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Questionnaire used to explore AMU on dairy farms on the Island of Ireland

Supplementary materials for journal publication "Understanding farmers’ and veterinarians’ behavior in relation to antimicrobial use and resistance in dairy cattle: A systematic review"

The present study proposes that motives for working, and more specifically, the simultaneous experience of multiple work motives within an individual, have the potential to predict proactive behaviours at work. It examines this proposition among low-skilled workers, identifying their individual motivation profile based on forms motivational regulation within Self-Determination theory, and the subsequent proactive behavioural enactment of this motivation over time, operationalized as expansive and restrictive job crafting. First, it presents a new classification model for naturally-occurring motivation profiles, applying latent profile analysis to identify these profiles among 992 low-skilled workers and building on similar research within heterogeneous working populations. Four motivation profiles emerged from the population, including ‘core’ profiles evident in heterogeneous populations, and ‘peripheral’ or context-specific profiles. Second, a model of job crafting over time is presented, integrating Self-Determination theory, the Job Demands-Resource model, Conservation of Resources theory and Broaden-and-Build theory of positive emotion. Hypotheses from the temporal model of job crafting are tested using latent growth modelling over 4 waves. As hypothesized, at variable level, trajectories of expansive crafting were continuous, while those of restrictive crafting were non-continuous, and levels and trajectories of crafting varied significantly by motivation profile. Specific hypotheses regarding crafting by motivation profile were also largely supported. Findings revealed that the lowest levels of expansive crafting occur among Amotivation Dominant/Balanced Low profiles, and that as levels of expansive job crafting increase so too do levels of autonomous motivation in a given profile. In addition, continuous trajectories of expansive crafting only occur among individuals with a balance of autonomous and controlled motivation in their profiles (Balanced profiles), while restrictive job crafting is always non-continuous regardless of profile. Contributions to theory are discussed along with implications for practice and future research.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) metabolizes catechols, notably dopamine. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism influences its enzyme activity, and multiple neural correlates of this genotype on dopaminergic phenotypes have been reported, particularly with regards to working memory. COMT activity can also be regulated pharmacologically by COMT inhibitors. The ‘inverted-U’ relationship between dopamine signalling and cognitive performance predicts that the effects of COMT inhibition will differ according to COMT genotype. The goal of this thesis was to better understand COMT’s impact on brain function and behaviour. Here, 33 subjects homozygous for COMT Val158 (‘Val homozygotes’) and 34 homozygous for COMT Met158 (‘Met homozygotes’) were randomly assigned, double-blind, to a single dose of the brain-penetrant COMT inhibitor tolcapone (200mg) or placebo. They completed the N-back task of working memory, an emotional face processing task, and a gambling task, in a magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner, allowing both behavioural performance and neural activity to be investigated. The data presented in this thesis confirm that COMT activity influences performance on, and neural activity during, the N-back task, in a way consistent with the inverted-U model of dopamine function. The effect on risky decision making is novel, and indicates that COMT plays roles in domains beyond working memory, and that such domains may also follow an inverted-U. Neural activity during the faces task and the gambling task also show COMT-modulated differences. The behavioural results show that the direction of effect of a drug can be influenced by sequence variation in its target gene. They are of translational relevance, since COMT inhibitors are used in the adjunctive treatment of Parkinson’s disease and are under evaluation in schizophrenia and other disorders. The MEG data show that for the three tasks, there are effects of Val158Met genotype, of tolcapone, and their interaction, on neural activity (for example, the P300 during N-back), revealing a complex temporal and spatial pattern which sheds some light on the neural processing underlying these tasks and their previously reported fMRI correlates.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Ophthalmic disorders cause 8% of hospital clinic attendances, the highest of any specialty. The fundamental need for a distance visual acuity (VA) measurement constrains remote consultation. A web-application, DigiVis, facilitates self-assessment of VA using two internet-connected devices. This prospective validation study aimed to establish its accuracy, reliability, usability and acceptability. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In total, 120 patients aged 5-87 years (median = 27) self-tested their vision twice using DigiVis in addition to their standard clinical assessment. Eyes with VA worse than +0.80 logMAR were excluded. Accuracy and test-retest (TRT) variability were compared using Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Patient feedback was analysed. RESULTS: Bias between VA tests was insignificant at -0.001 (95% CI -0.017 to 0.015) logMAR. The upper limit of agreement (LOA) was 0.173 (95% CI 0.146 to 0.201) and the lower LOA -0.175 (95% CI -0.202 to -0.147) logMAR. The ICC was 0.818 (95% CI 0.748 to 0.869). DigiVis TRT mean bias was similarly insignificant, at 0.001 (95% CI -0.011 to 0.013) logMAR, the upper LOA was 0.124 (95% CI 0.103 to 0.144) and the lower LOA -0.121 (95% CI -0.142 to -0.101) logMAR. The ICC was 0.922 (95% CI 0.887 to 0.946). 95% of subjects were willing to use DigiVis to monitor vision at home. CONCLUSIONS: Self-tested distance VA using DigiVis is accurate, reliable and well accepted by patients. The app has potential to facilitate home monitoring, triage and remote consultation but widescale implementation will require integration with NHS databases and secure patient data storage., Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.