Effects of transections to the vomeronasal nerves or to the main olfactory bulbs on the initiation and long-term retention of maternal behavior in primiparous rats.

While the onset of maternal behavior at parturition is mediated by hormones, the maintenance of maternal behavior during the first few postpartum weeks depends on experiences acquired while the dam interacts with pups (Rosenblatt, 1990). In fact, if female rats are permitted as little as 2 h or maternal experience within 36 h after Cesarean delivery, they exhibit heightened maternal behavior during maternal induction tests 10 days later; in contrast, dams separated from young at the time of Cesarean delivery and not permitted a maternal experience fail to respond maternally in tests 10 days later (Orpen & Fleming, 1987). In this study we investigated the role of chemosensory input through the vomeronasal and main olfactory systems in this maternal experience effect. Six groups of primiparous females were tested for maternal behavior to foster pups presented 9-10 days after Cesarean delivery: three groups were permitted to interact with pups for a 2-h period 36 h after Cesarean delivery; and three groups were separated from pups until testing and were given no maternal experience. Within each experience condition, one group sustained bilateral section of the vomeronasal nerves, one sustained bilateral coronal cuts through the midsection of the main olfactory bulbs, and one group sustained small medial olfactory bulb cuts. The results showed that animals sustaining vomeronasal or olfactory transections, regardless of experience condition, exhibited significantly reduced latencies to maternal behavior in maternal induction tests. However, these chemosensory disruptions did not prevent an additional facilitation of maternal behavior produced by a prior maternal experience.     

Effects of geometric distortions,Gaussian blur,and contrast negation on recognition of familiar faces

It is assumed that “configural processing” is important for recognizing people whom we know. Studies have shown better discrimination of relational changes between facial features when faces are presented upright than upside down and when presented as photographic negatives. However, studies have also demonstrated tolerance for complex changes to facial configuration of familiar faces when images are geometrically distorted. In two experiments, we explored effects of linear stretching, Gaussian blur, and contrast negation on recognition of familiar or unfamiliar faces (Experiment 1) and familiar or unfamiliar company brand logos (Experiment 2). Only contrast negation severely impaired recognition of familiar faces but not unfamiliar faces or company brand logos. Effects of contrast negation were additional to linear stretching, whereas linear stretching independently had no impact on recognition. These findings highlight an important deficit in the recognition of familiar faces caused by contrast negation.     

Revisiting Fluctuations in L2 Article Choice in L1-Korean L2-English Learners

The current study investigated the distinction of L2 (second language) English article choice sensitivity in fifty-three L1-Korean L2-English learners in semantic contexts. In the context of English as a foreign language, the participants were divided into two groups based on grammatical ability as determined by their performance on a cloze test. In addition, a forced-choice elicitation test and a writing production test were administered to assess, respectively, the participants’ receptive and productive article choice abilities. Regardless of grammatical ability, the results disclosed the overuse of the indefinite a in the [\(+\)definite, ?specific] context and the definite the in the [?definite, \(+\)specific] context on the forced-choice elicitation test. In the [\(+\)definite, \(+\)specific] and [?definite, ?specific] contexts, however, the overuse of either the indefinite a or the definite the, respectively, was less likely. Furthermore, it was revealed on the writing test that the participants more accurately used the definite the than the indefinite a, and they were also found to unreasonably omit more articles than to add or substitute articles on the writing production test. The findings across the two tests indicate that L1-Korean L2-English learners are more likely to have intrinsic difficulties transferring their L1 noun phrase (NP) knowledge to L2 NP knowledge owing to structural discrepancies and complex interfaces between L1 NPs and L2 NPs with respect to syntactic, semantic and pragmatic/discourse language subsystems.     

Understanding users' switching intention of cloud storage services: A push-pull-mooring framework

Highly sensitive and private information is stored in the cloud, so understanding how and why customers choose and switch between cloud storage service providers is pivotal. However, prior studies have tended to focus on users' adoption of cloud storage services, whereas little attention has been paid to their switching intention behavior based on non-functional factors. Using the push-pull model, developed from human migration theory, and by employing a survey (n = 326), we demonstrate that the push factor (i.e., satisfaction) has a significant negative effect, while the pull factor (i.e., alternative attractiveness) has a significant positive effect on users' switching intentions. Furthermore, mooring factors such as switching costs, habitual use, and past switching experiences have a varying moderation effect on the relationship between push and pull factors and switching intentions. The results offer several important theoretical and actionable managerial implications.