Metaverse customer journeys in tourism: building viable virtual worlds

Purpose – This research examined the use of the metaverse in tourism and hospitality to comprehend better how the technology might shape customer journey management, especially relative to information provision, experiences, and customer benefits. Design/methodology/approach – This explanatory research used a two-stage approach of media analysis and practitioner interviews to analyse the interactions among tourism information provision, customer experiences, and customer benefits in the metaverse. It conceptualized and mapped the consumer journey of the emerging metaverse experience, focusing on the ideas and practices of metaverse design pioneers in tourism and hospitality. Findings – Based on the media analysis and interviews with 27 designers, the MIEB model was proposed, containing three parts (information characteristics, customer experiences, and customer benefits) and 31 supporting items grouped into nine components. Originality/value – One of the unique contributions of this research is the Metaverse – Information – Experiences – Benefits (MIEB) model for applying the metaverse in customer journey management (pre-, during-, and post-trip). The findings contribute to the current literature with this model based on the practical perspectives of metaverse designers and provide insights on how to incorporate the MIEB model in applying the metaverse in tourism and hospitality management. The findings also address existing literature gaps of insufficient research on metaverse management and design through all stages of the customer travel journey and by paying attention to stakeholders' viewpoints, including the media and designers of metaverse applications. Engaging in semi-structured interviews with pioneers of the metaverse in order to gain insights into the design of tourism experiences was also different from other metaverse tourism research, although this is not claimed as a significant point of innovation

Carbon taxation in Singapore's semiconductor sector: a mini-review on GHG emission metrics and reporting

The threat of climate change has catalyzed global endeavors to curb greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon taxation emerging as a pivotal policy instrument. Singapore, akin to Taiwan, has embraced this tool, and its ramifications on their semiconductor industry are both profound and multifaceted. At the outset, the imposition of carbon taxes inevitably escalates production costs for semiconductor firms, compelling them to offset their carbon footprint financially. This escalation, in turn, poses a risk of eroding the industry's competitive edge, nudging firms to contemplate the prospect of migrating to locales with more lenient carbon taxation regimes. However, in juxtaposition to these challenges, carbon taxation unveils a silver lining. It instigates semiconductor entities to recalibrate their operations, infusing energy-efficient technologies and pivoting towards renewable energy avenues. Such transitions not only attenuate their carbon emissions but also curtail their financial burden arising from carbon taxation. This manuscript elucidates a panoramic landscape of both policy innovations and technological strides specific to Singapore's semiconductor arena. It aims to be an instrumental compass for stakeholders, delineating pathways for achieving optimal eco-financial equilibrium in the sector. Graphical Abstract

Run or Die in the Evolution of New MicroRNAs-Testing the Red Queen Hypothesis on De Novo New Genes.

The Red Queen hypothesis depicts evolution as the continual struggle to adapt. According to this hypothesis, new genes, especially those originating from nongenic sequences (i.e., de novo genes), are eliminated unless they evolve continually in adaptation to a changing environment. Here, we analyze two Drosophila de novo miRNAs that are expressed in a testis-specific manner with very high rates of evolution in their DNA sequence. We knocked out these miRNAs in two sibling species and investigated their contributions to different fitness components. We observed that the fitness contributions of miR-975 in Drosophila simulans seem positive, in contrast to its neutral contributions in D. melanogaster, whereas miR-983 appears to have negative contributions in both species, as the fitness of the knockout mutant increases. As predicted by the Red Queen hypothesis, the fitness difference of these de novo miRNAs indicates their different fates

A Conscious Resting State fMRI Study in SLE Patients Without Major Neuropsychiatric Manifestations

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is one of the main causes of death in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Signs and symptoms of NPSLE are heterogeneous, and it is hard to diagnose, and treat NPSLE patients in the early stage. We conducted this study to explore the possible brain activity changes using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in SLE patients without major neuropsychiatric manifestations (non-NPSLE patients). We also tried to investigate the possible associations among brain activity, disease activity, depression, and anxiety. In our study, 118 non-NPSLE patients and 81 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Rs-fMRI data were used to calculate the regional homogeneity (ReHo) in all participants. We found decreased ReHo values in the fusiform gyrus and thalamus and increased ReHo values in the parahippocampal gyrus and uncus. The disease activity was positively correlated with ReHo values of the cerebellum and negatively correlated with values in the frontal gyrus. Several brain areas showed correlations with depressive and anxiety statuses. These results suggested that abnormal brain activities might occur before NPSLE and might be the foundation of anxiety and depression symptoms. Early detection and proper treatment of brain dysfunction might prevent the progression to NPSLE. More studies are needed to understand the complicated underlying mechanisms

Thermal ablation as an alternative to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma with clinically significant portal hypertension: propensity score matching study

PurposeThe objectives were to investigate the safety and efficacy of thermal ablation as an alternative to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH).Materials and MethodsFrom July 2016 to September 2019, hepatocellular carcinoma patients with CSPH treated by liver transplantation (N=37) or thermal ablation (N=114) were enrolled. Cumulative intrahepatic recurrence, overall survival and major complications were compared by propensity score matching.ResultsIn the two matched groups, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year intrahepatic recurrence rates for the ablation group (22.3%, 50.0%, and 50.0%, respectively) were significantly higher than those for the transplantation group (4.5%, 4.5%, and 4.5%, respectively) (P=0.016). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were comparable between the two groups [96.1%, 88.7%, and 88.7%, respectively (ablation group) vs. 84.6%, 76.2%, and 76.2%, respectively (transplantation group)] (P=0.07). The major complication rate for the ablation group [4.8% (3/62)] was significantly lower than that for the transplantation group [36.0% (9/25)] (P<0.001).ConclusionsThermal ablation is a safe and effective alternative for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with CSPH

Molecular characterization and clinical relevance of metabolic expression subtypes in human cancers.

Metabolic reprogramming provides critical information for clinical oncology. Using molecular data of 9,125 patient samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified tumor subtypes in 33 cancer types based on mRNA expression patterns of seven major metabolic processes and assessed their clinical relevance. Our metabolic expression subtypes correlated extensively with clinical outcome: subtypes with upregulated carbohydrate, nucleotide, and vitamin/cofactor metabolism most consistently correlated with worse prognosis, whereas subtypes with upregulated lipid metabolism showed the opposite. Metabolic subtypes correlated with diverse somatic drivers but exhibited effects convergent on cancer hallmark pathways and were modulated by highly recurrent master regulators across cancer types. As a proof-of-concept example, we demonstrated that knockdown of SNAI1 or RUNX1—master regulators of carbohydrate metabolic subtypes-modulates metabolic activity and drug sensitivity. Our study provides a system-level view of metabolic heterogeneity within and across cancer types and identifies pathway cross-talk, suggesting related prognostic, therapeutic, and predictive utility

Influence of Beijing Winter Olympic Games Construction on Vegetation Coverage around Zhangjiakou Competition Zone

There is a rising concern that Olympic venue construction may affect the surrounding environment. The construction of Winter Olympic venues and competition zones is more likely to degrade the surrounding natural environment than the summer counterpart, considering the prominent land use change and extensive vegetation disturbance during the construction of ski trails in mountainous areas. Scientific assessment of the impact of this Winter Olympic Games construction on the surrounding ecological environment can be of significance for the construction of a Green Olympics. At this stage, the main framework of venue and competition construction in Zhangjiakou for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games is essentially completed, so we assessed the vegetation coverage change conditions based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from 2000 to 2020. Our results show that the construction of venues, roads, and other facilities for the 2022 Olympic Games led to a remarkable change in land use, but the impacts on vegetation coverage were negligible in the surrounding area. Due to the intensive reforestation activities since the year that Beijing won the race to host the Winter Olympics, vegetation coverage continued to increase in the Zhangjiakou area, even in the core area of Winter Olympic Games construction zones. This study provides support to the belief in hosting a Green Olympics