Does Time-of-Day of Instruction Impact Class Achievement?

This article explores literature related to Time-of-Day instruction and possible impact on student achievement for students. The possibility of schools as a contributing factor to the problem of low academic performance by some students due to a conflict between personal chronotype and school schedule may have research significance. In order for learning to take place, student engagement must be paramount and provide optimal opportunities for students to utilize their personal learning, for modalities may hinge on physical readiness as well. Several studies at multiple grade levels related to the investigation of circadian rhythms and biological patterns which indicate an effect on student performance are examined. Learning-styles research reveals increased learning occurs when a student is taught and assessed at their preferred time-of-day. Current research from later-start time initiatives in schools indicates positive outcomes for some students. Collectively, these studies suggest that one strategy to maximize the potential for learning may be consideration of a student’s chronotype, the preference to function during certain times of the day

Study of intermediate velocity products in the Ar+Ni collisions between 52 and 95 A.MeV

Intermediate velocity products in Ar+Ni collisions from 52 to 95 A.MeV are studied in an experiment performed at the GANIL facility with the 4$\pi$ multidetector INDRA. It is shown that these emissions cannot be explained by statistical decays of the quasi-projectile and the quasi-target in complete equilibrium. Three methods are used to isolate and characterize intermediate velocity products. The total mass of these products increases with the violence of the collision and reaches a large fraction of the system mass in mid-central collisions. This mass is found independent of the incident energy, but strongly dependent on the geometry of the collision. Finally it is shown that the kinematical characteristics of intermediate velocity products are weakly dependent on the experimental impact parameter, but strongly dependent on the incident energy. The observed trends are consistent with a participant-spectator like scenario or with neck emissions and/or break-up.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figure

The Frequency Following Response (FFR) May Reflect Pitch-Bearing Information But is Not a Direct Representation of Pitch

The frequency following response (FFR), a scalp-recorded measure of phase-locked brainstem activity, is often assumed to reflect the pitch of sounds as perceived by humans. In two experiments, we investigated the characteristics of the FFR evoked by complex tones. FFR waveforms to alternating-polarity stimuli were averaged for each polarity and added, to enhance envelope, or subtracted, to enhance temporal fine structure information. In experiment 1, frequency-shifted complex tones, with all harmonics shifted by the same amount in Hertz, were presented diotically. Only the autocorrelation functions (ACFs) of the subtraction-FFR waveforms showed a peak at a delay shifted in the direction of the expected pitch shifts. This expected pitch shift was also present in the ACFs of the output of an auditory nerve model. In experiment 2, the components of a harmonic complex with harmonic numbers 2, 3, and 4 were presented either to the same ear (“mono”) or the third harmonic was presented contralaterally to the ear receiving the even harmonics (“dichotic”). In the latter case, a pitch corresponding to the missing fundamental was still perceived. Monaural control conditions presenting only the even harmonics (“2 + 4”) or only the third harmonic (“3”) were also tested. Both the subtraction and the addition waveforms showed that (1) the FFR magnitude spectra for “dichotic” were similar to the sum of the spectra for the two monaural control conditions and lacked peaks at the fundamental frequency and other distortion products visible for “mono” and (2) ACFs for “dichotic” were similar to those for “2 + 4” and dissimilar to those for “mono.” The results indicate that the neural responses reflected in the FFR preserve monaural temporal information that may be important for pitch, but provide no evidence for any additional processing over and above that already present in the auditory periphery, and do not directly represent the pitch of dichotic stimuli

Tai Chi and vestibular rehabilitation improve vestibulopathic gait via different neuromuscular mechanisms: Preliminary report

BACKGROUND: Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) is a well-accepted exercise program intended to remedy balance impairment caused by damage to the peripheral vestibular system. Alternative therapies, such as Tai Chi (TC), have recently gained popularity as a treatment for balance impairment. Although VR and TC can benefit people with vestibulopathy, the degree to which gait improvements may be related to neuromuscular adaptations of the lower extremities for the two different therapies are unknown. METHODS: We examined the relationship between lower extremity neuromuscular function and trunk control in 36 older adults with vestibulopathy, randomized to 10 weeks of either VR or TC exercise. Time-distance measures (gait speed, step length, stance duration and step width), lower extremity sagittal plane mechanical energy expenditures (MEE), and trunk sagittal and frontal plane kinematics (peak and range of linear and angular velocity), were measured. RESULTS: Although gait time-distance measures were improved in both groups following treatment, no significant between-groups differences were observed for the MEE and trunk kinematic measures. Significant within groups changes, however, were observed. The TC group significantly increased ankle MEE contribution and decreased hip MEE contribution to total leg MEE, while no significant changes were found within the VR group. The TC group exhibited a positive relationship between change in leg MEE and change in trunk velocity peak and range, while the VR group exhibited a negative relationship. CONCLUSION: Gait function improved in both groups consistent with expectations of the interventions. Differences in each group's response to therapy appear to suggest that improved gait function may be due to different neuromuscular adaptations resulting from the different interventions. The TC group's improvements were associated with reorganized lower extremity neuromuscular patterns, which appear to promote a faster gait and reduced excessive hip compensation. The VR group's improvements, however, were not the result of lower extremity neuromuscular pattern changes. Lower-extremity MEE increases corresponded to attenuated forward trunk linear and angular movement in the VR group, suggesting better control of upper body motion to minimize loss of balance. These data support a growing body of evidence that Tai Chi may be a valuable complementary treatment for vestibular disorders

Light-Ion-Induced Multifragmentation: The ISiS Project

An extensive study of GeV light-ion-induced multifragmentation and its possible interpretation in terms of a nuclear liquid-gas phase transition has been performed with the Indiana Silicon Sphere (ISiS)4 pi detector array. Measurements were performed with 5-15 GeV/c p, pbar, and pion beams incident on $^{197}$Au and 2-5 GeV $^3$He incident on $^{nat}$Ag and $^{197}$Au targets. Both the reaction dynamics and the subsequent decay of the heavy residues have been explored. The data provide evidence for a dramatic change in the reaction observables near an excitation energy of E*/A = 4-5 MeV per residue nucleon. In this region, fragment multiplicities and energy spectra indicate emission from an expanded/dilute source on a very short time scale (20-50 fm/c). These properties, along with caloric curve and scaling-law behavior, yield a pattern that is consistent with a nuclear liquid-gas phase transition.Comment: 67 pages, 44 figures, all included in tar fil