Dielectric relaxation was used to characterize the ability of vapordeposited mixtures of cis-and trans-decahydroisoquinoline (DHIQ) to form glasses with a high kinetic stability. Vapor-deposited mixtures are technologically relevant, and the effect of mixing on glass stability is a relatively unexplored area. Mixed isomers and pure trans-DHIQ form highly stable glasses that isothermally transform in approximately 10 4 τ α (where τ α is the structural relaxation time of the supercooled liquid). Isomeric composition of the glasses does not play a significant role in the maximum kinetic stability of the resulting films. Secondary relaxations in DHIQ are associated with an intramolecular conformational change and are suppressed to a significant extent in highly stable glasses. During isothermal annealing experiments, stable glasses were found to transform initially via a growth front mechanism that transitions to a homogeneous bulk mechanism. Surprisingly, the time dependence of the bulk transformation is different from that reported for other stable glasses and cannot be interpreted in terms of a simple nucleation and growth model.

The selection of a suitable learning strategy in individualised science instruction should be influenced by the learning potential of the learners. Components of their‘learning potential’include: aptitude, scientific affect, attitude, and college scores. Achievement gain was measured by the difference between pre‐test and post‐test scores with the credits gained through the enrichment and task activities. Based on their gain scores, learners were divided into high, average and low achievers and their preferences for learning strategies were collected. The results indicated marked differences according to learning potential. Other research has investigated the question of suitable learning strategies for different kinds of learners, but its validity often has been restricted by a limited number of strategies with only a small number of learning components analysed. To overcome such constraints, this study included six independent learning strategies and seven group learning ones. Instead of calculating simple correlations, the influence of different components of learning potential was analysed for three achievement levels, and interaction effects were separated.

The study reports an attempt to modularize learning at collegiate level in India. A difficult unit in biology was identified and modular learning material was developed, using local resources. The effectiveness of this approach over the traditional teaching approach in terms of learning efficiency, learning time and mastery level is reported. The students who experienced modular scheduling were found to be superior in understanding of concept and retention of concept. Time taken by the modular group as a whole to gain 80 per cent mastery, as compared to the control group, was found to be in the ratio of 2 : 5. It was also found that the students prefer individualized learning and more and different types of multimedia approaches rather than the usual classroom lecture.