Towards a synthesis of multimedia and intelligent tutoring systems : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University

Multimedia is being used in almost every field. This study is about the use of multimedia in the area of intelligent tutoring systems. This project studies the advantages and disadvantages of interactive multimedia and intelligent tutoring systems, and analyses the ways of combining these technologies in search of an interesting, learnable, flexible, compelling and technology-enhanced educational tool. Educational packages need to be evaluated for effectiveness. When it comes to computer-based instruction, technical concerns such as multimedia effects are taken seriously and there is not enough emphasis on its educational value. There is not much concern about the appropriateness of the instruction method to the computer medium. This research proposes a framework for evaluating educational packages which include a number of issues. Several pieces of educational software were evaluated using this framework and Diagnosis for crop protection, a multimedia software package that aids in teaching the process of diagnosing crop problems, was selected for modification, as a practical application of the theoretical work. We studied different multimedia system development models and methodologies. We also analysed the cognitive issues and intelligent features that enhance the learnability. Finally, the appropriate intelligent features and other factors that could enhance Diagnosis for crop protection to be a more 'active knowledge constructing' environment have been identified. The current version of Diagnosis for crop protection was represented using an appropriate methodology and the proposed changes were described in detail

Nature, Place, and Story: Rethinking Historic Sites in Canada by Claire Campbell

Review of Claire Campbell\u27s Nature, Place, and Story: Rethinking Historic Sites in Canada

The impact of different touchpoints on brand consideration

Marketers face the challenge of resource allocation across a range of touchpoints. Hence understanding their relative impact is important, but previous research tends to examine brand advertising, retailer touchpoints, word-of-mouth, and traditional earned touchpoints separately. This article presents an approach to understanding the relative impact of multiple touchpoints. It exemplifies this approach with six touchpoint types: brand advertising, retailer advertising, in-store communications, word-of-mouth, peer observation (seeing other customers), and traditional earned media such as editorial. Using the real-time experience tracking (RET) method by which respondents report on touchpoints by contemporaneous text message, the impact of touchpoints on change in brand consideration is studied in four consumer categories: electrical goods, technology products, mobile handsets, and soft drinks. Both touchpoint frequency and touchpoint positivity, the valence of the customer's affective response to the touchpoint, are modeled. While relative touchpoint effects vary somewhat by category, a pooled model suggests the positivity of in-store communication is in general more influential than that of other touchpoints including brand advertising. An almost entirely neglected touchpoint, peer observation, is consistently significant. Overall, findings evidence the relative impact of retailers, social effects and third party endorsement in addition to brand advertising. Touchpoint positivity adds explanatory power to the prediction of change in consideration as compared with touchpoint frequency alone. This suggests the importance of methods that track touchpoint perceptual response as well as frequency, to complement current analytic approaches such as media mix modeling based on media spend or exposure alone

How organisations generate and use customer insight

The generation and use of customer insight in marketing decisions is poorly understood, partly due to difficulties in obtaining research access and partly because market-based learning theory views knowledge as a fixed asset. However, customer insight takes many forms, arrives at the organisation from increasingly diverse sources and requires more than mere dissemination if it is to be useful. A multiple case study approach is used to explore managerial practices for insight generation and use. Multiple informants from each of four organisations in diverse sectors were interviewed. Findings reveal the importance of value alignment and value monitoring across the insight demand chain, to complement the information processing emphasis of extant research. Within the firm, the study suggests the importance of customer insight conduct practices including insight format, the role of automation and insight shepherding, to complement the much-researched process perspective. The study provides a basis for assessing the effectiveness of insight processes by both practitioners and scholars

Research into practice : collaboration for leadership in applied health research and care (CLAHRC) for Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire (NDL)

To address the problem of translation from research-based evidence to routine healthcare practice, the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire (CLAHRC-NDL) was funded by the National Institute for Health Research as one of nine CLAHRCs across England. This paper outlines the underlying theory and its application that CLAHRC-NDL has adopted, as a case example that might be generalised to practice outside the CLAHRC, in comparison to alternative models of implementation

Nickel-catalyzed transamidation of aliphatic amide derivatives.

Transamidation, or the conversion of one amide to another, is a long-standing challenge in organic synthesis. Although notable progress has been made in the transamidation of primary amides, the transamidation of secondary amides has remained underdeveloped, especially when considering aliphatic substrates. Herein, we report a two-step approach to achieve the transamidation of secondary aliphatic amides, which relies on non-precious metal catalysis. The method involves initial Boc-functionalization of secondary amide substrates to weaken the amide C-N bond. Subsequent treatment with a nickel catalyst, in the presence of an appropriate amine coupling partner, then delivers the net transamidated products. The transformation proceeds in synthetically useful yields across a range of substrates. A series of competition experiments delineate selectivity patterns that should influence future synthetic design. Moreover, the transamidation of Boc-activated secondary amide derivatives bearing epimerizable stereocenters underscores the mildness and synthetic utility of this methodology. This study provides the most general solution to the classic problem of secondary amide transamidation reported to date

Pathogen avoidance by insect predators

Insects can detect cues related to the risk of attack by their natural enemies. Pathogens are among the natural enemies of insects and entomopathogenic fungi attack a wide array of host species. Evidence documents that social insects in particular have adapted behavioural mechanisms to avoid infection by fungal pathogens. These mechanisms are referred to as 'behavioural resistance'. However, there is little evidence for similar adaptations in non-social insects. We have conducted experiments to assess the potential of common insect predators to detect and avoid their entomopathogenic fungal natural enemy Beauveria bassiana. The predatory bug Anthocoris nemorum was able to detect and avoid nettle leaves that were treated with B. bassiana. Females laid fewer eggs on leaf halves contaminated with the pathogen. Similarly, females were very reluctant to contact nettle leaves contaminated with the fungus compared to uncontaminated control leaves in ‘no-choice’ experiments. Adult seven spot ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, overwinter in the litter layer often in groups. Adult C. septempunctata modified their overwintering behaviour in relation to the presence of B. bassiana conidia in soil and sporulating conspecifics by moving away from sources of infection. Furthermore active (non-overwintering) adult C. septempunctata were also able to detect and avoid B. bassiana conidia on different substrates; bean leaves, soil and sporulating on dead conspecifics. Our studies show that insect predators have evolved mechanisms to detect and avoid pathogens that they are susceptible to. Fungal pathogens may be significant mortality factors among populations of insect predators, especially long-lived species that must diapause before reproduction. Likewise, actively foraging species are more likely to come in contact with pathogens than predators that sit and wait for prey. These particular groups of insects will benefit from adaptations to avoid pathogens

Primer selection impacts specific population abundances but not community dynamics in a monthly time-series 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis of coastal marine bacterioplankton.

Primers targeting the 16S small subunit ribosomal RNA marker gene, used to characterize bacterial and archaeal communities, have recently been re-evaluated for marine planktonic habitats. To investigate whether primer selection affects the ecological interpretation of bacterioplankton populations and community dynamics, amplicon sequencing with four primer sets targeting several hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene was conducted on both mock communities constructed from cloned 16S rRNA genes and a time-series of DNA samples from the temperate coastal Santa Barbara Channel. Ecological interpretations of community structure (delineation of depth and seasonality, correlations with environmental factors) were similar across primer sets, while population dynamics varied. We observed substantial differences in relative abundances of taxa known to be poorly resolved by some primer sets, such as Thaumarchaeota and SAR11, and unexpected taxa including Roseobacter clades. Though the magnitude of relative abundances of common OTUs differed between primer sets, the relative abundances of the OTUs were nonetheless strongly correlated. We do not endorse one primer set but rather enumerate strengths and weaknesses to facilitate selection appropriate to a system or experimental goal. While 16S rRNA gene primer bias suggests caution in assessing quantitative population dynamics, community dynamics appear robust across studies using different primers