Matching Items (10)
Description
This study investigated the effects of concurrent audio and equivalent onscreen text on the ability of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to form associations between textual and aural forms of target vocabulary words. The study also looked at the effects of learner control over an audio sequence on the association of textual and aural forms of target words. Attitudes towards experimental treatments and reported level of cognitive load were also examined in the context of a computer-based multimedia instructional program. A total of 200 college students took part in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in a 2 x 3 factorial design with level of learner control (learner-controlled vs. not-learner-controlled) and format of presentation of information (audio + no text vs. audio + full text vs. audio + keyword text) as factors. The subjects completed a pretest, a posttest, cognitive load questions, and an attitude questionnaire. The results revealed the following findings: (a) groups in the audio + keyword text conditions outperformed those in the audio + no text and audio + full text conditions on text-sound association, (b) within the audio + keyword text conditions, the learner-controlled group outperformed the not-learner-controlled group on text-sound association, (c) within the learner-controlled conditions, the audio + keyword group outperformed the audio + no text and audio + full text groups on text-sound association, (d) a redundancy effect was not found for any treatment condition, and (e) overall, participants had positive attitudes towards the treatments. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed within the frameworks of cognitive load theory and cognitive theory of multimedia learning.
ContributorsEnciso Bernal, Ana Maria (Author) / Nelson, Brian C. (Thesis advisor) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This dissertation describes Space Vector 1 and Space Vector 2, two video games that introduce Newtonian mechanics concepts. Space Vector 1 is a side-scrolling game, in which players choose to drop bombs or supplies. Players had to identify if the physics was correct during a mission, or they had to plot the trajectory of a falling object, which was then simulated. In Space Vector 2, players were given velocity and acceleration values and had to plot the trajectory of a spaceship across a grid, or players were given a trajectory of a spaceship on a grid and had to program the velocity and acceleration values to produce the trajectory. Space Vector 1 was evaluated with 65 college undergraduates. Space Vector 2 was evaluated with 18 high school students. All participants were given a subset of the Force Concept Inventory, a standard assessment tool in physics education, as a pretest and posttest. Space Vector 1 was evaluated with a single group pretest-posttest design. Space Vector 2 was evaluated with a 2 x 2 ANOVA, where the factors were game mechanic (prediction mechanic or programming mechanic) and bonus questions (bonus question after a mission or no bonus question). Bayesian statistical methods were used for the data analysis. The best estimate for the average change in test scores for Space Vector 1 was a score gain of 1.042 (95% Highest Density Interval (HDI) [0.613, 1.487]) with an effect size of 0.611 (95% HDI [0.327, 0.937]). The best estimate for the grand mean of change scores in Space Vector 2 was an increase of 0.78 (95% HDI [-0.3, 1.85]) with an effect size of 0.379 (95% HDI [-0.112, 0.905]). The prediction
o bonus question version produced the largest change in score, where the best estimate for the mean change score was an increase of 1.2. The estimation intervals for the Space Vector 2 results were wide, and all included zero as a credible value.
o bonus question version produced the largest change in score, where the best estimate for the mean change score was an increase of 1.2. The estimation intervals for the Space Vector 2 results were wide, and all included zero as a credible value.
ContributorsKeylor, Eric Karl (Author) / Gee, James P. (Thesis advisor) / Stevens, Scott M. (Committee member) / Nelson, Brian C. (Committee member) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This study purposed to determine the effect of an endogenously designed instructional game on conceptual understanding of the associative and distributive properties of multiplication. Additional this study sought to investigate if performance on measures of conceptual understanding taken prior to and after game play could serve as predictors of game performance. Three versions of an instructional game, Shipping Express, were designed for the purposes of this study. The endogenous version of Shipping Express integrated the associative and distributive properties of multiplication within the mechanics, while the exogenous version had the instructional content separate from game play. A total of 111 fourth and fifth graders were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (endogenous, exogenous, and control) and completed pre and posttest measures of conceptual understanding of the associative and distributive properties of multiplication, along with a questionnaire. The results revealed several significant results: 1) there was a significant difference between participants' change in scores on the measure of conceptual understanding of the associative property of multiplication, based on the version of Shipping Express they played. Participants who played the endogenous version of Shipping Express had on average higher gains in scores on the measure of conceptual understanding of the associative property of multiplication than those who played the other versions of Shipping Express; 2) performance on the measures of conceptual understanding of the distributive property collected prior to game play were related to performance within the endogenous game environment; and 3) participants who played the control version of Shipping Express were on average more likely to have a negative attitude towards continuing game play on their own compared to the other versions of the game. No significant differences were found in regards to changes in scores on the measure of conceptual understanding of the distributive property based on the version of Shipping Express played, post hoc pairwise comparisons, and changes on scores on question types within the conceptual understanding of the associative and distributive property of multiplication measures. The findings from this study provide some support for a move towards the design and development of endogenous instructional games. Additional implications for the learning through digital game play and future research directions are discussed.
ContributorsDenham, Andrew (Author) / Nelson, Brian C. (Thesis advisor) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Committee member) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / VanLehn, Kurt (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Guided by cognitive, socio-cognitive, and socio-cultural learning theories, large-scale studies over multiple semesters, multiple instructors and at two different institutions have been performed in order to understand the factors that contribute to student performance in general organic chemistry. Students’ cognitive abilities were assessed in a new way based on a categorization of problem types in a standard organic chemistry curriculum. Problem types that required higher cognitive load were found to be more predictive of overall course performance. However, student performance on high cognitive load problems was different when compared in terms of non-cognitive factors, e.g. whether they were pre-health students or not. These results suggested that organic chemistry performance may be significantly influenced by non-cognitive factors. Students’ motivation and related self-regulation factors were then studied using an instrument specifically designed for general organic chemistry, the Organic Chemistry Motivation Survey. Of all the factors examined, self-efficacy was found to be the most significant predictor of performance. Socio-cultural factors were also studied using a newly developed instrument for measuring college students’ cultural and social capital, the Science Capital Questionnaire (SCQ). Of the different socio-cultural variables measured by the SCQ, students’ social connections in college were found to be most predictive of organic chemistry performance. Finally, cognitive and socio-cognitive variables were studied together in the context of gender differences in organic chemistry. Females were found to underperform in comparison to the males. This gap was found to be alarmingly large on the basis of final letter grade, in some semesters the percentage of males earning an A grade was twice as large as that for females. Spatial ability was not a factor that contributed to this difference, nor was the gender of the instructor. Instead, self-efficacy was found to be both significantly different between males and females, and also the factor that connected most strongly to course performance. It is suggested that sociocultural factors be the subject of further study in college science courses.
ContributorsAustin, Ara Cho (Author) / Gould, Ian R. (Thesis advisor) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Committee member) / Williams, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The construction industry has been growing over the past few years, but it is facing numerous challenges, related to craft labor availability and declining productivity. At the same time, the industry has benefited from computational advancements by leveraging the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to create information rich 3D models to enhance the planning, designing, and construction of projects. Augmented Reality (AR) is one technology that could further leverage BIM, especially on the construction site. This research looks at the human performance attributes enabled using AR as the main information delivery tool in the various stages of construction. The results suggest that using AR for information delivery can enhance labor productivity and enable untrained personnel to complete key construction tasks. However, its usability decreases when higher accuracy levels are required. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by empirically testing and validating the performance effects of using AR during construction tasks and highlights the limitations of current generation AR technology related to the construction industry. This work serves as foundation of future industry-based AR applications and research into potential AR implementations.
ContributorsChalhoub, Jad M (Author) / Ayer, Steven K. (Thesis advisor) / Ariaratnam, Samuel T. (Committee member) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
DNA, RNA and Protein are three pivotal biomolecules in human and other organisms, playing decisive roles in functionality, appearance, diseases development and other physiological phenomena. Hence, sequencing of these biomolecules acquires the prime interest in the scientific community. Single molecular identification of their building blocks can be done by a technique called Recognition Tunneling (RT) based on Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). A single layer of specially designed recognition molecule is attached to the STM electrodes, which trap the targeted molecules (DNA nucleoside monophosphates, RNA nucleoside monophosphates or amino acids) inside the STM nanogap. Depending on their different binding interactions with the recognition molecules, the analyte molecules generate stochastic signal trains accommodating their “electronic fingerprints”. Signal features are used to detect the molecules using a machine learning algorithm and different molecules can be identified with significantly high accuracy. This, in turn, paves the way for rapid, economical nanopore sequencing platform, overcoming the drawbacks of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques.
To read DNA nucleotides with high accuracy in an STM tunnel junction a series of nitrogen-based heterocycles were designed and examined to check their capabilities to interact with naturally occurring DNA nucleotides by hydrogen bonding in the tunnel junction. These recognition molecules are Benzimidazole, Imidazole, Triazole and Pyrrole. Benzimidazole proved to be best among them showing DNA nucleotide classification accuracy close to 99%. Also, Imidazole reader can read an abasic monophosphate (AP), a product from depurination or depyrimidination that occurs 10,000 times per human cell per day.
In another study, I have investigated a new universal reader, 1-(2-mercaptoethyl)pyrene (Pyrene reader) based on stacking interactions, which should be more specific to the canonical DNA nucleosides. In addition, Pyrene reader showed higher DNA base-calling accuracy compare to Imidazole reader, the workhorse in our previous projects. In my other projects, various amino acids and RNA nucleoside monophosphates were also classified with significantly high accuracy using RT. Twenty naturally occurring amino acids and various RNA nucleosides (four canonical and two modified) were successfully identified. Thus, we envision nanopore sequencing biomolecules using Recognition Tunneling (RT) that should provide comprehensive betterment over current technologies in terms of time, chemical and instrumental cost and capability of de novo sequencing.
To read DNA nucleotides with high accuracy in an STM tunnel junction a series of nitrogen-based heterocycles were designed and examined to check their capabilities to interact with naturally occurring DNA nucleotides by hydrogen bonding in the tunnel junction. These recognition molecules are Benzimidazole, Imidazole, Triazole and Pyrrole. Benzimidazole proved to be best among them showing DNA nucleotide classification accuracy close to 99%. Also, Imidazole reader can read an abasic monophosphate (AP), a product from depurination or depyrimidination that occurs 10,000 times per human cell per day.
In another study, I have investigated a new universal reader, 1-(2-mercaptoethyl)pyrene (Pyrene reader) based on stacking interactions, which should be more specific to the canonical DNA nucleosides. In addition, Pyrene reader showed higher DNA base-calling accuracy compare to Imidazole reader, the workhorse in our previous projects. In my other projects, various amino acids and RNA nucleoside monophosphates were also classified with significantly high accuracy using RT. Twenty naturally occurring amino acids and various RNA nucleosides (four canonical and two modified) were successfully identified. Thus, we envision nanopore sequencing biomolecules using Recognition Tunneling (RT) that should provide comprehensive betterment over current technologies in terms of time, chemical and instrumental cost and capability of de novo sequencing.
ContributorsSen, Suman (Author) / Lindsay, Stuart (Thesis advisor) / Zhang, Peiming (Thesis advisor) / Gould, Ian R. (Committee member) / Borges, Chad (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Palladium metal in its various forms has been heavily studied for many catalytic, hydrogen storage and sensing applications and as an electrocatalyst in fuel cells. A short review on various applications of palladium and the mechanism of Pd nanoparticles synthesis will be discussed in chapter 1. Size dependent properties of various metal nanoparticles and a thermodynamic theory proposed by Plieth to predict size dependent redox properties of metal nanoparticles will also be discussed in chapter 1.
To evaluate size dependent stability of metal nanoparticles using electrochemical techniques in aqueous media, a synthetic route was designed to produce water soluble Pd nanoparticles. Also, a purification technique was developed to obtain monodisperse metal nanoparticles to study size dependent stability using electrochemical methods. Chapter 2 will describe in detail the synthesis, characterization and size dependent anodic dissolution studies of water soluble palladium nanoparticles.
The cost associated with using expensive metal catalysts can further decreased by using the underpotential deposition (UPD) technique, in which one metal is electrodeposited in monolayer or submonolayer form on a different metal substrate. Electrochemically, this process can be detected by the presence of a deposition peak positive to the bulk deposition potential in a cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiment. The difference between the bulk deposition potential and underpotential deposition peak (i.e. the UPD shift), which is a measure of the energetics of the monolayer deposition step, depends on the work function difference between the metal pairs. Chapter 3 will explore how metal nanoparticles of different sizes will change the energetics of the UPD phenomenon, using the UPD of Cu on palladium nanoparticles as an example. It will be shown that the UPD shift depends on the size of the nanoparticle substrate in a way that is understandable based on the Plieth model.
High electrocatalytic activity of palladium towards ethanol oxidation in an alkaline medium makes it an ideal candidate for the anode electrocatalyst in direct ethanol based fuel cells (DEFCs). Chapter 4 will explore the poisoning of the catalytic activity of palladium in the presence of halide impurities, often used in synthesis of palladium nanoparticles as precursors or shape directing agents.
To evaluate size dependent stability of metal nanoparticles using electrochemical techniques in aqueous media, a synthetic route was designed to produce water soluble Pd nanoparticles. Also, a purification technique was developed to obtain monodisperse metal nanoparticles to study size dependent stability using electrochemical methods. Chapter 2 will describe in detail the synthesis, characterization and size dependent anodic dissolution studies of water soluble palladium nanoparticles.
The cost associated with using expensive metal catalysts can further decreased by using the underpotential deposition (UPD) technique, in which one metal is electrodeposited in monolayer or submonolayer form on a different metal substrate. Electrochemically, this process can be detected by the presence of a deposition peak positive to the bulk deposition potential in a cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiment. The difference between the bulk deposition potential and underpotential deposition peak (i.e. the UPD shift), which is a measure of the energetics of the monolayer deposition step, depends on the work function difference between the metal pairs. Chapter 3 will explore how metal nanoparticles of different sizes will change the energetics of the UPD phenomenon, using the UPD of Cu on palladium nanoparticles as an example. It will be shown that the UPD shift depends on the size of the nanoparticle substrate in a way that is understandable based on the Plieth model.
High electrocatalytic activity of palladium towards ethanol oxidation in an alkaline medium makes it an ideal candidate for the anode electrocatalyst in direct ethanol based fuel cells (DEFCs). Chapter 4 will explore the poisoning of the catalytic activity of palladium in the presence of halide impurities, often used in synthesis of palladium nanoparticles as precursors or shape directing agents.
ContributorsKumar, Ashok (Author) / Buttry, Daniel A. (Thesis advisor) / Gould, Ian R. (Committee member) / Ghirlanda, Giovanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Electronic books or eBooks have the potential to revolutionize the way humans read and learn. eBooks offer many advantages such as simplicity, ease of use, eco-friendliness, and portability. The advancement of technology has introduced many forms of multimedia objects into eBooks, which may help people learn from them. To help the readers understand and comprehend a concept that is put forward by the author of an eBook, there is ongoing research involving the use of augmented reality (AR) in education. This study explores how AR and three-dimensional interactive models are integrated into eBooks to help the readers comprehend the content quickly and swiftly. It compares the reading activities of people when they experience these two visual representations within an eBook.
This study required participants to interact with some instructional material presented on an eBook and complete a learning measure. While interacting with the eBook, participants were equipped with a set of physiological devices, namely an ABM EEG headset and eye tracker during the experiment to collect biometric data that could be used to objectively measure their user experience. Fifty college students participated in this study. The data collected from each of the participants was used to analyze the reading activities of people by performing an Independent Samples t-test.
This study required participants to interact with some instructional material presented on an eBook and complete a learning measure. While interacting with the eBook, participants were equipped with a set of physiological devices, namely an ABM EEG headset and eye tracker during the experiment to collect biometric data that could be used to objectively measure their user experience. Fifty college students participated in this study. The data collected from each of the participants was used to analyze the reading activities of people by performing an Independent Samples t-test.
ContributorsJuluru, Kalyan Kumar (Author) / Atkinson, Robert K. (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Yinong (Thesis advisor) / Walker, Erin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Hydrothermal systems are not the typical environments in which organic chemistry is studied. However the organic reactions happening there are increasingly implicated in non-trivial geochemical processes. For example, the origins of life, the formation and degradation of petroleum, and feeding the deep biosphere. These are environments where water is heated and pressurized until it has a polarity more typical of an organic solvent and an increased dissociation constant that decreases its pH. In addition, these environments host many transition metal oxide and sulfide minerals that are not inert bystanders to the chemistry happening around them. This thesis takes from the environment the complicated matrix of hot pressurized water, organic material, and minerals, and breaks it down, systematically, in the laboratory to probe the effects hydrothermal conditions and minerals have on the reactivity of model organic compounds. I conducted experiments at 300°C and 100 MPa using water, organic reactants, and minerals. Methyl- and dimethyl-cyclohexane based reactants provided regio and sterio-chemical markers to indicate reaction mechanisms. Without minerals, I found that the cyclic alkanes undergo a series of reversible stepwise oxidation and hydration reactions forming alkenes-alcohols-ketones, and alkenes-dienes-aromatic rings. I also found the reactions to be reversible; the ketone was readily reduced to the alkane. When the reactions were carried out in the presence of minerals, there were sometimes dramatic effects including reaction rate enhancement and changes in product distributions. Minerals pushed the reaction in the direction of oxidation or reduction depending on the type of mineral used. The hydration reaction could be essentially “turned off” using pyrite (FeS2) and troilite (FeS), which eliminated formation of ketone products. In contrast, hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) favored the hydration reaction and enhanced ketone production. Sphalerite (ZnS) was shown to act as a heterogeneous catalysis for alkane isomerization by activating the C-H bond and increasing reaction rates until thermodynamic equilibrium was reached. This suggests that the types of minerals present in hydrothermal environments will affect the functional group composition of organic material. Minerals and hot pressurized water may also have useful applications in organic chemistry as “green” reactants and catalysts.
ContributorsShipp, Jessie (Author) / Hartnett, Hilairy H. (Thesis advisor) / Gould, Ian R. (Committee member) / Shock, Everett L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
In cancer, various genetic and epigenetic alterations cause cancer cells to hyperproliferate and to bypass the survival and migration mechanisms that typically regulate healthy cells. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) gene produces FAK, a protein that has been implicated in tumor progression in various cancers. Compared with normal tissue counterparts, FAK is overexpressed in many cancers. FAK is therefore a promising cancer drug target due to its demonstrated role in cancer invasion and metastasis and inhibition of FAK is important to achieve an optimal tumor response. Small molecule FAK inhibitors have been shown to decrease tumor growth and metastasis in several preclinical trials. However, these inhibitors focus narrowly on the enzymatic portion of FAK and neglect its scaffolding function, leaving FAK’s scaffolding of oncogenic drivers intact. Paxillin, a major focal adhesion-associated protein, binds to FAK, enabling it to localize to focal adhesions, and this is essential for FAK’s activation and function. Therefore, disrupting the protein-protein interaction between FAK and paxillin has been hypothesized to prevent tumor progression. The binding of FAK to paxillin at its focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain is mediated by two highly conserved leucine-rich sequences, the leucine-aspartic acid (LD) motifs LD2 and LD4. The purpose of this project was to develop novel stapled LD2 peptide analogs that target the protein-protein interaction of FAT to LD2. Peptide stapling was performed to enhance the pharmacological performance of the LD2 peptide analogs. Based on the native LD2 peptide sequence, stapled LD2 peptide analogs were developed with the intent to improve efficacy of cell permeability, while maintaining or improving FAK binding. The LD2 peptide analogs were characterized via surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence polarization, immunofluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Successful LD2 stapled peptide analogs can be therapeutically relevant inhibitors of the FAT-LD2 protein-protein interaction in cancer and have the potential for greater efficacy in FAK inhibition, proteolytic resistance, and cell permeability, which is key in preventing tumor progression in cancer.
ContributorsNott, Rohini (Author) / Gould, Ian R. (Thesis director) / Marlowe, Timothy A. (Committee member) / Cance, William G. (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05