AbstractIn this study, we combine swarm intelligence and Web Services to transform a conventional library system into an intelligent library system with high integrity, usability, correctness, and reliability software for readers. We select 300 readers to test this intelligent system and software, and compare it with a conventional library system. It is revealed that 64% of the readers are dissatisfied with the conventional library system, and 93% of the readers are satisfied with the intelligent library system when using personal digital assistants. The software integrity satisfaction was 99.99%; usability satisfaction, 93%; correctness, 95%; and reliability, 95%.Keywords : Library systemWeb serviceMobilityQuality of service
This study presents a theoretical model for understanding repurchase intention for customers.An empirical study was conducted to examine the model.The results indicate that customers' intention to repurchase online is negatively associated with their perceived transaction cost, and perceived transaction cost is associated with resources of ethnic, personal, and indirect quanxi.Furthermore, impulse buying, and environment will influence repurchase intention when customers consider online shopping.According to the results of empirical study, implications and suggestion for future research are discussed.
Abstract Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most frequent multifactorial disease worldwide and is characterised by endothelial injury, lipid deposition and coronary artery calcification. The purpose of this study was to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of two loci (rs2026458 and rs9349379) of phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (PHACTR1) to the risk of developing CAD in the Chinese Han population. Methods A case–control study was conducted including 332 patients with CAD and 119 controls. Genotype analysis was performed by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Genetic model analysis was performed to evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms and CAD susceptibility using Pearson’s χ2 test and logistic regression analysis. Results The GG genotype of rs9349379 represented 50% and 29% of patients with CAD and controls, respectively (p<0.001). The CC genotype of rs2026458 was more prevalent in the controls than in patients with CAD compared with TT genotype (OR=0.548, 95% CI 0.351 to 0.856, p=0.008). Logistic regression analyses revealed that PHACTR1 rs9349379 GG genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of CAD in the recessive model (OR=2.359, 95% CI 1.442 to 3.862, p=0.001), even after adjusting for age gender, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and smoking habit. Heterogeneity test proved that rs9349379’s risk effects on CAD were more significant among women. Conclusions Our study indicate that the PHACTR1 rs9349379 polymorphism is associated with the increased risk for CAD in the female Chinese Han population.
Purpose. The prognostic value of pretreatment lymphocyte monocyte ratio (LMR) in digestive system cancer patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to quantify the prognostic impact of this biomarker and assess its consistency in digestive system tumors. Methods. We searched "PubMed," "Embase," and "CBM" for published eligible studies before June 2016 and conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for disease recurrence and mortality focusing on LMR. Subgroup analyses, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were also performed. Results. A total of 22 cohort studies enrolling 12829 patients with digestive system cancer were included. The summary results showed that lower LMR was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and tumor disease or recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS) in analyses using the studies reporting HRs either by the univariate analyses (HR = 1.32, HR = 1.35, and HR = 1.26 for OS, CSS, and DFS/RFS, resp.) or by multivariate analyses (HR = 1.21, HR = 1.18, and HR = 1.26 for OS, CSS, and DFS/RFS, resp.). Conclusion. Our results support the fact that decreased LMR indicates worse prognosis in multiple digestive system tumors.
Werner syndrome is a premature aging disease caused by the mutation in the WRN gene. The cloning and characterization of the WRN gene and its product allows investigators to study the disease and the human aging process at molecular level. This review summarizes the recent progresses on various aspects of the WRN research including functional analysis of the protein, interactive cloning, complexes formation, mouse models, and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). These in depth investigations have greatly advanced our understanding of the disease and elucidated future research direction for Werner syndrome and the human aging process.
The effect of chemotherapeutic agents is limited as a result of drug resistance, which demands prompt solutions provided by clinical studies. To date, the underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance are relatively unknown. Metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is an oncogene associated with the progression and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). Bioinformatic analysis revealed that MACC1 is positively associated with fatty acid synthase (FASN), a major enzyme of lipogenesis, and drives chemoresistance to oxaliplatin in GC. Similar findings were demonstrated in two GC cell lines (BGC-823 and MKN-28) with MACC1 ectopic expression. We next employed FASN inhibitor C75 or siFASN (small interfering RNA targeted to FASN) to block endogenous fatty acid metabolism and it was revealed that cell proliferation and chemoresistance to oxaliplatin induced by MACC1 upregulation were attenuated by FASN blockade to various extents. Conclusively, these outcomes highlight a novel role of MACC1 in GC cell lipogenesis, and suggest that MACC1 may be an attractive target to decrease oxaliplatin resistance in GC.
An electronic commerce marketing channel is fully mediated by information technology, creating information asymmetry (i.e., limited information). Such asymmetry may impede consumers’ ability to effectively assess certain types of products, thus creating challenges for online sellers. Signaling theory can aid in the understanding of how extrinsic cues—signals—can be used by sellers to convey product quality information to consumers, reducing uncertainty and facilitating a purchase or exchange. This study proposes a model to investigate website quality as a potential signal of product quality and consider the moderating effects of product information asymmetries and signal credibility. The study also finds that perceived value and cognitive lock-in can predict consumer purchase intentions. Furthermore, personalized product recommendation (PPR) services offered by online retailers are found to influence consumer store loyalty. The results indicate that website quality influences consumers’ perceptions of product quality, and affects online purchase intentions. Website quality is found to have a greater influence on perceived product quality when consumers have higher information asymmetry. Signal credibility is found to strengthen the relationship between website quality and product quality perceptions for a high quality website. The implications of cognitive lock-in and product cues for increasing purchase intentions are discussed. Retailer learning reflected in higher quality PPRs is associated with both lower product screening cost and higher product evaluation cost. We also discuss which PPRs influence consumer repurchase intentions in electronic markets.
The pharmacokinetics performance and clinical pregnancy rate of two vaginal progesterone gel, Progeson™ and Crinone™, were compared in this study. In the pharmacokinetics performance, Progeson showed similar long-term dissolution rate as Crinone. In the clinical study, 141 subjects undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments were included to compare serum progesterone level and clinical pregnancy rates. Among the subjects, 78 subjects received fresh embryo transfer and 63 subjects received frozen embryo transfer via natural cycle endometrial preparation protocol. In each group, subjects were given either Crinone™ or Progeson™ for luteal phase support without combination with other progesterone products. The study showed that Crinone™ group led to higher estrogen level at mid-luteal phase in the fresh embryo transfer group, and Progeson™ group led to higher progesterone level at mid-luteal phase and pregnancy test day in the frozen-thawed embryo transfer group. Subjects received Crinone™ or Progeson™ had similar rate of pregnancy, live birth, and stillbirth in both fresh embryo transfer and frozen-thawed embryo transfer group. Thus, Progeson™ might be a suitable substitute for Crinone™ in assisted reproductive therapy.
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