The effects of social media on online consumer behavior

Does social media have an effect on online consumer behavior? Because social media is now used to market many companies, brands, and products, this study provides data that will conclude if social media has a major effect on online consumer behavior. The purpose of this study is to interview consumers to see what their opinions are on social media and its effect on their online shopping experience. The study will give us a better understanding of how online consumers view and use social media.(Author abstract)Dobek, M., Toland, B., Gendron, R., Kitsios, A., and Stitt, R. (2014). The effects of social media on online consumer behavior. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.ed

Diagnostic accuracy of methods for detecting Anaplasma marginale infection in lactating dairy cattle of Puerto Rico

Bovine anaplasmosis (BA) is a hemoparasitic disease of great importance in cattle within the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Control programs for BA require accurate diagnostic assays but validation can be challenging because the true disease status of all animals is frequently not known with certainty. The objective of this study was to estimate the accuracy of assays for detection of Anaplasma marginale infection in lactating dairy cattle of Puerto Rico using Bayesian methods without a perfect reference test. There were 2,331 cattle with complete diagnostic results sampled from 79 herds, and the prevalence of BA was estimated as 22% (95% probability interval [PI]: 19–25%). The sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of a major surface protein 5 competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MSP-5 cELISA) were estimated as 99% (95% PI: 96–100%) and 89% (95% PI: 87–92%), respectively. The Se and Sp of a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were 67% (95% PI: 60–74%) and 99% (95% PI: 99–100%). The Se and Sp of a card agglutination test were 34% (95% PI: 29–39%) and 99% (95% PI: 99–100%). Area under the receiveroperating characteristic curve for the MSP-5 cELISA was 0.748 (95% PI: 0.71–0.79). The MSP-5 cELISA appears to be the test of choice for screening cattle for subclinical BA based on the high estimated Se, rapidity of results, relative low cost, and ease of standardization