The Effects Of Direction Of Electronic Word-Of-Mouth And Tie Strength On Purchase Decisions: Self-Construal As The Moderator

Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) has become an important communication method and has received considerable interest. This study examined how direction of eWOM (positive vs. negative) and tie strength influence consumers’ online purchase decision making and how the relationships are moderated by self-construal of online consumers. The empirical results showed that the effects of eWOM direction on intention to click, attitude toward the product ad, product attitude, and purchase intention were stronger for consumers with interdependent self-construal than for those with independent self-construal. Besides, the results also showed that the effects of tie strength between reviewer and consumer on intention to click, attitude toward the product ad, product attitude and purchase intention were stronger for interdependent consumers than for independent consumers when receiving eWOM from their strong ties; whereas, the effects were stronger for independent consumers than for interdependent consumers when receiving eWOM from their weak ties. The findings of this study offer insights for advertiser to develop effective online marketing strategy on social networking sites

Development of titanium dioxide nanoparticles/nanosolution for photocatalytic activity

Biological and chemical contaminants by man-made activities have been serious global issue. Exposure of these contaminants beyond the limits may result in serious environmental and health problem. Therefore, it is important to develop an effective solution that can be easily utilized by mankind. One of the effective ways to overcome this problem is by using titanium dioxide (TiO2). TiO2 is a well-known photocatalyst that widely used for environmental clean-up due to its ability to decompose organic pollutant and kill bacteria. Although it is proven TiO2 has an advantage to solve this concern, its usefulness unfortunately is limited only under UV light irradiation. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the potential of TiO2 that can be activated under visible light by the incorporation of metal ions (Fe, Ag, Zr and Ag-Zr). In this study, sol-gel method was employed for the synthesis of metal ions incorporated TiO2. XRD analysis revealed that all samples content biphasic anatase-brookite TiO2 of size 3 nm to 5 nm. It was found that the incorporation of these metal ions did not change the morphology of TiO2 but the crystallinity and optical properties were affected. The crystallinity of anatase in the biphasic TiO2 was found to be decreased and favored brookite formation. PL analysis showed metal ions incorporation suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs while the band gap energy of TiO2 (3.2 eV) was decreased by the incorporation of Fe (2.46 eV) and Ag (2.86 eV). Among this incorporation, Ag-Zr incorporated TiO2 showed highest performance for methyl orange degradation (93%) under fluorescent xxv light irradiation for 10 h. This follows by Zr-TiO2 (82%), Fe-TiO2 (75%) and Ag�TiO2 (43%). Meanwhile, the highest antibacterial performance was exhibited by Ag�TiO2. TEM images showed that E.coli bacterium was killed within 12 h after treated with Ag-TiO2. The results obtained from the fieldwork study established that Ag-Zr incorporation have excellent performances for VOC removal and antibacterial test. The VOC content after treated with Ag-Zr-TiO2 fulfilled the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 which is lower than 3 ppm. In addition, the percentage of microbes also found to be decrease around 45 % within 5 days of monitoring

Molecular survey and sequence analysis of Anaplasma spp. in cattle and ticks in a Malaysian farm

This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. in the blood samples of cattle, goats, deer and ticks in a Malaysian farm. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing approach, Anaplasma spp. was detected from 81(84.4%) of 96 cattle blood samples. All blood samples from 23 goats and 22 deer tested were negative. Based on the analysis of the Anaplasma partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene, four sequence types (genotypes 1 to 4) were identified in this study. Genotypes 1-3 showed high sequence similarity to those of Anaplasma platys/ Anaplasma phagocytophilum, whilst genotype 4 was identical to those of Anaplasma marginale/ Anaplasma centrale/ Anaplasma ovis. Anaplasma DNA was detected from six (5.5%) of 109 ticks which were identified as Rhipicephalus (formely known as Boophilus) microplus ticks collected from the cattle. This study reported for the first time the detection of four Anaplasma sequence types circulating in the cattle population in a farm in Malaysia. The detection of Anaplasma DNA in R. microplus ticks in this study provides evidence that the ticks are one of the potential vectors for transmission of anaplasmosis in the cattle

Safety Profile and Effects of Pulsed Methylprednisolone on Vital Signs in Thyroid Eye Disease

Objective. To analyze changes in vital signs (heart rate (HR), systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)) during and after intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) and any other adverse effects. Methods. Retrospective review of charts of patients who received IVMP as treatment regime for thyroid eye disease. All subjects had vital signs charted during and after infusions. Results. This study included 38 subjects and a total of 242 infusions administered. IVMP resulted in a small but significant percentage drop in mean SBP at 30 min (p<0.001) and 60 min (p=0.03) but no difference at 90 min. There was also small but significant percentage drop in mean DBP and HR (DBP: p<0.001 for 30 min, p=0.001 for 60 min, and p=0.02 for 90 min and HR: p<0.001 for 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min). There were no cumulative effects on change of blood pressure or HR. There were 6 episodes of bradycardia (2.5%) and 12 episodes of moderate to severe hypertension (5%). No significant cardiovascular or hepatic toxicity was found. Conclusion. IVMP is relatively safe and efficacious. IVMP demonstrated mild and noncumulative effects on vital signs. Severe hypertension may occur in susceptible individuals such as those with underlying hypertension and uncontrolled thyroid dysfunction, whereas bradycardia may be more likely in those on beta-blockers

Imaging of Renal Tuberculosis in Eastern Taiwan: Correlation with Clinical Course and Different Communities

Hualien, located in eastern Taiwan, is a relatively isolated district. The population is composed of different ethnic communities. Our hospital is the only medical center in eastern Taiwan, so is the most important referral hospital for epidemic diseases. After reviewing our collected cases of renal tuberculosis (TB), we observed a great diversity in staging and outcomes. The aim of this study was to classify different imaging presentations and clinical outcomes in the ethnic communities represented by these cases (non-aboriginal and aboriginal). We retrospectively reviewed 22 cases from 1991 to 2001. We reviewed laboratory data, radiologic reports, and clinical outcomes. Before TB was proved by biopsy or culture, patients were not treated with an anti-TB regimen. Roentgenography showed that 68% of patients had renal calcification, 59% had dilated calyces, 55% had lung involvement, and 41% had auto-nephrectomy. The proportion of mild and severe forms was significantly different between aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups (0.05 > p ≥ 0.00409). From this series, we recommend routine plain film roentgenography, including chest roentgenography and kidney, ureter, and bladder or abdominal roentgenography, followed by intravenous urography or computerized tomography as investigative tools for renal TB. Based on the significantly different outcomes of the disease between aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups, a stronger health education program for the isolated district in eastern Taiwan is necessary

Kalman Filter Models for the Prediction of Individualised Thermal Work Strain

It is important to monitor and assess the physiological strain of individuals working in hot environments to avoid heat illness and performance degradation. The body core temperature (Tc) is a reliable indicator of thermal work strain. However, measuring Tc is invasive and often inconvenient and impractical for real-time monitoring of workers in high heat strain environments. Seeking a better solution, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the Kalman filter method to enable the estimation of heat strain from non-invasive measurements (heart rate (HR) and chest skin temperature (ST)) obtained ‘online’ via wearable body sensors. In particular, we developed two Kalman filter models. First, an extended Kalman filter (EFK) was implemented in a cubic state space modelling framework (HR versus Tc) with a stage-wise, autoregressive exogenous model (incorporating HR and ST) as the time update model. Under the second model, the online Kalman filter (OFK) approach builds up the time update equation depending only on the initial value of Tc and the latest value of the exogenous variables. Both models were trained and validated using data from laboratory- and outfield-based heat strain profiling studies in which subjects performed a high intensity military foot march. While both the EKF and OKF models provided satisfactory estimates of Tc, the results showed an overall superior performance of the OKF model (overall root mean square error, RMSE = 0.31°C) compared to the EKF model (RMSE = 0.45°C)

A clinical audit of the process of care for women with gestational diabetes mellitus in a Malaysian public polyclinic

Introduction: Proper gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) care is essential for optimal control and thus prevents ad-verse perinatal outcomes. This audit aimed to determine the quality of GDM care provided by a public polyclinic. Methods: The audit was performed on the clinic-based medical record of GDM patients who had undergone at least three prenatal follow-ups and one postnatal follow-up between January and November 2012. Patients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus were excluded. Results: A total of 74 medical records were audited and it showed that 94.6% of patients were of age 25 and above, 91.9% were Malays, 71.6% were multigravida and 98.6% had risk factors of GDM. 54.1% of diagnoses were made during the second trimester, while 25.7% and 20.2% of cases were detected during the first and third trimester respectively. All of the GDM patients had their weight and blood pressure monitored, 85.1% had their fundal height checked as scheduled and 85.1% were referred for diet counselling. 81.9% and 100% of GDM patients who were not on treatment and on treatment correspondingly had their blood sugar profile monitoring done as recommended. Only 13.5% of GDM patients were given prenatal family planning counselling and 35.1% were given a six weeks’ postnatal oral glucose tolerance test appointment. Monthly ultrasound screening and HbA1c monitoring was done in merely 51.4% and 58.1% of the GDM patients respectively. Conclusion: The GDM care process in this public polyclinic could be improved further to achieve the standard recommendations

Clinical features and major histocompatibility complex genes as potential susceptibility factors in pediatric immune thrombocytopenia

Background/PurposeImmune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disorder with diverse response rates to treatments that include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), and splenectomy. The predisposing causes of this autoimmune disorder, one of which is immunogenetic susceptibility, have not been fully determined. We investigated whether clinical features and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes influence the occurrence, treatment response, and disease duration of childhood ITP in Taiwan.MethodsWe performed HLA genotyping of 70 Taiwanese children with ITP and of 70 healthy controls and compared the data. Demographic data were also collected and evaluated.ResultsThe frequencies of heterozygous HLA-A11 and the HLA-Cw1 allele were both significantly decreased in the ITP group (p = 0.0160 and p = 0.0089, respectively), whereas the frequency of heterozygous HLA-DQ5 was significantly increased in the ITP group (p = 0.0057). Patients with HLA-DRB1*11 or -DRB1*15 were more likely to respond poorly to corticosteroids than IVIG (p = 0.0446 and p = 0.0008, respectively). In addition, we observed a positive association between HLA-A11 homozygosity and the development of persistent or chronic ITP [odds ratio (OR) = 6.3165, p = 0.0479]. The presence of HLA-DRB1*08 was, however, negatively correlated with the development of persistent or chronic ITP (OR = 0.1729, p = 0.0657). Children with antecedent of preceding illness (API) and with a younger age of onset were more likely to experience a better treatment response and shorter course of ITP.ConclusionWe suggest that API, age of onset, and particular HLA class I and class II alleles, may be involved in and influence the occurrence and disease duration of childhood ITP, as well as responses to different therapeutic approaches