Investigating switching intention of e-commerce live streaming users

As a new way of shopping, e-commerce live streaming (ELS) has gained unprecedented growth and popularity in the past years, especially in China. Because of the considerable rivalry in the ELS market, users frequently switch between ELS platforms. However, the switching intention of ELS users is yet to be explored for gaining new knowledge and practical insights. This study aims to improve the understanding of ELS users' switching intentions by developing an extended Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) model. Using structural equation modeling, the study model was examined based on 443 valid responses from an online survey questionnaire. SmartPLS 3.3.2 was used to validate the causal model, and most of the study hypotheses were supported. According to the results, push effects (dissatisfaction, privacy concern, and negativity perceived value), pull effects (attractiveness of alternatives, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and knowledge-based trust), and mooring effects (switching cost, social influence, and inertia) significantly influence ELS users' switching intentions. Furthermore, we found that mooring effects had a moderating role on the link between push effects and ELS user switching intention. However, the link between pull effects and ELS user switching intention was not found. The findings should aid ELS providers in deciphering ELS users' intentions in switching to other platforms and developing relevant theories, services, and regulations. The present study expands on previous research by introducing the PPM as a general model and demonstrating its effectiveness in explaining user switching intentions.peerReviewe

Investigating the impact of virtual tourism on travel intention during the post-COVID-19 era: evidence from China

This study explores the mechanism that contributes to travel intention in the field of virtual tourism. The overall research method is based on the "Stimulus-Organism-Response" theory. In the research model, the effects of content quality, system quality, and interaction quality in virtual tourism on tourism experience and travel intention are explored, as well as the role of virtual attachment and travel intention. A total of 390 respondents were invited to participate in a virtual tourism experience, and provide feedback through a questionnaire. SmartPLS 3.3.2 was used to validate the causal model, and most of the study hypotheses were supported. The findings show that virtual tourism significantly promotes travel intention. Specifically, content quality, system quality, and interaction quality positively affect tourists' travel intention through the complementary mediations of tourism experience and virtual attachment; and system quality even directly promotes travel intention. However, tourism experience does not affect virtual attachment. The present study extends prior studies on virtual tourism with SOR as a general model for field tourism experience research, while demonstrating the effectiveness of virtual tourism in promoting tourists' travel intention. The results are useful in assisting governments with developing relevant policies and services, as well as helping tourism companies understand virtual tourism as an enhancement for tourist travel intention, thus contributing to the recovery of the tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 era.peerReviewe

Construction and parameter optimization of LPBF-NiTi alloy bionic superhydrophobic surface based on laser processing

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) is the most ordinarily used shape memory alloy (SMAs), which has important implications in aerospace, medical devices and so on. However, NiTi parts were limited in their application scope and ability due to the difficulty of processing. Until the appearance of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, it overcame NiTi alloy preparation's multiple challenges and became the preferred method to fabricate NiTi alloy. Nevertheless, the NiTi parts fabricated by LPBF that have a great shortage still exist in corrosion resistance. Therefore, in this paper, a series of micro-nano structures with different characteristics were constructed in LPBF-NiTi by orthogonal experiment for the first time, which wants to explore the degree of influence of various parameters on the wettability of samples. After variance analysis, the nanolaser processing parameters which are most suitable for constructing lotus leaf structures on NiTi alloy surfaces are obtained. The surface morphology and composition were studied by SEM, XRD, EDS, and XPS, respectively. Finally, the corrosion resistance of samples was tested by electrochemical analysis. The results show that the laser power during processing has the greatest influence on the surface morphology of LPBF-NiTi alloy. And the wettability is affected by surface morphology and –CF/-CF2 adsorption. Furthermore, we compared the corrosion resistance of the superhydrophobic samples which was obtained based on the variance analysis with that of the substrate in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The result shows that the corrosion resistance and corrosion stability of superhydrophobic samples are brilliantly increased compared with the substrate

Mapping and validation of scab resistance QTLs in the Nanda2419 × Wangshuibai population

Wangshuibai is an indigenous scab resistance germplasm originated from Jiangsu, China. To characterize the genetic basis of scab resistance in this germplasm, QTLs for type I and type II resistances were detected using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population created by single seed descent from Nanda2419 × Wangshuibai and a molecular marker map of more than 4000 cM constructed using RAPD, SSR and STS markers. The major QTLs for type I resistance in Wangshuibai were mapped to chromosomes 4BL and 5AS, and those for type II resistance were mapped to chromosomes 3BS. In addition, a QTL on chromosome 2B showed association with both types of resistance. These QTLs were verified with QTL nearisogenic lines. We found, by mapping QTLs for agronomical traits in the same population, that on chromosomes 4BL and 5AS the scab resistance QTLs co-located with QTLs for plant height, thousand grain weight or flag leaf width. However, these associations could be break down by recombinant selection. We concluded that Wangshuibai is a valuable scab resistance gene resources and marker assisted selection would be of great help for its better utilization

Targeting ZDHHC9 potentiates anti-programmed death-ligand 1 immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer by modifying the tumor microenvironment

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy targeting the programmed death 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) axis has achieved considerable success in treating a wide range of cancers. However, most patients with pancreatic cancer remain resistant to ICB. Moreover, there is a lack of optimal biomarkers for the prediction of response to this therapy. Palmitoylation is mediated by a family of 23 S-acyltransferases, termed zinc finger Asp‐His‐His‐Cys-type palmitoyltransferases (ZDHHC), which precisely control various cancer-related protein functions and represent promising drug targets for cancer therapy. Here, we revealed that tumor cell-intrinsic ZDHHC9 was overexpressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and associated with impaired anti-tumor immunity. In syngeneic pancreatic tumor models, the knockdown of ZDHHC9 expression suppressed tumor progression and prolonged survival time of mice by modifying the immunosuppressive (‘cold’) to proinflammatory (‘hot’) tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, ZDHHC9 deficiency sensitized anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy mainly in a CD8+ T cell dependent manner. Lastly, we employed the ZDHHC9-siRNA nanoparticle system to efficiently silence ZDHHC9 in pancreatic tumors. Collectively, our findings indicate that ZDHHC9 overexpression in pancreatic tumors is a mechanism involved in the inhibition of host anti-tumor immunity and highlight the importance of inactivating ZDHHC9 as an effective immunotherapeutic strategy and booster for anti-PD-L1 therapy against pancreatic cancer

Excessive Government Fee Collection in China

There are several thousand administrative and operating fees, compared to 23 taxes in China. Excessive fee collections are largely targeted at business enterprises and farmers. The growth of fee collection resulted from the increase in the gap between government expenditures and revenues, the self-collection and self-utilization policy, and weak law enforcement. Excessive fee collection tends to reduce businesses'investment incentive, aggravate income inequality, breed corruption, and distort the fiscal system. Fee reduction is not possible if the government size and revenue shortage problems of local governments persist. Policy options such as cutting government size are recommended. (JEL "H20", "H87", "P35") Copyright 2005 Western Economic Association International.