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"Hong, Ha"
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Flowers of mold : stories
A woman meets her next-door neighbor and loans her a spatula, then starts suffering horrific gaps in her memory. A man, feeling jilted by an unrequited love, becomes obsessed with sorting through his neighbors' garbage in the belief that it will teach him how to better relate to people. A landlord decides to raise the rent, and his tenants hatch a plan to kill him at a team-building retreat.
Book
Predicting consumer intentions to purchase energy-efficient products
Purpose - This research aims to examine behavioral intentions toward purchase of energy-efficient products utilizing the theory of reasoned action framework.Design methodology approach - Survey data from a sample of 202 shoppers of electrical appliances and small electronic products was utilized to estimate the proposed model.Findings - The main finding is that attitude toward energy-efficient product has a stronger effect on intentions compared to the subjective norm component.Research limitations implications - In order to maximize use of their financial resources, companies marketing energy-efficient products need to focus more on enhancing consumer attitudes toward their brands and spend relatively less on efforts to educate consumers about using energy - efficient appliances in general.Practical implications - Since attitudes are formed from beliefs and knowledge, use of informational ads that clearly illustrate energy-saving consequences of their specific brands of products will be an effective marketing approach.Originality value - This study is timely considering the recent steady increase in energy prices accompanied by growing environmental concerns among businesses, governments, and consumers.
Journal Article
Tracking the Penetration of Plasma Reactive Species in Tissue Models
Electrically generated cold atmospheric plasma is being intensively researched for novel applications in biology and medicine. Significant attention is being given to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), initially generated upon plasma–air interactions, and subsequently delivered to biological systems. Effects of plasma exposure are observed to millimeter depths within tissue. However, the exact nature of the initial plasma–tissue interactions remains unknown, including RONS speciation and delivery depth, or how plasma-derived RONS intervene in biological processes. Herein, we focus on current research using tissue and cell models to learn more about the plasma delivery of RONS into biological environments. We argue that this research is vital in underpinning the knowledge required to realize the full potential of plasma in biology and medicine.
Physical effects of plasma can be seen to depths of several hundred micrometers within tissue.
Plasma-derived RONS are likely to be delivered millimeters into tissues.
Speciation reveals that RONS delivered by plasma into tissue fluid and tissue are predominately stable secondary RONS – for example, H2O2, NO2−, and NO3−.
The plasma generation of RONS within a hydrated target is influenced by the target matrix that can enhance or reduce the RONS concentrations and act as a reservoir of RONS.
It is likely that the concentration of these plasma-derived RONS exceeds hundreds of micromoles, even at depths of several millimeters within tissue.
Oxygen concentration at the time of plasma treatment significantly influences RONS generation within a hydrated proteinaceous target.
Journal Article
Reinterpretation of anthocyanins biosynthesis in developing black rice seeds through gene expression analysis
The biosynthesis of anthocyanins is still questionable in regulating the quantities of anthocyanins biosynthesized in rice seeds and the expression levels of transcription factors and the structural genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of anthocyanins. We herein investigated the relationship between the accumulated anthocyanin contents and the expression levels of genes related to the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in rice seeds. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry analysis of cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G) in rice seeds showed no accumulation of C3G in white and red rice cultivars, and the differential accumulation of C3G among black rice cultivars. RNA-seq analysis in rice seeds, including white, red, and black rice cultivars, at twenty days after heading (DAH) further exhibited that the genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins were differentially upregulated in developing seeds of black rice. We further verified these RNA-seq results through gene expression analysis by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in developing seeds of white, red, and black rice cultivars at 20 DAH. Of these genes related to the biosynthesis of anthocyanins, bHLH s, MYB s, and WD40 , which are regulators, and the structural genes, including chalcone synthase ( CHS ), flavanone 3-hydroxylase ( F3H ), flavonoid 3´-hydroxylase ( F3 ´ H ), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase ( DFR ), and anthocyanidin synthase ( ANS ), were differentially upregulated in black rice seeds. The correlation analysis revealed that the quantities of C3G biosynthesized in black rice seeds were positively correlated to the expression levels of bHLH s, MYB s and WD40 , CHS , F3H , F3 ´ H , DFR , and ANS . In addition, we present bHLH2 ( LOC_Os04g47040 ) and MYB s ( LOC_Os01g49160 , LOC_Os01g74410 , and LOC_Os03g29614 ) as new putative transcription factor genes for the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in black rice seeds. It is expected that this study will help to improve the understanding of the molecular levels involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in black rice seeds.
Journal Article
“We Don't Fear HIV. We Just Fear Walking around Pregnant.”: A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent Sexuality and Pregnancy Stigma in Informal Settlements in Kisumu, Kenya
In Kenya, adolescent pregnancy rates are high, contraception utilization is low, and adolescent sexuality is stigmatized. We describe how perceptions of sexuality and pregnancy stigma influence decision‐making among adolescents in the informal settlements of Kisumu. We used purposive sampling to recruit 120 adolescent boys and girls aged 15–19 for focus group discussions. A semistructured interview guide was used to elicit social norms and community attitudes about sexual and reproductive health. We analyzed the data using the Framework Approach. The social stigma of adolescent sexuality and the related fear of pregnancy as an unambiguous marker of sexual activity emerged as main themes. This stigma led adolescents to fear social retribution but did not lead to more frequent contraception use due to additional stigma. The intensity of this fear was most acutely expressed by girls, leading some to seek unsafe, sometimes fatal, abortions, and to contemplate suicide. Fear of pregnancy outweighed fear of contracting HIV that was viewed as both treatable and less stigmatized. Our findings illustrate how fear of pregnancy among these adolescents is driven primarily by fears that their community will discover that they are sexually active. Interventions are urgently needed to address adolescent sexual stigma and to prevent negative outcomes.
Journal Article
Single-layer phase gradient mmWave metasurface for incident angle independent focusing
Metasurfaces allow the rapid development of compact and flat electromagnetic devices owing to their capability in manipulating the wavefront of electromagnetic waves. Particularly, with respect to the metasurface lenses, wide operational bandwidth and wide incident angle behavior are critically required for practical applications. Herein, a single-layer phase gradient metasurface lens is presented to achieve millimeter-wave focusing at a focal point of 13 mm regardless of the incident angle. The proposed metasurface lens is fabricated by constructing subwavelength-thick (< λ/10) phase elements composed of two metallic layers separated by a single dielectric substrate that exhibits low-Q resonance properties and a wide phase modulation range with satisfactory transmissivity. By controlling the spatial phase distribution, the proposed metasurface lens successfully realises effective wavefront manipulation properties and high-performance electromagnetic-wave-focusing characteristics over a wide operating frequency range from 35 to 40 GHz with incident angle independency up to 30°.
Journal Article
Audit committee characteristics and corporate governance disclosure: evidence from Vietnam listed companies
The study examines the association between audit committee characteristics, namely audit committee independence, audit committee financial expertise, audit committee gender diversity, size of audit committee and frequency of audit committee meeting, and corporate governance disclosure (CGD). The paper develops a comprehensive literature review using a bibliometric analysis with Scopus database from 2004 to 2022 and offers insight into the relationship between audit committee attributes as independent variables and level of corporate governance disclosure as a dependent variable. The dependent variable is measured basing on a scorecard of Vietnam-Listed Company Awards (VLCA). The set of scorecard questionnaire is then Cronbach Alpha tested to assure the reliability and consistency. The result contributes to extant literature a measurement of CGD in Vietnam. The multiple regression is applied over a sample of 210 non-financial listed companies in 2021. The findings show that audit committee independence and size of audit committee are significantly associated with level of CGD. The empirical evidence also reveals that firm size is statistically linked to CGD indicating the capital demand of large companies. Overall, the study might be of interest to professionals, policymakers and regulators regarding the establishment of regulations concerning the audit committee structure.
Journal Article
Perceived price and trustworthiness of online reviews: different levels of promotion and customer type
Purpose
Prior hospitality studies have reviewed review trustworthiness and perceived price as predictors of restaurant selection. However, the impacts of these two factors may vary by sales promotion and customer types. This study aims to determine whether sales promotions and customer type are the key elements that facilitate behavioral intentions by moderating the linkage between perceived price and behavioral intentions as well as the linkage between online review trustworthiness and behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of the responses of 533 individuals familiar with the Michelin Guide for restaurants in Seoul provided evidence supporting a sales promotion theory wherein promotions signal benefits in consumers’ minds.
Findings
The findings show that when perceived price is positive and the trustworthiness of online reviews is high, repeat customers prefer mixed coupons to price discounts. Notably, the results indicate that when the trustworthiness of online reviews is high, first-time customers also prefer mixed coupons to price discounts. Furthermore, the findings suggest that negative evaluations of perceived price increase the impact of mixed coupons by signaling to first-time customers that given restaurants’ offerings provide monetary benefits regardless of their intentions to revisit said restaurants.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings provide insights that should help managers better understand various levels of promotion. Managers can design their pricing strategies to strengthen customers’ motivations to visit their restaurants – the very thing customers often seek in sales promotions.
Originality/value
This study provides indisputable evidence for a sales promotion theory, wherein promotions signal benefits in consumers’ minds; however, it also shows that first-time and repeat customers do not respond equally to sales promotions.
Journal Article
Diagnosis of LI-RADS M lesions on gadoxetate-enhanced MRI: identifying cholangiocarcinoma-containing tumor with serum markers and imaging features
Objectives
The LI-RADS M (LR-M) category describes hepatic lesions probably or definitely malignant, but not specific for hepatocellular carcinoma in at-risk patients. Differentiation among LR-M entities, particularly detecting cholangiocarcinoma-containing tumors (M-CCs), is essential for treatment and prognosis. Thus, we aimed to develop diagnostic models on gadoxetate disodium–enhanced MRI comprising serum tumor markers and LI-RADS imaging features for M-CC.
Methods
Consecutive at-risk patients with LR-M lesions exclusively (no co-existing LR-4 and/or LR-5 lesions) were retrieved retrospectively from a prospectively collected database spanning 3 years. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (c-HCC-CCA) were classified together as M-CC. LI-RADS features determined by three independent radiologists and clinically relevant serum tumor markers were used to generate M-CC diagnostic models through logistic regression analysis against histology. Per-patient performance was evaluated using area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity.
Results
Forty-five patients were included, 42.2% (19/45) with hepatocellular carcinoma, 33.3% (15/45) with ICC, 13.3% (6/45) with c-HCC-CCA, and 11.1% (5/45) with other hepatic lesions. Carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 > 38 U/mL, α-fetoprotein (AFP) > 4.8 ng/mL, and absence of the LI-RADS feature “blood products in mass” were significant predictors of M-CC. Combining three predictors demonstrated AUC of 0.862, sensitivity of 76%, and specificity of 88%. The risk of M-CC with all three criteria fulfilled was 98% (AUC, 0.690; sensitivity, 38%; specificity, 100%).
Conclusions
In at-risk patients with LR-M lesions, integrating CA19-9, AFP, and the LI-RADS feature “blood products in mass” achieved high diagnostic performance for M-CC. When all three criteria were fulfilled, the specificity for M-CC was 100%.
Key Points
•
In at-risk patients who had LR-M lesions exclusively (no concomitant LR-4/5 lesions), a model with carbohydrate antigen > 38 U/mL, α-fetoprotein > 4.8 ng/mL, and absence of the LI-RADS feature “blood products in mass” achieved high accuracy for diagnosing cholangiocarcinoma-containing tumors.
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In patients of whom all three criteria were fulfilled, the specificity for M-CC was 100%, which might reduce or eliminate the need for biopsy confirmation.
Journal Article