• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.33-45
• /
• 1978

The purpose of present study is to analyze the genetic variation of natural stand of Pinus densiflora. In 1975 following after the selection of 1974, twenty trees from each of three natural populations of the species were selected and their open-pollinated seeds were collected, and the locations and conditions of the populations ate presented in table 1, 2 and figure 1. Some morphological traits of the populations were already detailed in our second report of this series, in which Myong-Ju and Ul-Jin populations were regarded to be superior phenotypically to suweon population. The morphological traits of cone, seed and seed-wing, and also the growth performances and needle characters of the seedling were observed in the present study according to the previous methods. The results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. The meteorological data obtained by averaging the records of 30 year period (1931~1960) measured from the nearest meteorological stations to each population are shown in fig.2, 3, 4. The distributional patterns of investigated climate factors are generally considered to be similar among the locations. However, the precipitation density during growing season and the air temperature during dormant season on Suweon area, population 6, were quite different from those of the other areas. 2. The measurements of fresh cone weight, length, diameter and cone index, i.e., length to diameter ratio are presented in table 7. As shown in table 7, all these traits except for cone diameter seem to be highly significant in population differences and family differences within population. 3. The morphological traits of seed and seed-wing are detailed in table 8, 9, and highly significant differences are recognized among the populations and the families within population in seed-wing length, seed-wing index, seed weight, seed-length and seed index but not among the populations in the other observed traits. The values of correlation coefficient between the characters of cone and seed are given in table 10 and the positive significant correlations can be observed in the most parts of the compared traits. 4. Significant statistical differences among populations and families within population are observed in the growth performances of 1-0 and 1-1 seedling height of these progenies. But the differences in root collar diameter are shown only among families within population. As shown in table 13, the most parts of correlations are not significant statistically between the growth performances of seedling and the seed characters. 5. The number of stomata row on both sides of needle and the serration density were measured in the seedlings from each of the families of the three populations. As shown in table 15, statistical differences are considered to be significant among the populations and among the families within population in serration density but not among the populations in stomata row on both sides of the needle. The results differ from those of the third report of this series. Even if one of the reason seems to be the diversity of selected populations, it could not be confirmed definitely. The correlations between progenies and parents are not generally observed in the investigated traits of needle as shown in table 16.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.263-278
• /
• 2004

Ursolic acid (UA) and Oleanolic acid (ONA), known as urson, micromerol and malol, are pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds which naturally occur in a large number of vegetarian foods, medicinal herbs, and plants. They may occur in their free acid form or as aglycones for triterpenoid saponins, which are comprised of a triterpenoid aglycone, linked to one or more sugar moieties. Therefore UA and ONA are similar in pharmacological activity. Lately scientific research, which led to the identification of UA and ONA, revealed that several pharmacological effects, such as antitumor, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, and anti-hyperlipidemic could be attributed to UA and ONA. Here, we introduced the effect of UA and ONA on acutely barrier disrupted and normal hairless mouse skin. To evaluate the effects of UA and ONA on epidermal permeability barrier recovery, both flanks of 8-12 week-old hairless mice were topically treated with either 0.01-0.1mg/mL UA or 0.1-1mg/mL ONA after tape stripping, and TEWL (transepidermal water loss) was measured. The recovery rate increased in those UA or ONA treated groups (0.1mg/mL UA and 0.5mg/mL ONA) at 6h more than 20% compared to vehicle treated group (p < 0.05). Here, we introduced the effects of UA and ONA on acute barrier disruption and normal epidermal permeability barrier function. For verifying the effects of UA and ONA on normal epidermal barrier, hydration and TEWL were measured for 1 and 3 weeks after UA and ONA applications (2mg/mL per day). We also investigated the features of epidermis and dermis using electron microscopy (EM) and light microscopy (LM). Both samples increased hydration compared to vehicle group from 1 week without TEWL alteration (p < 0.005). EM examination using RuO4 and OsO4 fixation revealed that secretion and numbers of lamellar bodies and complete formation of lipid bilayers were most prominent (ONA=UA > vehicle). LM finding showed that thickness of stratum corneum (SC) was slightly increased and especially epidermal thickening and flattening was observed (UA > ONA > vehicle). We also observed that UA and ONA stimulate epidermal keratinocyte differentiation via PPAR Protein expression of involucrin, loricrin, and filaggrin increased at least 2 and 3 fold in HaCaT cells treated with either ONA (10${\mu}$M) or UA (10${\mu}$M) for 24 h respectively. This result suggested that the UA and ONA can improve epidermal permeability barrier function and induce the epidermal keratinocyte differentiation via PPAR Using Masson-trichrome and elastic fiber staining, we observed collagen thickening and elastic fiber elongation by UA and ONA treatments. In vitro results of collagen and elastin synthesis and elastase inhibitory activity measurements were also confirmed in vivo findings. These data suggested that the effects of UA and ONA related to not only epidermal permeability barrier functions but also dermal collagen and elastic fiber synthesis. Taken together, UA and ONA can be relevant candidates to improve epidermal and dermal functions and pertinent agents for cosmeseutical applications.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.418-425
• /
• 2000

Purpose: There is no established formula for estimating renal depths in Korean. As a result, we undertook this study to develop a new formula, and to apply this formula in the calculation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Materials and Methods: We measured the renal depth (RD) on the abdominal CT obtained in 300 adults (M:F: 167:133, mean age 50.9 years) without known renal diseases. The RDs measured by CT were compared with the estimated RDs based on the Tonnesen and Taylor equations. New formulas were derived from the measured RDs in 200 out of 300 patients based on several variables such as sex, age, weight, and height by multiple regression analysis. The RDs estimated from the new formulas were compared with the measured RDs in the remaining 100 patients as a control. In 48 patients who underwent Tc-99m DTPA renal scintigraphy, GFR was measured with three equations (new formula, Tonnesen and Taylor equations), respectively, and compared with each other. Results: The mean values of the RDs measured from CT were 6.9 cm for right kidney of the men (MRK), 6.7 cm for left kidney of the men (MLK), 6.7 cm for right kidney of the women (WRK), and 6.6 cm for left kidney of the women (WLK). The RDs estimated from Tonnesen equation were shorter than the ones measured from CT significantly. The newly derived formulas were 12.813 (weight/height)+0.002 (age)+ 2.264 for MRK, 15.344 (weight/height)+0.011 (age)+0.557 for MLK, 12.936 (weight/height)+ 0.014 (age)+1.462 for WRK and 13.488 (weight/height)+0.019 (age)+0.762 for WLK. The correlation coefficients of the RD measured from CT and estimated from the new formula were 0.529 in MRK, 0.729 in MLK, 0.601 in WRK, and 0.724 in WLK, respectively. The GFRs from the new formula were significantly higher than those from the Tonnesen equation significantly, which was the most similar to normal GFR values. Conclusion: We generated new formulas for estimating RD in Korean from the data by CT. By adopting these formulas, we expect that GFR can be measured by the Gates method accurately in Korean.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2006

Regardless of the recent observed warmer winters in Korea, more freeze injuries and associated economic losses are reported in fruit industry than ever before. Existing freeze-frost forecasting systems employ only daily minimum temperature for judging the potential damage on dormant flowering buds but cannot accommodate potential biological responses such as short-term acclimation of plants to severe weather episodes as well as annual variation in climate. We introduce 'dormancy depth', in addition to daily minimum temperature, as a complementary criterion for judging the potential damage of freezing temperatures on dormant flowering buds of grape vines. Dormancy depth can be estimated by a phonology model driven by daily maximum and minimum temperature and is expected to make a reasonable proxy for physiological tolerance of buds to low temperature. Dormancy depth at a selected site was estimated for a climatological normal year by this model, and we found a close similarity in time course change pattern between the estimated dormancy depth and the known cold tolerance of fruit trees. Inter-annual and spatial variation in dormancy depth were identified by this method, showing the feasibility of using dormancy depth as a proxy indicator for tolerance to low temperature during the winter season. The model was applied to 10 vineyards which were recently damaged by a cold spell, and a temperature-dormancy depth-freeze injury relationship was formulated into an exponential-saturation model which can be used for judging freeze risk under a given set of temperature and dormancy depth. Based on this model and the expected lowest temperature with a 10-year recurrence interval, a freeze risk probability map was produced for Hwaseong County, Korea. The results seemed to explain why the vineyards in the warmer part of Hwaseong County have been hit by more freeBe damage than those in the cooler part of the county. A dormancy depth-minimum temperature dual engine freeze warning system was designed for vineyards in major production counties in Korea by combining the site-specific dormancy depth and minimum temperature forecasts with the freeze risk model. In this system, daily accumulation of thermal time since last fall leads to the dormancy state (depth) for today. The regional minimum temperature forecast for tomorrow by the Korea Meteorological Administration is converted to the site specific forecast at a 30m resolution. These data are input to the freeze risk model and the percent damage probability is calculated for each grid cell and mapped for the entire county. Similar approaches may be used to develop freeze warning systems for other deciduous fruit trees.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.51-61
• /
• 2002

Purpose: The most common causes of neonatal cholestasis are neonatal hepatitis (NH) and extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA). Since neonatal cholestasis presents with variable expression of same pathologic process and has similar clinical, biochemical, and histologic features between EHBA and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis (NH), differential diagnosis is often difficult. We reviewed the differences of clinical characteristics and laboratory data to find out any correlation between the results of $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan and presence of acholic stool. Methods: Between June 1993 and January 2001, total 29 infants younger than 4 month-old underwent $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan. Their biochemical tests and clinical course were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Patients who had negative intestinal activity on $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan showed acholic stool and revealed higher serum direct bilirubin and urine bilirubin level. 18.2% of patients with acholic stool showed intestinal activity on $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan and 81.8% of them did not. All the patients without acholic stool showed positive intestinal activity on $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan. The result of $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan and the presence of acholic stool showed high negative correlation (r :-0.858). Patients with acholic stool and negative intestinal activity on $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan showed higher serum total bilirubin level. Patients without acholic stool and positive intestinal activity on $Tc^{99m}$ DISIDA scan showed higher serum level of ALT. Conclusion: Patients with acholic stool and negative intestinal activity showed high correlation, but 18.2% of patients with acholic stool showed positive intestinal activity. So operative cholangiogram or transcutaneous liver biopsy should be performed for confirmation.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.27-32
• /
• 2020

Purpose Glomerular Filtration Rate(GFR) is an important indicator for evaluating renal function and monitoring the progress of renal disease. Currently, the method of measuring GFR in clinical trials by using serum creatinine value and ^99mTc-DTPA(diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) renal dynamic scan is still useful. After the Gates method of formula was announced, when ^99mTc-DTPA Renal dynamic scan is taken, it is applied the GFR is measured using a gamma camera. The purpose of this paper is to measure the GFR by applying the Gates method of formula. It is according to effect activity and matrix size that is related in the GFR. Materials and Methods Data from 5 adult patients (patient age = 62 ± 5, 3 males, 2 females) who had been examined ^99mTc-DTPA Renal dynamic scan were analyzed. A dynamic image was obtained for 21 minutes after instantaneous injection of ^99mTc-DTPA 15 mCi into the patient's vein. To evaluate the glomerular filtration rate according to changes in activity and matrix size, total counts were measured after setting regions of interest in both kidneys and tissues in 2-3 minutes. The distance from detector to the table was maintained at 30cm, and the capacity of the pre-syringe (PR) was set to 15, 20, 25, 30 mCi, and each the capacity of post-syringe (PO) was 1, 5, 10, 15 mCi is set to evaluate the activity change. And then, each matrix size was changed to 32 × 32, 64 × 64, 128 × 128, 256 × 256, 512 × 512, and 1024 × 1024 to compare and to evaluate the values. Results As the activity increased in matrix size, the difference in GFR gradually decreased from 52.95% at the maximum to 16.67% at the minimum. The GFR value according to the change of matrix size was similar to 2.4%, 0.2%, 0.2% of difference when changing from 128 to 256, 256 to 512, and 512 to 1024, but 54.3% of difference when changing from 32 to 64 and 39.43% of difference when changing from 64 to 128. Finally, based on the presently used protocol, 256 × 256, PR 15 mCi and PO 1 mCi, the GFR value was the largest difference with 82% in PR 15 mCi and PO 1 mCi. conditions, and at the least difference is 0.2% in the conditions of PR 30 mCi and PO 15 mCi. Conclusion Through this paper, it was confirmed that when measuring the GFR using the gate method in the ^99mTc-DTPA renal dynamic scan. The GFR was affected by activity and matrix size changes. Therefore, it is considered that when taking the ^99mTc-DTPA renal dynamic scan, is should be careful by applying appropriate parameters when calculating GFR in the every hospital.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.115-134
• /
• 1989

Combined effects of ganciclovir (GCV) and vidarabine (ara-A) on the replication, DNA synthesis, and gene expression of wild type-1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) and three acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 mutants were studied. These mutants include a virus expressing no thymidine kinase $(ACV^r)$, a virus expressing thymidine kinase with altered substrate specificity $(IUdR^r)$, and a mutant expressing altered DNA polymerase $(PAA^r5)$. GCV, an agent activated by herpesvirus specific thymidine kinase, showed potent antiviral activity against the wild type HSV-1(KOS) and DNA polymerase mutant $(PAA^r5)$. The ACV-resistant mutants with thymidine kinase gene $(ACV^r\;and\;IUdR^r)$ were resistant to GCV. All tested wild type HSV-1 or ACV-resistant HSV-1 mutants did not display resistance to vidarabine (are-A). Combined GCV and ara-A showed potentiating synergistic antiviral activity against wild type KOS and $PAA^r5$, and showed subadditive combnined ativiral activity against thymidine kinase mutants. Combined GCV and ara-A more significantly inhibited the viral DNA synthesis in wild type KOS and $PAA^r5-infected$ cells to a greater extent than either agent alone, but the synergism was not determined in $ACV^r$ or $IUdR^r-infected$ cells. These data clearly indicate that combined GCV and ara-A therapy might be useful for the treatment of infections caused by wild type HSV-1 or ACV-resistant HSV-1 with DNA polymerase mutation. ACV-resistant viruses with the mutation in thymidine kinase gene are also, resistant to GCV, but susecptible to ara-A, indicating that ara-A would the drug of choice for the treatment of ACV-resistant HSV-1 which does not express thymidine kinase or expresses thymidine kinase with altered substrate specificity. While the synthesis of viral ${\alpha}-proteins$ of wild type HSV-1 was not affected by ACV, GCV, ara-A, or combined GCV and ara-A, the synthesis of ${\beta}-proteins$ was slightly but significantly increased at the later stage of viral infection by the antiviral agents. The synthesis of ${\gamma}-proteins$ of wild type HSV- 1 was significantly inhibited by ACV, GCV, ara-A, and combined GCV and ara-A. Combined GCV $(5-{\mu}M)$ and ara-A $(100-{\mu}M)$ also significantly altered the expression of viral ${\beta}-and$ ${\gamma}-proteins$, of which efffct was similar to that of GCV $(10-{\mu}M)$ alone. Although ACV at the concentration of $10-{\mu}M$ did not alter the expression of ${\alpha}-$, ${\beta}-$, and ${\gamma}-proteins$ of ACV-resistant $PAA^r5$, GCV and ara-A significantly alter the epression of ${\beta}-and$ ${\gamma}-proteins$, not ${\alpha}-protein$, as same manner as they altered the expression of those proteins in cells inffcted with wild type HSV-1. Combined GCV $(5-{\mu}M)$ and ara-A $(100-{\mu}M)$ altered the expression ${\beta}-and$ ${\gamma}-proteins$ in $PAA^r5$ infected cells, and the effect of combined regimen was comparable of that of GCV $(10-{\mu}M)$. These data indicate that the alteration in the expression of ${\beta}-and$ ${\gamma}-proteins$ in wild type HSV-1 or $PAA^r5$ infected cells could be more significantly affected by combined GCV and are-A than individual GCV or ara-A. In view of the fact that (a) viral ${\alpha}-$, ${\beta}-$, and ${\gamma}-proteins$ are synthesized in a cascade manner; (b) ${\beta}-proteins$ are essential for the synthesis of viral DNA; (c) the synthesis of ${\beta}-proteins$ are inhibited by ${\gamma}-proteins$; and (d) most ${\gamma}-proteins$ are made from the newly synthesized progeny virus, it is suggested that GCV and ara-A, alone or in combination, primarily inhibit the synthesis of viral DNA, and by doing so might exhibit their antiherpetic activity. The alteration in viral protein synthesis in the presence of tested antiviral agents could result from the alteration in viral DNA synthesis. From the present study, it can be concluded that (a) combined GCV and ara-A therapy would be beneficial for the control of inffctions caused by wild type HSV-1 or ACV-resistant DNA polymerase mutants; (b) the combined synergistic activity of GCV and ara-A is due to further decrease in the viral DNA by the combined regimen; (c) ara-A is the drug of choice for the infection caused by ACV-resistant HSV-1 with thymidine kinase mutation; and (d) the alteration in viral protein synthesis by GCV and ars-A, alone or in combination, is mostly due to the decreased synthesis of viral DAN.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.93-114
• /
• 1978

The purpose of the study was to find out possible ways for increasing farm income through the sheep and Korean native goats farming, and to investigate meat productivity, wool productivity; woolskin utility, physiological characteristics and correlation between economical college animal farm of the Chungnam National University and sample farms in the suburbs of Dae jeon City were selected for feeding 20 heads of Corriedale wethers and another 20 heads Korean native kids as research materials for the periods of 5th May-26th November, 1977. The data such as growth rate, carcass, viscera weight, blood picture and plamsa components, hebage intake and economic traits were obtained and analysed. The result of the study are summarized as follows: 1. Meat production and quality 1) After 196days of feeding, the body weight of sheep and Korean native goats was increased by two times of those at the beginning of the trial, i.e. 20kg and 8kg respectively. 2) There was no significance of growth rates of sheep in housing and grazing. 3) The growth rate of Korean native goats were excellent at the mountainous areas of Gong ju-Gun where infectious diseases were not found 4) Accroding to the body measurements of 18-month-old sheep, percentages of hip height, body length, rump length, chest depth, chest width, hip width, chest girth and forearm circumference to the withers height were 103,%, 104%, 33%, 44%, 31%, 23%, 135% and 15% respectively, and those of hip height, body length, chest depth and chest girth of 8-month-old native goats to the withers height were 106%, 109%, 46% and 122,% respecitively. As a result, it was found that the percentage of hip height, body length and chest depth of Korean native goats were higher than those of sheep while that of the chest girth of goats was lower. 5) In the carcass data, 47, $52{\pm}2.27%$ of carcass percentage, $34.61{\pm}1.62%$ of lean meat, $26.07{\pm}2.51%$ of viscera, $9.75{\pm}1.4%$ of bone, and $20.95%{\pm}2.14%$ of woolskin for sheep, and $45.58{\pm}5.63%$ of carcass percentage, $27.62{\p}3.81%$ of meat, $34.86{\pm}4.16%$ of viscera, $11.66{\pm}1.83%$ of bone, $3.63{\pm}1.61%$ of skull and $9.26{\pm}2.41%$ of woolskin for native goats were obtained. 6) The contents of moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash in native goat meat were much similar in both plots of housing and grazing. It was, however, known that the contents of moisture and protein were higher in grazinrg than in housing, while fat content was lower in grazing plots. 7) The weights of visceral organs shown similar tendency for both of sheep and native goats. For the weights of liver, heart, kidney and spleen, significance was not reconized among the treatments. Those of rumen, reticulum, small and large intestine were heavier in grazing than in housing, while the amount of visceral fat was heavier in housing. 2. Wool productivity and woolskin 1) The wool production of sheep for 7 months was $3.88{\pm}1.02kg$, and wool percentage, staple length, straighten length, wool growth per day and number of crimps were $9.27{\pm}1.48%$, 8. $47{\pm}1.00cm$, $10.63{\pm}0.99cm$, $0.40{\pm}0.04cm$ and $2.78{\pm}0.40$ respecitively. 2) The tensile strength and tear strength of woolskin treated by alum tanning were highest on the skin obtained from rump, i.e. $1,351kg/mm^2$ and $2,252kg/mm^2$ respectively, and they are in order of loin and shoulder. 3. Utilization and improvement of pasture. 1) The difference of herbage intake of native goats was not recognized between grazing and tethering, but the intake in the afternoon was s lightly higher than that in the morning. However the hervage intake of sheep was superior in grazing and in the afternoon. 2) The cultivation effect was lower in the native goat plots due to their cultivation abilities, in other words, the establishment rates of pasture by hoof cultivation were 60.25% in the goat plots and 77.35% in the sheep plots. 4. Correlation among economical traits. 1) The correlation between live weight of sheep and daily gain was higher. On the other hand, the correlation between other traits was not significant except that live weight, daily gain and lean meat percentage to the length of thoracic vertebrae. The live weight of native goats and meat production were highly correlated, and high correlation was also found between weights of carcass and meat. However, negative correlation was shown between viscera weight and live weight as well as daily gain. 2) The correlatoin between fleece weight of sheep and other traits such as live weight, daily gain and fleece percentage is very high at the 1% siginficant level, and this means that rapid-growth individuals can produce much fleece. 3) The correlation between the factors such as weights of live body, lean meat and viscera of sheep and body measurements, i. e. chest girth and body length was highest, and weights, of carcass and lean meat was highly correlated to chest width and depth. It will be therefore reasonable that the meat productivity estimates will have to be made on the basis of chest girth and body length. The meat production traits of native goats were highly correlated to the most of body measurement data, and the correlation coefficient between chest girth and weights of live body, carcass, lean meat and bone percentage was very high, i. e. 0.992-0.974 in particular. The correlations of meat production traits to chest depth, forearm circumference, body length were 0.759-0.911, 0.759-0.909 and 0.708-0.872 respectively. Therefore, the meat production of native goats will have to be estimated on the basis of chest data. 5. Blood picture and plasma components. 1) The number of erythrocyte and MCHC of native goats were $12.93{\times}10^6/mm^3$ and 36.14%, and those of sheep were $10.68{\times}10^6/mm^3$ and 36.26 respectively. The values of native goats were significantly higher than those of sheep. 2) The hemoglobin concentration, PVC, MCV and MCR of native goats were 10.92 g/100ml, $23.40{\mu}^3$ and 10.94 pg, and those of sheep were 11.73 g/100ml, 36.25 ml/100ml, $33.97{\mu}^3$ and 30.2 ml/100ml 8.43 pg respectively. The values of native goats were significantly lower those of sheep. 3) The number of leukocytes of native goats was significantly higher than that of sheep, that is, $11.64{\times}10^3/mm^3$ in native goats and $9.32{\times}10^3/mm^3$ in sheep. 4) In differential count of leukocyte, neutrophil was significantly high in native goats while lympocyte in sheep. On the other hand, the basophil, eosinophil and monocyte were not significant between native goats and sheep. 5) The amounts of total protein and glucose in the plasma of native goats were 6.2g/100ml and 53.6mg/100ml, and those of sheep were 5.6g/100ml and 45.7mg/100ml, which means that the values of native goats were significantly higher that those of sheep. The amount of total-lipid of native goats(127.6mg/100ml) was significantly than that of sheep(149.6mg/100ml). 6) The amount of non-protein nitrogen, cholesterol, Ca, P, K, Na and Cl were not different between native goats and sheep. 6. Economic analysis. 1) The gross revenue of a farm which fed native goats and sheep was 4,000won per head and the optimum size for feeding them in a farm as a subsidiary work is 5-10 heads. 2) Since there was no difference between housing and grazing, they can be fed in group for farm's subsidiary work. 3) They can be also fed by youths and house wives in the suburbs of cities, because labour requirement is estimated as only two hours per days for feeding 5 heads of native goats and sheep.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.141-173
• /
• 2007

The study examines how the environmental factors of store influence service brand personality and repurchase intention in the service environment. The service industry has been experiencing the intensified competition with the industry's continuous growth and the influence from rapid technological advancement. Under the circumstances, it has become ever more important for the brand competitiveness to be distinctively recognized against competition. A brand needs to be distinguished and differentiated from competing companies because they are all engaged in the similar environment of the service industry. The differentiation of brand achievement has become increasingly important to highlight certain brand functions to include emotional, self-expressive, and symbolic functions since the importance of such functions has been further emphasized in promoting consumption activities. That is the recent role of brand personality that has been emphasized in the service industry. In other words, customers now freely and actively express their personalities or egos in consumption activities, taking an important role in construction of a brand asset. Hence, the study suggests that it is necessary to disperse the recognition and acknowledgement that the maintenance of the existing customers contributes more to boost repurchase intention when it is compared to the efforts to create new customers, particularly in the service industry. Meanwhile, the store itself can offer a unique environment that may influence the consumer's purchase decision. Consumers interact with store environments in the process of,virtually, all household purchase they make (Sarel 1981). Thus, store environments may encourage customers to purchase. The roles that store environments play are to provide informational cues to customers about the store and goods and communicate messages to stimulate consumers' emotions. The store environments differentiate the store from competing stores and build a unique service brand personality. However, the existing studies related to brand in the service industry mostly concentrated on the relationship between the quality of service and customer satisfaction, and they are mostly generalized while the connective studies focused on brand personality. Such approaches show limitations and are insufficient to investigate on the relationship between store environment and brand personality in the service industry. Accordingly, the study intends to identify the level of contribution to the establishment of brand personality made by the store's physical environments that influence on the specific brand characteristics depending on the type of service. The study also intends to identify what kind of relationships with brand personality exists with brand personality while being influenced by store environments. In addition, the study intends to make meaningful suggestions to better direct marketing efforts by identifying whether a brand personality makes a positive influence to induce an intention for repurchase. For this study, the service industry is classified into four categories based on to the characteristics of service: experimental-emotional service, emotional -credible service, credible-functional service, and functional-experimental service. The type of business with the most frequent customer contact is determined for each service type and the enterprise with the highest brand value in each service sector based on the report made by the Korea Management Association. They are designated as the representative of each category. The selected representatives are a fast-food store (experimental-emotional service), a cinema house (emotional-credible service), a bank (credible-functional service), and discount store (functional-experimental service). The survey was conducted for the four selected brands to represent each service category among consumers who are experienced users of the designated stores in Seoul Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi province via written questionnaires in order to verify the suggested assumptions in the study. In particular, the survey adopted 15 scales, which represent each characteristic factor, among the 42 unique characteristics developed by Jennifer Aaker(1997) to assess the brand personality of each service brand. SPSS for Windows Release 12.0 and LISREL were used in the analysis of data verification. The methodology of the structural equation model was used for the study and the pivotal findings are as follows. 1) The environmental factors ware classified as design factors, ambient factors, and social factors. Therefore, the validity of measurement scale of Baker et al. (1994) was proved. 2) The service brand personalities were subdivided as sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness, which makes the use of the brand personality scales by Jennifer Aaker(1997) appropriate in the service industry as well. 3) One-way ANOVA analysis on the scales of store environment and service brand personality showed that there exist statistically significant differences in each service category. For example, the social factors were highest in discount stores, while the ambient factors and design factors were highest in fast-food stores. The discount stores were highest in the sincerity and excitement, while the highest point for banks was in the competence and ruggedness, and the highest point for fast-food stores was in the sophistication, The consumers will make a different respond to the physical environment of stores and service brand personality that are inherent to the corresponding service interface. Hence, the customers will make a different decision-making when dealing with different service categories. In this aspect, the relationships of variables in the proposed hypothesis appear to work in a different way depending on the exposed service category. 4) The store environment factors influenced on service brand personalities differently by category of service. The factors of store's physical environment are transferred to a brand and were verified to strengthen service brand personalities. In particular, the level of influence on the service brand personality by physical environment differs depending on service category or dimension, which indicates that there is a need to apply a different style of management to a different service category or dimension. It signifies that there needs to be a brand strategy established in order to positively influence the relationship with consumers by utilizing an appropriate brand personality factor depending on different characteristics by service category or dimension. 5) The service brand personalities influenced on the repurchase intention. Especially, the largest influence was made in the sophistication dimension of service brand personality scale; the unique and characteristically appropriate arrangement of physical environment will make customers stay in the service environment for a long time and will lead to give a positive influence on the repurchase intention. 6) The store environment factors influenced on the repurchase intention. Particularly, the largest influence was made on the social factors of store environment. The most intriguing finding is that the service factor among all other environment factors gives the biggest influence to the repurchase intention in most of all service types except fast-food stores. Such result indicates that the customers pay attention to how much the employees try to provide a quality service when they make an evaluation on the service brand. At the same time, it also indicates that the personal factor is directly transmitted to the construction of brand personality. The employees' attitude and behavior are the determinants to establish a service brand personality in the process of enhancing service interface. Hence, there should be a reinforced search for a method to efficiently manage the service staff who has a direct contact with customers in order to make an affirmative improvement of the customers' brand evaluation at the service interface. The findings suggest several managerial implications. 1) Results from the empirical study indicated that store environment factors have a strong positive impact on a service brand personality. To increase customers' repurchase intention of a service brand, the management is required to effectively manage store environment factors and create a friendly brand personality based on the corresponding service environment. 2) Mangers and researchers must understand and recognize that the store environment elements are important marketing tools, and that brand personality influences on consumers' repurchase intention. Based on such result of the study, a service brand could be utilized as an efficient measure to achieve a differentiation by enforcing the elements that are most influential among all other store environments for each service category. Therefore, brand personality established involving various store environments will further reinforce the relationship with customers through the elevated brand identification of which utilization to induce repurchase decision can be used as an entry barrier. 3) The study identified the store environment as a component of service brand personality for the store's effective communication with consumers. For this, all communication channels should be maintained with consistency and an integrated marketing communication should be executed to efficiently approach to a larger number of customers. Mangers and researchers must find strategies for aligning decisions about store environment elements with the retailers' marketing and store personality objectives. All ambient, design, and social factors need to be orchestrated so that consumers can take an appropriate store personality. In this study, the induced results from the previous studies were extended to the service industry so as to identify the customers' decision making process that leads to repurchase intention and a result similar to those of the previous studies. The findings suggested several theoretical and managerial implications. However, the situation that only one service brand served as the subject of analysis for each service category, and the situation that correlations among store environment elements were not identified, as well as the problem of representation in selection of samples should be considered and supplemented in the future when further studies are conducted. In addition, various antecedents and consequences of brand personality must be looked at in the aspect of the service environment for further research.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.59-69
• /
• 2010

Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.