A review of the Information System Models for Technology Acceptance

Published Conference ProceedingsThe words “acceptance” and “behaviour” have been used interchangeably. The acceptance of any form of technology is determined by the behaviour of the individual towards that technology. Extensive research has been carried out on factors that influence human behaviour. This includes research in mathematics, philosophy, anthropology, information systems theories and many more. In the field of Information Technology and Information systems, there are models that have been developed in an attempt to try and understand technology acceptance. The aim of this paper is to review 6 unique Information Systems models of acceptance (Diffusion of Innovations, Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Technology Acceptance Model, Task Technology fit and Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology). The paper defines each of the models, providing past applications and recommending future applications within the context of a university of technology. The aim of this review is to help create awareness among fellow academics about the various acceptance models and their possible usage

Extending the Technology Acceptance Model for E-learning Discussion Forum Adoption

Published Conference ProceedingsThe advancement on Information and Communication Technology and the Internet for educational purposes has been a staple discourse among researchers in recent years. However, preliminary investigations indicate that e-learning systems are underutilized due to the fact that some of their major features remaining inactive; features like electronic discussion forums. Despite several scholars reporting on high levels of e-learning systems implementation at Universities of Technology (UoT), it is disconcerting that discussion forums within these platforms remain poorly utilized. The purpose of this study is to establish constructs that may promote adoption and use of discussion forums. The Technology Acceptance Model forms the theoretical framework for this study and is extended by including digital inclusion, perceived attention and perceived enjoyment. Thirty participants were purposively selected from a third year Information Technology class and interviewed with regards to the different constructs which make up the Technology Acceptance Model. Findings of this case study suggest that, perceived usefulness and ease along with digital inclusion may positively influence adoption and use of discussion forums at UoT. The study contributes to the board of knowledge by providing useful insights into the application of the Technology Acceptance Model by establishing additional constructs that may promote discussion forum usage

Analisis Performansi Turbin Angin Poros Horisontal Model Double Rotor Contra Rotating Dengan Posisi Rotor Saling Berhimpitan

The contra rotating wind turbine is a horizontal axis turbine which has two shaft rotating in opposite directions on the same axis, and it can work at low wind speeds. In general, the performance of the wind turbine are affected by several factors, which is the aerodynamics shape of turbine, the numbers of blade and the selection angle of blade. In this study, conducted by determining the variation of angle on the blade and the blade angle used in the study is 0o, 5o, and 10o, on the two rotors with diameter of front rotor is 0.50 meters and the rear rotor is 0.30 meters, with the position of the rotor blade is coincident with each other. The purpose of this study, is to determine the effect of blade angle variation on the turbine rotation (rpm), torque (T), the power coefficient (Cp), torque coefficient (Cq) and the efficient of the turbine at any wind speeds variations. On the graph relation of blade angle on the shaft rotation, turbine rotation riding known to along with the addition of angle of the blade. The speed of wind is very affect on the output or mechanical power and power coefficient. On the blade angle 0o with wind speed at 4.03 m/s, the power can be generate is 3.013 Watt, and for blade angle 10o with wind speeds 6.08 m/s, the power can be generate is 8.217 Watt. The lowest rotation of rotor without loading is 702 rpm at the wind speeds on 4.03 m/s with angle of blade 0o, the highest rotation of rotor is 1484 rpm on the wind speeds 6.08 m/s with angle of blade 10o. From the graph of analysis data can be seen , with change of angle blade on wind turbine horizontal shaft contra rotating models, power coefficient (Cp) generated of turbine activity increases with increased of angle, with Cp maks 0.718 for angle 10o, maximum efficiency an generated reach out 71.8

The transition from medical student to junior doctor: today's experiences of Tomorrow's Doctors.

CONTEXT Medical education in the UK has recently undergone radical reform. Tomorrow's Doctors has prescribed undergraduate curriculum change and the Foundation Programme has overhauled postgraduate education. OBJECTIVES This study explored the experiences of junior doctors during their first year of clinical practice. In particular, the study sought to gain an understanding of how junior doctors experienced the transition from the role of student to that of practising doctor and how well their medical school education had prepared them for this. METHODS The study used qualitative methods comprising of semi-structured interviews and audio diary recordings with newly qualified doctors based at the Peninsula Foundation School in the UK. Purposive sampling was used and 31 of 186 newly qualified doctors self-selected from five hospital sites. All 31 participants were interviewed once and 17 were interviewed twice during the year. Ten of the participants also kept audio diaries. Interview and audio diary data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed with the aid of a qualitative data analysis software package. RESULTS The findings show that, despite recent curriculum reforms, most participants still found the transition stressful. Dealing with their newly gained responsibility, managing uncertainty, working in multi-professional teams, experiencing the sudden death of patients and feeling unsupported were important themes. However, the stress of transition was reduced by the level of clinical experience gained in the undergraduate years. CONCLUSIONS Medical schools need to ensure that students are provided with early exposure to clinical environments which allow for continuing 'meaningful' contact with patients and increasing opportunities to 'act up' to the role of junior doctor, even as students. Patient safety guidelines present a major challenge to achieving this, although with adequate supervision the two aims are not mutually exclusive. Further support and supervision should be made available to junior doctors in situations where they are dealing with the death of a patient and on surgical placements

The monitored performance of the first new London dwelling certified to the Passive House standard

The monitored performance of the first new London dwelling certified to the Passive House standard is presented. The first detailed analysis of the energy consumption of the heating, ventilation and domestic hot water systems are given. The annual space heating demand of the 2 bedroom, 101 m2 dwelling was 12.1 kWh/m2, achieving the 15 kWh/m2 Passive House target. The annual primary energy demand was 125kWh/m2, marginally above the 120 kWh/m2 target. The measured internal heat gains of 3.65 W/m2 are much greater than the 2.1 W/m2 suggested as standard for dwellings. The Passive House Planning Package, PHPP, is found to be a good predictor of space heating demand and the risk of summer time over heating. Winter space heating demand is sensitive to occupant blind use. With a total metered energy consumption of 65 kWh/m2, the Camden Passive House is one of the lowest energy, small family dwellings, monitored in the UK

The medical licensing examination debate

National licensing examinations are typically large-scale examinations taken early in a career or near the point of graduation, and, importantly, success is required to subsequently be able to practice. They are becoming increasingly popular as a method of quality assurance in the medical workforce, but debate about their contribution to patient safety and the improvement of healthcare outcomes continues. A systematic review of the national licensing examination literature demonstrates that there is disagreement between assessment experts about the strengths and challenges of licensing examinations. This is characterized by a trans-Atlantic divide between the dominance of psychometric reliability assurance in North America and the wider interpretations of validity, to include consequences, in Europe. We conclude that the debate might benefit from refocusing to what a national licensing examination should assess: to achieve a balance between assessing a breadth of skills and the capacity for such skills in practice, and focusing less on reproducibility

The International Landscape of Medical Licensing Examinations: A Typology Derived From a Systematic Review

Background National licensing examinations (NLEs) are large-scale examinations usually taken by medical doctors close to the point of graduation from medical school. Where NLEs are used, success is usually required to obtain a license for full practice. Approaches to national licensing, and the evidence that supports their use, varies significantly across the globe. This paper aims to develop a typology of NLEs, based on candidacy, to explore the implications of different examination types for workforce planning. Methods A systematic review of the published literature and medical licensing body websites, an electronic survey of all medical licensing bodies in highly developed nations, and a survey of medical regulators. Results The evidence gleaned through this systematic review highlights four approaches to NLEs: where graduating medical students wishing to practice in their national jurisdiction must pass a national licensing exam before they are granted a license to practice; where all prospective doctors, whether from the national jurisdiction or international medical graduates, are required to pass a national licensing exam in order to practice within that jurisdiction; where international medical graduates are required to pass a licensing exam if their qualifications are not acknowledged to be comparable with those students from the national jurisdiction; and where there are no NLEs in operation. This typology facilitates comparison across systems and highlights the implications of different licensing systems for workforce planning. Conclusion The issue of national licensing cannot be viewed in isolation from workforce planning; future research on the efficacy of national licensing systems to drive up standards should be integrated with research on the implications of such systems for the mobility of doctors to cross borders

Parasitic copepods from Egyptian Red Sea fishes: Bomolochidae Claus, 1875

© The Author(s) 2015 Open Access - This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The attached file is the published version of the article

From cars to bikes : the feasibility and effect of using e-bikes, longtail bikes and traditional bikes for transportation among parents of children attending kindergarten : design of a randomized cross-over trial

Background: The present study aims to increase bicycling and level of physical activity (PA), and thereby promote health in parents of toddlers, by giving access to different bicycle types. There is a need for greater understanding of e-bikes and their role in the transportation network, and further effects on PA levels and health. Moreover, longtail bikes could meet certain practical needs not fulfilled by e-bikes or traditional bikes, hence increased knowledge regarding their feasibility should be obtained. No previous studies have investigated whether providing an e-bike or a longtail bike over an extended period in a sample of parents of toddlers influence objectively assessed amount of bicycling and total PA level, transportation habits, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure. Methods: A randomized cross-over trial will be performed, entailing that participants in the intervention group (n = 18) complete the following intervention arms in random order: (i) three months access to an e-bicycle with trailer for child transportation (n = 6), (ii) three months access to a longtail bicycle (n = 6), and (iii) three months access to a regular bicycle with trailer (n = 6), in total nine months. Also, a control group (n = 18) maintaining usual transportation and PA habits will be included. A convenience sample consisting of 36 parents of toddlers residing in Kristians and municipality, Southern Norway, will be recruited. Total amount of bicycling (distance and time), total level of PA, and transportation habits will be measured at baseline and in connection to each intervention arm. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure will be measured at baseline and post-intervention. Main outcome will be bicycling distance and time spent cycling. Discussion: New knowledge relevant for the timely issues of public health and environmental sustainability will be provided among parents of toddlers, representing a target group of greatest importance. There is a call for research on the influence of e-bikes and longtail bikes on travel behavior and PA levels, and whether voluntary cycling could improve health. If the present study reveals promising results, it should be replicated in larger and more representative samples. Eventually, inclusion in national public health policies should be considered

Study protocol: can a school gardening intervention improve children's diets?

BACKGROUND: The current academic literature suggests there is a potential for using gardening as a tool to improve children's fruit and vegetable intake. This study is two parallel randomised controlled trials (RCT) devised to evaluate the school gardening programme of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, to determine if it has an effect on children's fruit and vegetable intake. METHOD/DESIGN: Trial One will consist of 26 schools; these schools will be randomised into two groups, one to receive the intensive intervention as "Partner Schools" and the other to receive the less intensive intervention as "Associate Schools". Trial Two will consist of 32 schools; these schools will be randomised into either the less intensive intervention "Associate Schools" or a comparison group with delayed intervention. Baseline data collection will be collected using a 24-hour food diary (CADET) to collect data on dietary intake and a questionnaire exploring children's knowledge and attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A process measures questionnaire will be used to assess each school's gardening activities. DISCUSSION: The results from these trials will provide information on the impact of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening on children's fruit and vegetable intake. The evaluation will provide valuable information for designing future research in primary school children's diets and school based interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN11396528