Time of Day Effects on the Performance on the Screening Test of Auditory Processing

The purpose of this study was to determine if any significant relationships existed between time of day and central auditory processing using a screening test of central auditory performance. The study specifically addressed the following research questions: 1. Is there a difference in the scores of morning and evening type individuals on the Filtered Word subtest, the. Auditory Figure-Ground subtest, or the Competing Words subtest of the SCAN? 2. Is there a difference between morning and evening test time for differing types of individuals on the Filtered Word subtest, the Auditory Figure-Ground subvest, or the Competing Words subtest of the SCAN? 3. Are the effects of time of day the same for morning and evening type people on the Filtered Word subtest, the Auditory Figure-Ground subtest, or the Competing Word subtest of the SCAN? Sixty-six college students participated in this study, 50 females and 16 males. The subjects who participated in this study ranged in ages from 18 to 34 years old. The mean age was 20.6 years. In order to clas^iry subjects as morning and/or evening type, Home and Ostberg\u27s Self-Assessment Questionnaire (1976) was used. Thirty-three subjects were selected that were morning-type and thirty-three subjects were evening type. Approximately half of the morning-type individuals were tested in the morning and the other halt were tested in the evening. Likewise, approximately half of the evening type individuals were tested in the morning and the other half were tested in the evening. Prior to testing, each subject had his or her hearing screened to ensure normal hearing sensitivity. Norma! hearing sensitivity was defined as auditory thresholds of equal to or better than 20dBHL at octave intervals from 1000Hz to 4000F\u27_. in addition, middle ear functioning was screened using tympanometry. Individuals who showed normal middle ear mobility and pressure were included in this investigation. After the determination of adequate hearing sensitivity, all subjects were administered the SCAN. The SCAN, a Screening Test for Auditory Processing Disorders (Keith, 1986), was used to assess central auditory processing of the subjects. The SCAN has three subtests: Filtered Words (FW), Auditory Figure-Ground (AFG), and Competing Words (CW), which are designed to screen auditory perceptual abilities of an individual. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics v/ere used to analyze the data. The following were the results: 1. Significant differences were found on the Filtered Word subtest in the left ear for the main effect of time of day and type of person. In addition significant differences for the effect of test time were found on the total test score for Filtered Word subtest. 2. No significant differences were found for the Auditory Figure Ground subtest. 3. Significant differences were found in the performance of the subjects in the Competing Word subtest for the right ear. Specifically, an interaction between the main effects of time of day and type of person was noted

Identifying innovative and effective practice in e-assessment: findings from seventeen UK case studies

The aim of this JISC funded project was to extend the understanding of what e-assessment meant to users and producers in the HE and FE sectors. A case study methodology was employed to identify and report upon best and current practice within this field of inquiry. This approach facilitated the identification of both the enabling factors and barriers associated with e-assessment. The variety of applications of e-assessment studied and their innovation and general effectiveness indicate the potential of e-assessment to significantly enhance the learning environment and the outcomes for students, in a wide range of disciplines and applications

Auditory, graphical and haptic contact cues for a reach, grasp, and place task in an augmented environment

An experiment was conducted to investigate how performance of a reach, grasp and place task was influenced by added auditory and graphical cues. The cues were presented at points in the task, specifically when making contact for grasping or placing the object, and were presented in single or in combined modalities. Haptic feedback was present always during physical interaction with the object. The auditory and graphical cues provided enhanced feedback about making contact between hand and object and between object and table. Also, the task was performed with or without vision of hand. Movements were slower without vision of hand. Providing auditory cues clearly facilitated performance, while graphical contact cues had no additional effect. Implications are discussed for various uses of auditory displays in virtual environments

Initiation of communication by persons with severe aphasia during group treatment

The viability of group treatment in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) is at a crossroads. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not yet established standards for group therapy in IRFs, they have stated that the standard for care in these settings is individualized therapy (Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2009). CMS limitations of the size and frequency of group therapy in other settings suggests that CMS believes group treatment is of a lesser quality when compared with individual treatment. This is a critical time for research demonstrating the unique benefits of SLP group treatment in acute rehabilitatio

Building forests for the future

Many governments have set ambitious targets for tree planting and increased woodland cover as a key part of actions to reach net‐zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, many uncertainties remain concerning how and where to expand tree cover, what species to plant, and how best to manage new plantations. Much contemporary forestry has been based on even‐aged monocultures, largely because of perceived advantages for timber production. However, in order to play a key role in climate change mitigation future forests will have to achieve timber production (and wider ecosystem service provision) alongside resilience to biotic and abiotic challenge. It is therefore crucial that appropriate informed decisions are made with regard to the structure, composition, and planning of future forests, in order to provide sustainable solutions that provide environmental, economic, and health benefits to society. Genetically diverse, mixed, and irregular forests, with their higher biodiversity and niche complementarity, are promising new forest configurations for regulating the water cycle, storing carbon, and delivering other goods and services. In the following discussion, we have used UK information to illustrate the benefits of mixed woodland versus monocultures and highlighted current issues related to government initiatives and policies for current and future forests. However, similar issues and problems are encountered globally

Building forests for the future

Many governments have set ambitious targets for tree planting and increased woodland cover as a key part of actions to reach net‐zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, many uncertainties remain concerning how and where to expand tree cover, what species to plant, and how best to manage new plantations. Much contemporary forestry has been based on even‐aged monocultures, largely because of perceived advantages for timber production. However, in order to play a key role in climate change mitigation future forests will have to achieve timber production (and wider ecosystem service provision) alongside resilience to biotic and abiotic challenge. It is therefore crucial that appropriate informed decisions are made with regard to the structure, composition, and planning of future forests, in order to provide sustainable solutions that provide environmental, economic, and health benefits to society. Genetically diverse, mixed, and irregular forests, with their higher biodiversity and niche complementarity, are promising new forest configurations for regulating the water cycle, storing carbon, and delivering other goods and services. In the following discussion, we have used UK information to illustrate the benefits of mixed woodland versus monocultures and highlighted current issues related to government initiatives and policies for current and future forests. However, similar issues and problems are encountered globally

Taste-Changing in Staggered Quarks

We present results from a systematic perturbative investigation of taste-changing in improved staggered quarks. We show one-loop taste-changing interactions can be removed perturbatively by an effective four-quark term and calculate the necessary coefficients.Comment: 3 pages using espcrc2.sty and amsmath.sty, 1 Feynman diagram using feynmp.sty for Lattice2002(improve