Money or funny: Effective connectivity during service recovery with a DCM-PEB approach.

While monetary compensation is considered the most effective service recovery strategy, relief theory claims that humor may also be useful in service recovery situations. This study investigated the effects of humor in service recovery using dynamic causal modeling and parametric empirical Bayes analysis to identify effective connectivity (EC) patterns in the dopaminergic reward system across four conditions representing different service recovery strategies: monetary compensation and humor (MH), monetary compensation and an apology (MA), non-monetary compensation using humor (H), and non-monetary compensation using an apology (CON, the control condition). The findings support the importance of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the monetary compensation (MH and MA) conditions and the amygdala in the non-monetary compensation (H and CON) conditions. Monetary compensation (MH and MA) resulted in right substantia nigra (rSN) to NAc EC, suggesting the processing of recovery satisfaction associated with perceived outcome fairness. Conversely, non-monetary compensation strategies (H and CON) resulted in left substantia nigra (lSN) to amygdala EC, suggesting the processing of satisfaction related to perceived interactional fairness. The use of humor for service recovery resulted in VTA-to-lSN-to-amygdala EC during humor appreciation, while the use of apologies (CON and MA) resulted in lSN-to-amygdala and lSN-to-VTA connectivity. Surprisingly, processing satisfaction in the MH condition did not activate the amygdala during humor appreciation. Coping humor could be norm-violating for service recovery, and its effectiveness depends on multiple factors. The results suggest that monetary compensation, humorous responses, and apologies play key roles in neurological responses to service recovery strategies.

Protective effects of five allium derived organosulfur compounds against mutation and oxidation.

In this study, we examined the ability of five allium-derived organosulfur compounds to protect cells against mutation and oxidation. The compounds tested were 1-propylmercaptan (PM), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), diallyl disulfide (DADS), propyl disulfide (PDS), and 2,5-dimethylthiophene (DMT). Our results showed that when used at concentrations of 100-400 µmol/l, the five compounds inhibited the mutagenicity of 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide, a direct mutagen, and benzo[a]pyrene, an indirect mutagen, toward Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100. Furthermore, at these concentrations, all five of the compounds protected HepG2 cells against tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced oxidative cytotoxicity. The compounds likely enhanced cell viability by suppressing the formation of reactive oxygen species and the depletion of glutathione depletion in cells. DMT and PM inhibited mutation and oxidation to a greater extent than DMDS, DADS, and PDS. These results demonstrate for the first time that DMT and PM can contribute to the antimutagenic and the antioxidative property of Allium vegetables.

Comparison of breast mammography, sonography and physical examination for screening women at high risk of breast cancer in taiwan.

Recommended surveillance for screening breast cancer, which includes regular mammography and clinical breast examination, has long been established in Western countries. This strategy may be too costly and unnecessary for countries with low incidences of breast cancer. The purpose of the present study is to compare breast mammography, sonography and physical examination in screening female relatives of breast cancer index cases from the hospital, and their relative efficiency. A total of 935 women over 35 years old, who were relatives of breast cancer patients, were invited to an annual screening by means of a combination of mammography, sonography and physical examination on a single day. A biopsy was performed when any of the three investigations indicated a possibility of malignancy. A total of 21 breast cancers, including sixteen invasive cancers and 5 noninvasive cancers, were detected among the 935 high-risk women. Of the cancers, 18, including 16 invasive cancers and 3 noninvasive cancers, were detected by sonography. In contrast, only 11 invasive cancers were detected by mammography, and 7 by physical examination. There were only 14 cancers detected by a combination of mammography and physical examination. The 7 (33.3%) additional cancers were detected when sonography was added. The sensitivity of sonography was 90.4%, which was higher than mammography (52.4%) and physical examination (33.3%), or even a combination of these two modalities (66.7%). This indicates that sonography is a more accurate screening tool for breast cancer in the high-risk group. Although breast sonography has not yet been recommended as a routine screening tool for breast cancer in Western countries, it may be superior to mammography and physical examination for the screening of Taiwanese high-risk female relatives of breast cancer index cases. If it should also be considered as a routine adjunct screening modality for Taiwanese women with lower rates of breast cancer will need further study.