The rising of livestream business model: Insights fromthe case study of TikTok in the UK

Consumer purchasing behaviours have experienced a revolution from offline shopping malls to social media Livestream during the last decade (Sorescu et al., 2011). This study adopts the case-study approach and an online focus group with the managers of TikTok trading business in the UK to examine how TikTok\u27s retailing path can help brands or sellers build a close tie with consumers. This paper concludes with how the TikTok Livestream commercialization pathway impacts the conventional business model. Three conclusions are drawn from this study. Firstly, a video creator who holds the Intellectual Property of a TikTok account plays an essential role as the Livestream video influencer. They have created value for their followers and drive consumers\u27 intention of purchasing behaviour. The livestream of video creators provides opportunities for consumers to interact with the video creator and other consumers. Secondly, Livestream video shopping breaks the limitations of offline physical space and attracts consumers efficiently. Thirdly, social e-commerce empowered by artificial intelligence technologies including image analysis and text analysis plays an essential role in targeting consumers and sustaining the operation of the Livestream shopping platform

Topological Susceptibility under Gradient Flow

We study the impact of the Gradient Flow on the topology in various models of lattice field theory. The topological susceptibility $\chi_{\rm t}$ is measured directly, and by the slab method, which is based on the topological content of sub-volumes ("slabs") and estimates $\chi_{\rm t}$ even when the system remains trapped in a fixed topological sector. The results obtained by both methods are essentially consistent, but the impact of the Gradient Flow on the characteristic quantity of the slab method seems to be different in 2-flavour QCD and in the 2d O(3) model. In the latter model, we further address the question whether or not the Gradient Flow leads to a finite continuum limit of the topological susceptibility (rescaled by the correlation length squared, $\xi^{2}$). This ongoing study is based on direct measurements of $\chi_{\rm t}$ in $L \times L$ lattices, at $L/\xi \simeq 6$.Comment: 8 pages, LaTex, 5 figures, talk presented at the 35th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, June 18-24, 2017, Granada, Spai

An Improved D-α-Tocopherol-Based Nanocarrier for Targeted Delivery of Doxorubicin with Reversal of Multidrug Resistance

Nanocarriers have recently emerged as an attractive platform for delivery of various types of therapeutics including anticancer agents. Previously, we developed an improved TPGS delivery system (PEG5K-VE2) which demonstrated improved colloidal stability and greater in vivo antitumor activity. Nevertheless, the application of this system is still limited by a relatively low drug loading capacity (DLC). In this study we report that incorporation of a fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) motif at the interfacial region of PEG5K-VE2 led to significant improvement of the system through the introduction of an additional mechanism of drug/carrier interaction. Doxorubicin (DOX) could be effectively loaded into PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2 micelles at a DLC of 39.9%, which compares favorably to most reported DOX nanoformulations. In addition, PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2/DOX mixed micelles showed more sustained release of DOX in comparison to the counterpart without Fmoc motif. MTT assay showed that PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2/DOX exerted significantly higher levels of cytotoxicity over DOX, Doxil as well as PEG5K-VE2/DOX in PC-3 and 4T1.2 cells. Cytotoxicity assay with NCI/ADR-RES, a drug resistant cell line, suggested that PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2 may have a potential to reverse the multidrug resistance, which was supported by its inhibition on P-gp ATPase. Pharmacokinetics (PK) and biodistribution studies showed an increased half-life in blood circulation and more effective tumor accumulation for DOX formulated in PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2 micelles. More importantly, DOX-loaded PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2 micelles showed an excellent safety profile with a MTD (~30 mg DOX/kg) that is about 3 times as much as that for free DOX. Finally, superior antitumor activity was demonstrated for PEG5K-Fmoc-VE2/DOX in both drug-sensitive (4T1.2 and PC-3) and drug-resistant (KB 8-5) tumor models compared to DOX, Doxil, and PEG5K-VE2/DOX

A PEG-Fmoc conjugate as a nanocarrier for paclitaxel

We report here that a simple, well-defined, and easy-to-scale up nanocarrier, PEG5000-lysyl-(α-Fmoc-ε-t-Boc-lysine)2 conjugate (PEG-Fmoc), provides high loading capacity, excellent formulation stability and low systemic toxicity for paclitaxel (PTX), a first-line chemotherapeutic agent for various types of cancers. 9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) was incorporated into the nanocarrier as a functional building block to interact with drug molecules. PEG-Fmoc was synthesized via a three-step synthetic route, and it readily interacted with PTX to form mixed nanomicelles of small particle size (25–30 nm). The PTX loading capacity was about 36%, which stands well among the reported micellar systems. PTX entrapment in this micellar system is achieved largely via an Fmoc/PTX π-π stacking interaction, which was demonstrated by fluorescence quenching studies and 13C-NMR. PTX formulated in PEG-Fmoc micelles demonstrated sustained release kinetics, and in vivo distribution study via near infrared fluorescence imaging demonstrated an effective delivery of Cy5.5-labled PTX to tumor sites. The maximal tolerated dose for PTX/PEG-Fmoc (MTD > 120 mg PTX/kg) is higher than those for most reported PTX formulations, and in vivo therapeutic study exhibited a significantly improved antitumor activity than Taxol, a clinically used formulation of PTX. Our system may hold promise as a simple, safe, and effective delivery system for PTX with a potential for rapid translation into clinical study

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease: Global gene expression analyses suggest a major role for immune and inflammatory responses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a major manifestation of atherosclerosis, is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity, limb loss and death. However, mechanisms underlying the genesis and progression of the disease are far from clear. Genome-wide gene expression profiling of clinical samples may represent an effective approach to gain relevant information.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After histological classification, a total of 30 femoral artery samples, including 11 intermediate lesions, 14 advanced lesions and 5 normal femoral arteries, were profiled using Affymetrix microarray platform. Following real-time RT-PCR validation, different algorithms of gene selection and clustering were applied to identify differentially expressed genes. Under a stringent cutoff, i.e., a false discovery rate (FDR) <0.5%, we found 366 genes were differentially regulated in intermediate lesions and 447 in advanced lesions. Of these, 116 genes were overlapped between intermediate and advanced lesions, including 68 up-regulated genes and 48 down-regulated ones. In these differentially regulated genes, immune/inflammatory genes were significantly up-regulated in different stages of PAD, (85/230 in intermediate lesions, 37/172 in advanced lesions). Through literature mining and pathway analysis using different databases such as Gene Ontology (GO), and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomics (KEGG), genes involved in immune/inflammatory responses were significantly enriched in up-regulated genes at different stages of PAD(p < 0.05), revealing a significant correlation between immune/inflammatory responses and disease progression. Moreover, immune-related pathways such as Toll-like receptor signaling and natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity were particularly enriched in intermediate and advanced lesions (P < 0.05), highlighting their pathogenic significance during disease progression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Lines of evidence revealed in this study not only support previous hypotheses, primarily based on studies of animal models and other types of arterial disease, that inflammatory responses may influence the development of PAD, but also permit the recognition of a wide spectrum of immune/inflammatory genes that can serve as signatures for disease progression in PAD. Further studies of these signature molecules may eventually allow us to develop more sophisticated protocols for pharmaceutical interventions.</p

LTBI-negative close contacts of tuberculosis are more likely to develop the disease: enlightenment and lessons from a cluster outbreak

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) prevention and control among groups living together, such as students, workers, older adults in nursing homes, and prisoners, present many challenges due to their particular age and environmental factors, which can make them more susceptible to TB clusters with significant societal impact. This study aimed to evaluate a TB cluster outbreak epidemic in a university and provide suggestions for improving TB control strategies for groups living together.MethodsPulmonary TB screening and close-contact investigation were conducted using acid-fast staining, sputum culture, GeneXpert testing, tuberculin skin testing (TST), interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), and chest computed tomography (CT). GraphPad Prism 9.5.1 was utilized for data analysis. Collected epidemic data were comprehensively analyzed by rate comparison.ResultsThe TB cluster outbreak epidemic was identified with an index case confirmed positive. The initial screening was conducted on potential close contacts of the index case, and the TST’s positive rate (diameter ≥ 5 mm) and strong positive rate (diameter ≥ 15 mm) among these close contacts were 65.60% (21/32) and 34.40% (11/32), respectively. Moreover, the latent TB infection (LTBI) rate (diameter ≥ 10 mm) was 43.75% (14/32), and the IGRA’s positive rate was 9.30% (3/32). Chest CT scans did not reveal any abnormalities. Surprisingly, 5 of the close contacts developed active TB in the second screening, accompanied by changes from negative to positive TST and/or IGRA results, after 3 months of follow-up. Accordingly, we expanded the screening scope to include another 28 general contacts. We found that the positive rate (78.00%, 25/32), strong positive rate (50.00%, 16/32), and LTBI rate (62.50%, 20/32) of the 32 close contacts were significantly higher than those of the additional general contacts (28.00%, 8/28; 14.3%, 4/28; 25.00%, 7/28), as indicated by p &lt; 0.05.ConclusionIn the event of an epidemic TB outbreak, it is essential to rapidly identify the source of infection and initiate timely screening of close contacts. The initial screening should be focused on individuals without LTBI, who are at higher risk of developing TB. In purified protein derivative-negative individuals living in groups, additional vaccination or revaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin may help prevent cluster outbreaks of TB

PI3K/mTOR inhibition can impair tumor invasion and metastasis in vivo despite a lack of antiproliferative action in vitro: implications for targeted therapy

Oncogenic PI3K/mTOR activation is frequently observed in human cancers and activates cell motility via p27 phosphorylations at T157 and T198. Here we explored the potential for a novel PI3K/mTOR inhibitor to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis. An MDA-MB-231 breast cancer line variant, MDA-MB-231-1833, with high metastatic bone tropism, was treated with a novel catalytic PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, PF-04691502, at nM doses that did not impair proliferation. Effects on tumor cell motility, invasion, p27 phosphorylation, localization, and bone metastatic outgrowth were assayed. MDA-MB-231-1833 showed increased PI3K/mTOR activation, high levels of cytoplasmic p27pT157pT198 and increased cell motility and invasion in vitro versus parental. PF-04691502 treatment, at a dose that did not affect proliferation, reduced total and cytoplasmic p27, decreased p27pT157pT198 and restored cell motility and invasion to levels seen in MDA-MB-231. p27 knockdown in MDA-MB-231-1833 phenocopied PI3K/mTOR inhibition, whilst overexpression of the phosphomimetic mutant p27T157DT198D caused resistance to the anti-invasive effects of PF-04691502. Pre-treatment of MDA-MB-231-1833 with PF-04691502 significantly impaired metastatic tumor formation in vivo, despite lack of antiproliferative effects in culture and little effect on primary orthotopic tumor growth. A further link between cytoplasmic p27 and metastasis was provided by a study of primary human breast cancers which showed cytoplasmic p27 is associated with increased lymph nodal metastasis and reduced survival. Novel PI3K/mTOR inhibitors may oppose tumor metastasis independent of their growth inhibitory effects, providing a rationale for clinical investigation of PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in settings to prevent micrometastasis. In primary human breast cancers, cytoplasmic p27 is associated with worse outcomes and increased nodal metastasis, and may prove useful as a marker of both PI3K/mTOR activation and PI3K/mTOR inhibitor efficacy. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-012-2389-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Effects of Astragalus Polysaccharides on Associated Immune Cells and Cytokines in Immunosuppressive Dogs

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of Astragalus Polysaccharide (APS) on associated Immunity Cells and Cytokines in the immunosuppressive dogs and its dose-effect correlation. One hundred two-month-old male Chinese Countryside Dogs were randomly assigned to five groups: Control group (CG), immunosuppressive group (IG), APS low dose group (50mg/kg, LDG), APS median dose group (100mg/kg, MDG), and APS high dose group (200mg/kg, HDG), each group with twenty animals. After successfully established the dexamethasone-induced immunosuppressive models, with intravenous administer the CG and IG groups were daily dosed with saline, and the other three groups were daily dosed with APS for 7 days. On day 4 and 11 venous blood samples were collected and analyzed to determine the percentages of peripheral blood ANAE+ T lymphocytes, CD4+, CD8+ cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio; the phagocytic index and percentage of the peritoneal macrophages; and the contents of INF-γ and IL-2. After 7 days administration, the measured parameters as described above in three treated groups increased significantly (P<0.05). Our findings show that the dosage of 200mg/kg APS can significantly enhance the cellular immune level of the immunosuppressive dogs. This study has provided evidence and basis for Astragalus polysaccharides development as companion animal health products as well as for its clinical application

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

SoccerNet 2023 Challenges Results

peer reviewedThe SoccerNet 2023 challenges were the third annual video understanding challenges organized by the SoccerNet team. For this third edition, the challenges were composed of seven vision-based tasks split into three main themes. The first theme, broadcast video understanding, is composed of three high-level tasks related to describing events occurring in the video broadcasts: (1) action spotting, focusing on retrieving all timestamps related to global actions in soccer, (2) ball action spotting, focusing on retrieving all timestamps related to the soccer ball change of state, and (3) dense video captioning, focusing on describing the broadcast with natural language and anchored timestamps. The second theme, field understanding, relates to the single task of (4) camera calibration, focusing on retrieving the intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters from images. The third and last theme, player understanding, is composed of three low-level tasks related to extracting information about the players: (5) re-identification, focusing on retrieving the same players across multiple views, (6) multiple object tracking, focusing on tracking players and the ball through unedited video streams, and (7) jersey number recognition, focusing on recognizing the jersey number of players from tracklets. Compared to the previous editions of the SoccerNet challenges, tasks (2-3-7) are novel, including new annotations and data, task (4) was enhanced with more data and annotations, and task (6) now focuses on end-to-end approaches. More information on the tasks, challenges, and leaderboards are available on https://www.soccer-net.org. Baselines and development kits can be found on https://github.com/SoccerNet