Theoretical model of investigating determinants for a successful Electronic Assessment System (EAS) in higher education.

Electronic assessment (e-assessment) is an essential part of higher education, not only used to manage a large class size of students' learning performance and particularly in assessing the learning outcomes of students. The e-assessment data generated can not only be used to determine students' study weaknesses to develop strategies for teaching and learning, but also in the development of essential teaching and learning pedagogies for online teaching and learning. Despite the wider adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) technologies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities still encountered numerous problems during the transformation to electronic teaching as most educators struggled with the effective implementation of the Electronic Assessment System (EAS). The successful launch of EAS relied heavily on students' use intention towards the new and unfamiliar electronic system, which was actually unknown to the project managers of EAS. It is therefore important to understand students' views and concerns on EAS and the proactive measures taken by universities to enhance students' acceptance and intention of usage. Although most studies investigate students' acceptance of online learning, there is still little research on the adoption of e-assessment. In this regard, we propose to develop a theoretical model based on students' perceptions of EAS. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and a major successor of TAM, an electronic assessment system acceptance model (EASA model) is developed with key measures including system adoption anxiety, e-assessment facilitation, risk reduction amid, etc. The data is obtained through a survey among current students at a local university, and structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to analyze the quantitative data. This study has a significant impact on improving educators' use of e-assessment in order to develop essential online teaching and learning pedagogy in the future.

Risk factors for radiation exposure in newly diagnosed IBD patients.

PURPOSE: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be exposed to high doses of diagnostic radiation. The purpose of this study is to identify subsets of this population at risk for significant radiation exposure. METHODS: This HIPAA compliant, IRB approved study consists of 336 patients (237 adult and 99 pediatric) within the Ocean State Crohn's & Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR). All were newly diagnosed with IBD and prospectively enrolled between 1/2008 and 12/2012. Comprehensive chart review was performed. RESULTS: 207 (61.6%) patients were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), 120 (35.7%) with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 9 (2.7%) with inflammatory bowel disease, type unspecified (IBDU). 192 (57.1%) patients were exposed to GI-specific radiation. Average GI-specific radiation dose for adult IBD patients was 14.1 mSV and was significantly greater among adult CD than adult UC patients (p = 0.01). Pediatric patients underwent fewer CT scans (p < 0.0001). Risk factors for increased radiation exposure include: GI surgery (p = 0.003), biologic therapy (p = 0.01), pain-predominant symptoms (as compared to diarrhea-predominant symptoms; p < 0.05), and isolated ileal disease (p = 0.02). Patients with stricturing or penetrating disease received higher radiation doses than patients with non-stricturing, non-penetrating disease (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A variety of risk factors are associated with increased exposure to ionizing radiation after diagnosis of IBD. Knowledge of these risk factors can help physicians prospectively identify patients at risk for elevated radiation exposure and consider low-dose or radiation-free imaging.

The 1996 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers.

Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. To assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks, the third North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held June 17-25, 1996 at Table Mountain outside Boulder, Colorado, USA. This Intercomparison was coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; the Department of Agriculture; and the Atmospheric Environment Service, Canada. The spectral irradiances of participants' calibrated standard lamps were measured at NIST prior to the Intercomparison. The spectral irradiance scales used by the participants agreed with the NIST scale within the combined uncertainties, and for all lamps the spectral irradiance in the horizontal position was lower than that in the vertical position. Instruments were characterized for wavelength uncertainty, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity, the latter with NIST standard lamps operating in specially designed field calibration units. The spectral irradiance responsivity demonstrated instabilities for some instruments. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST standard lamps, the measured solar irradiances had some unexplained systematic differences between instruments.

The 1995 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers.

Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. To assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks, the second North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held June 12 to 23, 1995 at Table Mountain outside Boulder, Colorado, USA. This Intercomparison was coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; the Department of Agriculture; and the Atmospheric Environment Service, Canada. Instruments were characterized for wavelength uncertainty, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity, the latter with a NIST standard lamp operating in a specially designed field calibration unit. The spectral irradiance responsivity, determined once indoors and twice outdoors, demonstrated that while the responsivities changed upon moving the instruments, they were relatively stable when the instruments remained outdoors. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST standard lamp and three different convolution functions to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiances generally agreed to within 3 %.