National Changhua University of Education

The explosion of Internet usage and the huge funding initiatives in electronic banking have drawn the attention of researchers towards Internet banking. In the past, the conventional focus of Internet banking research has been on technological development, but this is now shifting to user-focused research. Although millions of dollars have been spent on building Internet banking systems, reports have shown that potential users may not use the systems in spite of their availability. This points out the need for research to identify the factors that determine acceptance of Internet banking by the users. According to the technology acceptance model (TAM), perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness constructs are believed to be fundamental in determining the acceptance and use of various IT. These beliefs may however not fully explain the user's behavior toward newly emerging IT, such as Internet banking. Using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as a theoretical framework, this study introduces “perceived credibility” as a new factor that reflects the user's security and privacy concerns in the acceptance of Internet banking. It also examines the effect of computer self-efficacy on the intention to use Internet banking. Based on a sample of 123 users from a telephone interview, the results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting the intention of users to adopt Internet banking. It also demonstrates the significant effect of computer self-efficacy on behavioral intention through perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived credibility.

Abstract With the proliferation of mobile computing technology, mobile learning (m‐learning) will play a vital role in the rapidly growing electronic learning market. M‐learning is the delivery of learning to students anytime and anywhere through the use of wireless Internet and mobile devices. However, acceptance of m‐learning by individuals is critical to the successful implementation of m‐learning systems. Thus, there is a need to research the factors that affect user intention to use m‐learning. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), which integrates elements across eight models of information technology use, this study was to investigate the determinants of m‐learning acceptance and to discover if there exist either age or gender differences in the acceptance of m‐learning, or both. Data collected from 330 respondents in Taiwan were tested against the research model using the structural equation modelling approach. The results indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, perceived playfulness, and self‐management of learning were all significant determinants of behavioural intention to use m‐learning. We also found that age differences moderate the effects of effort expectancy and social influence on m‐learning use intention, and that gender differences moderate the effects of social influence and self‐management of learning on m‐learning use intention. These findings provide several important implications for m‐learning acceptance, in terms of both research and practice.

Abstract This paper set emerged from an international symposium that aimed to shed light on issues associated with the enactment of inquiry both as means (i.e., inquiry as an instructional approach) and as ends (i.e., inquiry as a learning outcome) in precollege science classrooms. The symposium contributors were charged with providing perspectives from their countries on the following major themes: (a) philosophical and practical conceptions of inquiry in the science curriculum; (b) images of the enactment of inquiry in the curriculum, curricular materials, classroom instruction, and assessment practices; and (c) factors and conditions, internal and external to the educational setting, which facilitate or impede inquiry‐based science education. Another major theme that emerged from the symposium was related to the very conceptions of inquiry teaching. The individual contributions and synthesizing commentaries demonstrate that despite their situatedness and diversity, many themes and issues cut across the represented locales, and serve to show the significance and potential fruitfulness of any discourse regarding inquiry in science education that this paper set might, and we hope will, trigger in the near future. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 88: 397–419, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10118

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) draw much attention as the key semiconducting material for two-dimensional electrical, optoelectronic, and spintronic devices. For most of these applications, both n- and p-type materials are needed to form junctions and support bipolar carrier conduction. However, typically only one type of doping is stable for a particular TMD. For example, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is natively an n-type presumably due to omnipresent electron-donating sulfur vacancies, and stable/controllable p-type doping has not been achieved. The lack of p-type doping hampers the development of charge-splitting p-n junctions of MoS2, as well as limits carrier conduction to spin-degenerate conduction bands instead of the more interesting, spin-polarized valence bands. Traditionally, extrinsic p-type doping in TMDs has been approached with surface adsorption or intercalation of electron-accepting molecules. However, practically stable doping requires substitution of host atoms with dopants where the doping is secured by covalent bonding. In this work, we demonstrate stable p-type conduction in MoS2 by substitutional niobium (Nb) doping, leading to a degenerate hole density of ∼ 3 × 10(19) cm(-3). Structural and X-ray techniques reveal that the Nb atoms are indeed substitutionally incorporated into MoS2 by replacing the Mo cations in the host lattice. van der Waals p-n homojunctions based on vertically stacked MoS2 layers are fabricated, which enable gate-tunable current rectification. A wide range of microelectronic, optoelectronic, and spintronic devices can be envisioned from the demonstrated substitutional bipolar doping of MoS2. From the miscibility of dopants with the host, it is also expected that the synthesis technique demonstrated here can be generally extended to other TMDs for doping against their native unipolar propensity.

Abstract. Advances in wireless technology have increased the number of people using mobile devices and accelerated the rapid development of mobile service (m‐service) conducted with these devices. However, although many companies are today making considerable investments to take advantage of the new business possibilities offered by wireless technology, research on mobile commerce suggests potential consumers may not adopt these m‐services in spite of their availability. Thus, there is a need for research to identify the factors that affect consumer intention to use m‐services. Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and Luarn & Lin's 2005 mobile banking acceptance model, the current research respecifies and validates an integrated model for predicting consumer intention to use m‐service by adding one trust‐related construct (‘perceived credibility’) and two resource‐related constructs (‘self‐efficacy’ and ‘perceived financial resources’) to the TAM's nomological structure and re‐examining the relationships between the proposed constructs. Data collected from 258 users in Taiwan were tested against the research model using the structural equation modelling approach. The results strongly support the proposed model in predicting consumer intention to use m‐service. Several implications for information technology/information system acceptance research and m‐service management practices are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire that measures students' motivation toward science learning (SMTSL). Six scales were developed: self‐efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulation. In total, 1407 junior high school students from central Taiwan, varying in grades, sex, and achievements, were selected by stratified random sampling to respond to the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha for the entire questionnaire was 0.89; for each scale, alpha ranged from 0.70 to 0.89. There were significant correlations (p < 0.01) of the SMTSL questionnaire with students' science attitudes (r = 0.41), and with the science achievement test in previous and current semesters (r p = 0.40 and r c = 0.41). High motivators and low motivators showed a significant difference (p < 0.01) on their SMTSL scores. Findings of the study confirmed the validity and reliability of the SMTSL questionnaire. Implications for using the SMTSL questionnaire in research and in class are discussed in the paper.

Abstract. DeLone &amp; McLean (2003) propose an updated information systems (IS) success model and suggest that it can be extended to investigating e‐commerce systems success. However, the updated IS success model has not been empirically validated in the context of e‐commerce. Further, the existing IS/e‐commerce success models have been subject to considerable debate on the ‘IS Use’ and ‘Perceived Usefulness’ constructs, and the nomological structure of the updated DeLone and McLean model is somewhat inconsistent with the IS acceptance and marketing literature. Based on the IS and marketing literature, this paper respecifies and validates a multidimensional model for assessing e‐commerce systems success. The validated model consists of six dimensions: Information Quality, System Quality, Service Quality, Perceived Value, User Satisfaction and Intention to Reuse. Structural equation modelling techniques were applied to data collected by questionnaire from 240 users of e‐commerce systems in Taiwan. The empirical evidence suggests that Intention to Reuse is affected by Perceived Value and User Satisfaction, which, in turn, are influenced by Information Quality, System Quality and Service Quality. The nomological structure of the respecified e‐commerce systems success model is concurred with that of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the IS field and the consumer behaviour models in the traditional business‐to‐business and retail contexts. The findings of this study provide several important implications for research and practice. This paper concludes by discussing the contributions of this study and the limitations that could be addressed in future studies.

While increasing productivity and economic growth, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) may ultimately require millions of people around the world to change careers or improve their skills. These disruptive effects contribute to the general public anxiety toward AI development. Despite the rising levels of AI anxiety (AIA) in recent decades, no AI anxiety scale (AIAS) has been developed. Given the limited utility of existing self-report instruments in measuring AIA, the aim of this paper is to develop a standardized tool to measure this phenomenon. Specifically, this paper introduces and defines the construct of AIA, develops a generic AIAS, and discusses the theoretical and practical applications of the instrument. The procedures used to conceptualize the survey, create the measurement items, collect data, and validate the multi-item scale are described. By analyzing data obtained from a sample of 301 respondents, the reliability, criterion-related validity, content validity, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and nomological validity of the constructs and relationships are fully examined. Overall, this empirically validated instrument advances scholarly knowledge regarding AIA and its associated behaviors.

This meta-analysis examines the relationship between time spent on social networking sites and psychological well-being factors, namely self-esteem, life satisfaction, loneliness, and depression. Sixty-one studies consisting of 67 independent samples involving 19,652 participants were identified. The mean correlation between time spent on social networking sites and psychological well-being was low at r = -0.07. The correlations between time spent on social networking sites and positive indicators (self-esteem and life satisfaction) were close to 0, whereas those between time spent on social networking sites and negative indicators (depression and loneliness) were weak. The effects of publication outlet, site on which users spent time, scale of time spent, and participant age and gender were not significant. As most included studies used student samples, future research should be conducted to examine this relationship for adults.

For a typical FMCW automotive radar system, a new design of baseband signal processing architecture and algorithms is proposed to overcome the ghost targets and overlapping problems in the multi-target detection scenario. To satisfy the short measurement time constraint without increasing the RF front-end loading, a three-segment waveform with different slopes is utilized. By introducing a new pairing mechanism and a spatial filter design algorithm, the proposed detection architecture not only provides high accuracy and reliability, but also requires low pairing time and computational loading. This proposed baseband signal processing architecture and algorithms balance the performance and complexity, and are suitable to be implemented in a real automotive radar system. Field measurement results demonstrate that the proposed automotive radar signal processing system can perform well in a realistic application scenario.

Monitoring the levels of potentially toxic metal (PTM) ions (e.g., Hg(2+), Pb(2+), Cu(2+)) in aquatic ecosystems is important because these ions can have severe effects on human health and the environment. Gold (Au) nanomaterials are attractive sensing materials because of their unique size- and shape-dependent optical properties. This review focuses on optical assays for Hg(2+), Pb(2+), and Cu(2+) ions using functionalized Au nanomaterials. The syntheses of functionalized Au nanomaterials are discussed. We briefly review sensing approaches based on changes in absorbance resulting from metal ion-induced aggregation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) or direct deposition of metal ions onto Au NPs. The super-quenching properties of Au NPs allow them to be employed in 'turn on' and 'turn off' fluorescence approaches for the sensitive and selective detection of Hg(2+), Pb(2+), and Cu(2+) ions. We highlight approaches based on fluorescence quenching through analyte-induced aggregation or the formation of metallophilic complexes of Au nanodots (NDs). We discuss the roles of several factors affecting the selectivity and sensitivity of the nanosensors toward the analytes: the size of the Au nanomaterial, the length and sequence of the DNA or the nature of the thiol, the surface density of the recognition ligand, and the ionic strength and pH of the buffer solution. In addition, we emphasize the potential of using new nanomaterials (e.g., fluorescent silver nanoclusters) for the detection of PTM ions.

Video game addiction in children and teenagers in Taiwan is associated with levels of animosity, social skills, and academic achievement. This study suggests that video game addiction can be statistically predicted on measures of hostility, and a group with high video game addiction has more hostility than others. Both gender and video game addiction are negatively associated with academic achievement. Family function, sensation seeking, gender, and boredom have statistically positive relationships with levels of social skills. Current models of video game addiction do not seem to fit the findings of this study.

Plants as well as microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). IAA is the most common plant hormone of the auxin class and it regulates various aspects of plant growth and development. Thus, research is underway globally to exploit the potential for developing IAA-producing fungi for promoting plant growth and protection for sustainable agriculture. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that IAA biosynthesis evolved independently in bacteria, microalgae, fungi, and plants. Present studies show that IAA regulates the physiological response and gene expression in these microorganisms. The convergent evolution of IAA production leads to the hypothesis that natural selection might have favored IAA as a widespread physiological code in these microorganisms and their interactions. We summarize recent studies of IAA biosynthetic pathways and discuss the role of IAA in fungal ecology.

BACKGROUND: Although previous meta-analyses were conducted to quantitatively synthesize the relation between problematic social media (SM) use and mental health, they focused on Facebook addiction. AIMS: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine this relation by extending the research scope via the inclusion of studies examining problematic use of all platforms. METHOD: =244,676) were identified. RESULTS: As expected, the mean correlations between problematic SM use and well-being are negative, while those between problematic SM use and distress are positive. Life satisfaction and self-esteem are commonly used to represent well-being, while depression and loneliness are usually used to indicate distress. The mean correlations of problematic SM use with life satisfaction and self-esteem are small, whereas those of problematic SM use with depression and loneliness are moderate. The moderating effects of publication status, instruments, platforms and mean age are not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of the correlations between problematic SM use and mental health indicators can generalize across most moderator conditions.

This meta-analysis examines the relationship between various Internet uses and measures of psychological well-being, including depression, loneliness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Forty studies represent a total sample of 21,258 participants and yield a data of 43 independent correlations. The mean correlation was -0.0504 for the fixed-effects model and r = -0.0385 for the random-effects model, indicating a small detrimental effect of Internet use on psychological well-being. According to the random-effects model, the effect of all moderators, including type of Internet use, indicator of well-being, quality of Internet use measure, and participant age and gender were insignificant. Since these moderators failed to explain the variation in the relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being, future investigations should consider the possible sources of these differences.

This paper introduces a novel algorithm that increases the efficiency of the current cloud-based smart-parking system and develops a network architecture based on the Internet-of-Things technology. This paper proposed a system that helps users automatically find a free parking space at the least cost based on new performance metrics to calculate the user parking cost by considering the distance and the total number of free places in each car park. This cost will be used to offer a solution of finding an available parking space upon a request by the user and a solution of suggesting a new car park if the current car park is full. The simulation results show that the algorithm helps improve the probability of successful parking and minimizes the user waiting time. We also successfully implemented the proposed system in the real world.

Manufacturing is involved with complex job shop scheduling problems (JSP). In smart factories, edge computing supports computing resources at the edge of production in a distributed way to reduce response time of making production decisions. However, most works on JSP did not consider edge computing. Therefore, this paper proposes a smart manufacturing factory framework based on edge computing, and further investigates the JSP under such a framework. With recent success of some AI applications, the deep Q network (DQN), which combines deep learning and reinforcement learning, has showed its great computing power to solve complex problems. Therefore, we adjust the DQN with an edge computing framework to solve the JSP. Different from the classical DQN with only one decision, this paper extends the DQN to address the decisions of multiple edge devices. Simulation results show that the proposed method performs better than the other methods using only one dispatching rule.

This study examined the discriminant and criterion-related validity of achievement goals in predicting academic achievement. Analysis of 151 studies yielded 172 independent samples (N = 52,986) with correlations among achievement goals and between achievement goals and academic achievement. The discriminant validity of achievement goals in the 2-, 3-, and 4-factor achievement models was sound, as the correlations among achievement goals ranged from .00 to .38. Approach motivations were associated with higher academic achievement, and avoidance motivations were associated with lower academic achievement. The criterion-related validity of each achievement goal (r = -.13 to .13) and the validities for the 2-, 3-, and 4-factor models were low. Integrating the findings regarding the discriminant and criterion-related validity revealed the 4-factor model as the best choice to facilitate the understanding of learning outcomes.

Judy F. Chen, Clyde A. Warden, Huo-Tsan Chang, Motivators That Do Not Motivate: The Case of Chinese EFL Learners and the Influence of Culture on Motivation, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Dec., 2005), pp. 609-633

In this paper, the sinusoidal-ripple-current (SRC) charging strategy for a Li-ion battery is proposed. The ac-impedance analysis is used to explore the optimal charging frequency. Experiments indicate that the optimal charging performance can be achieved by the proposed SRC with the minimum-ac-impedance frequency <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">fZ</i> min. Compared with the conventional constant-current constant-voltage charging strategy, the charging time, the charging efficiency, the maximum rising temperature, and the lifetime of the Li-ion battery are improved by about 17%, 1.9%, 45.8%, and 16.1%, respectively.