New hybrid FMADM model for mobile commerce improvement

Internet of things (IoT) can provide an extensive scope of services via smart devices to promote the convenience of life. With advances being made in smart phones, enterprises are increasingly considering expanding their customer base through mobile commerce services. To promote m-commerce improvement, enterprises should organize an excellent m-commerce environment and attempt to realize user needs in the era of IoT. In a fuzzy environment of the real world, objective decision-making for m-commerce improvement is usually a FMADM problem involving feedback-effect and interdependence among the dimensions and criteria. But, many traditional decision models cannot conduct the complicated interrelationships among dimensions and criteria. This study proposes an improvement model that can promote m-commerce improvement towards achieving the aspiration level in fuzzy environment. The proposed hybrid model conducts the feedback-effect and dependence among attributes, and it combines the FDEMATEL technique, FDANP, and MFGRA methods. The empirical case study was conducted to prove the utility of the new hybrid FMADM model in evaluating an m-commerce environment. Comparative results exhibited that the proposed approach is superior to the traditional method and that it can obtain most real grey relational degree that can be used for establishing the best performance improvement strategy in reality

A data-driven MADM model for personnel selection and improvement

Personnel selection and human resource improvement are characteristically multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) problems. Previously developed MADM models have principally depended on experts’ judgements as input for the derivation of solutions. However, the subjectivity of the experts’ experience can have a negative influence on this type of decision-making process. With the arrival of today’s data-based decision-making environment, we develop a data-driven MADM model, which integrates machine learning and MADM methods, to help managers select personnel more objectively and to support their competency improvement. First, RST, a machining learning tool, is applied to obtain the initial influential significance-relation matrix from real assessment data. Subsequently, the DANP method is used to derive an influential significance-network relation map and influential weights from the initial matrix. Finally, the PROMETHEE-AS method is applied to assess the gap between the aspiration and current levels for every candidate. An example was carried out using performance data with evaluation attributes obtained from the human resource department of a Chinese food company. The results revealed that the data-driven MADM model could enable human resource managers to resolve the issues of personnel selection and improvement simultaneously, and can actually be applied in the era of big data analytics in the future. First published online 15 May 202

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

A Hybrid MCDM Model for Improving the Electronic Health Record to Better Serve Client Needs

Although the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising innovation in the healthcare industry, the implementation of EHR has been relatively slow. A theoretical structure for the exploration and improvement of this usage of EHR is proposed. Incorporating the theoretical structure of TOE (technology-organization-environment), we apply the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique to illustrate the influence-matrix and to construct the INRM (influential network relationship map). Based on this DEMATEL influence matrix and the fundamental concepts of ANP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), we derive influential weights for the criteria. These influential weights are then combined with the modified VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method to find ways to understand and enhance the usage of EHR technology. The outcome demonstrates that our model can not only be used for implementation of EHR technology, but can also be applied to analyze the gaps in performance between the aspiration level and present performance values in individual criterion/dimension

A novel gene mutation in a family with X-linked retinoschisis

To describe the clinical characteristics of a Taiwanese family with X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) and to investigate the molecular genetics of a novel mutation in the retinoschisin 1 (RS1) gene. Methods: A total of 15 participants in this XLRS family were analyzed. Complete ophthalmic examinations and fundus photography were performed on 15 family members. These tests identified five affected males and two female carriers. Blood samples were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. Best-corrected visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OCT), electroretinogram (ERG), and direct DNA sequence analysis of the RS1 gene were performed on 15 family members. Results: Five affected males, with visual acuity ranging from 0.2 to 0.7, had macular schisis and abnormal retinal pigment epithelium pigmentation. The mixed scotopic ERG “b” wave was more reduced than the “a” wave. OCT revealed typical microcystic schisis cavities within the macula area. Direct DNA sequence analysis revealed a single base pair deletion, 97delT, in all the affected individuals. This deletion resulted in a frameshift mutation of the RS1 gene, causing protein truncation. The affected males in this family showed moderately decreased visual acuity and dysfunction in both cone cells and phototransduction. Conclusion: We identified a novel RS1 (97delT) mutation in a Taiwanese family with XLRS. This finding expands the RS1 mutation spectrum and may help to further understand the molecular pathogenesis of XLRS

Ethyl pyruvate ameliorates heat stroke-induced multiple organ dysfunction and inflammatory responses by induction of stress proteins and activation of autophagy in rats

Objective: Heat stroke (HS) elicits the systemic inflammatory responses that result in multiple organ dysfunction (MOD). Heat shock response and autophagy are activated during heat stress for removal of damaged organelles and proteins, emerging as a major regulator of cellular homeostasis. Ethyl pyruvate (EP) is a derivative of pyruvic acid and possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aims to investigate the effects of EP on MOD in HS rats and explore the possible mechanisms. Method: Anesthetized rats were placed in a heating chamber (42 °C) to elevate the core body temperature attaining to 42.9 °C. Rats were then moved to room temperature and monitored for 6 h. EP (60 mg/kg, i.v.) was administered 30 min prior to heat exposure. Results: Results showed that EP significantly reduced HS-induced increases in plasma levels of LDH, CPK, GPT and CK-MB, reversed the decrease of platelet counts, and alleviated intestinal mucosal and pulmonary damage. Moreover, EP reduced pro-inflammatory protein, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, HMGB1 and iNOS, and induced stress proteins, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and HSP90 in the liver of HS rats. The levels of HS-activated autophagy-regulatory proteins were affected by EP, in which the phosphorylated mTOR and AKT were reduced, and the phosphorylated AMPK increased, accompanied with upregulation in ULK1, Atg7, Atg12 and LC3II, and downregulation of p62. Conclusion: In conclusion, EP ameliorated HS-induced inflammatory responses and MOD, and the underlying mechanism is associated with the induction of the stress proteins HO-1 and HSP70 as well as restorage of autophagy