Investigating Resistance Factors in Last-Mile Drone Delivery

This paper aims to fill an emerging research gap in alleviating general resistance to using drones in last-mile delivery. The risks that pertain to its program codes, package objects, and communication signals are what we identify and propose to be the significant resistance reasons. Our theoretical basis includes Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DIT) and Equity Theory (ET). Our methodological approach is based on a structured experiment where there are drones and delivery scenarios for our experimental participants to experience, followed by data collection and statistical analysis. Overall, this paper contributes to enhancing general satisfaction with last-mile drone delivery

Healthcare Information and the Utilization of Pap-smear Testing amongst Taiwanese Women

This study is to investigate the determinants of healthcare information amongst women in Taiwan aged between 25 and 69 years, and the association with cervical cancer screening.A two-stage estimation model was adopted for this investigation. In the first stage, the determinants of healthcare information were estimated by the OLS method, with the predicted values of the healthcare information then being linked to the decision to undergo Pap-smear testing. The nationwide survey dataset was obtained from the 2002‘Health Promotion of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice' (HPKAP) in Taiwan, provided by the Bureau of Health Promotion. A total of 9,106 individuals were included in the analysis. The results reveal that the variations in the level of healthcare information are an important contributory factor to the utilization of cervical cancer screening in Taiwan. Therefore, in addition to providing free screening under the NHI, it is important for the healthcare authorities to place greater effort into strengthening the knowledge and information on cervical cancer screening and Pap-smear testing, for those who are currently less informed, so as to enhance the overall efficiency of the screening program.Health information; Pap-smear testing; Cervical cancer; National Health Insurance; Taiwan

INTELLIGENT ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING WITH AN UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM IN A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK

This paper proposes a novel environmental monitoring mechanism to integrate recentlyestablished development of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with WSNs for remote monitoring. The high mobility of UASs can solve the limitations associated with using WSNs in hazardous areas. In this paper, the WSN node, the Wireless Environmental Monitoring Station (WEMS), is based on ZigBee protocol for long-duration monitoring. Furthermore, to ensure the integrity of collected environmental data, an algorithm is designed in WEMS for verification. Finally, a detailed analysis of packet transmission efficiency based on ranges of flight distance is proposed to examine the effect of environmental monitoring

The Influences of Relationship Marketing in the Housing Brokerage Market

Many companies and salesmen try to build and maintain long-term relationship with their customer. The influences of relationship marketing activities are important issue of the housing brokerage Market. The aims of study are to learn the impacts of relationship marketing on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the housing brokerage Market. The researchers survey the customers and use the regression analysis method to test the relationships between relationship marketing, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Taiwan. The research results show that the relationship marketing positively impacts on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, then customer satisfaction positively impacts on customer loyalty. Customer satisfaction plays a mediating role between relationship marketing and customer loyalty. Besides, the study confirm that brokers’ expertise moderates the relationship of relationship marketing process. The findings suggest that the brokers’ relationship marketing and expertise empirically impact on the customers

Substance P scavenger enhances antioxidant defenses and prevents prothrombotic effects on the rat lung after acute exposure to oil smoke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Airborne particulate matter, from cooking oil, smoking, engine exhaust and other sources, is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. In order to explore the cellular and molecular events following exposure of rats to lard oil smoke, we measured the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), substance P, cellular adhesion molecules, and thrombosis in relation to inhibitors of substance P, the NK-1 receptor, and antioxidants.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Rats were exposed to oil smoke for 120 min with or without 20 min pretreatment with lovastatin (substance P scavenger), L733060 (NK-1 receptor antagonist), vitamin E (antioxidant) or catechins (antioxidant). The levels of substance P and ROS were measured. Histological studies observed ROS damage in the form of HEL adducts. The prothrombotic effects of oil smoke exposure were measured by experimental induction of thrombosis in vivo.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oil smoke exposure significantly increased substance P levels, ROS levels, ROS damage (HEL adduct levels), and the size of experimentally induced thrombi. The pretreatments reduced all of these effects of oil smoke exposure; at many time points the reductions were statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We established a connection between oil smoke exposure and thrombosis which involves substance P and its receptor, the NK-1 receptor, and ROS. This study helps establish a mechanistic explanation of how airborne particulate matter can increase the risk of cardiovascular illness.</p

AMPK-α1 functions downstream of oxidative stress to mediate neuronal atrophy in Huntington's disease

AbstractHuntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurological disorder that is induced by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in exon 1 of the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. We previously reported that the abnormal activation of an important energy sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase α1 (AMPK-α1), occurs in the brains of mice and patients with HD, which suggests that this abnormal activation may contribute to neuronal degeneration in HD. In the present study, we demonstrated that the elevated oxidative stress that was evoked by a polyQ-expanded mutant HTT (mHTT) caused the abnormal activation of AMPK-α1 and, subsequently, resulted in neurotoxicity in a striatal progenitor cell line (STHdhQ109) and in the striatum of a transgenic mouse model of HD (R6/2). The systematic administration of an antioxidant (N-acetyl-cysteine, NAC) to R6/2 mice suppressed the activation of AMPK-α1, reduced neuronal toxicity, which was assessed by the activation of caspases, increased neuronal density, ameliorated ventricle enlargement, and improved motor dysfunction. This beneficial effect of NAC in vivo appears to be direct because NAC also reduced the activation of AMPK-α1 and the death of STHdhQ109 cells upon elevated oxidative stress. Moreover, the activation of AMPK enhanced the level of oxidative stress in STHdhQ109 cells, in primary neurons of R6/2 mice, and in the striatum of two different HD mouse models (R6/2 and Hdh150Q/+), whereas the inhibition of AMPK reduced the level of oxidative stress. Collectively, our findings suggest that positive feedback regulation between the elevated oxidative stress and the activation of AMPK-α1 contributes to the progression of HD

Lipid-related residual risk and renal function for occurrence and prognosis among patients with first-event acute coronary syndrome and normal LDL cholesterol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated relationship of low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high levels of triglycerides, and renal function for the odds, prognosis and survival following acute coronary events among patients with a first event and normal low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A case-control study based on 557 patients and 1086 matched control subjects was conducted. Case patients were followed up for survival with a median of 1.9 years. Participants in the higher quintiles of HDL-C had lower odds to develop acute coronary events (the adjusted odds ratios were 0.24 for the second, 0.24 for the third, 0.10 for the fourth and 0.05 for the fifth quintile). Patients with normal glomerular filtration rate were at a lower risk for all-cause death. However, a reverse association between triglycerides and death risk was found: patients with higher triglycerides were at a lower risk for all-cause death (adjusted relative risk, 0.38 for triglycerides ranging from 82 to 132.9 mg/dL, and 0.14 for triglycerides > = 133 mg/dL).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Low HDL-C was significantly associated with acute coronary events, and triglyceride levels as well as renal function were inversely related to all-cause deaths after the coronary event.</p