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The metaverse is an emerging area of research and has a lot of potential in providing individuals with an alternate place of inhabitation. The importance of metaverse escapism although has been discussed in current literatures, but what can be its drivers and consequences is unclear. From a theoretical perspective, escapism can be modelled in two way: cause-based (positivist) and effect-based (negativist). In this work we propose a positivist approach by theorizing how different types of real-life problems (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) will drive metaverse escapism, fostering attachment with this virtual place. We collect 585 responses from users of VR-based metaverse applications like Horizon World, VR Chat, etc. The results are analysed using Partial Least Squares based Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. We found that only autonomy and competence problems lead to metaverse escapism, and further to virtual place attachment. Metaverse escapism acts like a full mediator in the link between real-world problems and virtual place attachment. Likewise, anxiety positively moderates the relationship between competence problem and escapism, but negatively moderates the relationship between autonomy problem and escapism. Our work contributes to the metaverse literatures by identifying those who are likely to engage in metaverse escapism. Our model explains 60.4% of the variance in virtual place attachment, indicating the practical significance of identifying the correct targets and fostering their attachment with this virtual world. • We examine how real-life problems impact attachment with metaverse. • Autonomy and competence problems motivate metaverse escapism. • Escapism is explored from a positive approach. • Anxiety weakens autonomy problems but strengthens competence problems on escapism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this paper is to propose a non-linear regression based technique for mapping different network Quality of Service (QoS) factors to an integrated end-user Quality of Experience (QoE) or Mean Opinion Score (MOS) value for an online video streaming service on a mobile phone. We use six network QoS factors for finding out the user QoE. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, we investigate the impact of the network QoS factors on the perceived video quality. Next, we perform an individual mapping of the significant network QoS parameters obtained in stage 1 to the user QoE based upon a non-linear regression method. The optimal QoS to QoE mapping function is chosen based upon a decision variable. In the final stage, we evaluate the integrated QoE of the system by taking the combined effect of all the QoS factors considered. Extensive subjective tests comprising of over 50 people across a wide variety of video contents encoded with H.265/HEVC and VP9 codec have been conducted in order to gather the actual MOS data for the purpose of QoS to QoE mapping. Our proposed hybrid model has been validated against unseen data and reveals good prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comprehensive review explores the complex terrain of stem cell therapies as a potential therapeutic frontier in the healing of complicated burn wounds. Serious tissue damage, impaired healing processes, and possible long-term consequences make burn wounds a complex problem. An in-depth review is required since, despite medical progress, existing methods for treating severe burn wounds have significant limitations. Burn wounds are difficult to heal because they cause extensive tissue damage. The challenges of burn injury-induced tissue regeneration and functional recovery are also the subject of this review. Although there is a lot of promise in current stem cell treatments, there are also some limitations with scalability, finding the best way to transport the cells, and finding consistent results across different types of patients. To shed light on how to improve stem cell interventions to heal severe burn wounds, this review covers various stem cell applications in burn wounds and examines these obstacles. To overcome these obstacles, one solution is to enhance methods of stem cell distribution, modify therapies according to the severity of the burn, and conduct more studies on how stem cell therapy affects individual patients. Novel solutions may also be possible through the combination of cutting-edge technologies like nanotechnology and biotechnology. This review seeks to increase stem cell interventions by analyzing present challenges and suggesting strategic improvements. The goal is to provide a more effective and tailored way to repair serious burn wounds., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)