Consumer value co-creation in online business: the case of global travel services

This paper aims to examine the application of value co-creation approach in online travel service based on service-dominant logic. Drawing on recent works, the research indicates travellers as co-creators of value and emphasizes the development of customer–supplier interaction. The paper presents three case studies to analyse global travel service suppliers’ (service providers) behaviour: CouchSurfing International, Inc.; TripAdvisor LLC, AirBnbINc. Case studies analysis is followed by netnographic research of 22 different discussions (1243 records) in online forums related to selected service suppliers. The research findings suggest that value co-creation approach can be effectively used to analyse processes in global online travel service section. The originality of the paper lies in exploring the contribution of co-creation approach which allowed to identify the patterns of actions and behaviour of the online travel service providers and their consumers. As an additional value of the research, it was found that the online travel service providers integrate customer-to-customer interactions as a value co-creation in their platforms using consumers’ resources such as time, knowledge and experience

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Methanol Extract of Ficus pumila L. in Mice

This study investigated possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the methanol extract of Ficus pumila (FPMeOH). Analgesic effects were evaluated in two models including acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking. The results showed FPMeOH decreased writhing response in the acetic acid assay and licking time in the formalin test. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by λ-carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema and histopathological analyses. FPMeOH significantly decreased the volume of paw edema induced by λ-carrageenan. Histopathologically, FPMeOH abated the level of tissue destruction and swelling of the edema paws. This study indicated anti-inflammatory mechanism of FPMeOH may be due to declined levels of NO and MDA in the edema paw through increasing the activities of SOD, GPx, and GRd in the liver. Additionally, FPMeOH also decreased the level of inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and COX-2. HPLC fingerprint was established and the contents of three active ingredients, rutin, luteolin, and apigenin, were quantitatively determined. This study provided evidence for the classical treatment of Ficus pumila in inflammatory diseases

Synergistic Apoptosis-Inducing Antileukemic Effects of Arsenic Trioxide and Mucuna macrocarpa

The objective of this study was to examine the potential of enhancing the antileukemic activity of arsenic trioxide (ATO) by combining it with a folk remedy, crude methanolic extract of Mucuna macrocarpa (CMEMM). Human leukemia cells HL-60, Jurkat, and Molt-3 were treated with various doses of ATO, CMEMM, and combinations thereof for 24 and 48 h. Results indicated that the combination of 2.5 μM ATO and 50 μg/mL CMEMM synergistically inhibited cell proliferation in HL-60 and Jurkat cell lines. Apoptosis triggered by ATO/CMEMM treatment was confirmed by accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase in cell cycle analyses, characteristic apoptotic nuclear fragmentation, and increased percentage of annexin V-positive apoptotic cells. Such combination treatments also led to elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The antioxidants N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), butylated hydroxytoluene, and α-tocopherol prevented cells from ATO/CMEMM-induced apoptosis. The ATO/CMEMM-induced activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 can be blocked by NAC. In summary, these results suggest that ATO/CMEMM combination treatment exerts synergistic apoptosis-inducing effects in human leukemic cells through a ROS-dependent mechanism and may provide a promising antileukemic approach in the future

Exploring Medical Utilization Patterns of Emergency Department Users

The intercategory relationship of various medical services is of importance to both health care management and policy-making. The purpose of this study was to explore the intercategory relationship of emergency medical services and other medical services and to examine the medical utilization patterns of emergency department (ED) users. Methods: The sample was selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan for the year 2004. A total of 6775 patients who visited the ED were included. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between emergency medical services and other medical services, and cluster analysis characterized different medical utilization patterns of ED users. Results: Frequent ED users (≥ 4 ED visits during the year) were more likely to use other health care services: their odds ratios (ORs) were 10.30 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.53-14.10) for 11 or more visits to hospital outpatient departments, 1.51 (95% CI, 1.14-1.99) for 13 or more visits to primary care physicians, and 4.90 (95% CI, 3.74-6.43) for in-hospital care. Moreover, ED users fell into four medical utilization patterns: low health care users (61.91%), hospital fans (11.93%), primary care favorers (21.21%) and high health care users (4.95%). Conclusion: Frequent ED users also heavily used other health care services. ED users have different utilization patterns, which is a reflection of the unique needs for various health care services. Such knowledge is critically important for both health care providers and policymakers who must meet the needs of different patient groups

Module placement with boundary constraints using the sequence-pair representation

[[abstract]]In VLSI module placement, it is very practical to consider placing some modules along the pre-specified boundaries of the chip so that the modules are easier to be connected to certain I/O pads. In this paper, we study the module placement problem where some modules have boundary constraints, and present a simulated annealing based algorithm that represents each placement topology by a sequence-pair. The major contribution of our algorithm is that a feasible placement is always obtainable. Our algorithm has been implemented, and its effectiveness is supported by the encouraging experimental results[[fileno]]2030229030039[[department]]資訊工程學

The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Performance: The Mediating Effect of Industrial Brand Equity and Corporate Reputation

corporate social responsibility, industrial brand equity, corporate reputation, brand performance,

Simple SPION incubation as an efficient intracellular labeling method for tracking neural progenitor cells using MRI.

Cellular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been well-established for tracking neural progenitor cells (NPC). Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) approved for clinical application are the most common agents used for labeling. Conventionally, transfection agents (TAs) were added with SPIONs to facilitate cell labeling because SPIONs in the native unmodified form were deemed inefficient for intracellular labeling. However, compelling evidence also shows that simple SPION incubation is not invariably ineffective. The labeling efficiency can be improved by prolonged incubation and elevated iron doses. The goal of the present study was to establish simple SPION incubation as an efficient intracellular labeling method. To this end, NPCs derived from the neonatal subventricular zone were incubated with SPIONs (Feridex®) and then evaluated in vitro with regard to the labeling efficiency and biological functions. The results showed that, following 48 hours of incubation at 75 µg/ml, nearly all NPCs exhibited visible SPION intake. Evidence from light microscopy, electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the effectiveness of the labeling. Additionally, biological assays showed that the labeled NPCs exhibited unaffected viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis and differentiation. In the demonstrated in vivo cellular MRI experiment, the hypointensities representing the SPION labeled NPCs remained observable throughout the entire tracking period. The findings indicate that simple SPION incubation without the addition of TAs is an efficient intracellular magnetic labeling method. This simple approach may be considered as an alternative approach to the mainstream labeling method that involves the use of TAs

Ethylcellulose Colloids Incubated in Dilute Solution

This study revealed, for the first time, that dilute solutions made of a representative series of commercial ethylcellulose (EC; molecular weights 77–305 kDa, provided by the manufacturer) and four distinct organic solvents (α-terpineol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate (TPIB), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and benzene) can be used to foster stabilized, nearly monodisperse, nanoscale (pure) polymer colloid, with no isolated chains present. Using combined light-scattering (dynamic light scattering, static form factor, and Zimm/Berry plots) and intrinsic viscosity (Tanglertpaibul–Rao, Huggins, and Kraemer plots) analyses, the structural features of colloidal EC aggregates, ρ = ⟨<i>R</i>_g⟩/⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩ = 0.67–0.83, were first shown to be described rather well by the theory on colloidal spheres (⟨<i>R</i>_g⟩ and ⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩ being the mean radius of gyration and the hydrodynamic radius, respectively). An empirical scaling law relating the intrinsic viscosity to the mean colloid size can thus be established: [η]_H = (1.7 ± 0.2) ×10^–3 ⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩^(2.1±0.3) ([η]_H and ⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩ in units of mL/g and nm, respectively), which may be contrasted with the Zimm model for isolated Gaussian coils, [η]_H ∼ ⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩¹, and the Einstein equation for isolated solid spheres, [η]_H ∼ ⟨<i>R</i>_h⟩⁰. Optical microscopy images of thin films cast from different EC solutions clearly revealed the abundance of micron EC agglomerates, contrary to the uniform thin-film morphology produced from a dilute polystyrene solution, which serves as a reference solution composed of isolated chains. These observations point to new features and applications of EC dispersions