526 research outputs found
How To Persuade Non-Mobile Shoppers Into Mobile Shoppers: A Trust Enhancing Perspective
Mobile shopping is getting popular and pervasive. However, the number of mobile users is not parallel to the number of mobile shoppers, because consumers frequently concern about security while conducting mobile transactions. The current study aims to elaborate in what trust enhancing message designs can be used to persuade non-mobile shoppers into mobile shoppers. Drawing on social judgment theory and the model of persuasion, our study has the potential revealing that consumers’ negative attitudes toward ubiquitously using credit cards over the air can be improved by persuasive messages if they are added into the checkout page of a shopping website
Energy and nitrogenous waste from glutamate/glutamine catabolism facilitates acute osmotic adjustment in non-neuroectodermal branchial cells
Maintenance of homeostasis is one of the most important physiological responses for animals upon osmotic perturbations. Ionocytes of branchial epithelia are the major cell types responsible for active ion transport, which is mediated by energy-consuming ion pumps (e.g., Na+-K+-ATPase, NKA) and secondary active transporters. Consequently, in addition to osmolyte adjustments, sufficient and immediate energy replenishment is essenttableial for acclimation to osmotic changes. In this study, we propose that glutamate/glutamine catabolism and trans-epithelial transport of nitrogenous waste may aid euryhaline teleosts Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) during acclimation to osmotic changes. Glutamate family amino acid contents in gills were increased by hyperosmotic challenge along an acclimation period of 72 hours. This change in amino acids was accompanied by a stimulation of putative glutamate/glutamine transporters (Eaats, Sat) and synthesis enzymes (Gls, Glul) that participate in regulating glutamate/glutamine cycling in branchial epithelia during acclimation to hyperosmotic conditions. In situ hybridization of glutaminase and glutamine synthetase in combination with immunocytochemistry demonstrate a partial colocalization of olgls1a and olgls2 but not olglul with Na+/K+-ATPase-rich ionocytes. Also for the glutamate and glutamine transporters colocalization with ionocytes was found for oleaat1, oleaat3, and olslc38a4, but not oleaat2. Morpholino knock-down of Sat decreased Na+ flux from the larval epithelium, demonstrating the importance of glutamate/glutamine transport in osmotic regulation. In addition to its role as an energy substrate, glutamate deamination produces NH4+, which may contribute to osmolyte production; genes encoding components of the urea production cycle, including carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), were upregulated under hyperosmotic challenges. Based on these findings the present work demonstrates that the glutamate/glutamine cycle and subsequent transepithelial transport of nitrogenous waste in branchial epithelia represents an essential component for the maintenance of ionic homeostasis under a hyperosmotic challenge
Potential of Cellular Therapy for ALS: Current Strategies and Future Prospects
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive upper and lower motor neuron (MN) degeneration with unclear pathology. The worldwide prevalence of ALS is approximately 4.42 per 100,000 populations, and death occurs within 3–5 years after diagnosis. However, no effective therapeutic modality for ALS is currently available. In recent years, cellular therapy has shown considerable therapeutic potential because it exerts immunomodulatory effects and protects the MN circuit. However, the safety and efficacy of cellular therapy in ALS are still under debate. In this review, we summarize the current progress in cellular therapy for ALS. The underlying mechanism, current clinical trials, and the pros and cons of cellular therapy using different types of cell are discussed. In addition, clinical studies of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ALS are highlighted. The summarized findings of this review can facilitate the future clinical application of precision medicine using cellular therapy in ALS
A Reinforcement Learning Badminton Environment for Simulating Player Tactics (Student Abstract)
Recent techniques for analyzing sports precisely has stimulated various
approaches to improve player performance and fan engagement. However, existing
approaches are only able to evaluate offline performance since testing in
real-time matches requires exhaustive costs and cannot be replicated. To test
in a safe and reproducible simulator, we focus on turn-based sports and
introduce a badminton environment by simulating rallies with different angles
of view and designing the states, actions, and training procedures. This
benefits not only coaches and players by simulating past matches for tactic
investigation, but also researchers from rapidly evaluating their novel
algorithms.Comment: Accepted by AAAI 2023 Student Abstract, code is available at
https://github.com/wywyWang/CoachAI-Projects/tree/main/Strategic%20Environmen
Observational connection of non-thermal X-ray emission from pulsars with their timing properties and thermal emission
The origin and radiation mechanisms of high energy emissions from pulsars
have remained mysterious since their discovery. Here we report, based on a
sample of 68 pulsars, observational connection of non-thermal X-ray emissions
from pulsars with their timing properties and thermal emissions, which may
provide some constraints on theoretical modeling. Besides strong correlations
with the spin-down power and the magnetic field strength at the light
cylinder , the non-thermal X-ray luminosity in 0.5 - 8 keV, , represented by the power-law component in the spectral model, is found to
be strongly correlated with the highest possible electric field strength in the
polar gap, , of the pulsar. The spectral power index of that power-law component is also found, for the first time in the
literature, to strongly correlate with , and , thanks to the large sample. In addition, we found that can be
well described by , where
and are the surface temperature and the emitting-region radius of the
surface thermal emission, represented by the black-body component in the
spectral model. , on the other hand, can be well described only
when timing variables are included, and the relation is
plus a constant. These relations strongly suggest the existence of connections
between surface thermal emission and electron-positron pair production in
pulsar magnetospheres.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted by MNRA
Effects of different combinations of radical nephroureterectomy and bladder cuff excision procedures for upper tract urothelial carcinoma on bladder recurrence
ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare the effects of different combinations of radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and bladder cuff excision (BCE) surgical procedures on intravesical recurrence (IVR) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 452 patients who underwent RNU with BCE for UTUC between January 2010 and December 2020. The patients were classified into three groups based on different combinations of RNU and BCE surgical procedures: open RNU with open BCE (group 1, n=104), minimally invasive (MIS) RNU with open BCE (group 2, n=196), and MIS RNU with intracorporeal BCE (group 3, n=152). Data on demographics, body mass index, history, preoperative renal function, perioperative status, tumor characteristics, histopathology, and recurrence conditions were collected. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the impact of the surgical procedures on IVR. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: After a median follow-up of 29.5 months, the IVR rate was 29.6% and the IVR-free survival rate was the lowest in group 2 (group 1 vs. group 2 vs. group 3: 69.0% vs. 55.1% vs. 67.5%; log-rank P=0.048). The overall survival rate was comparable among the three groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that group 2 had a significantly higher risk of IVR than group 1 (hazard ratio=1.949, 95% confidence interval=1.082–3.511, P=0.026), while groups 1 and 3 had similar risks. Conclusions: For patients with UTUC, MIS RNU with open BCE is associated with a higher risk of IVR than open RNU with open BCE and MIS RNU with intracorporeal BCE
The dimer interface of the SARS coronavirus nucleocapsid protein adapts a porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus-like structure
AbstractWe have employed NMR to investigate the structure of SARS coronavirus nucleocapsid protein dimer. We found that the secondary structure of the dimerization domain consists of five α helices and a β-hairpin. The dimer interface consists of a continuous four-stranded β-sheet superposed by two long α helices, reminiscent of that found in the nucleocapsid protein of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus. Extensive hydrogen bond formation between the two hairpins and hydrophobic interactions between the β-sheet and the α helices render the interface highly stable. Sequence alignment suggests that other coronavirus may share the same structural topology
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