Small business owners who fail to adopt modern technology risk placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Drawing on Davis's technology acceptance model, the purpose of this study was to examine how small business owners in Central Ohio come to accept and use computerized accounting systems (CAS). The research question addressed the correlation between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and the intent to adopt CAS using multiple linear regression. Data were collected using a survey mailed to 347 small business owners which yielded a sample size of 71 respondents. Results showed a positive correlation between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and the intent to adopt CAS; therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. The model predicted about 71% of the variations in intent to adopt CAS. Using the portion of the sample where small business owners had not yet adopted CAS (n = 34), the model was able to predict about 63% of the variation, and in the portion where small business owners had already adopted CAS (n = 37), the model was able to predict about 70% of the variation. However, when splitting the sample between small businesses whose owners had already adopted CAS and those who had not yet adopted CAS, importance of ease of use and usefulness changed. Usefulness is more important to nonadopters and ease of use is more important for continued use. The implication for social change is the potential to reduce business failures. The study showed that 83% of small businesses over 5 years old currently use a CAS and only 56% under 5 years old use a CAS. Society could benefit from an increase in the number of successful small businesses, which would then contribute to economic expansion.

The purpose of this study was to test whether the computer-administered College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examination in English Composition produced scores equivalent to those obtained from the traditional paper-and-pencil version. The CLEP examination and its adaptation for computer administration and the results of a pilot study are presented. The subjects in this study were volunteers who took the CLEP English Composition Examination in order to earn college credit and were randomly assigned to either the computer-first or paper-and-pencil-first groups. Each subject took both forms of the examination with approximately one half of the subjects taking each version first. Analysis of variance failed to detect a significant effect for test form or an interaction of test form and order of administration. Equivalence reliability coefficients and internal consistency coefficients also indicated that the computer administration did not significantly alter the results of the examination. In general, the results of this study support the hypothesis that the computer-administered version of the CLEP General Examination in English Composition produces results equivalent to those obtained from the traditional paper-and-pencil version.

Within the current decade, the number of Hispanic students has doubled so that about 16% of the total student population within the United States are Spanish-speakers (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). With this growing population comes a responsibility to understand and implement best practices for educating these students. Because literacy is a building-block for learning, one integral part of this responsibility consists of developing valid and reliable means of assessing pre-reading skills that are predictive of later reading abilities (Lonigan, Burgess, & Anthony, 2000; Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1994). English-language learning children are being identified for having reading difficulties and disabilities two to three years later than their English-proficient peers (Chu & Flores, 2011). As a population, they are also overly misidentified as having reading difficulties/disabilities and being unnecessarily placed into a special education system (McCardle, Mele-McCarthy, Cutting, Leos, & D’Emilio, 2005b; Sanatullova Allison & Robinson-Young, 2016). Per a nationwide survey of Speech-Language Pathologists, one large contributing factor for this dilemma is the lack of appropriate assessment instruments (Roseberry-McKibbin, Brice, & O’Hanlon, 2005). Phonological awareness is the ability to focus on and manipulate units of spoken language (words, syllables, onsets, rimes, and/or phonemes). It is one of the most significant predictors of later reading abilities. A large body of evidence provides support for this within the English language but also within other alphabetic languages, such as Spanish (e.g. Carillo, 1994; Durgunoglu, Nagy, Hancin-Bhatt, 1993; Schneider, Kuspert, Roth, Vise, & Marx, 1997). Thus, assessments of phonological awareness have been shown to be reliable measures that predict later reading abilities in Spanish-speaking children and English-proficient children alike (Farver, Nakamoto, & Lonigan, 2007). There are many standardized assessments available to test phonological awareness as an emergent literacy skill in English. In congruence with the previously mentioned nationwide survey, Spanish assessments of phonological awareness are less abundant. Additionally, these tests tend to be expensive, time-consuming to give, and require training of the administrator. These tests are static in nature and regularly require the child to comprehend complex administrative instructions which is often problematic for children with limited language skills in Spanish and/or English (Barker, Bridges, & Saunders, 2014). The current study aims to build upon existing data regarding development of the DAPA-S by evaluating the validity of a shorter version of the DAPA-S (the DAPA-S Short Form) with children from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. The DAPA-S Short form was designed with the purpose of retaining all the test items of the full version but with an altered structure which allows for significantly shorter administration time. The DAPA-S and the shorter version were both designed as Spanish dynamic assessments of phonological awareness which are computerized, have simple instructions, provide information about a child’s ability to learn from instruction, and do not require speech responses. The twelve participants that were involved in this study were given the DAPA-S Short Form as well as other assessments related to phonological awareness or emergent reading. Three of those participants did not complete the study due to poor attendance or behavioral challenges. Therefore, this study reports on nine participants who completed the full assessment battery. To investigate concurrent validity, correlational analysis was performed with the DAPA-S Short Form scores and scores from a measure of phonological awareness, the Test of Phonological Sensitivity in Spanish (TOPSS; Brea, Silliman, Bahr, & Bryant, 2003). The Elision, Rapid Automatic Naming, and Letter Name/ Letter Sound subtests from the TOPSS were administered. No significant correlations were observed between either subtest from the DAPA-S Short Form and any of the subtests from the TOPSS (r = .49 for Elision, r = .36 for RAN, r = .43 for Letter Name/Letter Sound subtests). Therefore, concurrent validity was not established as measured in this study. To investigate convergent validity, correlational analysis was performed with the DAPA-S Short Form subtests and the scores from a measure of Spanish emergent reading skills, the Letter-word Identification (LWID) subtest from the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey – Revised (WMLS-R; Woodcock, Muñoz – Sandoval, Ruef, & Alvarado, 2005). Significant correlation was observed between the First Syllable subtest of the DAPA-S Short Form and the test of emergent literacy (r = .87, p < .01); no significant correlation was observed for the Last Syllable subtest of the DAPA-S Short Form (r = .44) and the test of emergent literacy. Therefore, the First Syllable subtest from the DAPA-S Short Form demonstrates good convergent validity, while the Last Syllable subtest did not. Data suggests that the DAPA-S Short Form demonstrates excellent internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .99 for both subtests) but requires modifications and further testing with a larger sample size in order to be considered as a valid measure of phonological awareness. If developed through further research, the DAPA-S Short Form as well as the full version of the assessment could prove to be invaluable tools in educational and clinical settings.

Obtaining a very high level of precision and sophistication in automated computer control is now available inexpensively from a variety of hardware and software sources. Applying this automated technology to an astronomical telescope broadens the scope of applications of the instrument, particularly in areas such as photo electrics, CCD imaging and remote control. The ultimate design goal of the UWS telescope was that of full roboticism, giving access of the facility to off campus clients both in Australia and overseas. The first phase towards full robotic control is automation of the required optical and mechanical parameters, providing precision targeting and object tracking. This thesis describes the mechanical aspects of the UWS telescope and the procedures and equipment involved in its automation, including the drive system, electro mechanical design and associated computer hardware and software. Sample performance test data shows that using a high percentage of inexpensive proprietary robotics components, a very sophisticated and accurate measuring device can be produced. / Master of Science (Hons.)

In 1992, the Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) as an application over the Internet using TCP/IP protocol as stated in the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3). Accessing local IS to process data is no longer appropriate in the revolution of distributed processing. Web environments are heterogeneous and portable. First, the Web was developed for textual publishing purposes. However, in parallel the rapid advances of related technology and the incredible growth of ubiquitous data, the Web has evolved from a static medium for information sharing into an interactive multimedia platform that includes video, sound, animation, with dynamic links. In the light of these advancements, Web accessibility and associated problems (eg. People with deafness), represent a serious obstacle that prohibits people with special needs from accessing telecommunication systems. The Deaf Community’ is almost a closed community that has its own language (i.e. sign language), customs and traditions. There is little research around the world investigating direct machine translation of sign language. To avoid machine translation and associated problems, this thesis built on current Web technology to integrate Signage Information into the Web environment. As part of this integration, it made use of an ‘Intermediary Signage Object’ rather than intermediate transmission of video-based sign language. Finally, this thesis provides a Sign Language Annotation tool. It generates an XML document in order to process signage object content. The Graphical Usage Interface (GUI) contains a display window that plays customized sign language clips according to the sign viewers’ preferences. The Signage Tool extends IBM VideoAnnEx Tool to include sign language attributes and related data. In addition, it has been developed for different types of users involved with the deaf community (i.e. hearing impairment, hard of hearing, and sign language interpreters.) / Master of Science (Hons.)

交通事故每日無時無刻在世界各地發生，每次之交通事故均產生一連串椱雜之處理程序，該程序常涉及多方之關係人，包括消費者、保險公司、車禍處理人員、理賠人員、汽車修理廠與汽車製造商等。交通事故所致之汽車損壞，其處理程序，其實是相當值得觀察的，包括賠案登錄、損失金額之認定、賠款之處理與賠案之稽核等，均須耗費龐大之人力。 　　於台灣，汽車損失金額之認定，傳統上均由汽車修理廠師傅依其主觀判斷加以衡量，因為缺乏客觀標準與不夠精確，因此常導致消費者、汽車修理廠與保險人間之糾紛。由於估價不夠精確，因此影響汽車保險之經營甚劇。歐美先進國家產險業者，為達到汽車製造商要求之水準，保障被保險人行車安全，常以共同危險團體管理人自居，力求汽車修理成本之控制，保障被保險人之權益；而為了消弭理賠糾紛、提升保險公司服務品質與商譽，更致力於保險理賠的電腦化、標準化、數位化，以期提供公正、客觀、高效率之理賠。有鑑於此德國Audatex公司早在六○年代便極力發展此種電腦估價系統，運用電腦之資料處理簡化車輛估價之理念。 　　台灣地區汽車保險業務十年來平均占產物保險業總業務之59%，汽車保險理賠問題嚴重且持續，一套正確、客觀、有效率之估價系統，可以真實反映損失狀況，對於公平合理之費率釐定有重大之意義。 　　本文乃從實務角度探討Audatex電腦估價系統在台灣產險市場運用之可行性及其效益分析，比較英國、日本等先進國家之經驗，並發現該系統之運作不但對保險公司經營汽車保險有極大之助益，對消費者權益之維護亦有相當大之幫助。於後並建議於引進Audatex電腦估價系統之前，應先成立汽車修理研究中心，使兩者之能夠相輔相成，期能為業界提供決策與方針，加強管理技術，提供消費者更完善之服務。 / Road traffic accidents occur every day and spark a sequence of complex claim settlement procedure to consumers, motor insurers, accidents managers, loss assessors, repairers, motor manufacturers and many other related parties. In each claim of motor damages, a few linked stages need to be observed, i.e. claim registration, estimating and approving the repair cost, completing the repair work, auditing and invoicing claim settlement. 　　In Taiwan, it is conventional that car repairers estimate motor damages by their individual discretion and opinions case by case. Given lack of objectiveness and accuracy, it often causes a lot of arguments and conflicts among consumers, motor insurers and car repairers. Under such a circumstance, it calls for a need for an end-to-end and comprehensive system to manage the above procedure. 　　The Audatex system, a computerized estimating and integrated claims management system, is adopted in many developed countries to assist motor insurers in claim handling and cost estimating more efficiently. It could not only reduce duplication and errors, but also improve authorization turnaround time. All estimates are calculated and validated through the system, with the rate and terms of business agreed between individual repairers and work providers. Based on the most up-to-date parts and labor information, a fully cost assessment, is automatically sent to the work provider in the approved format. 　　This paper is to examine the feasibility of introducing the Audatex to the motor insurance market in Taiwan. The main theme of this paper is to examine the feasibility of the Audatex in Taiwan motor insurance market. It analyzes the cost of establishing such a system and compares the experiences in certain countries, such as Japan and U.K. It observes that a computerized estimating system would be invaluable both for repairers and work providers. It is suggested that Taiwan shall firstly have a motor vehicle repair research center in place and then a computerized estimating system such as the Audatex.

There are many imaging techniques that generate three-dimensional volume images today. With higher precision in the image acquisition equipment, storing and processing these images require increasing amount of data processing capacity. Traditionally, three-dimensional images are represented by cubic (or cuboid) picture elements on a cubic grid. The two-dimensional hexagonal grid has some advantages over the traditionally used square grid. For example, less samples are needed to get the same reconstruction quality, it is less rotational dependent, and each picture element has only one type of neighbor which simplifies many algorithms. The corresponding three-dimensional grids are the face-centered cubic (fcc) grid and the body-centered cubic (bcc) grids. In this thesis, image representations using non-standard grids is examined. The focus is on the fcc and bcc grids and tools for processing images on these grids, but distance functions and related algorithms (distance transforms and various representations of objects) are defined in a general framework allowing any point-lattice in any dimension. Formulas for point-to-point distance and conditions for metricity are given in the general case and parameter optimization is presented for the fcc and bcc grids. Some image acquisition and visualization techniques for the fcc and bcc grids are also presented. More theoretical results define distance functions for grids of arbitrary dimensions. Less samples are needed to represent images on non-standard grids. Thus, the huge amount of data generated by for example computerized tomography can be reduced by representating the images on non-standard grids such as the fcc or bcc grids. The thesis gives a tool-box that can be used to acquire, process, and visualize images on high-dimensional, non-standard grids.

No description available.

The paper describes a computer system for testing the coherence and adequacy of dictionaries. The system suits also well for retiieving lexical material in context from computerized text archives Results are presented from a series of tests made with Kamusi ya Kiswahlli Sanifu (KKS), a monolingual Swahili dictionary.. The test of the intemal coherence of KKS shows that the text itself contains several hundreds of such words, for which there is no entry in the dictionary. Examples and frequency numbers of the most often occurring words are given The adequacy of KKS was also tested with a corpus of nearly one million words, and it was found out that 1.32% of words in book texts were not recognized by KKS, and with newspaper texts the amount was 2.24% The higher number in newspaper texts is partly due to numerous names occurring in news articles Some statistical results are given on frequencies of wordforms not recognized by KKS The tests shows that although KKS covers the modern vocabulary quite well, there are several ru·eas where the dictionary should be improved The internal coherence is far from satisfactory, and there are more than a thousand such rather common words in prose text which rue not included into KKS The system described in this article is au effective tool for `detecting problems and for retrieving lexical data in context for missing words.

Electronic medical records (EMR) and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) are recognized as a means to improve quality of care and patient safety. This research examines factors that contribute to clinician acceptance of an EMR implemented in a pediatric hospital system and applies this knowledge to improve implementation methods to ensure they foster acceptance. A framework for User-Centered Implementation (UCI) was developed based on previous EMR and CPOE, technology acceptance, user-centered design, and change management research. The UCI framework identifies tools from change management and user-centered design and links them to the systems development lifecycle stage(s) at which they can be applied to achieve improved user acceptance. Next, a study examined clinician EMR acceptance in a pediatric hospital system at various points during their EMR implementation which employed a UCI-based methodology. Surveys before and after implementation of each phase examined physician, nurse, and other staff perceptions about the systems usefulness (performance expectancy (PE)) and ease of use (effort expectancy (EE)). Results indicate users had positive perceptions of system ease of use (EE) after implementation. Post-implementation PE ratings were neutral or positive for most users. Pre- and post-implementation regression models indicate the factors that influence PE change over time. Compatibility with clinician work practices was important both before and after implementation. Before implementation, users who perceived a greater need for the system and felt their needs were represented during design had higher expectations of system usefulness. After implementation, system characteristics including how well it supports clinical decision making and how easy it is to use influenced PE. Support provided by super users positively influenced both PE and EE after implementation. Based on these findings, guidelines for using UCI to improve clinician acceptance of EMR are presented. Designing EMR systems that are usable within the clinical work context enables clinicians to focus on the patient, rather than the system. Accomplishing this in practice is difficult given the complexity of EMRs and the dynamic clinical processes they support. This studys results indicate the UCI framework can be effectively applied to EMR implementations to improve the usability, utility, and, consequently, acceptance of these systems.