Malaysian urban poor adoption of e-government applications and their satisfaction

The aim of this research is to examine factors that influence citizens’ adoption of the e-government applications in Malaysia. In addition, their satisfaction is also analyzed. The research model was developed based on the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovation as well as trust in the government, information quality, computer self-efficacy, and customer satisfaction constructs regarding e-government applications in Malaysia. The data was collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire from 801 Malaysian urban poor citizens. Results revealed that compatibility, relative advantage, image, trust in the government, computer self-efficacy, and customer satisfaction have significant impacts on the use of e-government applications. In turn, customer satisfaction was itself positively influenced by the use of e-government applications. This research has provided in-depth understanding of critical factors in enhancing adoption and citizens’ satisfaction with e-government applications. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license

Effects of electronic personal health information technology on American women's cancer screening behaviors mediated through cancer worry: Differences and similarities between 2017 and 2020

Backgrounds Thanks to their accessibility and low cost, electronic personal health information (ePHI) technologies have been widely used to facilitate patient–physician communication and promote health prevention behaviors (e.g. cancer screening). Despite that empirical evidence has supported the association between ePHI technology use and cancer screening behaviors, the underlying mechanism through which ePHI technology use influences cancer screening behaviors remains a topic of discussion. Objective This study investigates the relationship between ePHI technology uses and cancer screening behaviors of American women and examines the mediating role of cancer worry. Methods Data for this study were from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collected in 2017 (HINTS 5 Cycle 1) and 2020 (HINTS 5 Cycle 4). The final sample included 1914 female respondents in HINTS 5 Cycle 1 and 2204 in HINTS 5 Cycle 4. Mann–Whitney U test, two-sample t -test, and mediation analysis were performed. We also referred to the regression coefficients generated by min–max normalization as percentage coefficients ( b p ) for the comparison. Results This study reports increased usage of ePHI technologies (from 1.41 in 2017 to 2.19 to 2020), increased cancer worry (from 2.60 in 2017 to 2.84 in 2020), and a stable level of cancer screening behaviors (from 1.44 in 2017 to 1.34 in 2020) among American women. Cancer worry was found to mediate the ePHI effect on cancer screening behaviors ( b p   = 0.005, 95% confidence interval [0.001, 0.010]) in a positive complementary mediation in 2020. Conclusions The research findings support a positive association between ePHI technology use and cancer screening behaviors, and cancer worry has been identified as a salient mediator. An understanding of the mechanism that prompts US women's cancer screening practices provides practical implications for health campaign practitioners

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field