Optimal Design of Consumer Review Systems

Consumer review systems have become an important marketing communication tool through which consumers share and learn product information. This paper aims to analyze the review system design as firms’ strategic decision to facilitate consumer sharing and learning about their products. We show that firms’ optimal pricing and review system design decisions critically depend on contextual characteristics including product quality, product popularity, and consumer misfit cost. Our results suggest that firms choose a low rating scale for niche products and a high rating scale for popular products. Different pricing strategies should be deployed during the initial sale period for different product types. For niche products, firms are advised to adopt lower-bound pricing for high-quality products to take advantage of the positive word-of-mouth. For popular products, firms are advised to adopt upper-bound pricing for high-quality products to enjoy the direct profit from the initial sale without damaging the product review outcomes

Efficacy and safety of Ozone Therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B : A multicenter, randomized clinical trial [abstract]

Background. Ozone therapy has a long history. Some studies proved that ozone therapy was useful in treatment of virus hepatitis.Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of new medical ozone therapy system for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Method. One hundred eighty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis B were included in this open-label, phase 3 study, and randomly assigned to receive ozone autohemotherapy with experimental ozone generator TianYi (group 1) or with ozone generator Humares (group 2) or oral diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsules (group 3) in a 1:1:1 ratio for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was sera HBV DNA level of less than 1×103 IU/ml or having a more than 2 log10 reduction in HBV DNA level at the end of 12 weeks treatment as compared to baseline HBV DNA level. Secondary end points included HBeAg seroconversion, biochemical response, and combined response. Results. At the end of 12 weeks treatment, the proportion of patients reached the primary end point of virologic response in group 1, group 2, and group 3 were 22.4% (13/58, 95% CI, 12.5 to 35.3), 14.7 (9/61, 95% CI, 7.0 to 26.2) and 3.9% (2/51, 95% CI, 0.5 to 13.5), respectively (p=0.021) in the pre-protocol population. Virologic response occurred in more patients receiving ozone therapy with experimental device than patients receiving oral diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsules (mean difference 18.5%, 95% CI 6.3 to 31.5, p=0.005). However, there was no statistical difference in VR12 rates between the treatment of medical ozone therapy system with experimental device (group 1) and with Humares (group 2) (mean difference 7.7%, 95% CI -6.5 to 22.0, p=0.282). More HBeAg seroconversion in patients treated by Tianyi ozone therapy system than those treated by Humares ozone therapy device and oral diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsules (14.8%, 5.1% and 7.3%, respectively, P = 0.272). Higher biochemical response rate was observes in patients receiving ozone therapy than oral diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsules (31.6%, 36.7% and 24.0%, respectively, p = 0.359). The safety profile was similar for the three treatment groups and adverse events were .scare infrequent and mild. Conclusions. Ozone therapy had superior antiviral efficacy with a similar safety profile as compared with oral diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsules through week 12 treatment. Ozone therapy is also associated with normalized ALT and AST levels, demonstrating that ozone therapy could benefit the patients with chronic hepatitis B

Constructing Heterostructure through Bidentate Coordination toward Operationally Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

It has been reported that one of the influencing factors leading to stability issues in iodine-containing perovskite solar cells is the iodine loss from the perovskite layer. Herein, bidentate coordination is used with undercoordinated I− of the perovskite surface to construct the stable perovskite-based heterostructure. This strong halogen bonding effectively inhibits interfacial migration of I− into functional layers such as C60 and Ag. Moreover, passivation of the undercoordinated I− suppresses the release of I2 and further delays the formation of voids at the perovskite surface. The resulting inverted perovskite solar cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 22.59% and the unencapsulated device maintains 96.15% of its initial value after continuous operation for 500 h under illumination.journal articl

Tislelizumab vs Sorafenib as First-Line Treatment for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and additional first-line treatments are needed. The programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor tislelizumab demonstrated efficacy and a tolerable safety profile as second-line HCC treatment. // Objective: To investigate efficacy and safety of tislelizumab vs sorafenib tosylate for first-line treatment of unresectable HCC. // Design, Setting, and Participants: The open-label, global, multiregional phase 3 RATIONALE-301 randomized clinical trial enrolled systemic therapy–naive adults with histologically confirmed HCC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B or C disease, disease progression following (or patient was not amenable to) locoregional therapy, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1 or less, and Child-Pugh class A, between December 27, 2017, and October 2, 2019. Data cutoff was July 11, 2022. // Intervention: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive tislelizumab, 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks, or sorafenib tosylate, 400 mg orally twice daily. // Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was overall survival (OS); secondary end points included objective response rate, progression-free survival, duration of response, and safety. // Results: A total of 674 patients were included in the analysis (570 men [84.6%]; median age, 61 years [range, 23-86 years]). As of July 11, 2022, minimum study follow-up was 33 months. The primary end point of OS noninferiority of tislelizumab vs sorafenib was met in the intention-to-treat population (n = 674); median overall survival was 15.9 (95% CI, 13.2-19.7) months vs 14.1 (95% CI, 12.6-17.4) months, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85 [95.003% CI, 0.71-1.02]), and superiority of tislelizumab vs sorafenib was not met. The objective response rate was 14.3% (n = 49) for tislelizumab vs 5.4% (n = 18) for sorafenib, and median duration of response was 36.1 (95% CI, 16.8 to not evaluable) months vs 11.0 (95% CI, 6.2-14.7) months, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 2.1 (95% CI, 2.1-3.5) months vs 3.4 (95% CI, 2.2-4.1) months with tislelizumab vs sorafenib (HR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.92-1.33]). The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) was 96.2% (325 of 338 patients) for tislelizumab and 100% (n = 324) for sorafenib. Grade 3 or greater treatment-related AEs were reported in 75 patients (22.2%) receiving tislelizumab and 173 (53.4%) receiving sorafenib. There was a lower incidence of treatment-related AEs leading to drug discontinuation (21 [6.2%] vs 33 [10.2%]) and drug modification (68 [20.1%] vs 187 [57.7%]) with tislelizumab vs sorafenib. // Conclusions and Relevance: In RATIONALE-301, tislelizumab demonstrated OS benefit that was noninferior vs sorafenib, with a higher objective response rate and more durable responses, while median progression-free survival was longer with sorafenib. Tislelizumab demonstrated a favorable safety profile vs sorafenib. // Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0341277

Graphene‐Like Conjugated Molecule as Hole‐Selective Contact for Operationally Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules

Further enhancing the operational lifetime of inverted-structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is crucial for their commercialization, and the design of hole-selective contacts at the illumination side plays a key role in operational stability. In this work, the self-anchoring benzo[rst]pentaphene (SA-BPP) is developed as a new type of hole-selective contact toward long-term operationally stable inverted PSCs. The SA-BPP molecule with a graphene-like conjugated structure shows a higher photostability and mobility than that of the frequently-used triphenylamine and carbazole-based hole-selective molecules. Besides, the anchoring groups of SA-BPP promote the formation of a large-scale uniform hole contact on ITO substrate and efficiently passivate the perovskite absorbers. Benefiting from these merits, the champion efficiencies of 22.03% for the small-sized cells and 17.08% for 5 × 5 cm2 solar modules on an aperture area of 22.4 cm2 are achieved based on this SA-BPP contact. Also, the SA-BPP-based device exhibits promising operational stability, with an efficiency retention of 87.4% after 2000 h continuous operation at the maximum power point under simulated 1-sun illumination, which indicates an estimated T80 lifetime of 3175 h. This novel design concept of hole-selective contacts provides a promising strategy for further improving the PSC stability.journal articl

The oyster genome reveals stress adaptation and complexity of shell formation

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas belongs to one of the most species-rich but genomically poorly explored phyla, the Mollusca. Here we report the sequencing and assembly of the oyster genome using short reads and a fosmid-pooling strategy, along with transcriptomes of development and stress response and the proteome of the shell. The oyster genome is highly polymorphic and rich in repetitive sequences, with some transposable elements still actively shaping variation. Transcriptome studies reveal an extensive set of genes responding to environmental stress. The expansion of genes coding for heat shock protein 70 and inhibitors of apoptosis is probably central to the oyster's adaptation to sessile life in the highly stressful intertidal zone. Our analyses also show that shell formation in molluscs is more complex than currently understood and involves extensive participation of cells and their exosomes. The oyster genome sequence fills a void in our understanding of the Lophotrochozoa. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

Comparison of efficacy between sodium morrhuate and lauromacrogol as sclerosing agents in treatment of hepatic cyst

Objective To compare the efficacy of sodium morrhuate versus lauromacrogol in the treatment of hepatic cyst. Methods Seventy-four patients with hepatic cyst who were admitted to our hospital from January 2009 to May 2013 were enrolled as subjects and divided into two groups. After the cystic fluid was drained by percutaneous liver biopsy, sodium morrhuate solution was injected into the cystic cavity for adhesion and sclerosis in 46 patients in group A, and lauromacrogol solution was injected in 28 patients in group B. The incidence rates of pain in patients during and after surgery were compared between the two groups. The follow-up comparison of hepatic cyst recurrence rates within one year after surgery was performed between the two groups. Between-group comparison was performed by χ2 test. Results Five patients (10.87%) in group A and two patients (7.14%) in group B had recurrence within one year after treatment. There was no significant difference in recurrence rate between the two groups (χ2=0.283, P＞0.05). The incidence of pain in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (χ2=5.258, P＜0.05). Conclusion With the same efficacy as sodium morrhuate in the treatment of hepatic cyst, lauromacrogol can be routinely used as a sclerosing agent due to its mild side effects

Cross-Market Integration and Sabotage

Recent industry developments motivate the study of cross-market firm integrations, which often raises controversies and regulatory concerns due to the potential negative effects through the integrated firms’ sabotage activities. In this paper, we analyze integrations of firms in two interrelated markets that produce complementary products. Two firms compete with differentiated products in each market. A unique phenomenon arises in this setting as the integrated firm could engage in bilateral sabotage, i.e., sabotage its rival in both markets. Interestingly, we find that the integrated firm does not always engage in bilateral sabotage. Depending on market conditions, it may engage in unilateral sabotage or no sabotage at all. Our findings provide important managerial and policy implications

Genome-Wide Characterization of Calmodulin and Calmodulin-like Protein Gene Families in <i>Paulownia fortunei</i> and Identification of Their Potential Involvement in <i>Paulownia</i> Witches’ Broom

As significant Ca2+ sensors, calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like proteins (CML), have been associated with a variety of environmental conditions in plants. However, whether CaMs/CMLs are related to the stress of phytoplasma infection has not been reported in Paulownia fortunei. In the current study, 5 PfCaMs and 58 PfCMLs were detected through a genome-wide investigation. The number of EF-hand motifs in all PfCaMs/CMLs varied. Bioinformatics analyses, including protein characteristics, conserved domain, gene structure, cis-elements, evolutionary relationship, collinearity, chromosomal location, post-translation modification site, subcellular localization and expression pattern analyses, represented the conservation and divergence of PfCaMs/CMLs. Furthermore, some PfCaMs/CMLs might be involved in plants’ reaction to phytoplasma infection and exogenous calcium therapy, indicating these genes may play a role in abiotic as well as biotic stress responses. In addition, subcellular localization analysis showed that PfCML10 was located in the cell membrane and nucleus. In summary, these findings establish a stronger platform for their subsequent functional investigation in trees and further characterize their roles in Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB) occurrence