Effectiveness of Health Communication Technology on Compliance Disposition of Covid-19 Guidelines

Recent research has mostly examined the role of health communication technology (HCT) in patient empowerment and in producing patient-focused outcomes. This study examines HCT in a larger context where it is used as a tool to improve public health. The objective is to examine how HCT is used to monitor Covid-19’s spread, and how social factors affect individual assessment of HCT and individual compliance disposition of Covid-19 guidelines. Analyzing data collected from 360 HCT users suggests that the information and system quality of HCT indeed impact users’ assessment of its effectiveness and their compliance disposition. However, such effects are strongly mediated by social factors: Peer influence and government trust can sway an individual’s cognitive judgments of Covid-19 regardless of HCT’s impacts. The findings highlight the importance of social factors in pandemic management and the need to socialize health informatics to make them more effective

The Importance of University Traditions And Rituals in Building Alumni Brand Communities and Loyalty

The purpose of this study is to expand the literature and determine factors that impact alumni giving and loyalty at institutions of higher education. Specifically, this research aims to identify a relationship between university traditions and rituals, the relationships of an alumni brand community, and loyalty toward an institution of higher education. This research proposes that a university, as a branded institution, constitutes a brand community, and that traditions and rituals, an important component of brand communities, can serve as a means by which students engage on campus and participate in a university’s brand community and, in turn, become active and giving alumni of a university. We propose that the greater the perception of alumni that a university has valued, well-established traditions and rituals, the greater their brand community relationships and intended behaviors associated with loyalty. The research was conducted in the context of the “University,” a regional, comprehensive state university in the Midwest. A survey was conducted with alumni of the University to test a series of six hypotheses. Statistical analyses of MANOVA, ANOVA, and independent t-tests found support for all hypotheses; the mean scores for all four brand community relationships, overall brand community integration, and for four loyalty measures were all significantly different. Alumni who perceive that the University has valued, well established traditions and rituals perceive stronger alumni-product, alumni-brand, alumni institution, and alumni-alumni relationships, perceive a stronger overall integration within the alumni brand community, and exhibit stronger behaviors associated with loyalty than alumni who do not perceive that the University has valued, well-established traditions and rituals. The results from this analysis provide theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, the contribution of the research reported here is considering the importance of traditions and rituals in alumni brand communities and loyalty, a concept not addressed in previous research. Research has demonstrated that brand community integration is an influential contributor to desired marketing outcomes of institutions of higher education, both large and small. So, university initiatives that enhance and strengthen alumni brand community relationships are vital. Further, given the economic climate in higher education today, it is also vital that universities foster active and dedicated alumni as to garner financial support. Future research may incorporate the role and impact of additional constructs, such as nostalgia, on university traditions and rituals and alumni brand community relationships, expand the study beyond the University studied here, and expand the conceptualization and measurement of the four alumni brand community relationships. Practically, suggestions for universities’ marketing strategies and tactics are provided. Alumni associations, in particular, should be viewed as strategic, vital assets of universities and serve as keepers of traditions and rituals by supporting active student alumni groups and promoting the importance of traditions and rituals. Further, alumni associations should create new, cultivate existing, and revitalize old traditions and rituals. Finally, universities should develop and nurture brand communities with online students as well, create and foster traditions and rituals in which they may participate, and instill a sense that the university has valued, well-established traditions and rituals

Development and evaluation of a jaw-tracking system for mice: reconstruction of three-dimensional movement trajectories on an arbitrary point on the mandible

Background: Mastication is one of the most fundamental functions for the conservation of life. The demand for devices for evaluating stomatognathic function, for instance, recording mandibular movements or masticatory muscle activities using animal models, has been increasing in recent years to elucidate neuromuscular control mechanisms of mastication and to investigate the etiology of oral motor disorders. To identify the fundamental characteristics of the jaw movements of mice, we developed a new device that reconstructs the three-dimensional (3D) movement trajectories on an arbitrary point on the mandible during mastication. Methods: First, jaw movements with six degrees of freedom were measured using a motion capture system comprising two high-speed cameras and four reflective markers. Second, a 3D model of the mandible including the markers was created from micro-computed tomography images. Then, the jaw movement trajectory on the certain anatomical point was reproduced by integrating the kinematic data of the jaw movements with the geometric data of the mandible. Results: The 3D movements at any points on the mandible, such as the condyle, molar, and incisor during mastication, could be calculated and visualized with an accuracy > 0.041 mm in 3D space. The masticatory cycle was found to be clearly divided into three phases, namely, the opening, closing, and occlusal phases in mice. Conclusions: The proposed system can reproduce and visualize the movements of internal anatomical points such as condylar points precisely by combining kinematic data with geometric data. The findings obtained from this system could facilitate our understanding of the pathogenesis of eating disorders or other oral motor disorders when we could compare the parameters of stomatognathic function of normal mice and those of genetically modified mice with oral behavioral dysfunctions

Visualization of mandibular movement relative to the maxilla during mastication in mice: integration of kinematic analysis and reconstruction of a three-dimensional model of the maxillofacial structure

Background: Mastication is one of the most fundamental functions for the conservation of human life. To clarify the pathogenetic mechanism of various oral dysfunctions, the demand for devices for evaluating stomatognathic function has been increasing. The aim of the present study was to develop a system to reconstruct and visualize 3-dimensional (3D) mandibular movements relative to the maxilla, including dynamic transition of occlusal contacts between the upper and lower dentitions during mastication in mice.Methods: First, mandibular movements with six degrees of freedom were measured using a motion capture system comprising two high-speed cameras and four reflective markers. Second, 3D models of maxillofacial structure were reconstructed from micro-computed tomography images. Movement trajectories of anatomical landmark points on the mandible were then reproduced by integrating the kinematic data of mandibular movements with the anatomical data of maxillofacial structures. Lastly, 3D surface images of the upper dentition with the surrounding maxillofacial structures were transferred to each of the motion capture images to reproduce mandibular movements relative to the maxilla. We also performed electromyography (EMG) of masticatory muscles associated with mandibular movements.Results: The developed system could reproduce the 3D movement trajectories of arbitrary points on the mandible, such as incisor, molars and condylar points with high accuracy and could visualize dynamic transitions of occlusal contacts between upper and lower teeth associated with mandibular movements.Conclusions: The proposed system has potential to elucidate the mechanisms underlying motor coordination of masticatory muscles and to clarify their roles during mastication by taking advantage of the capability to record EMG data synchronously with mandibular movements. Such insights will enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of oral motor disorders by allowing comparisons between normal mice and genetically modified mice with oral behavioral dysfunctions

Feasibility of cord blood transplantation in chemosensitive adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma: a retrospective analysis of the Nagasaki Transplantation Network

It has been reported that cord blood transplantation (CBT) for patients with aggressive adult T-cell leukemia/ lymphoma (ATL) results in poorer outcomes than transplantation using other stem cell sources. To identify a subset of ATL in which CBT is feasible, we retrospectively analyzed 27 patients treated with CBT at three institutions in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The estimated overall survival (OS) rate at 3 years was 27.4 %. Of 16 patients who received CBT during remission (complete, CR, or partial, PR), the OS rate at 3 years was 50 %, while during refractory periods (non-CR or non-PR), the OS rate was 9.1 %. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) was given to 18 patients, and myeloablative conditioning (MAC) was used in nine, with 3-year OS of 50.0 and 0 %, respectively. Of the 19 deaths, nine were due to progressive disease, eight (five MAC and three RIC) to infection, and two to multiple organ failure. These results suggest that CBT provides similar results with those in other transplantation procedures for selected ATL patients, such as those in CR or PR. Further studies are needed to evaluate the use of CBT in aggressive ATL

Molecular analysis of the BCR-ABL1 kinase domain in chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in practice: Study by the Nagasaki CML Study Group

An appropriate trigger for BCR-ABL1 mutation analysis has not yet been established in unselected cohorts of chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia patients. We examined 92 patients after 12 months of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Univariate analysis revealed that significant factors associated with not attaining a major molecular response (MMR) were the presence of the minor BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, a low daily dose of TKI, and the emergence of BCR-ABL1 kinase domain mutations conferring resistance to imatinib. Factors associated with the loss of sustained MMR were a low daily dose of TKI and the emergence of alternatively spliced BCR-ABL1 mRNA with a 35-nucleotide insertion. Taken together, our results suggest that the search for BCR-ABL1 mutations should be initiated if patients have not achieved MMR following 12 months of TKI treatment

Role of brand names and product types on bicultural consumers’ purchase intentions

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the role of brand names and product types on bicultural’s purchasing intention. In cross-cultural marketing, a current popular position among bicultural consumer advocates that brand name that has a foreign character denotes that when an unknown brand is present, and if the unknown brand is a hedonic product, then a foreign character that has a long-standing history of delivery quality products should be mandatory. Design/methodology/approach Through a multidisciplinary literature review, qualitatively supported differences in bicultural consumers from a majority-minority status are reviewed and formulated as hypotheses, and a survey is used to collect quantitative data from a stratified random sample. Findings A 2 (cultural identity vs felt ethnicity) × 2 (English brand name vs Japanese brand name) factorial experiment, which tested this contention, revealed that, although consumers are considered biculturals, they will be more inclined to perceive products to be of higher quality when the product is written in Japanese than in English. Furthermore, the result shows that felt ethnicity has a significant impact on attitude toward brand names, whereas bicultural’s cultural identity does not. However, on the other hand, cultural identity has a significant impact on the product type considered, whereas felt ethnicity does not. Research limitations/implications As a starting point for understanding the bicultural consumer from a majority-minority perspective, this study is subject to exploratory research limitations. Practical implications The result suggests that when developing ads, managers should take into account the effect of language characters has on their target audience’s ethnicity. As it is common for ads to consist of written language, colors, images and messages, managers should not just concentrate on one, rather should consider how all these factors can come together and create a favorable ad. Originality/value As the number of immigrants increase in the USA, the notion of considering what a melting pot is has reached another level. Predicted by the US census, in the year 2050, the minority population will take over the mainstream population, resulting in a majority-minority status for these minority individuals. Businesses will then have to redesign their strategy in marketing to this new market segment and not fall victim to these new challenges. They can turn around and leverage them as marketplace opportunities. This study provides some early insights that can help marketers strategically and creatively think of leverage such opportunities. </jats:sec

The Sustainability of Ohanami Cherry Blossom Festivals as a Cultural Icon

Background: One important form of sustainability is the continuation of culture and cultural practices. This study examined the case of Japanese Ohanami or cherry blossom festivals. Historically, Ohanami focused on the cherry blossom as a symbol of spring&rsquo;s arrival, where communal aspects, consumption of sake and seasonal foods, painting or photography, and pilgrimages to sacred sites were used to celebrate the ephemeral aspects of blossoms, spring, and life. Methods: This study examines how cherry blossom festivals are celebrated and understood and how these celebrations are changing. Results: Current celebrations demonstrate several forces are changing this celebration. The changes in cherry blossom festivals are seen in four areas (bonding, cultural continuity, marketing exploitation, and cultural symbolism). Cherry blossom festivals are also observed overseas&mdash;at first glance this suggests its continuity, however, the ways in which Ohanami is observed raise concerns about the accuracy of this cultural practice. Conclusion: Ohanami celebrations are celebrated both in Japan and overseas, and although their practice continues, the nature of the cultural celebrations are changing