Engagement with e-portfolios has been shown to improve students' learning. However, what influences students to accept e-portfolios is a question that needs careful study. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of Self-Efficacy, Subjective Norm, Enjoyment, Computer Anxiety and Experience on students' Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) of an eportfolio system and their Behavioural Intention (BI) to use the system for learning. To do this, the study tested and used the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) in the context of e-portfolios. Valid data were collected from 242 UK undergraduate students who had been introduced to e-portfolios. The data set was analysed using SPSS software. Results showed that the best predictor of student's Perceived Ease of Use of the e-portfolio is Experience, followed by Enjoyment, Self-Efficacy and Subjective Norm. The best predictor of student's Perceived Usefulness of the e-portfolio is Perceived Ease of Use followed by Enjoyment. Both Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness predict student's Behavioural Intention to Use the e-portfolio. The findings improve understanding regarding acceptance of e-portfolio systems and this work is therefore of particular interest to researchers, developers and practitioners of eportfolios.

Beta amyloid (Aβ) is well accepted to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present work evaluated the therapeutic effects of low-level laser irradiation (LLI) on Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in rat hippocampus. Aβ 1–42 was injected bilaterally to the hippocampus CA1 region of adult male rats, and 2-minute daily LLI treatment was applied transcranially after Aβ injection for 5 consecutive days. LLI treatment suppressed Aβ-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration and long-term spatial and recognition memory impairments. Molecular studies revealed that LLI treatment: (1) restored mitochondrial dynamics, by altering fission and fusion protein levels thereby suppressing Aβ-induced extensive fragmentation; (2) suppressed Aβ-induced collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential; (3) reduced oxidized mitochondrial DNA and excessive mitophagy; (4) facilitated mitochondrial homeostasis via modulation of the Bcl-2-associated X protein/B-cell lymphoma 2 ratio and of mitochondrial anti-oxidant expression; (5) promoted cytochrome c oxidase activity and adenosine triphosphate synthesis; (6) suppressed Aβ-induced glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity; (7) enhanced the total antioxidant capacity of hippocampal CA1 neurons, whereas reduced the oxidative damage; and (8) suppressed Aβ-induced reactive gliosis, inflammation, and tau hyperphosphorylation. Although development of AD treatments has focused on reducing cerebral Aβ levels, by the time the clinical diagnosis of AD or mild cognitive impairment is made, the brain is likely to have already been exposed to years of elevated Aβ levels with dire consequences for multiple cellular pathways. By alleviating a broad spectrum of Aβ-induced pathology that includes mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, and tau pathology, LLI could represent a new promising therapeutic strategy for AD.

Pericytes are distinctive regulators of angiogenesis and are adumbrated to provide vessel stability and control of endothelial proliferation. The present article spotlights the persona of pericytes in physiological angiogenesis, recruitment of pericytes and different mechanisms of pericyte depletion. Developing retina appears particularly dependent on pericytes, and pericyte loss is considered as hallmark of early diabetic retinopathies. Several factors are contemplated to be engaged in pericyte conscription including angiopoietin-1 and its receptor tyrosine kinase Tie-2, vascular endothelial growth factor-A and its receptor flk-1 and the platelet-derived growth factor PDGF-B/PDGF-beta system. At present, the mechanisms by which diabetes persuade apoptosis in the retinal microvasculature remain indecisive, albeit oxidative stress, formation of advanced glycation end products , upregulation of protein kinase C, increased polyol pathway flux and focal leukostasis may be important. In this context, accelerated microvascular cell death may become a constructive surrogate end-point in pharmacological studies of experimental diabetic.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to find out the type of motivation that provokes an individual to trust and use the internet banking system in a low income country. In this paper, extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation are studied that may build trust in an individual to accept internet banking technology.Design/methodology/approachWith the sample size of 109 respondents, structural equation modeling is used to find the measurement and the structural model for this research.FindingsExtrinsic motivation did not fit within the measurement model and was therefore excluded. Finally, the research model showed that intrinsic motivation is responsible in building user's trust in the acceptance of internet banking.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is difficult to generalize because of the relatively small sample size. However, the sample has been taken from the biggest city of Pakistan, Karachi, which accommodates people from almost every region of the country suggesting that the results could be generalized to an extent. Future research can use this model to study the adoption of internet banking in other regions.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the banking industry including foreign banks that have laid the foundations and infrastructure for a robust internet banking environment but still have not reached the optimal user base due to lack of trust. Banks need to follow a strategy to work on intrinsic motivational factors such as perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment to induce trust in individuals to attract more internet banking users.Originality/valueDespite the benefits, internet banking is not being used extensively in low income countries. The research fills the gap for the low income country by using the motivation theory and the technology acceptance model to increase the level of trust in individuals to adopt internet banking. This integrated model can also be applied to other developing countries which are relatively new to internet banking.

The pattern of biopsied renal pathology is similar to that reported recently from other parts of the world with similar biopsy indications.