase contour detection of TB6 titanium alloy.

Pengaruh Brand Image, Kualitas Produk, dan Persepsi Harga terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Produk The Body Shop di Kota Surabaya

The Body Shop is a beauty brand known for its commitment to environmental responsibility. However, between 2019 and 2023, The Body Shop experienced a decline due to various factors. This research aims to examine whether Brand Image, Product Quality, and Price Perception influence consumers' purchasing decisions for The Body Shop products in Surabaya. The population in this study consists of residents of Surabaya who have purchased and used The Body Shop products. This research employs a quantitative method with 115 respondents selected through purposive sampling, a sampling technique based on specific criteria. The analysis applied in this study is Partial Least Square (PLS). The research results indicate that Brand Image, Product Quality, and Price Perception have a positive and significant impact on purchasing decisions for The Body Shop products in Surabaya..

Postural control strategies with alterations in visual input conditions in a standing position.

Mediated by balance systems, postural control relies heavily on visual input. However, the precise relationship between various visual conditions and postural strategies for balance remains unclear. This study investigated alterations in the center of pressure (COP) and ankle muscle activity during standing positions in healthy individuals under different visual conditions. Fifty-three healthy university students participated in the study. Stabilometry was conducted to evaluate the total path length and outer circumferential area for the COP. Further, surface electromyography was utilized to assess the activity of the bilateral tibialis anterior (TA) and lateral head of gastrocnemius muscles. Participants were instructed to maintain an upright posture under three visual conditions: binocular (eyes open) and monocular (either closing the dominant or nondominant eye). The three conditions were compared using a one-way analysis of variance. No significant differences were observed in the COP across visual conditions. However, in the TA of the nondominant leg, the mean values for the binocular, dominant eye, and nondominant eye conditions were 0.91, 1.08, and 1.14 times that of the resting standing position. Notably, the TA of the nondominant leg was significantly lower in the binocular condition than the dominant and nondominant eye conditions. The study findings indicate that the COP remain consistent despite variations in external visual input. This stability is likely maintained through compensatory adjustments, such as increased TA muscle activity in the nondominant leg under the nondominant eye condition. These observations highlight the complex interplay between the visual perception and postural stability.