RESEARCH IN PROGRESS: THE SNOB AND BANDWAGON EFFECTS ON CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION UNDER DIFFERENT PROMOTION STRATEGIES

The snob and bandwagon effects on online purchase intention has been studied for years. However, little research has focused on their interaction effects under different promotion strategies. This study proposes a model with eye-tracking data to explore consumers’ interests in different promotions. The ultimate purpose of this paper is to investigate the way consumers view information and make purchase decisions on online promotion websites. Drawing on the theory of consumers\u27 behaviour and research on the snob and bandwagon effects, it’s hypothesized that the number of previous purchase will influence consumers\u27 purchase intention through snob and bandwagon effects. Moreover, there will be a negative effect of previous purchase numbers on consumers’ purchase intention for high involved products, and a positive one for low involved products. It’s also assumed that the effect of different promotion strategies (coupons, price discount, cash return) on consumers\u27 price perception can be moderated by the previous purchase number claim

3,5-Dinitro­benzoyl chloride

The carbonyl chloride group in the title compound, C7H3ClN2O5, is disordered over two orientations with occupancies of 0.505 (5) and 0.495 (5). The mol­ecule is approximately planar, the dihedral angle between the carbonyl chloride plane and benzene ring being 9.6 (4)° in the major disorder component and 7.1 (4)° in the minor component. The nitro group at the 5-position is twisted, forming a dihedral angle of 6.7 (4)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

2-Isopropoxyphenyl N-methyl­carbamate

In the title compound, C11H15NO3, the mean planes of the carboxamide and isopropyl groups are inclined at 109.9 (1) and 128.7 (2)°, respectively, to the mean plane of the phen­oxy group. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are stacked along the b axis, without any π–π inter­actions. The stacked columns are linked together by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, with an N⋯O distance of 2.842 (2) Å

4-(4-Ethoxy­benz­yl)-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one

In the title compound, C12H15NO3, the ethoxy­benzyl ring plane forms a dihedral angle of 60.3 (4)° with the mean plane of the oxazolidine ring. The mol­ecules are linked through N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a chain running in the b direction

Neutralization of IL- 10 produced by B cells promotes protective immunity during persistent HCV infection in humanized mice

Chronic HCV infection can lead to cirrhosis and is associated with increased mortality. Interleukin (IL)- 10- producing B cells (B10 cells) are regulatory cells that suppress cellular immune responses. Here, we aimed to determine whether HCV induces B10 cells and assess the roles of the B10 cells during HCV infection. HCV- induced B10 cells were enriched in CD19hi and CD1dhiCD5+ cell populations. HCV predominantly triggered the TLR2- MyD88- NF- κB and AP- 1 signaling pathways to drive IL- 10 production by B cells. In a humanized murine model of persistent HCV infection, to neutralize IL- 10 produced by B10 cells, mice were treated with pcCD19scFv- IL- 10R, which contains the genes coding the anti- CD19 single- chain variable fragment (CD19scFv) and the extracellular domain of IL- 10 receptor alpha chain (sIL- 10Ra). This treatment resulted in significant reduction of B10 cells in spleen and liver, increase of cytotoxic CD8+ T- cell responses against HCV, and low viral loads in infected humanized mice. Our results indicate that targeting B10 cells via neutralization of IL- 10 may offer a novel strategy to enhance anti- HCV immunotherapy.HCV predominantly triggers the TLR2- MyD88- NF- κB and AP- 1 signaling pathways to drive IL- 10 production by B cells. Neutralization of IL- 10 produced by B10 cells promotes anti- HCV immunity in a humanized murine model of persistent HCV infection. These results provide insight into a novel immunotherapy strategy for HCV treatment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162732/2/eji4736.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162732/1/eji4736_am.pd

Multi-parametric neuroimaging evaluation of cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis and its correlation with neuropsychological presentations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare genetic disorder. Recent studies show that brain damage in CTX patients extends beyond the abnormalities observed on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We studied the MRI and ^{99 m}Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) findings of CTX patients and made a correlation with the neuropsychological presentations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and 3D T1-weighted images of five CTX patients were compared with 15 age-matched controls. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was use to delineate gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume loss. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and eigenvalues derived from DTI were used to detect WM changes and correlate with neuropsychological results. SPECT functional studies were used to correlate with GM changes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cognitive results showed that aside from moderate mental retardation, the patient group performed worse in all cognitive domains. Despite the extensive GM atrophy pattern, the cerebellum, peri-Sylvian regions and parietal-occipital regions were correlated with SPECT results. WM atrophy located in the peri-dentate and left cerebral peduncle areas corresponded with changes in diffusion measures, while axial and radial diffusivity suggested both demyelinating and axonal changes. Changes in FA and MD were preceded by VBM in the corpus callosum and corona radiata. Cognitive results correlated with FA changes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In CTX, GM atrophy affected the perfusion patterns. Changes in WM included atrophy, and axonal changes with demyelination. Disconnection of major fiber tracts among different cortical regions may contribute to cognitive impairment.</p

Ionic liquid stabilized perovskite solar modules with power conversion efficiency exceeding 20%

Metal-halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit outstanding power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) when fabricated as mm-sized devices, but creation of high-performing large-area modules that are stable on a sufficiently long timescale still presents a significant challenge. Herein, the quality of large-area perovskite film is improved by using ionic liquid additives via forming a new Pb-N bonding between the ionic liquid and Pb2+. This new bond can be modulated by a critical screening of the anion structure of the ionic liquid. The selected ionic liquid effectively reduces the defects of the perovskite films and markedly elongate their carrier lifetimes. As a result, a champion PCE of 24.4% for small-area (0.148 cm2) devices and 20.4% for larger-area (10.0 cm2) modules under AM 1.5G irradiation is achieved. More importantly, the modified devices retain 90% of their peak PCE after aging for 1900 h at 65 ± 5 °C (ISOS-T-1) and 80% after continuous light soaking for 750 h. The non-encapsulated modules maintained 80% of their peak PCE after 1100 h of aging in the air with a relative humidity of 35 ± 5% and temperature of 25 ± 5 °C under dark (ISOS-D-1), showing great potential for future commercialization.This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91963209, 52002302, 22075221), the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Provincial (2020CFB172, 2020CFA087), Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory (XHD2020-001), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 2020III032, 2021VA101, 2021IVB038). M.H. acknowledges the support from State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing (Wuhan University of Technology) and SRR acknowledges the support from ‘laCaixa’ Foundation (ID 100010434) with fellowship code LCF/BQ/PI20/11760024.Peer reviewe

Case report: Distinct neurologic manifestation and cytokine profile of a child with COVID-19-associated acute fulminant encephalitis

The neurologic manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may range from mild symptoms such as headache or confusion to profound encephalopathy with variable outcomes and sequelae. Here, we reported a case of fatal COVID-19-associated encephalitis with acute fulminant cerebral edema, presenting first with visual hallucination and then a rapid progression into comatose status in a few hours. Serial brain computed tomography depicted cerebral edematous changes from bilateral ventral temporal lobe to the whole brain leading to brain herniation. Multiple cytokines in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were increased, with a more prominent rise in the CSF. Therefore, we postulated a hypothesis regarding the mechanism of this fulminant encephalitis that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacked ventral temporal lobes initially, triggered a severe cytokine storm, and then led to subsequent disruption of the blood-brain barrier, diffuse brain edema, and brain herniation. The trend of cytokine profiles over time may aid in diagnosing and evaluating the severity and prognosis of COVID-19-associated encephalitis