• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.35-58
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• 2010

Portal sites have been providing diverse services to attract new users and retain existing customers. Recently, they also added new services and increased quality of the services they provide to secure more customers. It is, however, not clear how people actually react to such activities. We wanted to understand the mechanism associated with users' continued usage intention of current Portal site. We assumed search, e-mail, information, community, e-commerce services as key services provided by most Portal sites and considered valuable by many customers. The quality of these services may directly affect users' continued usage intention. However, we can also assume that attractive alternatives and switching cost may have some influence on users' continued usage intention. Therefore, in this study, key variables pertaining to the quality of key services provided by Portal sites, attractive alternatives, and switching cost were examined to explain the dynamics of users' continued usage intention. An empirical study based on 891 survey responses showed the importance of the quality of key services for users' continued usage intention. Switching cost also demonstrated strong association with users' continued usage intention. However, attractive alternatives did not show a significant association with users' continued usage intention. We also found that the variable attractive alternatives moderated the relationship between the quality of search service and users' continued usage intention and the relationship between the quality of information service and users' continued usage intention. On the other hand, the variable switching cost showed a moderating effect on the relationship between the quality of e-mail service and users' continued usage intention and the relationship between the quality of community service and users' continued usage intention. This study implies that Portal sites need to make efforts not only to improve the quality of key services but also to consider attractiveness of other Portal sites' services and switching cost to secure more customers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.571-576
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• 2007

Three anti-apoptosis genes, Ls-iap2, iap3 and p49 were found in Leucania separata multiple nuclear polyhedrovirus. Amino acid sequence homology of Ls-IAP2 and Ls-IAP3 with Op-IAP2 and Op-IAP3 from Orgyia pseddotsugata MNPV were 20% and 42%, while that of Ls-P49 is 28% with Sl-P49 from Spodoptera littorolis MNPV. Ls-IAP2 contains one baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR) domain followed by a RING domain, while Ls-IAP3 contains two BIRs and a RING. Ls-P49 contains a reactive site loop, predicted cleavage site (KKLD$^{74}{\downarrow}$G) that is different from Sl-P49 (TVID$^{94}{\downarrow}$G). Expressed Ls-iap3 or Ls-p49 under presence of actinomycin D in SF9 cells, DNA ladder assayrevealed that Ls- IAP3 or Ls-P49 could block the apoptosis of SF9 cells induced by actinomycin D. Replication of p35 deficient-mutant Autographa californica MNPV in SF9 cells was also rescued when Ls-iap3 or Ls-p49 was expressed transiently. No anti-apoptotic activity was observed for Ls-IAP2. The results showed that both of Ls-IAP3 and Ls-P49 were functional apoptotic suppressors in SF9 cells.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.701-718
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• 2015

The joint distribution of wind speed and wind direction at a bridge site is vital to the estimation of the basic wind speed, and hence to the wind-induced vibration analysis of long-span bridges. Instead of the conventional way relying on the weather stations, this study proposed an alternate approach to obtain the original records of wind speed and the corresponding directions based on field measurement supported by the Structural Health Monitoring System (SHMS). Specifically, SHMS of Sutong Cable-stayed Bridge (SCB) is utilized to study the basic wind speed with directional information. Four anemometers are installed in the SHMS of SCB: upstream and downstream of the main deck center, top of the north and south tower respectively. Using the recorded wind data from SHMS, the joint distribution of wind speed and direction is investigated based on statistical methods, and then the basic wind speeds in 10-year and 100-year recurrence intervals at these four key positions are calculated. Analytical results verify the reliability of the recorded wind data from SHMS, and indicate that the joint probability model for the extreme wind speed at SCB site fits well with the Weibull model. It is shown that the calculated basic wind speed is reduced by considering the influence of wind direction. Compared to the design basic wind speed in the Specification of China, basic wind speed considering the influence of direction or not is much smaller, indicating a high safety coefficient in the design of SCB. The results obtained in this study can provide not only references for further wind-resistance research of SCB, but also improve the understanding of the safety coefficient for wind-resistance design of other engineering structures in the similar area.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2007

Insertion sequence IS1112 is a repetitive element with a relatively high number of copies in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the causal agent of bacterial blight of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Three new loci of IS1112 were identified in seven Chinese strains of Xoo using a single oligonucleotide primer J3; 5'-GCTCA GGTCAGGTGGCCTGG-3' by insertion-sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (IS-PCR). Among the three new loci of IS1112, two were located in the open-reading frame region of genes fhuA and cirA, which encode TonB-dependent receptors, and the third in ISXo2, another type of insertion sequence in Xoo genome. Three variants of IS1112 were identified in those three loci based on their sequence similarities: two were identical to IS1112a and IS1112b, reported in strain PXO86 from the Philippines, while the third was a new member of IS1112, defined as IS1112d. Inserting IS1112 in gene fhuA caused three bases, GGT, to be duplicated at the target site, but inserting it in gene cirA did not cause any duplication in the target site. The diversity of IS1112 sequence and insertion loci in Xoo genome and their potential effects are discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2046-2056
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• 2018

Phospholipase D has great commercial value due to its transphosphatidylation products that can be used in the food and medicine industries. In order to construct a strain for use in the production of PLD, we employed a series of combinatorial strategies to increase PLD expression in Bacillus subtilis WB600. These strategies included screening of signal peptides, selection of different plasmids, and optimization of the sequences of the ribosome-binding site (RBS) and the spacer region. We found that using the signal peptide amyE results in the highest extracellular PLD activity (11.3 U/ml) and in a PLD expression level 5.27-fold higher than when the endogenous signal peptide is used. Furthermore, the strain harboring the recombinant expression plasmid pMA0911-PLD-amyE-his produced PLD with activity enhanced by 69.03% (19.1 U/ml). We then used the online tool \RBS Calculator v2.0 to optimize the sequences of the RBS and the spacer. Using the optimized sequences resulted in an increase in the enzyme activity by about 26.7% (24.2 U/ml). In addition, we found through a transfer experiment that the retention rate of the recombinant plasmid after 5 generations was still 100%. The final product, phosphatidylserine (PS), was successfully detected, with transphosphatidylation selectivity at 74.6%. This is similar to the values for the original producer.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.23-37
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• 2013

Social commerce is a subset of e-commerce that involves using social media, and user contributions to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services. Given the rapid growth of social commerce sites such as Groupon, Ticketmonster, and Coupang, it has become critical to understand customer purchasing decision-making processes in the social commerce environment. This study developed a theoretical model to examine the role of social commerce site's stickiness in customers' repurchasing decision processes. This study identifies price attribute, variety of selection, shopping enjoyment, and anger as the key factors of social commerce site's stickiness. Data collected from 164 users who had more purchasing experiences with social commerce for more than 7 months were empirically tested against the research model. The analysis results indicate that social commerce site's stickiness plays an important role in enhancing customer's purchasing behavior. Moreover, price attribute and shopping enjoyment significantly influence social commerce site's stickiness, whereas anger does not significantly affect consumer purchasing decision-making processes. However, contrary to our expectation, variety of selection negatively influences social commerce site's stickiness. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are described.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.111-134
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• 2009

Today many owners of Web sites are looking to user's satisfaction survey as a key means of measuring the usability of a Web site. While it is preferred for it simplicity and ease of use, this survey method is not without potential risks. This paper focuses on showing that the existing practice of questionnaire-based usability measurement is subject to human recall errors, and that such flaws can be reduced when the questionnaire survey is followed by the users hands-on experience of the site. An empirical study was conducted, and the results indicate that the above speculation holds true. Even if respondents felt highly confident about their responses on a recall survey, a hands-on experience with a focal Web site increased the extent to which the respondents were satisfied with the shopping mall site. This indicates that a user's perception of the quality of a Web site may be distorted or lost as time goes by. In addition, the findings have shown that the use of the verbal protocol analysis method can reveal critical information that can help track the root causes of Web site usability problems, thereby helping to develop site enhancement strategies. The paper concludes with directions for future research.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.4 no.4 s.16
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• pp.182-191
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• 2003

The material lift-up and procurement management for high-rise buildings is complex and critical key to the success of projects. It has been hardly managed by the heuristic or rule-of-thumb techniques which are adapted in usual construction building sites. Especially in downtown high-rise residential building project sites, the limit of heuristic management techniques is critical. It has space constraint for materials loading and site transportation especially in finish work phases in which construction period diverse work trades struggle for their own material and manpower transportation. Hence, it is essential to adapt JIT(Just-In-Time) concept in these particular types of building construction project sites. According to the analysis of the case project sites, the communication and flow of relevant information regarding material lift-up and transportation in project sites is the key factor for successful performance. Therefore, this study analyzes the flow and site transportation of the key materials and provides the system, PLUTO(Procurement & Lift-Up for material Transport Optimizing system). This study also applies the system in the case site and verifies the model validation in actual project.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.125-134
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• 2009

The muscle strengths in various postures are used in our daily life with or without our recognition. Also, many works are still performed with strengths, although mechanization and automation have been fairly accomplished at the industry site. Since the late seventies, various body measurements have been conducted periodically in Korea, however, muscle strengths have not been measured actively. For this reason, the muscle strength data have been hardly accumulated. The aims of this study are to learn more about the physical strength of young-aged Koreans and to provide basic information for designing equipments, tools and facilities in the work site and daily life. The muscle strengths that are related to shoulder and upper limbs joints, which are used frequently, are measured in this study. Eighteen muscle strengths, from seven different movements such as elbow flexion, elbow extension, shoulder abduction(seated), shoulder adduction(seated), shoulder rotation(internal and external), lifting a tray, and turning a key(inward and outward) were measured. For every movement, the muscle strengths for both hands were measured. In each measurement, five seconds averaged value and peak value were collected. Comparing the average value, the strength of shoulder adduction was the strongest for male and female, while strength of turning a key inward with left hand was the weakest for male and female. Strengths of preferred hand in elbow extension, shoulder abduction, shoulder external rotation, lifting a tray, and turning a key were stronger than those of non-preferred hand for both male and female. Rohrer's index considerably had an effect on muscle strength. The results of this study can provide some basic information not only in designing the equipment and facilities in work site or daily life, but also in selection, training and management of workers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.513-517
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• 2002

We describe a new method for identifying the sequences that signal the start of translation, and the boundaries between exons and introns (donor and acceptor sites) in human mRNA. According to the mandatory keyword, ORGANISM, and feature key, CDS, a large set of standard data for each signal site was extracted from the ASCII flat file, gbpri.seq, in the GenBank release 108.0. This was used to generate the scoring matrices, which summarize the sequence information for each signal site. The scoring matrices take into account the independent nucleotide frequencies between adjacent bases in each position within the signal site regions, and the relative weight on each nucleotide in proportion to their probabilities in the known signal sites. Using a scoring scheme that is based on the nucleotide scoring matrices, the method has great sensitivity and specificity when used to locate signals in uncharacterized human genomic DNA. These matrices are especially effective at distinguishing true and false sites.