The research of neuroplasticity by the Visual Continuous Performance Tasks in teaching by the method of complex music and vocal education

The Methodology of Comprehensive Music and Vocal Education (CMVE) is a powerful pedagogical instrument which helps a person's to improve its voice and musicality. Because several zones, such is auditory, somatosensory, motor (mainly due to the inclusion of hands and speech motor apparatus) and visual are actively involved, which is active contributes to a change in the picture of the dominant centers of the cortex, stimulates and develops such cognitive functions as attention, speech, memory, praxis. Neuroplasticity is closely related to music education, as indicated, for example, by such work as G. Schlaug, which explains some of the sensorimotor and cognitive improvements associated with music education. This allows us to assume and test the effects of neuroplasticity when working according to the CMVE method, which also uses different modalities. To investigate event-related potentials, the authors use a two-stimulus selective attention test (VCPT Go / NoGo test). Key words: EEG, ERP, VCPT-task, musical-vocal education by D.E. Ogorodnov.

The Effect of Mangala, the Intelligence Game Taught by Distance Education, on the Mathematical Motivations and Problem-solving Skill Levels of 6th-Grade Students

This study examines the effect of "Mangala" on the mathematical motivation and problem-solving skill levels (PSoSL) of 6th-grade students. A single-group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design based on the quantitative research approach was used in the study conducted through distance education. The sample consisted of 14 6th-grade students. The data collection tools used in the study, which continued for three weeks in the 2020-2021 academic year, were the Mathematical Motivation Scale (MMS) and Performance Tasks (PT). The data obtained from this study were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 package program. Since the sample size was small and the data did not show normal distribution, data analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, one of the non-parametric statistical tests. Data analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the pre and post-experiment MMS scores of the students. The effect of "Mangala" on students' PSoSL was evaluated through performance tasks. The Progressive Scoring Scale (PSS) taken from Baki (2014) was used to evaluate performance tasks. Researchers redefined each criterion in the scoring key and set four levels: "very good," "good," "unsatisfactory," and "empty." The analysis of the problems in the performance tasks showed that the students usually gave "very good" and "good" answers. However, some students had difficulties finding solution strategies and writing a similar problem; thus, they left blank answers.

Transition from Aoga Amata to school: case studies in the Wellington region

<p>Background The rapid increase in the number of Samoan children receiving early childhood education in their heritage language through the Aoga Amata movement has prompted the researcher to examine how continuity is being handled during the transition to primary schooling. During 1996-7, I interviewed parents, teachers, principals and children about the transition from Aoga Amata programmes to junior class programmes in fourteen primary schools. In addition, I gathered descriptions of how parents viewed the nature and the quality of Aoga Amata programmes, and how teachers and principals viewed issues of language maintenance. I also asked children to reflect on their Aoga Amata experience and then engage in performance tasks that provided me with an opportunity to gauge their spoken proficiency in Samoan. Aim The primary aim of the study was to gather information from parents, children, teachers and principals about the way the transition to school was organised for Aoga Amata children. Sampling procedures I used a community network approach to gain access to a pool of twenty recent graduates of Aoga Amata and their receiving schools. In addition, I chose six children for case study purposes because of the interesting circumstance each child represented. Thirty-nine parents, fourteen teachers and fourteen principals completed the sample. Procedures I used structured interviews, questionnaire versions of the structured interviews, and performance tasks in order to collect information. I asked about the strategies used to cope with the transition to primary school; the impact of the transition on children, the perceptions of parents about Aoga Amata programmes, perceptions of teachers about the transition to primary school, and the factors thought by stakeholders to be contributing to the maintenance of the Samoan language in school. The procedures used to gather information were carried out using culturally appropriate communication processes that made use of faafeiloaiga faa Samoa (cultural greetings), faaaloalo (respect and supply of food), faamalie ona o ni itu e faalavelavea ai le suesuega (acknowledgement of intrusion) and lauga faafetai/faamavae (speeches of appreciation and farewell). Results Only one Aoga Amata/school partnership had a comprehensive programme where the graduates of the Aoga Amata were received into a bilingual programme taught by a native speaker of Samoan. The Aoga Amata was on the school grounds and this enabled linkages to develop over a period of time between its staff, the teachers at the school, the children, and the children's families. When children were received into schools where there was no continuity of language and curriculum, the transition was perceived as less satisfactory, especially in the early days of the transition. Compared to children who attended other early childhood educational centres, or remained at home, children who had attended an Aoga Amata programme were generally perceived by most teachers and parents as having more developed literacy, numeracy, and social skills. Schools varied in the position they took on language maintenance and on the actions that they were prepared to take. Lack of funding, lack of trained Samoan teachers, and a view that the school's cultural activities were sufficient were all reasons given for absence of language maintenance. Conclusion There is lack of an agreed understanding of what is necessary for successful transition to school in the case of Aoga Amata children. Stakeholders in the children's education will need to target policy, strategies, and standards to guide continuity between home, Aoga Amata, school and community.</p>

Transition from Aoga Amata to school: case studies in the Wellington region

<p>Background The rapid increase in the number of Samoan children receiving early childhood education in their heritage language through the Aoga Amata movement has prompted the researcher to examine how continuity is being handled during the transition to primary schooling. During 1996-7, I interviewed parents, teachers, principals and children about the transition from Aoga Amata programmes to junior class programmes in fourteen primary schools. In addition, I gathered descriptions of how parents viewed the nature and the quality of Aoga Amata programmes, and how teachers and principals viewed issues of language maintenance. I also asked children to reflect on their Aoga Amata experience and then engage in performance tasks that provided me with an opportunity to gauge their spoken proficiency in Samoan. Aim The primary aim of the study was to gather information from parents, children, teachers and principals about the way the transition to school was organised for Aoga Amata children. Sampling procedures I used a community network approach to gain access to a pool of twenty recent graduates of Aoga Amata and their receiving schools. In addition, I chose six children for case study purposes because of the interesting circumstance each child represented. Thirty-nine parents, fourteen teachers and fourteen principals completed the sample. Procedures I used structured interviews, questionnaire versions of the structured interviews, and performance tasks in order to collect information. I asked about the strategies used to cope with the transition to primary school; the impact of the transition on children, the perceptions of parents about Aoga Amata programmes, perceptions of teachers about the transition to primary school, and the factors thought by stakeholders to be contributing to the maintenance of the Samoan language in school. The procedures used to gather information were carried out using culturally appropriate communication processes that made use of faafeiloaiga faa Samoa (cultural greetings), faaaloalo (respect and supply of food), faamalie ona o ni itu e faalavelavea ai le suesuega (acknowledgement of intrusion) and lauga faafetai/faamavae (speeches of appreciation and farewell). Results Only one Aoga Amata/school partnership had a comprehensive programme where the graduates of the Aoga Amata were received into a bilingual programme taught by a native speaker of Samoan. The Aoga Amata was on the school grounds and this enabled linkages to develop over a period of time between its staff, the teachers at the school, the children, and the children's families. When children were received into schools where there was no continuity of language and curriculum, the transition was perceived as less satisfactory, especially in the early days of the transition. Compared to children who attended other early childhood educational centres, or remained at home, children who had attended an Aoga Amata programme were generally perceived by most teachers and parents as having more developed literacy, numeracy, and social skills. Schools varied in the position they took on language maintenance and on the actions that they were prepared to take. Lack of funding, lack of trained Samoan teachers, and a view that the school's cultural activities were sufficient were all reasons given for absence of language maintenance. Conclusion There is lack of an agreed understanding of what is necessary for successful transition to school in the case of Aoga Amata children. Stakeholders in the children's education will need to target policy, strategies, and standards to guide continuity between home, Aoga Amata, school and community.</p>

Multi-Dimensional Variation in Adult Speech as a Function of Age

We present a multidimensional acoustic report describing variation in speech productions on data collected from 500 francophone adult speakers (20 to 93 y.o.a.) as a function of age. In this cross-sectional study, chronological age is considered as a continuous variable while oral productions, in reading and speech-like tasks, are characterized via 22 descriptors related to voice quality, pitch, vowel articulation and vocalic system organization, time-related measures and temporal organization, as well as maximal performances in speech-like tasks. In a first analysis, we detail how each descriptor varies according to the age of the speaker, for male and female speakers separately. In a second analysis, we explore how chronological age is, in turn, predicted by the combination of all descriptors. Overall, results confirm that with increasing age, speakers show more voice instability, sex-dependent pitch changes, slower speech and articulation rates, slower repetition rates and less complexity effects in maximal performance tasks. A notable finding of this study is that some of these changes are continuous throughout adulthood while other appear either at old age or in early adulthood. Chronological age appears only moderately indexed in speech, mainly through speech rate parameters. We discuss these results in relation with the notion of attrition and with other possible factors at play, in an attempt to better capture the multidimensional nature of the notion of “age”.

On the Primary Influences of Age on Articulation and Phonation in Maximum Performance Tasks

Maximum performance tasks have been identified as possible domains where incipient signs of neurological disease may be detected in simple speech and voice samples. However, it is likely that these will simultaneously be influenced by the age and sex of the speaker. In this study, a comprehensive set of acoustic quantifications were collected from the literature and applied to productions of sustained [a] productions and Alternating Motion Rate diadochokinetic (DDK) syllable sequences made by 130 (62 women, 68 men) healthy speakers, aged 20–90 years. The participants were asked to produce as stable (sustained [a] and DDK) and fast (DDK) productions as possible. The full set of features were reduced to a functional subset that most efficiently modeled sex-specific differences between younger and older speakers using a cross-validation procedure. Twelve measures of [a] and 16 measures of DDK sequences were identified across men and women and investigated in terms of how they were altered with increasing age of speakers. Increased production instability is observed in both tasks, primarily above the age of 60 years. DDK sequences were slower in older speakers, but also altered in their syllable and segment level acoustic properties. Increasing age does not appear to affect phonation or articulation uniformly, and men and women are affected differently in most quantifications investigated.

Development of a novel rodent rapid serial visual presentation task reveals dissociable effects of stimulant vs non-stimulant treatments on attention

The rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task and continuous performance tasks (CPT) are used to assess attentional impairments in patients with psychiatric and neurological conditions. This study developed a novel touchscreen task for rats based on the structure of a human RSVP task and used pharmacological manipulations to investigate their effects on different performance measures. Normal animals were trained to respond to a target image and withhold responding to distractor images presented within a continuous sequence. In a second version of the task a false-alarm image was included so performance could be assessed relative to two types of non-target distractors. The effects of acute administration of the stimulant and non-stimulant treatments for ADHD (amphetamine and atomoxetine) were tested in both tasks. Methylphenidate, ketamine and nicotine were tested in the first task only. Amphetamine made animals more impulsive and decreased overall accuracy but increased accuracy when the target was presented early in the image sequence. Atomoxetine improved accuracy overall with a specific reduction in false-alarm responses and a shift in the attentional curve reflecting improved accuracy for targets later in the image sequence. However, atomoxetine also slowed responding and increased omissions. Ketamine, nicotine and methylphenidate had no specific effects at the doses tested. These results suggest that stimulant versus non-stimulant treatments have different effects on attention and impulsive behaviour in this rat version of an RSVP task. These results also suggest that RSVP-like tasks have the potential to be used to study attention in rodents.

Development of a model of personnel management in the hotel industry

The object of this research is personnel management in the hotel industry. The paper considers theoretical and practical aspects of the features of phased personnel management in the hotel industry, taking into account the specifics of the industry. The importance of the attitude of each employee to their responsibilities and the company as a whole was emphasized, and it was established that the minimum number of employees can provide the highest quality of service. In any case, there is a need for effective personnel management, in the purposeful activities of the management of the organization to develop its own concept, strategy of personnel policy and management methods. The main purpose of personnel management is formed. There are three groups of methods for personnel management, which almost completely reveal the step-by-step process of personnel management in the hotel industry. The necessity of application of complex technologies for achievement of more effective result is considered. A number of measures of nine stages of personnel management are prescribed. Rational use of service personnel is a prerequisite that ensures the continuity and proper quality of the service process, and, as a consequence, the successful implementation of the production program of the hotel industry. The study of the main indicators of labor should begin with an assessment of the dynamics of the number of personnel of the enterprise, the intensity of its movement and structure over a period of three to five years. Based on the study, a model of personnel management in the hotel industry, which determines the object and subject of management, their impact on each other, takes into account the stages of employee management. It will increase productivity, performance, organize work, monitor performance tasks, teamwork.

Acute and prolonged effects of the simulated physical demands of a futsal match on lower limb muscle power and strength, sprint performance and muscle soreness

BACKGROUND: Prolonged fatigue effects may be a concern after futsal matches mainly because of the actions performed by futsal players (e.g., sprinting, jumping) that usually involve the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). However, there no studies analyzed the prolonged effects of futsal-specific fatigue and how futsal players can recover from performance tasks. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the acute and prolonged effects of a protocol that simulates specific physical demands of futsal on countermovement-jump, sprint performance, muscle strength and muscle soreness. METHODS: Fifteen amateur futsal male athletes (18.3 ± 3.8 years) performed a futsal intermittent running protocol (FIRP) and were assessed for (moment production, sprint and jumping performance and muscle soreness) at pre, during half-time, immediately after, post 24 and 48 hours after the FIRP. Analysis of variance (repeated measures) was used to compare variable means over time. RESULTS: The main results indicated a decrement in the CMJ height (p= 0.03) and an increase of 10 m and 20 m sprint times (p= 0.01–p< 0.01, respectively) during half-time and the post FIRP. There was a decrement in eccentric peak moment of the knee extensors (p= 0.02) and flexors (p< 0.01) until 48h post protocol and a decrement in concentric peak moment of the flexors (p< 0.01) post protocol. Athletes reported muscle soreness in the hamstrings (p= 0.03) post and 24 h after the FIRP. CONCLUSION: FIRP induced acute effects in the jump and sprint performances only. On the other hand, the knee moment production capability (mainly eccentric) suffered acute and also prolonged effects of the FIRP accompanied by delayed muscle soreness in the hamstring muscles.