Attribution Analysis of Computer Self-Efficacy

Individuals’ reactions to ERP technology and subsequent behaviors are investigated by combining Self- Efficacy Theory and Attribution Theory. Using a field study, this research determined the attributions of computer performance and their causal dimensions (i.e., locus of causality, stability, and controllability). The PLS results indicated that desirable and undesirable attributions are important antecedents to computer self- efficacy

Antimicrobial Properties of Fucus Vesiculosus and Porphyra Dioica Collected From the Irish Coast.

Various types of algae play an important role in entire ecosystem and has potential role in the continuous search for biologically active compounds with miscellaneous activities, such as antioxidant, antiviral and antimicrobial. The objective of this study was to study the antimicrobial properties of two diverse seaweeds, Fucus vesiculosus and Porphyra dioca. Antimicrobial compounds from both seaweeds could find potential future use in medical or food industries. Water content analysis was performed on both seaweeds and it was determined that high water content around 80% was apparent for both seaweeds, with higher consistency of water content found for Porphyra dioica compared to Fucus vesiculosus. Extraction of active metabolites was performed in diethyl ether, methanol and water; solvents with various polarities at a concentration of 1/100 w/v. Only Porphyra dioica was additionally extracted in ethyl acetate and a methanol:water mixture at concentrations 1/100 w/v and 1/30 w/v, respectively. The seaweed crude extracts were tested against one active pathogenic clinical strain of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) WIT-676 obtained from University Hospital Waterford. The effect of various extracts concentrations 1/40, 1/60, 1/80 and 1/100 w/v in methanol was examined using extracts of Fucus vesiculosus followed by antimicrobial screening against the same pathogen to determine the optimal concentration of active metabolites in relation to the screening and which would then require further separation. The highest antimicrobial activity from an extract of Porphyra dioica was found in ethyl acetate and the solvent mixture methanol;water (1:1) compared with Fucus vesiculosus, which exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity in water and methanol extracts. Further analysis for separation of all crude extracts would be required with potential use of those extract in medical area

Using hormones to manage dairy cow fertility: the clinical and ethical beliefs of veterinary practitioners

In the face of a steady decline in dairy cow fertility over several decades, using hormones to assist reproduction has become common. In the European Union, hormones are prescription-only medicines, giving veterinary practitioners a central role in their deployment. This study explored the clinical and ethical beliefs of practitioners, and provides data on their current prescribing practices. During 2011, 93 practitioners working in England completed a questionnaire (95% response rate). Of the 714 non-organic farms they attended, only 4 farms (0.6%) never used hormones to assist the insemination of lactating dairy cows. Practitioners agreed (.80%) that hormones improve fertility and farm businesses profitability. They also agreed(.80%) that if farmers are able to tackle management issues contributing to poor oestrus expression, then over a five year period these outcomes would both improve, relative to using hormones instead. If management issues are addressed instead of prescribing hormones, practitioners envisaged a less favourable outcome for veterinary practices profitability (p,0.01), but an improvement in genetic selection for fertility (p,0.01) and overall cow welfare (p,0.01). On farms making no efforts to address underlying management problems, long-term routine use at the start of breeding for timing artificial insemination or inducing oestrus was judged ‘‘unacceptable’’ by 69% and 48% of practitioners, respectively. In contrast, practitioners agreed ($90%) that both these types of use are acceptable, provided a period of time has been allowed to elapse during which the cow is observed for natural oestrus. Issues discussed include: weighing quality versus length of cow life, fiscal factors, legal obligations, and balancing the interests of all stakeholders, including the increasing societal demand for food. This research fosters debate and critical appraisal, contributes to veterinary ethics, and encourages the pro-active development of professional codes of conduct

The causal role of left and right superior temporal gyri in speech perception in noise : A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Successful perception of speech in everyday listening conditions requires effective listening strategies to overcome common acoustic distortions, such as background noise. Convergent evidence from neuroimaging and clinical studies identify activation within the temporal lobes as key to successful speech perception. However, current neurobiological models disagree on whether the left temporal lobe is sufficient for successful speech perception or whether bilateral processing is required. We addressed this issue using TMS to selectively disrupt processing in either the left or right superior temporal gyrus (STG) of healthy participants to test whether the left temporal lobe is sufficient or whether both left and right STG are essential. Participants repeated keywords from sentences presented in background noise in a speech reception threshold task while receiving online repetitive TMS separately to the left STG, right STG, or vertex or while receiving no TMS. Results show an equal drop in performance following application of TMS to either left or right STG during the task. A separate group of participants performed a visual discrimination threshold task to control for the confounding side effects of TMS. Results show no effect of TMS on the control task, supporting the notion that the results of Experiment 1 can be attributed to modulation of cortical functioning in STG rather than to side effects associated with online TMS. These results indicate that successful speech perception in everyday listening conditions requires both left and right STG and thus have ramifications for our understanding of the neural organization of spoken language processing

Transcranial magnetic stimulation and motor evoked potentials in speech perception research

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been employed to manipulate brain activity and to establish cortical excitability by eliciting motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in speech processing research. We will discuss the history, methodological underpinnings, key contributions, and future directions for studying speech processing using TMS and by eliciting MEPs. Furthermore, we will discuss specific challenges that are encountered when examining speech processing using TMS or by measuring MEPs. We suggest that future research may benefit from using TMS in conjunction with neuroimaging methods such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging or electroencephalography, and from the development of new stimulation protocols addressing cortico-cortical inhibition/facilitation and interhemispheric connectivity during speech processing