Creating Value By Object Hyperlinking Along The Consumer Buying Decision Process In The IoT Era

Within the IoT scope, a new application named ‘object hyperlinking’ has evolved. Object hyperlinking is the pervasive presence of different things or objects identified by tags, sensors, and mobile phones that can interact with each other as well as with their neighbors through unique addressing schemes for business purpose. Enabled by Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies such as QR code and NFC, object hyperlinking services make it possible link any object or location to a more comprehensive and editable information. While tagging technologies have good prospects to offer more opportunities in a company’s interaction with its consumers, how this capability can be best applied and what innovative business services be created with object hyperlinking remain to be discovered. This study surveys and examines 76 projects of object hyperlinking in Taiwan and provides a framework to figure out business value and issues of object hyperlinking along the five stages of a consumer buying decision process. Based on the functionality and purpose of object hyperlinking services, this framework is conducted in dimensions of value creation, value orientation, functionality, key factor and challenges, key activities within organization, and managerial issues concerned. Some innovative business models enabled by object hyperlinking will also be introduced. The research results found that only when the information gathered by identified objects is used, analyzed, and distributed into wide business activities in term of marketing, customer service and firm level strategy planning, the effectiveness and value of object hyperlinking services can be realized at its maximum. The integration across different consumer buying decision process is also important. The more applications of object hyperlinking in different buying decisions, the more benefits will be created for customers. Managers can use the list of dimensions proposed in the framework to develop rich IoT business from enhancing service operations with object hyperlinking

Quantitative determination of interlayer electronic coupling at various critical points in bilayer Mo S 2

Tailoring interlayer coupling has emerged as a powerful tool to tune the electronic structure of van der Waals (vdW) bilayers. One example is the usage of the “moiré pattern” to create controllable two-dimensional electronic superlattices through the configurational dependence of interlayer electronic couplings. This approach has led to some remarkable discoveries in twisted graphene bilayers, and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) homo- and hetero-bilayers. However, a largely unexplored factor is the interlayer distance, d, which can impact the interlayer coupling strength exponentially. In this letter, we quantitatively 2 determine the coupling strengths as a function of interlayer spacing at various critical points of the Brillouin zone in bilayer MoS2. The exponential dependence of the coupling parameter on the gap distance is demonstrated. Most significantly, we achieved a 280% enhancement of K-valley coupling strength with an 8% reduction of the vdW gap, pointing to a new strategy in designing a novel electronic system in vdW bilayers. gning a unique electronic system in vdW bilayers.This research was primarily supported by the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) under DMR-1720595. We also acknowledge support from the Welch Foundation (F-1672 and F-1662), the US NSF (DMR-1808751) and the U.S. Air Force (FA2386-18-1-4097). C.-R.P., P.-J.C., and M.-Y.C. acknowledge the support from Academia Sinica, Taiwan. W.-H.C. acknowledges the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST-110-2119-M-A49-001-MBK) and the support from the Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science (CEFMS) of NYCU supported by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. W.-T.H. acknowledges the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST-110-2112-M-007-011-MY3) and the Yushan Young Scholar Program from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. C.K.S. also acknowledge the Yushan Scholar Program from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan.Center for Dynamics and Control of Material

MRE11 promotes oral cancer progression through RUNX2/CXCR4/AKT/FOXA2 signaling in a nuclease-independent manner

MRE11, the nuclease component of RAD50/MRE11/NBS1 DNA repair complex which is essential for repair of DNA double-strand-breaks in normal cells, has recently garnered attention as a critical factor in solid tumor development. Herein we report the crucial role of MRE11 in oral cancer progression in a nuclease-independent manner and delineate its key downstream effectors including CXCR4. MRE11 expression in oral cancer samples was positively associated with tumor size, cancer stage and lymph node metastasis, and was predictive of poorer patient survival and radiotherapy resistance. MRE11 promoted cell proliferation/migration/invasion in a nuclease-independent manner but enhanced radioresistance via a nuclease-dependent pathway. The nuclease independent promotion of EMT and metastasis was mediated by RUNX2, CXCR4, AKT, and FOXA2, while CXCR4 neutralizing antibody mitigated these effects in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, MRE11 may serve as a crucial prognostic factor and therapeutic target in oral cancer, displaying dual nuclease dependent and independent roles that permit separate targeting of tumor vulnerabilities in oral cancer treatment

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

Complement C1q Activates Tumor Suppressor WWOX to Induce Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND:Tissue exudates contain low levels of serum complement proteins, and their regulatory effects on prostate cancer progression are largely unknown. We examined specific serum complement components in coordinating the activation of tumor suppressors p53 and WWOX (also named FOR or WOX1) and kinases ERK, JNK1 and STAT3 in human prostate DU145 cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:DU145 cells were cultured overnight in 1% normal human serum, or in human serum depleted of an indicated complement protein. Under complement C1q- or C6-free conditions, WOX1 and ERK were mainly present in the cytoplasm without phosphorylation, whereas phosphorylated JNK1 was greatly accumulated in the nuclei. Exogenous C1q rapidly restored the WOX1 activation (with Tyr33 phosphorylation) in less than 2 hr. Without serum complement C9, p53 became activated, and hyaluronan (HA) reversed the effect. Under C6-free conditions, HA induced activation of STAT3, an enhancer of metastasis. Notably, exogenous C1q significantly induced apoptosis of WOX1-overexpressing DU145 cells, but not vehicle-expressing cells. A dominant negative and Y33R mutant of WOX1 blocked the apoptotic effect. C1q did not enhance p53-mediated apoptosis. By total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, it was determined that C1q destabilized adherence of WOX1-expressing DU145 cells by partial detaching and inducing formation of clustered microvilli for focal adhesion particularly in between cells. These cells then underwent shrinkage, membrane blebbing and death. Remarkably, as determined by immunostaining, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer were shown to have a significantly reduced expression of tissue C1q, compared to age-matched normal prostate tissues. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:We conclude that complement C1q may induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by activating WOX1 and destabilizing cell adhesion. Downregulation of C1q enhances prostate hyperplasia and cancerous formation due to failure of WOX1 activation

Outcomes of Patients With Surgically and Pathologically Staged IIIA-IVB Pure Endometrioid-type Endometrial Cancer A Taiwanese Gynecology Oncology Group (TGOG-2005) Retrospective Cohort Study (A STROBE-Compliant Article)

In the management of patients with advanced-stage pure endometrioid-type endometrial cancer (E-EC), such as positive lymph nodes (stage III) or stage IV, treatment options are severely limited. This article aims to investigate the outcome of women with FIGO EEC (based on FIGO 2009 system). ;The retrospective cohort study, based on the Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (TGOG-2005), enrolled patients undergoing staging surgery to have a pathologically confirmed FIGO E-EC from 22-member hospitals between 1991 and 2010. ;This cohort included 541 patients (stage 111, n=464; stage IV, n=77). Five-year overall survival (OS) was 70.4%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 43 months (range 0-258 months) mid median OS was 52 months (range 1-258 months). Multivariate analysis showed that FIGO stage, >1/2 myometrial invasion (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-2.09; P = 0.007), histological grade 3 (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.47-2.75; P < 0.001), and metastases of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes (PLN and PALN) (FIR 2.75, 95% CI 1.13-6.72; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for PFS. FIGO stage, >1/2 myometrial invasion (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.34-2.64; P < 0.001), and histological grade 3 (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.75-3.35; P < 0.001) influenced OS. Complete dissection of PLN and PALN (FIR 0.27, 95% Cl 0.16-0.45; P < 0.001, and FIR 0.14, 95% CI 0.08-0.26; P < 0.001) and the following paclitaxel-based therapy (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.79-0.97; P = 0.017, and HR 0.48; 95% CI 0.31-0.75; P = 0.001) provided the better PUS and OS, respectively. ;In management of women with FIGO III-V E-EC, combination of complete staging surgery (complete dissection of PLN and PALM is included) and the following paclitaxel-based therapy could provide the better chance to survive. Patients with tumor >1/2 myometrial invasion and histological grade 3 are risky for disease-related mortality

Secondary pallidonigral degeneration mimicking recurrent acute stroke in clinical presentation and magnetic resonance imaging: a case report

Abstract Background Secondary pallidonigral transneuronal degeneration after a remote primary cerebral infarct can mimic recurrent stroke at clinical presentation. We describe a patient with secondary pallidonigral degeneration following a previous putaminal infarct, which was diagnosed through diffusion-weighted (DWI) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI). Case presentation A 64-year-old man complained of an acute relapse of right-lower-limb weakness following a cerebral infarction 2 months before presentation. Recurrent cerebral stroke was initially diagnosed in the emergency room. DWI of the brain revealed a subacute to chronic infarct in the left putamen and new acute cytotoxic edema in the left substantia nigra (SN) and globus pallidus while T2WI also showed hyperintensity in the same regions. The SN was outside the aforementioned middle cerebral arterial territory, which includes the putamen. These findings are compatible with the diagnosis of acute pallidonigral injury secondary to striatal infarction. The patient had fully recovered from his right-lower-limb weakness after 1 month. Conclusions Secondary pallidonigral degeneration may mimic recurrent stroke. DWI along with T2WI facilitates elucidation of this clinicopathological entity, and thus unnecessary treatment can be avoided