Live streaming commerce has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. Although research has increasingly investigated the phenomenon of live streaming as e-commerce, it is arguably ...essential to determine why consumers make purchases through live streaming and send paid gifts to streamers. This study aims to understand users' social commerce purchase intentions and gift-giving according to the uses and gratification perspective, and engagement, and extends the literature by identifying five uses and gratifications for social media live streaming and how the viewers' engagement affects purchase intentions and gift-giving. We tested the hypothesis among 525 Indonesians who watch live streaming through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results of SEM confirm the importance of pass-times and habits to consumer engagement in live streaming. In this sequence, the role of engagement (emotional, social presence, and immersion) was confirmed to significantly influence purchase intention and gift-giving intention. The results of fsQCA provide theoretical insight and practical suggestions for increasing our understanding of the complex interconnectivity among uses, gratification factors, engagement in social commerce purchase intentions, and gift-giving intentions. Finally, this study also highlighted the configurational conditions for understanding consumer behaviors in live streaming commerce. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-03-03 Full Text: PDF
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly heterogeneous and recurrent subtype of breast cancer that lacks an effective targeted therapy. To identify candidate therapeutic targets, we profiled ...global gene expression in TNBC and breast tumor-initiating cells with a patient survival dataset. Eight TNBC-related kinases were found to be overexpressed in TNBC cells with stem-like properties. Among them, expression of PKC-α, MET, and CDK6 correlated with poorer survival outcomes. In cases coexpressing two of these three kinases, survival rates were lower than in cases where only one of these kinases was expressed. In functional tests, two-drug combinations targeting these three kinases inhibited TNBC cell proliferation and tumorigenic potential in a cooperative manner. A combination of PKC-α-MET inhibitors also attenuated tumor growth in a cooperative manner in vivo. Our findings define three kinases critical for TNBC growth and offer a preclinical rationale for their candidacy as effective therapeutic targets in treating TNBC.
The study aimed to analyze the recovery period of the anodized 316L biomedical stainless steel (BSS) mini-implant through its implantation on femur of rabbit model. The 316L BSS mini-implant was ...modified by an electrochemical anodization approach with different voltages. The anodized samples were characterized via field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The biocompatibility was assessed by cell culture assay. The anodized mini-implant was implanted on rabbit’s femur then evaluated histologically after 4 and 8 weeks. Analytical results indicated that the topography of the anodized mini-implant at 5 V for 5 min consisted of a dual (micro/nano) porous structure. Oxide film of Cr2O3 was formed on the surface of anodized mini-implant after anodizing with 5 V for 5 min. In vitro cell culture assay revealed that fibroblast cells (NIH-3T3) on the anodized samples were more firmly attached as compared with the control sample. Moreover, histological analysis demonstrated that the anodized mini-implant improved bone recovering at 4 weeks after implantation. Thus, this study suggests that the anodized 316L BSS mini-implant could be a potential choice as anchorage device for effective and efficient orthodontic treatment.
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with central nervous system (CNS) involvement in adults is uncommon, and studies of this subject are scant.
We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the ...clinical aspects, cytogenetic abnormalities, molecular gene mutations and outcomes of adult AML patients with CNS involvement. Three hundred and ninety-five patients with newly diagnosed AML were reviewed.
Twenty (5.1%) patients had CNS involvement, including 7 (1.8%) with initial CNS disease and 4 (1%) who suffered an isolated CNS relapse. The patients with CNS involvement were younger, had higher leukocyte, platelet, and peripheral blast cell counts, FAB M4 morphology, and chromosome translocations involving 11q23 (11q23 abnormalities) more frequently than did the patients without CNS involvement. No differences in sex, haemoglobin levels, serum LDH levels, immunophenotype of leukaemia cells, or molecular gene mutations were observed between the two groups. Multivariate analyses showed that age ≤ 45 years (OR, 5.933; 95% CI, 1.82 to 19.343), leukocyte counts ≥ 50,000/μl (OR, 3.136; 95% CI, 1.083 to 9.078), and the presence of 11q23 abnormalities (OR, 5.548; 95% CI, 1.208 to 25.489) were significant predictors of CNS involvement. Patients with initial CNS disease had 5-year overall survival and relapse-free survival rates that were similar to those without initial CNS disease. However, three of four patients who suffered an isolated CNS relapse died, and their prognosis was as poor as that of patients who suffered a bone marrow relapse.
CNS involvement in adult patients with AML is rare. Three significant risk factors for CNS involvement including age ≤ 45 years, leukocyte counts ≥ 50,000/μl and the presence of 11q23 abnormalities were identified in this study. Future investigations to determine whether adult AML patients having these specific risk factors would benefit from CNS prophylactic therapy are necessary.
Integrated CMOS-MEMS free-free beam resonators using pull-in mechanism to enable deep-submicrometer electrode- to-resonator gap spacing without interference in their mechanical boundary conditions ...(BCs) have been demonstrated simultaneously with low motional impedance and high Q. The key to attaining high Q relies on a decoupling design between pull-in frames for gap reduction and mechanical BCs of resonators. In addition, the use of metal-SiO 2 composite structures has been proved to greatly benefit the thermal stability of CMOS-MEMS resonators. Furthermore, tuning electrodes underneath pull-in frames were designed to offer "quasi-linear" frequency tuning capability where linear relationship between tuning voltage and frequency was achieved. In this paper, CMOS-MEMS free-free beam resonators with gap spacings of 110, 210, and 275 nm, respectively, were tested under direct one-port measurement in vacuum, demonstrating a resonator Q greater than 2000 and a motional impedance as low as 112 kΩ and, at the same time, allowing quasi-linear frequency tuning to achieve a total tuning range of 5000 ppm and a sensitivity of 83.3 ppm/V at 11.5 MHz with zero dc power consumption. Such a resonator monolithically integrated with a CMOS amplifier, totally occupying a die area of only 300 μm × 130 μm, was also tested with enhanced performance, benefiting future timing reference and RF synthesizing applications.
The 2019 federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative requires a vast expansion of access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV treatment and prevention. However, ...high prices for ART and PrEP can reduce their affordability and use. Medicare covers 1 in 4 persons living with HIV, and the Medicare Part D drug benefit imposes complicated cost-sharing between patients and other stakeholders.
To determine how the Medicare Part D design distributes the cost burden for ART and PrEP between patients, insurance plans, manufacturers, and Medicare.
Nationwide cross-sectional analyses of first quarter 2019 Medicare formulary and pricing files for 3326 Part D plans were performed. These files contain drug benefit data, including prices and cost-sharing requirements.
For 18 ART and 2 PrEP regimens, the out-of-pocket costs for patients and the cost borne by plans, manufacturers, and Medicare were projected for 1 year of treatment or prevention under a 2019 standard Medicare Part D insurance plan. Analyses assumed that patients used the ART or PrEP regimen and no other medications.
In 2019, ART prices ranged from $24 010 to $46 770 annually (median price, $35 780), with patients projected to pay 9% to 14% of the cost ($3270-$4350), insurance plans 18% to 24% ($5340-$8450), manufacturers 6% to 11% ($2370-$2750), and Medicare 53% to 67% ($12 770-$31 270). The price of PrEP was $20 570 annually, with patients contributing 15% ($2990), insurance plans 22% ($4570), manufacturers 13% ($2750), and Medicare 50% ($10 260). For beneficiaries with low-income subsidies that cover all patient cost-sharing, Medicare would assume 67% to 76% of ART costs and 65% of PrEP costs.
Medicare Part D mandates universal ART and PrEP coverage, but high prices (>$35 000 annually for ART and>$20 000 annually for PrEP) and the design of Part D can jeopardize affordability for patients and place most of the cost burden on taxpayers. Under a standard Medicare Part D benefit, patients pay $3000 to $4000 out-of-pocket yearly, unless they qualify for low-income subsidies, and half to two-thirds of the cost of ART and PrEP is borne by Medicare rather than insurance plans or manufacturers. To end the HIV epidemic by 2030, it appears that policies must address both high drug prices and revamp Medicare Part D cost-sharing.
Variations in body temperature are highly informative during an illness. To date, there are not many adequate studies that have investigated the feasibility of a wearable wrist device for the ...continuous monitoring of body surface temperatures in humans.
The objective of this study was to validate the performance of HEARThermo, an innovative wearable device, which was developed to continuously monitor the body surface temperature in humans.
We implemented a multi-method research design in this study, which included 2 validation studies-one in the laboratory and one with human subjects. In validation study I, we evaluated the test-retest reliability of HEARThermo in the laboratory to measure the temperature and to correct the values recorded by each HEARThermo by using linear regression models. We conducted validation study II on human subjects who wore HEARThermo for the measurement of their body surface temperatures. Additionally, we compared the HEARThermo temperature recordings with those recorded by the infrared skin thermometer simultaneously. We used intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots to analyze the criterion validity and agreement between the 2 measurement tools.
A total of 66 participants (age range, 10-77 years) were recruited, and 152,881 completed data were analyzed in this study. The 2 validation studies in the laboratory and on human skin indicated that HEARThermo showed a good test-retest reliability (ICC 0.96-0.98) and adequate criterion validity with the infrared skin thermometer at room temperatures of 20°C-27.9°C (ICC 0.72, P<.001). The corrected measurement bias averaged -0.02°C, which was calibrated using a water bath ranging in temperature from 16°C to 40°C. The values of each HEARThermo improved by the regression models were not significantly different from the temperature of the water bath (P=.19). Bland-Altman plots showed no visualized systematic bias. HEARThermo had a bias of 1.51°C with a 95% limit of agreement between -1.34°C and 4.35°C.
The findings of our study show the validation of HEARThermo for the continuous monitoring of body surface temperatures in humans.
In this study we prepared potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) displaying high output voltage and, in turn, a high energy density, as replacements for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Organic electrode ...materials featuring void spaces and flexible structures can facilitate the mobility of K+ to enhance the performance of KIBs. We synthesized potassium maleamate (K-MA) from maleamic acid (MA) and applied as an anode material for KIBs and LIBs, with 1 M potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) and 1 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in a mixture of ethylene carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate (1:2, v/v) as respective electrolytes. The K-MA_KFSI anode underwent charging/discharging with carbonyl groups at low voltage, due to the K···O bond interaction weaker than Li···O. The K-MA_KFSI and K-MA_LiFSI anode materials delivered a capacity of 172 and 485 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1C rate, respectively. K-MA was capable of accepting one K+ in KIB, whereas it could accept two Li+ in a LIB. The superior recoveries performance of K-MA_LiFSI, K-MA_KFSI, and Super P_KFSI at rate of 0.1C were 320, 201, and 105 mA h g−1, respectively. This implies the larger size of K+ can reversibly cycling at high rate.
Among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals, syphilis is an important sexually transmitted infection (STI), and repeat infections are common. Identifying risk factors for ...delineating the trends in repeat syphilis are essential for STI and HIV prevention.This study is to investigate the dynamic of the syphilis epidemic among HIV-infected patients and to identify the risk factors associated with repeat syphilis.A population-based cohort design was used to analyze claim data between January 2000 and December 2010 using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The Poisson regression test was used to identify risk factors for repeat syphilis.Of 13,239 HIV-infected patients, annual syphilis screen tests have been performed in 4,907 (37.1%) of these patients. Syphilis has been diagnosed in 956 (19.5%) patients, and 524 (10.7%) had repeat syphilis. The annual trend in repeat syphilis showed a significant increase in the study period (β = 0.23, P < .001). Younger age (adjusted incidence rate ratio aIRR 1.43; 95% CI 1.11-1.86), male gender (aIRR 11.14, 95% CI 4.16-29.79), a history of STIs (aIRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.21-1.59) were independently associated with repeat syphilis. The retention in HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy ≥85% (aIRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.98; P < .001) were associated with a reduced risk of repeat syphilis.The incidence of repeat syphilis increased during 11 years of follow-up. The screening of syphilis for early diagnosis and retention in HIV care with medication adherence should be encouraged to minimize the risk of repeat syphilis in the targeted population.
Doxycycline possesses antibacterial activity against
and anti-inflammatory effects.
The influence of doxycycline on the development of CDI was studied in an established animal model of CDI using ...C57BL/6 mice.
Mice intraperitoneally administered doxycycline had higher cecum weight (1.3 ± 0.1 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 g;
< 0.001) and less body weight reduction (0.7 ± 0.5 g vs. -17.4 ± 0.2 g;
< 0.001) than untreated mice infected with
. Oral doxycycline, metronidazole, or vancomycin therapy resulted in less body weight reduction in mice with CDI than in untreated mice (1.1 ± 0.1 g, 1.3 ± 0.2 g, 1.2 ± 0.1 g, vs. 2.9 ± 0.3 g;
< 0.001). Doxycycline therapy led to lower expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (0.4 ± 0.1 vs. 2.9 ± 1.3,
= 0.02), and higher levels of zonula occludens-1 (1.2 ± 0.1 vs. 0.8 ± 0.1,
= 0.02) in colonic tissues than in untreated mice.
Concurrent intraperitoneal administration of doxycycline and oral
challenge does not aggravate the disease severity of CDI, and oral doxycycline may be a potential therapeutic option for CDI.
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