Using construal level theory as a theoretical framework, this study aims to understand how online travel agencies' logo design, a combination of shapes and colors, influences consumers' purchasing ...intentions using behavioral and neuroscientific data. Three studies are conducted to obtain behavioral and neuroscientific data for analysis. The results of these three studies show that the relationship between logo design and the destination product can be managed by framing consumers' construal level. Further, evidence of the natural mindset congruency effect and consumers' brainwave activities while reflecting on the logo design is provided.
Objective Studies on the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) are scarce. This study identifies the effects of RA on the ...risks of developing DVT and PE in a nationwide prospective cohort study. Methods We studied the entire Taiwan population from 1998 to 2008, with a follow-up period extending to the end of 2010. We identified patients with RA using the catastrophic illness registry of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). We also selected a comparison cohort that was randomly frequency-matched by age (each 5-year span), sex and index year from the general population. We analysed the risks of DVT and PE using Cox proportional hazards regression models, including sex, age and comorbidities. Results From 23.74 million people in the cohort, 29 238 RA patients (77% women, mean age of 52.4 years) and 1 16 952 controls were followed 1 93 753 and 7 92 941 person-years, respectively. The risk of developing DVT and PE was 3.36-fold and 2.07-fold, respectively, in patients with RA compared with patients without RA, after adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities. The multiplicative increased risks of DVT and PE were also significant in patients with RA with any comorbidity. Conclusions This nationwide prospective cohort study demonstrates that DVT and PE risks significantly increased in patients with RA compared with those of the general population.
(1) Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major global health concern. The increasing prevalence of NAFLD has been related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). However, the ...relationship between short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and NAFLD severity is ambiguous in T2D subjects. This study aimed to explore the association of SCFAs with the severity of NAFLD in T2D patients. (2) Methods: We employed echography to examine the severity of hepatic steatosis. The serum levels of nine SCFAs, namely, formate, acetate, propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, methylbutyrate, valerate, isovalerate, and methylvalerate, were measured using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. (3) Results: A total of 259 T2D patients was enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Of these participants, 117 with moderate to severe NAFLD had lower levels of formate, isobutyrate, and methylbutyrate than the 142 without NAFLD or with mild NAFLD. Lower circulating levels of isobutyrate and methylbutyrate were associated with an increased severity of NAFLD. A relationship between NAFLD severity and circulating isobutyrate and methylbutyrate levels was found independently of a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) level of 7.0%. (4) Conclusion: Circulating levels of isobutyrate and methylbutyrate were significantly and negatively correlated with NAFLD severity in the enrolled T2D patients. SCFAs may be related to NAFLD severity in T2D patients.
50 billion cubic meters of brine every year creates ecological hazards to the environment. In order to reuse brine efficiently, rubidium and cesium were recovered in this experiment. On the other ...hand, the main impurities which were needed to be eliminated in brine were lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. In the procedure, seawater was distilled and evaporated first to turn into simulated brine. Perchloric acid was then added into simulated brine to precipitate potassium perchlorate which could reduce the influence of potassium in the extraction procedure. After that, t-BAMBP and ammonia were separately used as extractant and stripping agent in the extraction and stripping procedures to get rubidium hydroxide solutions and cesium hydroxide solutions. Subsequently, they reacted with ammonium carbonate to get rubidium carbonate and cesium carbonate. In a nutshell, this study shows the optimal parameters of pH value to precipitate potassium perchlorate. Besides, pH value in the system, the concentration of t-BAMBP and ammonia, organic phase/aqueous phase ratio (O/A ratio), reaction time, and reaction temperature in solvent extraction step were investigated to get high purities of rubidium carbonate and cesium carbonate.
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disease with a significant impact on quality of life and potential for severe comorbidities. Inflammation in the skin is induced by immune cells that ...overexpress pro-inflammatory cytokines, with the Th17 cell playing a crucial role. NLRP3 inflammasome activation is associated with inflammatory diseases and abnormal T cell differentiation. 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T), isolated from cruciferous vegetables, has anti-inflammatory effects and inhibits Th17 differentiation. This study aimed to investigate how D3T reduces skin inflammation and modulates Th17 cell differentiation by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In an imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model, D3T treatment demonstrated significant reductions in ear thickness, skin redness, and scaling compared to a control group. Our study also observed decreased expression of ki-67, NLRP3 inflammasome, and cleaved caspase-1 in skin samples, reduced levels of IL-6 and IL-17A in serum samples, and inhibition of Th17 differentiation after D3T application. D3T could also inhibit the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β in TNF-α stimulated HaCaT cells. The mechanical study also revealed that D3T could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inhibiting the JNK pathway in HaCaT cells. These results indicate that targeting NLRP3 inflammasome activation is a promising strategy in the treatment of psoriasis.
Within the framework of three-dimensional (3D) nonlocal elasticity theory, the authors develop an asymptotic theory to investigate the free vibration characteristics of simply supported, ...single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) non-embedded or embedded in an elastic medium using the multiple time scale method. Eringen’s nonlocal constitutive relations are adopted to account for the small length scale effect in the formulation. The interactions between the SWCNT and its surrounding medium are modeled as a two-parameter Pasternak foundation model. After performing a series of mathematical processes, including nondimensionalization, asymptotic expansion, and successive integration, etc., the authors obtain recurrent sets of motion equations for various order problems. The nonlocal classical shell theory (CST) is derived as a first-order approximation of the current 3D nonlocal elasticity problem, and the equations of motion for higher-order problems retain the same differential operators as those of the nonlocal CST, although with different nonhomogeneous terms. The current asymptotic solutions for the natural frequency parameters of non-embedded or embedded SWCNTs and their corresponding through-thickness modal stress and displacement component distributions are obtained to assess the accuracy of various nonlocal shell and beam theories available in the literature.
•A 3D asymptotic nonlocal elasticity theory for the free vibration analysis of an embedded SWCNT is developed.•The interactions between the SWCNT and its surrounding medium are estimated using a Pasternak-type model.•Erigen’s nonlocal constitutive relations are used to account for the small length scale effect in the formulation.•Some specific vibration modes of simply-supported SWCNTs are examined, including beam-like, axially uniform, and radial breathing vibration modes.•A parametric study related to the effects of material and geometry on the free vibrations of SWCNTs is carried out.
In the field of head and neck microvascular reconstruction, no previous study has compared arterial and venous grafting as methods of anterolateral thigh (ALT) pedicle lengthening. Therefore, we ...conducted this comparative study to compare the outcomes between the two pedicle lengthening techniques.
We performed comparative effectiveness research by conducting a retrospective chart review from January 2012 to December 2021 to identify patients who underwent head and neck reconstruction with non-descending branch ALT perforator flaps using either the in situ pedicle lengthening (ISPL) technique or the vein graft (VG) technique. A total of 26 patients were analyzed, including 14 who underwent ISPL, and 12 who underwent VG. The collected data, including patient demographics, surgical indications, history of prior free flap, prior neck dissection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, graft length, and flap outcomes, were analyzed. The flap outcomes were categorized as total flap loss, partial flap loss, flap compromise that required operating room visits, or minor issues, including infection or dehiscence. The flap characteristics and postoperative outcomes were compared between the two groups.
The VG group had two flap losses, whereas the ISPL group had none. Although the failure rate was higher in the VG group than that in the ISPL group, the difference was not statistically significant (0% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.203). Additionally, there were no significant differences in flap take-back (14.3% vs. 16.7%, p = 1) and minor complications between the two groups (35.7% vs. 33.3%, p = 1).
If pedicle lengthening with vessel graft is inevitable in head and neck reconstruction, arterial graft may provide a reliable outcome and may be considered an effective alternative when compared to vein grafts.
Social distance regulations have been widely adopted during the global COVID‐19 pandemic. From an evolutionary perspective, social connection and money are interchangeable subsistence resources for ...human survival. The substitutability principle of human motivation posits that scarcity in one domain (e.g., social connection) could motivate people to acquire or maintain resources in another domain (e.g., money). Two experiments were conducted to test the possibility that COVID‐19 social distancing enhances the desire for money. Results showed that compared with controls, participants receiving social distancing primes (via recollection of experiences of social distancing or a Chinese glossary‐search task) offered less money in the dictator game, showed lower willingness towards charitable donation (Experiment 1; N = 102), donated less money to a student fund, and rated money as having more importance (Experiment 2; N = 140). Our findings have far‐reaching implications for financial decisions, charitable donations, and prosociality during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Aging, cancer, and longevity have been linked to intracellular Ca2+ signaling and nociceptive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. We found that TRP canonical 7 (TRPC7) is a nociceptive ...mechanoreceptor and that TRPC7 channels specifically mediate the initiation of ultraviolet B (UVB)‐induced skin aging and tumor development due to p53 gene family mutations. Within 30 min after UVB irradiation, TRPC7 mediated UVB‐induced Ca2+ influx and the subsequent production of reactive oxygen species in skin cells. Notably, this function was unique to TRPC7 and was not observed for other TRP channels. In TRPC7 knockout mice, we did not observe the significant UVB‐associated pathology seen in wild‐type mice, including epidermal thickening, abnormal keratinocyte differentiation, and DNA damage response activation. TRPC7 knockout mice also had significantly fewer UVB‐induced cancerous tumors than did wild‐type mice, and UVB‐induced p53 gene family mutations were prevented in TRPC7 knockout mice. These results indicate that TRPC7 activity is pivotal in the initiation of UVB‐induced skin aging and tumorigenesis and that the reduction in TRPC7 activity suppresses the UVB‐induced aging process and tumor development. Our findings support that TRPC7 is a potential tumor initiator gene and that it causes cell aging and genomic instability, followed by a change in the activity of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes to promote tumorigenesis.
Schematic representation of the role of TRPC7 as a potential tumor initiator gene in ultraviolet B (UVB)‐induced aging and cancer progression. UVB‐activated TRPC7 initiates skin aging via intracellular Ca2+ elevation, resulting in oxidative stress, DNA damage response activation, abnormal differentiation, and senescence inflammation response activation; this pathology is repaired with the activation of p53 to maintain tissue homeostasis. When homeostasis is no longer maintained and the aging process is activated, carcinogens promote cancer progression. TRPC7 initiates tumorigenesis by causing genomic instability, thereby changing the activity of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.
Long-term poor glycemic control negatively affects macrovascular and microvascular diseases, as well as wound restoration. Buckwheat is a good source of rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutoside) and has ...benefits in regulating blood sugar. This study was to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of rutin on wound healing in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats. Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal (NDM), hyperglycemic (DM), and hyperglycemic with rutin (DMR). After induction of hyperglycemia for 2 days, a 15 × 15 mm wound was induced on the back of each rat. Intraperitoneal injection of rutin significantly ameliorated diabetes-induced body weight loss and improved metabolic dysfunctions of hyperglycemic rats. Based on appearance and histopathological staining, rutin promotes wound healing and inhibits production of inflammatory cells. The immunoblotting data indicated that rutin promotes production of antioxidant enzymes induced by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), inhibits the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) regulated by NF-κB, and decreases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It also promotes the expression of neurogenic-related protein (UCH-L1). The aforementioned results indicated that rutin reduces oxidative stress and inflammatory response in hyperglycemic rats, promoting wound healing and subsequently reducing the risk of wound ulcers.
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