Conjoint Analysis Research Articles

Designing Effective Volunteering Appeals: Results of Choice-Based Conjoint and Latent Class Segmentation Analyses

Volunteers represent an important resource for nonprofit organizations. The competition for volunteers is rising, increasing the pressure to optimize volunteer recruiting. One way to recruit volunteers is the use of volunteering appeals. To help optimize such volunteering appeals, we conducted two conjoint studies to identify the importance of design attributes of volunteering appeals as well as the utilities of the different attribute levels for potential volunteers by using choice-based conjoint analysis. The conjoint analyses are based on two student samples. We provide a segmentation of volunteers, allowing nonprofit organizations to design volunteering appeals according to specific target groups.

Bundling Digital Journalism: Exploring the Potential of Subscription-Based Product Bundles

This study explores the potential of cross-publisher bundled offers as a strategy for increasing subscription sales in digital journalism. While innovative forms of bundling are an integral part of media distribution in music (e.g., Spotify) and film (e.g., Netflix), their adoption in digital journalism has been limited, despite research showing that bundled access to products can increase consumers’ willingness to pay, especially in younger target groups. Against this background, we conduct a choice-based conjoint analysis using data from a representative survey of the German online population (<em>n</em> = 1,542). Results show that bundling digital journalism has the potential to raise publisher revenues and subscription sales in digital markets. In particular, they highlight that a comprehensive, cross-publisher bundled offer, available at a fixed monthly rate, has the potential to stimulate digital journalism sales among different consumer groups in a relatively balanced way, including those who are typically more reluctant towards journalism. These findings align with the principles of information goods economics, which posit that maximising the size of digital content bundles often tends to be the most profitable distribution strategy. However, it is crucial to examine these findings in the context of the potential negative effects associated with this emerging business model in digital journalism, such as the cannibalisation of print subscriptions, diminished brand identification, and a possible imbalanced distribution of revenues.

Sustainable transportation in developing countries: uncovering factors influencing electric vehicle purchase intention in India

ABSTRACT This study examines the factors that impact the purchase intention of electric vehicles (EVs) in emerging economies like India. By employing the Push, Pull, and Mooring (PPM) theory, this study contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the factors influencing purchase intention of EVs. In the first stage of the study, twitter text mining was conducted to extract the main topics discussed about EVs. The second stage involved a focus group discussion to condense the identified topics into key factors influencing the purchase intention of EVs. Finally, choice-based conjoint analysis was employed in the third phase to comprehend the utility and prioritize the identified factors. Additionally, topic modelling can be valuable for marketing managers, product managers, and branding specialists in developing a brand image and positioning for EVs. Furthermore, the findings of this study can assist policymakers in creating regulatory frameworks to support the development of EV infrastructure.

Students’ Preference in Teaching-Learning Using New Technologies: A Conjoint Analysis

Aims: To determine the Development Communication students' preference in teaching-learning during the new normal.
 Study Design: Quantitative-descriptive approach.
 Place and Duration of Study: Davao del Sur State College (DSSC), Matti, Digos City, Davao del Sur, throughout the Academic Year 2020-2021.
 Methodology: Complete enumeration was utilized to collect data from 133 respondents enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Development Communication (BSDC) program. A conjoint analysis was used to analyze the 25 combinations of factors and attributes generated through orthogonal design.
 Results: Most students reside in rural areas, and the majority are female. In terms of students’ technological profile, the students’ years of internet usage belong to 5 years or more of accessing the internet. For students’ device ownership, the students are using their smartphones. While the students' primary device used for internet connection was their mobile phones. In terms of students' primary type of internet access, cellular was the source for internet access. Further, the study revealed that the respondents’ preferred type of instruction was through synchronous discussion (utility=0.294), combination of Google Classroom and Facebook application (utility=0.551) as the preferred teaching strategy/platform, and late in the afternoon (utility=1.170) as the preferred time variable in learning program core subjects.
 Conclusion: The program may design a teaching-learning strategy that encourages the application of these major study findings. This is an opportunity to efficiently deliver instruction and assess the learning of students. Although the combination of Google Classroom and Facebook Application was pointed out, synchronous discussions were still preferred, particularly for courses that involve laboratories. Additionally, it is to arrange the core subjects in the late afternoon, particularly those subjects with laboratory work, for both teachers and students to cope with the adjustment set-up in holistic aspects. Future researchers are recommended to explore other factors and attributes, especially in learning under the new normal.

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis programme preferences among sexually active HIV-negative transgender and gender diverse adults in the United States: a conjoint analysis.

Current implementation efforts have failed to achieve equitable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision for transgender and gender-diverse (trans) populations. We conducted a choice-based conjoint analysis to measure preferences for key attributes of hypothetical PrEP delivery programmes among a diverse online sample predominantly comprised of transmasculine and nonbinary individuals in the United States. Between April 2022 and June 2022, a national online survey with an embedded conjoint analysis experiment was conducted among 304 trans individuals aged ≥18 years in the United States to assess five PrEP programme attributes: out-of-pocket cost; dispensing venue; frequency of visits for PrEP-related care; travel time to PrEP provider; and ability to bundle PrEP-related care with gender-affirming hormone therapy services. Participants responded to five questions, each of which presented two PrEP programme scenarios and one opt-out option per question and selected their preferred programme in each question. We used hierarchical Bayes estimation and multinomial logistic regression to measure part-worth utility scores for the total sample and by respondents' PrEP status. The median age was 24 years (range 18-56); 75% were assigned female sex at birth; 54% identified as transmasculine; 32% as nonbinary; 14% as transfeminine. Out-of-pocket cost had the highest attribute importance score (44.3%), followed by the ability to bundle with gender-affirming hormone therapy services (18.7%). Minimal cost-sharing ($0 out-of-pocket cost) most positively influenced the attribute importance of cost (average conjoint part-worth utility coefficient of 2.5 [95% CI 2.4-2.6]). PrEP-experienced respondents preferred PrEP delivery in primary care settings (relative utility score 4.7); however, PrEP-naïve respondents preferred pharmacies (relative utility score 5.1). Participants preferred programmes that offered PrEP services without cost-sharing and bundled with gender-affirming hormone therapy services. Bolstering federal regulations to cover PrEP services and prioritizing programmes to expand low-barrier PrEP provision are critical to achieving equitable PrEP provision. Community-engaged implementation research conducted by and in close collaboration with trans community stakeholders and researchers are needed to streamline the design of patient-centred PrEP programmes and develop implementation strategies that are salient to the diverse sexual health needs of trans patients.

The ART of Readiness: A Practical Tool for Implementation Tailoring at the Activity Level

The field of implementation science has made notable strides to enhance the practice of tailoring through the development of implementation strategy taxonomies (e.g., Expert Recommendations for Implementation Change; Waltz et al., In Implement Sci 10:109, 2015) and numerous tailoring methodologies (e.g., concept mapping, conjoint analysis, group model building, and intervention mapping; Powell et al., In J Behav Health Serv Res 44:177–194, 2017). However, there is growing concern about a widening gap between implementation science research and what is practical in real-world settings, given resource and time constraints (Beidas et al., In Implement Sci 17:55, 2022; Lewis et al., In Implement Sci 13:68, 2018). Overly complex implementation strategies and misalignment with practitioner priorities threaten progress in the field of implementation science. As solutions to the burgeoning threats, implementation science thought leaders have suggested using rapid approaches to contextual inquiry; developing practical approaches to implementation strategy design, selection, and tailoring; and embracing an embedded implementation science researcher model that prioritizes partner needs over researcher interests (Beidas et al., In Implement Sci 17:55, 2022). Aligned with these recommendations, we introduce the Activity Readiness Tool (ART)—a brief, practitioner-friendly survey that assesses discrete determinants of practice through an implementation readiness lens. We illustrate how the tool can be used as a rapid approach to facilitate implementation efforts in a case example involving a national integrated care initiative. The ART can serve as a quick, user-friendly companion to an array of existing evidence-based tailoring methods and tools.

Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Patient and Nurse Preferences around Novel and Standard Automated PD Device Features.

Despite offering greater lifestyle benefits to patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), adoption of peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains low globally, particularly among minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged. While automated PD (APD) affords a high potential for reducing the burden of kidney replacement therapy, understanding patient preferences is critical to guiding development of new and improved APD devices to better accommodate use in their daily lives. A quantitative cross-sectional survey study was performed using adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA) to quantify APD feature preferences among PD patients, PD nurses (RNs, and non-PD patients to ascertain the relative importance of eight specific cycler attributes including portability, noise, setup time, device size, setup directions, battery power, consumables, and PD RN control (PD RNs only), each with 2-3 descriptive feature levels. 42 PD patients, 24 non-PD patients, and 52 PD RNs were surveyed. Preference shares spanned nearly the entire range from 0% to 100%, indicating strong preference discrimination. For all groups, "Portability in the Home", "Noise Level", and "Setup time" were the most important features. PD patients gave highest priority to these features compared to other study participants, plausibly as features enabling improved lifestyle. A simulated "coat rack" style cycler with extended battery-power that was easy to move in the home, silent, required only 10-minute setup, and had a fully animated instruction screen was preferred by all groups > 90% compared to features present in existing cyclers. Addressing APD cycler technical and therapy-related issues to improve usability, comfort and convenience within the home may affect PD uptake and retention. Attention and priority must be given to patient centric APD cycler design directed at including features that improve quality of life for the device end-user.

Ferrostatin 1 ameliorates UVB-induced damage of HaCaT cells by regulating ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis, a type of programmed cell death, occurs when there is oxidative stress and lipid peroxides. This condition is marked by lipid peroxidation that relies on iron and the reduction of cellular defences against oxidation. To investigate the effect of UVB irradiation on ferroptosis of human keratinocytes HaCaT cells, the cells were pretreated with Ferrostatin 1 (Fer-1, 10 μM), an ferroptosis inhibitor and then irradiated with UVB (20 mJ/cm2 ) for 30 min to detect related indexes of ferroptosis through MTT assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, western blotting. Results showed that UVB significantly reduced cell activity, promoted apoptosis and ROS level, whereas Fer-1 significantly increased cell activity, and reduced apoptosis and ROS level. In addition, UVB significantly reduced levels of ferroptosis-related proteins and skin barrier-related proteins, and increased levels of γ-H2AX and iron, whereas Fer-1 significantly increased their protein levels, and reduced levels of γ-H2AX and iron. Conjoint analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic revealed that UVB significantly reduced the levels of TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 3 (TIMP3), and coagulation factor II thrombin receptor (F2R), whereas Fer-1 significantly promoted the levels of TIMP3, and F2R. Therefore, our results indicated that Fer-1 significantly ameliorates UVB-induced damage of HaCaT cells by regulating the levels of TIMP3 and F2R.

Is More Merrier? Consumers’ Inferred Value of Sustainable Aspects for Plastic Food Packaging

Research on consumer responses to sustainable food packaging often only compares materials or evaluates one sustainable aspect within a material category at a time. However, sustainability improvements are proliferating and can co-appear in the packaging design. This study builds upon existing research by identifying and describing the heterogeneity of consumer responses when three sustainable aspects (combinations) of plastic are simultaneously assessed. Bio-based, active technology, and compostable aspects were considered because they improve sustainability at different lifecycle stages of packaged foods. Using conjoint analysis, model guided segmentation and profiling, we found that consumer preferences for sustainable aspects vary, and that considering this heterogeneity matters to best understand consumer responses. Consequently, differences between the five identified consumer mindsets suggest that ecologically conscious consumers were more likely to prefer sustainable over conventional options and vice versa. Our findings underscore the importance of taking consumer diversity into account when introducing sustainable packaging innovations to the market.

Preferensi Konsumen Terhadap Produk Fellow Coffee Manado Dan Fellow Coffee Bitung

This research aims to determine the characteristics and preferences of Fellow Coffee Manado and Fellow Coffee Bitung consumers with 4 attributes, namely price, variants, facilities and service. The research was carried out from June to August 2023. The data collection method used was primary and secondary data. The data collection method used was primary and secondary data. Respondents in this study consisted of 84 samples taken totaling 42 respondents for each location. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling. Data measured using a Likert scale were analyzed using conjoint analysis. In the data processing process, using the SPSS version 27 program as a tool, the data is presented in table format and explained descriptively. The research results show that the order of attributes that have the highest utility for Fellow Coffee Manado is the price attribute of IDR 20.000-IDR 25.000 and the second utility is IDR 25.000-IDR 30.000. Attributes of fellow iced milk coffee variants and the second utility of Cafe Latte. The facility attributes free wifi and utility of both table and chair layouts. The service attributes are fast and the second utility is friendly. Meanwhile, the attribute that has the highest utility for Fellow Coffee Bitung is the price attribute of IDR 20.000-IDR 25.000 and the second utility is IDR 25.000-IDR 30.000. Attributes of the fellow's iced coffee milk variant and the second utility of salted caramel macchiatto. The facility attribute is the availability of electrical plugs and utilities, both the layout of tables and chairs. Friendly service attributes and fast second utility.

The profile of genome-wide DNA methylation, transcriptome, and proteome in streptomycin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Streptomycin-resistant (SM-resistant) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is a major concern in tuberculosis (TB) treatment. However, the mechanisms underlying streptomycin resistance remain unclear. This study primarily aimed to perform preliminary screening of genes associated with streptomycin resistance through conjoint analysis of multiple genomics. Genome-wide methylation, transcriptome, and proteome analyses were used to elucidate the associations between specific genes and streptomycin resistance in M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Methylation analysis revealed that 188 genes were differentially methylated between the SM-resistant and normal groups, with 89 and 99 genes being hypermethylated and hypomethylated, respectively. Furthermore, functional analysis revealed that these 188 differentially methylated genes were enriched in 74 pathways, with most of them being enriched in metabolic pathways. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 516 genes were differentially expressed between the drug-resistant and normal groups, with 263 and 253 genes being significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively. KEGG analysis indicated that these 516 genes were enriched in 79 pathways, with most of them being enriched in histidine metabolism. The methylation level was negatively related to mRNA abundance. Proteome analysis revealed 56 differentially expressed proteins, including 14 upregulated and 42 downregulated proteins. Moreover, three hub genes (coaE, fadE5, and mprA) were obtained using synthetic analysis. The findings of this study suggest that an integrated DNA methylation, transcriptome, and proteome analysis can provide important resources for epigenetic studies in SM-resistant M. tuberculosis H37Rv.

Preferences and decisional considerations relating to opioid agonist therapy among Ukrainian people who use drugs: A conjoint analysis survey.

Scaling up opioid agonist therapies (OAT) is the most effective strategy to control combined HIV and opioid epidemics, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), where HIV incidence and mortality continue to increase. Patient concerns about OAT, however, have undermined scale-up. The objective of this study is to understand Ukrainian opioid use disorder patient preferences about OAT to guide the development of an evidence-informed decision aid for clinical decision-making. We conducted a conjoint-based choice (CBC) survey. Participants were asked to about their preferences relating to 7 attributes of OAT (cost, dosing frequency, concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, improvements in quality of life, precipitation of withdrawal and legislative requirements to be registered as a drug dependent person) and 20 attribute levels for receiving OAT under differing potential treatment constraints. Data were analyzed using Hierarchical Bayesian models. Using respondent-driven sampling and random sampling, we recruited 2,028 people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder. Relative importance (RIS) and partial-worth utility scores (PWUS) were used to assess preferences for attributes and thresholds within each attribute. Cost and dosing frequency were the most important attributes (RIS = 39.2% and RIS = 25.2%, respectively) to potential patients, followed by concerns about withdrawal symptoms (RIS = 10.8%), adverse side effects (RIS = 9.0%), quality-of-life improvement (RIS = 7.5%), precipitation of euphoria (5.2%) and requirement to be registered as a drug- dependent person (RIS = 3.1%). The monthly cost-threshold for willingness-to-pay was 1,900 UAH ($70 USD). In Ukraine, where both governmental and private OAT clinics have emerged and provide markedly different delivery strategies, preferences are mostly driven by out-of-pocket expenses, despite many patients being willing to pay for OAT. Programmatic demands (flexibility and ease of acquiring medications) remain an important consideration while for a minority, clinical concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects and OAT impact on life play a smaller role.

Is This Safe? Examining Safety Assessments of Illicit Drug Purchasing on Social Media Using Conjoint Analysis

Background : Illicit substance sales facilitated by social media platforms are a growing public health issue given recent increases in overdose deaths, including an alarming rise in cases of fentanyl poisoning. However, little is known about how online users evaluate what features of social media posts convey safety, which can influence their intent to source illicit substances. Objectives : This study adapts conjoint analysis which assessed how attributes of social media posts (i.e., features) influence safety evaluations of mock posts selling illicit substances. 440 participants were recruited online for self-reporting use or purchase of controlled substances or prescription medicines recreationally. The following attributes were tested: drug packaging, drug offerings, profile photo of seller, payment info provided, and use of emojis. Results : Packaging was ranked the most important attribute (Average Importance =43.68, Offering=14.94, Profile=13.86, Payment=14.11, Emoji=13.41), with posts that displayed drugs in pill bottles assessed as the most safe. Attribute levels for advertising multiple drugs, having a blank profile photo, including payment information, and including emojis also ranked higher in perceived safety. Rankings were consistent across tested demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, and income). Survey results show that online pharmacies were most likely to be perceived as safe for purchasing drugs and medications. Additionally, those who were younger in age, had higher income, and identified as female were more likely to purchase from a greater number of platforms. Conclusions : These findings can assist in developing more precise content moderation for platforms seeking to address this ongoing threat to public safety.

The QTL and Candidate Genes Regulating the Early Tillering Vigor Traits of Late-Season Rice in Double-Cropping Systems.

Rice effective panicle is a major trait for grain yield and is affected by both the genetic tiller numbers and the early tillering vigor (ETV) traits to survive environmental adversities. The mechanism behind tiller bud formation has been well described, while the genes and the molecular mechanism underlying rice-regulating ETV traits are unclear. In this study, the candidate genes in regulating ETV traits have been sought by quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and bulk-segregation analysis by resequencing method (BSA-seq) conjoint analysis using rice backcross inbred line (BIL) populations, which were cultivated as late-season rice of double-cropping rice systems. By QTL mapping, seven QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 9, with the logarithm of the odds (LOD) values ranging from 3.52 to 7.57 and explained 3.23% to 12.98% of the observed phenotypic variance. By BSA-seq analysis, seven QTLs on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 were identified using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertions/deletions (InDel) index algorithm and Euclidean distance (ED) algorithm. The overlapping QTL resulting from QTL mapping and BSA-seq analysis was shown in a 1.39 Mb interval on chromosome 4. In the overlap interval, six genes, including the functional unknown genes Os04g0455650, Os04g0470901, Os04g0500600, and ethylene-insensitive 3 (Os04g0456900), sialyltransferase family domain containing protein (Os04g0506800), and ATOZI1 (Os04g0497300), showed the differential expression between ETV rice lines and late tillering vigor (LTV) rice lines and have a missense base mutation in the genomic DNA sequences of the parents. We speculate that the six genes are the candidate genes regulating the ETV trait in rice, which provides a research basis for revealing the molecular mechanism behind the ETV traits in rice.

Dynamics of N6-methyladenosine modification during aging and their potential roles in the degeneration of intervertebral disc.

The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) dynamics in the progression of intervertebral disc (IVD) aging remain largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the distribution and pattern of m6A modification in nucleus pulpous (NP) tissues of rats at different ages. Histological staining and MRI were performed to evaluate the degeneration of IVD. The expression of m6A modifiers was analyzed using qRT-PCR and western blot. Subsequently, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation next generation sequencing and RNA-seq were conducted to identify differences in m6A methylome and transcriptome of NP tissues. Compared to 2-month-old rats, we found significant changes in the global m6A level and the expression of Mettl3 and FTO in NP tissues from 20-month-old rats. During the progression of NP aging, there were 1126 persistently differentially m6A peaks within 931 genes, and 51 persistently differentially expressed genes. GO and KEGG analyses showed that these m6A peaks and m6A modified genes were mainly engaged in the biological processes and pathways of intervertebral disc degermation (IDD), such as extracellular matrix metabolism, angiogenesis, inflammatory response, mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways. Meanwhile, conjoint analyses and Venn diagram revealed a total of 405 aging related genes contained significant methylation and expression levels in 20-month-old rats in contrast to 2-month-old and 10-month-old rats. Moreover, it was found that four aging related genes with hypermethylated modification including BUB1, CA12, Adamts1, and Adamts4 depicted differentially expressed at protein level, of which BUB1 and CA12 were decreased, while Adamts1 and Adamts4 were increased during the progression of NP aging. Collectively, this study elucidated the distribution and pattern of m6A modification during the aging of IVD. Furthermore, the m6A modified genes were involved in the IDD related biological processes and pathways. These findings may provide novel insights into the mechanisms and therapies of IDD from the perspective of aging.

Understanding community-dwelling older adults' preferences for home- and community-based services: A conjoint analysis

BackgroundOlder adults' preference for home- and community-based service programs has been highlighted as an essential but usually ignored ingredient in current care models. Disentangling how preferences contribute to older adults' decision-making could facilitate finding optimal ways to deliver home- and community-based services in times of increasing scarcity. ObjectiveTo identify Chinese community-dwelling older adults' preference structure for home- and community-based services and thus to optimize service provision. MethodsConjoint analysis, a preference-based technique, was employed to study older adults' preferences. A stepwise qualitative approach was first adopted to identify the attributes and attribute levels of home- and community-based services. Scenarios were defined through an orthogonal fractional factorial design, and a cross-sectional survey was conducted through a face-to-face, anonymous questionnaire. Conjoint analysis was performed to determine preference weights representing the relative importance of the identified attributes, and cluster analysis was performed to identify clusters of participants with similar preference structures. All data analyses were performed using SAS v9.4 and SPSS 22.0. ResultsA total of 321 of 350 invited participants completed the questionnaire. Four attributes were identified and used to create the conjoint scenarios: care-giving attitude, price, technical care-giving skills, and the type of service provider. Care-giving attitude was the most valued attribute for older adults when making decisions (relative importance score = 48.28), followed by price (relative importance score = 21.618), technical care-giving skills (relative importance score = 19.518), and finally, the type of service provider (relative importance score = 10.585). Three preference phenotypes were identified by applying cluster analysis: “price-oriented”, “comprehensively balanced”, and “attitude-oriented”. ConclusionThe present study underscored the importance of considering attributes valued by Chinese older adults in the design and delivery of home- and community-based services. The preference structure, including the utility score of the attribute levels, differs among older adults. The findings could inform future research and practice and suggest incorporating flexibility during the service delivery stage.

Identification of genomic diversity and selection signatures in Luxi cattle using whole-genome sequencing data.

The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure and whole-genome selection signatures of Luxi cattle to reveal its genomic characteristics in terms of meat and carcass traits, skeletal muscle development, body size, and other traits. To further analyze the genomic characteristics of Luxi cattle, this study sequenced the whole-genome of 16 individuals from the core conservation farm in Shandong region, and collected 174 published genomes of cattle for conjoint analysis. Furthermore, three different statistics (pi, Fst, and XP-EHH) were used to detect potential positive selection signatures related to selection in Luxi cattle. Moreover, gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed to reveal the potential biological function of candidate genes harbored in selected regions. The results showed that Luxi cattle had high genomic diversity and low inbreeding levels. Using three complementary methods (pi, Fst, and XP-EHH) to detect the signatures of selection in the Luxi cattle genome, there were 2,941, 2,221 and 1,304 potentially selected genes identified, respectively. Furthermore, there were 45 genes annotated in common overlapping genomic regions covered 0.723 Mb, including PLAG1 zinc finger (PLAG1), dedicator of cytokinesis 3 (DOCK3), ephrin A2 (EFNA2), DAZ associated protein 1 (DAZAP1), Ral GTPase activating protein catalytic subunit alpha 1 (RALGAPA1), mediator complex subunit 13 (MED13), and decaprenyl diphosphate synthase subunit 2 (PDSS2), most of which were enriched in pathways related to muscle growth and differentiation and immunity. In this study, we provided a series of genes associated with important economic traits were found in positive selection regions, and a scientific basis for the scientific conservation and genetic improvement of Luxi cattle.

Acceptance of Medical Artificial Intelligence in Skin Cancer Screening: Choice-Based Conjoint Survey.

There is great interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) to screen for skin cancer. This is fueled by a rising incidence of skin cancer and an increasing scarcity of trained dermatologists. AI systems capable of identifying melanoma could save lives, enable immediate access to screenings, and reduce unnecessary care and health care costs. While such AI-based systems are useful from a public health perspective, past research has shown that individual patients are very hesitant about being examined by an AI system. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to determine the relative importance of the provider (in-person physician, physician via teledermatology, AI, personalized AI), costs of screening (free, 10€, 25€, 40€; 1€=US $1.09), and waiting time (immediate, 1 day, 1 week, 4 weeks) as attributes contributing to patients' choices of a particular mode of skin cancer screening; and (2) to investigate whether sociodemographic characteristics, especially age, were systematically related to participants' individual choices. A choice-based conjoint analysis was used to examine the acceptance of medical AI for a skin cancer screening from the patient's perspective. Participants responded to 12 choice sets, each containing three screening variants, where each variant was described through the attributes of provider, costs, and waiting time. Furthermore, the impacts of sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, income, job status, and educational background) on the choices were assessed. Among the 383 clicks on the survey link, a total of 126 (32.9%) respondents completed the online survey. The conjoint analysis showed that the three attributes had more or less equal importance in contributing to the participants' choices, with provider being the most important attribute. Inspecting the individual part-worths of conjoint attributes showed that treatment by a physician was the most preferred modality, followed by electronic consultation with a physician and personalized AI; the lowest scores were found for the three AI levels. Concerning the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and relative importance, only age showed a significant positive association to the importance of the attribute provider (r=0.21, P=.02), in which younger participants put less importance on the provider than older participants. All other correlations were not significant. This study adds to the growing body of research using choice-based experiments to investigate the acceptance of AI in health contexts. Future studies are needed to explore the reasons why AI is accepted or rejected and whether sociodemographic characteristics are associated with this decision.

Multi-omics analysis revealed the differences in lipid metabolism of the gut between adult and juvenile yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares).

Tuna has a cost-effective energy supply to support the regional endothermic and high-speed swimming performance. The gut symbiotic microbiotas and their metabolites play essential roles in tuna's diet digestion, absorption, and energy acquirement, which are often highly related to the ontogenetic development of tuna. We compared gut microbial compositions and metabolites, as well as mRNA expression of the intestine between juvenile and adult yellowfin tuna using 16S rRNA sequencing, metabolomic and transcriptomic, respectively. The results revealed that adults had a significantly higher microbial diversity and abundance of Acinetobacter than juveniles. Regarding the gut microbiota-derived metabolites, fatty acids, especially glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid, were significantly enriched in adults than in juveniles. Moreover, the short-chain fatty acid (butyrate and isobutyrate) contents were significantly higher in adults than in juveniles. To find the relationship between gut microbiotas and host physiology, intestinal transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the enriched pathways of differential expression genes (DEGs) in adult tuna were the lipid metabolism pathway, including "fat digestion and absorption," "cholesterol metabolism," "steroid hormone biosynthesis," "glycerolipid metabolism," and "glycerophospholipid metabolism." However, protein digestion and absorption and pancreatic secretion pathways were significantly enriched in the juveniles. The conjoint analysis indicated that the enriched pathways of both differential metabolites (DMs) and DEGs were remarkably related to the regulation of glycerophospholipids metabolism in adult tunas. This study highlights the role of gut microbiotas in fish nutrition metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the view of ontogenetic shifts of gut microbiotas and their metabolites on host health and gut function in endothermic and high-speed swimming marine fish species.

Making research and evaluation more useful and more interesting for information services and their users: A guide for students and practitioners.

Reflections on the recent increase in the number of cross-sectional surveys received by the editorial team of the journal indicated that potential contributors might consider other research techniques, in addition to, or instead of a survey. In this article, Christine Urquhart discusses some different research designs, and different research methods that may help students and practitioners find useful answers to questions about professional practice beyond the standard survey. Researchers could consider research designs such as quasi-experimental techniques, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series. The basic principles of such methods are outlined and some examples cited. Other research techniques outlined include those that research subjects might find more interesting to do, such as conjoint analysis and vignettes.