Anthropomorphism of Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs): Antecedents and Consequences

Based on the distinctively anthropomorphic features of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), this paper proposes a theoretical model to investigate the antecedents and consequences of IPA anthropomorphism based on three-factor theory. Specifically, it is hypothesized that anthropomorphic features of IPAs, which are synthesized speech quality, autonomy, sociability and personality, positively affect IPA anthropomorphism. Meanwhile IPA anthropomorphism influences IPA self-efficacy and social connection positively. IPA self-efficacy and social connection, in turn, are positively related to intention to explore IPAs. Scales will be developed and data will be collected through online survey. Then structural equation model (SEM) will be applied to validate the model

MicroRNA-33b inhibits liver cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion via down-regulation of Fli-1 and MMP-2 protein expressions

Purpose: To study the influence of microRNA-33b (miR-33b) on liver cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness, and the mechanism involved. Methods: MicroRNA-33b or Fli-1 overexpression plasmid was transfected into liver cancer (SMMC7721) cells. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness were determined using cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8), scratch test, and Transwell invasion assay, respectively. The amounts of miR-33b and Fli-1 in liver cancer tissues,  paracancerous normal tissues, and miR-33b overexpression and control groups were measured using qRT-PCR, while protein concentration of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) was assayed using Western blotting. Results: Fli-1 protein was markedly upregulated in liver cancerous cells, relative to paracancerous normal tissues (p < 0.05). MicroRNA-33b protein expression was also significantly upregulated in miR33b overexpression group, but the corresponding Fli-1 expression was downregulated in miR-33b overexpression group, relative to control (p < 0.05). MicroRNA-33b overexpression significantly and time-dependently inhibited SMMC7721 cell proliferation and migration, but it reduced the degree of apoptosis (p < 0.05). Liver cancer (SMMC7721) cells in miR-33b overexpression group were less invasive than the control group (p < 0.05). Similarly, miR-33b overexpression significantly downregulated MMP-2 protein expression in SMMC7721cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Overexpression of miR-33b suppresses the proliferation, migratory and invasive potential of hepatic cancer cells via down-regulation of Fli-1 and MMP-2 protein expression. This finding may be useful in the identification of new liver cancer drugs

Hyperspectral Band Selection Using Improved Classification Map

Although it is a powerful feature selection algorithm, the wrapper method is rarely used for hyperspectral band selection. Its accuracy is restricted by the number of labeled training samples and collecting such label information for hyperspectral image is time consuming and expensive. Benefited from the local smoothness of hyperspectral images, a simple yet effective semisupervised wrapper method is proposed, where the edge preserved filtering is exploited to improve the pixel-wised classification map and this in turn can be used to assess the quality of band set. The property of the proposed method lies in using the information of abundant unlabeled samples and valued labeled samples simultaneously. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated with five real hyperspectral data sets. Compared with other wrapper methods, the proposed method shows consistently better performance

High Mountain Areas

The cryosphere (including, snow, glaciers, permafrost, lake and river ice) is an integral element of high-mountain regions, which are home to roughly 10% of the global population. Widespread cryosphere changes affect physical, biological and human systems in the mountains and surrounding lowlands, with impacts evident even in the ocean. Building on the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), this chapter assesses new evidence on observed recent and projected changes in the mountain cryosphere as well as associated impacts, risks and adaptation measures related to natural and human systems. Impacts in response to climate changes independently of changes in the cryosphere are not assessed in this chapter. Polar mountains are included in Chapter 3, except those in Alaska and adjacent Yukon, Iceland, and Scandinavia, which are included in this chapter

grateloupiaramosawangluanspnovhalymeniaceaerhodophytaanewspeciesfromchinabasedonmorphologicalevidenceandcomparativerbclsequences

Grateloupia ramosa Wang & Luan sp. nov. (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) is newly described from Hainan Province, southern China. The organism has the following morphological features: (1) purplish red, cartilaginous and lubricous thalli 5-10 cm in height; (2) compressed percurrent axes bearing abundant branches with opposite arrangement; (3) claw-like apices on top, constricted to 2-4 cm at the base; (4) cortex consisting of 3-6 layers of elliptical or anomalous cells and a medulla covered by compact medullary filaments; (5) reproductive structures distributed throughout the thallus, especially centralized at the bottom of the end portion of the branches; and (6) 4-celled Carpogonial branches and 3-celled auxiliary-cell branches, both of the Grateloupia-type. The morphological diff erences were supported by molecular phylogenetics based on ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) gene sequence analysis. There was only a 1 bp divergence between specimens collected from Wenchang and Lingshui of Hainan province. The new species was embedded in the large Grateloupia clade of the Halymeniaceae. The pairwise distances between G. ramosa and other species within Grateloupia ranged from 26 to 105 bp, within pairwise distances of 13-111 bp between species of the large genus Grateloupia in Halymeniaceae. Thus, we propose this new species as G. ramosa Wang & Luan sp. nov

The Impact of Land—Use Composition and Landscape Pattern on Water Quality at Different Spatial Scales in the Dan River Basin, Qin Ling Mountains

To study the impact of land—use structure and landscape pattern on water quality at different spatial scales in the Dan River Basin (Qin Ling Mountains, China), water samples from 21 sites along the Dan River were collected in 2022 during the dry and wet seasons, and nine water quality indices were tested. Land—use composition and landscape pattern indices at riverine reach, riparian, and sub—basin were obtained, and correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to determine the relationship with water quality. The results are as follows. (1) Water quality in the Dan River is better in the wet season than in the dry season; the main pollutants are total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). (2) The impact of land—use composition and landscape pattern on water quality has a scale effect; riverine reach can best explain the water quality. (3) Agricultural land and forest have the greatest impacts on water quality; agricultural land and construction land aggravate the deterioration of water quality, while forest, grassland, and water area have positive effects on water quality. The largest patch index (LPI) and contagion index (CONTAG) were positively correlated with pollutants, while Patch richness density (PRD), Patch shape (PD), Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI), and landscape shape index (LSI) were negatively correlated with pollutants, indicating that with an increase in the impact of human activities on landscapes, the degree of fragmentation decreases patch richness, landscape shape tends to be simplified, and water pollution is eventually aggravated. Land planners should focus on optimizing the land—use structure and landscape pattern to increase the diversity of the landscape. Therefore, strict environmental regulations must be established

Prediction Model of HBsAg Seroclearance in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection

Background. Prediction of HBsAg seroclearance, defined as the loss of circulating HBsAg with or without development of antibodies for HBsAg in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), is highly difficult and challenging due to its low incidence. This study is aimed at developing and validating a nomogram for prediction of HBsAg loss in CHB patients. Methods. We analyzed a total of 1398 patients with CHB. Two-thirds of the patients were randomly assigned to the training set (n=918), and one-third were assigned to the validation set (n=480). Univariate and multivariate analysis by Cox regression analysis was performed using the training set, and the nomogram was constructed. Discrimination and calibration were performed using the training set and validation set. Results. On multivariate analysis of the training set, independent factors for HBsAg loss including BMI, HBeAg status, HBsAg titer (quantitative HBsAg), and baseline hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level were incorporated into the nomogram. The HBsAg seroclearance calibration curve showed an optimal agreement between predictions by the nomogram and actual observation. The concordance index (C-index) of nomogram was 0.913, with confirmation in the validation set where the C-index was 0.886. Conclusions. We established and validated a novel nomogram that can individually predict HBsAg seroclearance and non-seroclearance for CHB patients, which is clinically unprecedented. This practical prognostic model may help clinicians in decision-making and design of clinical studies