Determinants of Consumer Participation in Online Group Buying:

Hui-Tzu Lin,Hyun-Jee Kim,Li-Wen Wang 한국무역연구원 2016 무역연구 Vol.12 No.4

Under the rise of network group-buying, consumers can form groups of strangers through the Internet, under the leadership of an coordinator, to integrate internal opinions and negotiate with vendors. Therefore, the coordinator gradually becomes a business. In this newly developed business, the coordinators compete with each other. In the past, most of research studies with regard to Internet group-buying focused on exploring the internet factors of consumer willingness or intention to repurchase. However, studies about applying the characteristics of an coordinator as a moderator to determine the impact of the repurchase intention were rare and thus, this is what this study set out to do. In this study, data was collected through an online questionnaire to examine the relationship between commodity eWOM, the features of the coordinator, online contexts and consumer repurchase intention. Empirical results show that: (1) eWOM has a significant impact on repurchase intention, (2) the features of the coordinator have a significant impact on repurchase intention, (3) online contexts have a significant impact on repurchase intention, (4) the features of coordinator have a negative moderate effect on eWOM and repurchase intention, and (5) online contexts do not have a moderating effect on eWOM and repurchase intention.

New Strategy of Using Atosiban for Tocolysis: NTUH Experience (초)

( Tzu Hung Lin ),( Shin Yu Lin ),( Chia Hui Lin ),( Chien Nan Lee ) 대한산부인과학회 2010 서울심포지움 Vol.15 No.-

Living Experiences of Male Spouses of Patients with Metastatic Cancer in Taiwan

Lin, Hui-Chen,Lin, Wen-Chuan,Lee, Tzu-Ying,Lin, Hung-Ru Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan. Spouses are generally the main caregivers of affectyed patients but previous studies have seldom investigated the needs of male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer. Purpose: To explore the lived experiences of such male spouses. Methods: A qualitative design using in-depth interviewswasconducted with male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer being treated at the oncology outpatient department in a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Results: Nine participants aged 31-78 were interviewed. Content analysis of the interviews revealed five themes: suffering and struggling, difficulty in focusing on communication and interaction, shouldering responsibility, cherishing the love between husband and wife, and enabling each other to live better. This study demonstrated how male spousse experienced physical and psychological suffering when their wives suffered from metastatic cancer. They had to bear the pain of their wife's suffering, and also had to shoulder the responsibility for everything. All their efforts were put towards enabling each other to live a better life. They cherished the rest of the time they could spend with their wives, even though they had to live a hard life. As the male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer, the participants exhibited both the masculinity of men and the ability to express care and tenderness. Conclusions: The results showed that male spouses need more attention in terms of communication and bearing with suffering. Health care professionals should more actively understand the needs and provide assistance when facing the male spouse of patients with cancer, so as make sure that they possess the ability to take care of their wives. Health care professionals should also assist and properly act as a bridge of communication between husbands and wives.

Streptomyces Telomeres Contain a Promoter

Lin, Yuh-ru,Hahn, Mi-Young,Roe, Jung-Hye,Huang, Tzu-Wen,Tsai, Hsiu-Hui,Lin, Yung-Feng,Su, Tsung-Sheng,Chan, Yu-Jiun,Chen, Carton W. American Society for Microbiology 2009 Journal of Bacteriology Vol.191 No.3

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P>Bidirectional replication of the linear chromosomes and plasmids of <I>Streptomyces</I> spp. results in single-strand overhangs at their 3′ ends, which contain extensive complex palindromic sequences. The overhangs are believed to be patched by DNA synthesis primed by a terminal protein that remains covalently bound to the 5′ ends of the telomeres. We discovered that in vitro a conserved 167-bp telomere DNA binds strongly to RNA polymerase holoenzyme and exhibits promoter activities stronger than those of an rRNA operon. In vivo, the telomere DNA exhibited promoter activity in both orientations on a circular plasmid in <I>Streptomyces</I>. The telomere promoter is also active on a linear plasmid during exponential growth. Such promoter activity in a telomere has not hitherto been observed in eukaryotic or prokaryotic replicons. <I>Streptomyces</I> telomere promoters may be involved in priming the terminal Okazaki fragment (during replication) replicative transfer (during conjugation), or expression of downstream genes (including a conserved <I>ttrA</I> helicase-like gene involved in conjugal transfer). Interestingly, the <I>Streptomyces</I> telomeres also function as a promoter in <I>Escherichia coli</I> and as a transcription enhancer in yeast.</P>

Abstract : Arsenic sequestration in iron plaque and its effect on As uptake by rice plants grown in paddy soils with high contents of As, iron oxides, and organic matter

( Chien Hui Syu ),( Pei Yu Jiang ),( Hsuan Han Huang ),( Wen Ting Chen ),( Tzu Huei Lin ),( Dar Yuan Lee ) 한국환경농학회 2012 한국환경농학회 워크샵자료 Vol.2012 No.2

The iron plaque formed on rice root has been confirmed to be a barrier on the uptake of arsenic in many hydroponic experiments. However, few studies provide the information about the relationship between soil characteristics, iron plaque formation and As uptake by rice in Ascontaminated soils. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the rice root`s iron plaques on the As uptake by rice plants grown in geologically As-contaminated soils with high contents of iron oxides and organic matter from the Guandu Plain of northern Taiwan. A soil flooding incubation study was performed and a pot experiment was conducted. The rice seedling was pre-cultivated in solution cultures and then transplanted in three level As-contaminated soils for growing 39 days. The amounts of iron plaque on rice root were determined by extraction using dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB). The As species on iron plaque and the concentrations of As and Fe in iron plaque, root, root base and shoot of rice plants were determined. The results of the soil incubation study showed that both As and Fe concentrations in the soil solutions increased with flooding time due to reductive dissolution of iron oxides induced by high contents of organic matter in soils. High amounts of iron plaque were deposited on rice roots and large amounts of As were sequestrated in these iron plaques. Results of the As K-edge X-ray absorption nearedge spectroscopy (XANES) indicated that arsenate was the main species of arsenic sorbed on iron plaque of rice roots. About 74.0 to 93.2 % of total As released from soils were distributed in the iron plaques and only small proportion was distributed in the rice plants. This study provides evidence that the iron plaques of the rice roots was the main controlling factor in limiting the uptake and accumulation of As into the rice plants grown in paddy soils with high contents of iron oxides and organic matter, meanwhile, it suggests that enhancement of iron plaque formation could be the approach used for reducing the uptake of As by paddy rice grown in As-contaminated soils.

Integration of in-situ load experiments and numerical modeling in a long-term bridge monitoring system on a newly-constructed widened section of freeway in Taiwan

Chiu, Yi-Tsung,Lin, Tzu-Kang,Hung, Hsiao-Hui,Sung, Yu-Chi,Chang, Kuo-Chun Techno-Press 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.13 No.6

The widening project on Freeway No.1 in Taiwan has a total length of roughly 14 kilometers, and includes three special bridges, namely a 216 m long-span bridge crossing the original freeway, an F-bent double decked bridge in a co-constructed section, and a steel and prestressed concrete composite bridge. This study employed in-situ monitoring in conjunction with numerical modeling to establish a real-time monitoring system for the three bridges. In order to determine the initial static and dynamic behavior of the real bridges, forced vibration experiments, in-situ static load experiments, and dynamic load experiments were first carried out on the newly-constructed bridges before they went into use. Structural models of the bridges were then established using the finite element method, and in-situ vehicle load weight, arrangement, and speed were taken into consideration when performing comparisons employing data obtained from experimental measurements. The results showed consistency between the analytical simulations and experimental data. After determining a bridge's initial state, the proposed in-situ monitoring system, which is employed in conjunction with the established finite element model, can be utilized to assess the safety of a bridge's members, providing useful reference information to bridge management agencies.

Integration of in-situ load experiments and numerical modeling in a long-term bridge monitoring system on a newly-constructed widened section of freeway in Taiwan

Yi-Tsung Chiu,Tzu-Kang Lin,Hsiao-Hui Hung,Kuo-Chun Chang,Yu-Chi Sung 국제구조공학회 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.13 No.6

The widening project on Freeway No.1 in Taiwan has a total length of roughly 14 kilometers,and includes three special bridges, namely a 216 m long-span bridge crossing the original freeway, an F-bentdouble decked bridge in a co-constructed section, and a steel and prestressed concrete composite bridge. This study employed in-situ monitoring in conjunction with numerical modeling to establish a real-timemonitoring system for the three bridges. In order to determine the initial static and dynamic behavior of thereal bridges, forced vibration experiments, in-situ static load experiments, and dynamic load experimentswere first carried out on the newly-constructed bridges before they went into use. Structural models of thebridges were then established using the finite element method, and in-situ vehicle load weight, arrangement,and speed were taken into consideration when performing comparisons employing data obtained fromexperimental measurements. The results showed consistency between the analytical simulations andexperimental data. After determining a bridge's initial state, the proposed in-situ monitoring system, which isemployed in conjunction with the established finite element model, can be utilized to assess the safety of abridge's members, providing useful reference information to bridge management agencies.

A Study on The Purchase Intention for Insurance Products Sold on TV Shopping Channel

Hung, Chiehwei,김현지,Lin, Hui-Tzu 한국유통경영학회 2013 유통경영학회지 Vol.16 No.2

In this study, we investigated the determinants of consumers' purchase intention of insurance products sold on TV channel in Korea. Among the demographic variables, consumers' marital status, income level and the number of children are significant variables for consumers' purchase intention. Consumers of middle income class and having dependent children have significant intention to purchase the insurance products. Besides, consumers who have ever purchased insurance products or kitchen utensils on TV shopping channel before, have significantly high intention to buy the insurance products. The higher the amount spent on TV shopping at a single time, the higher intention of consumers to purchase insurance products sold on TV shopping channel.

Effect of dietary supplementation of Sargassum meal on laying performance and egg quality of Leghorn layers

Fan Geng-Jen,Shih Bor-Ling,Lin Hui-Chiu,Lee Tzu Tai,Lee Churng-Faung,Lin Yih-Fwu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.3

Objective: Seaweeds could be an alternative and functional feed resource. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Sargassum meal on laying performance and egg quality of layers. Methods: Two hundred 36-wk-old layers were divided into five treatment groups. Each treatment had four replicates with 10 hens per experimental unit. The corn-soybean meal basal diet was formulated as control group. Sargassum meals were included 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, or 5% to diets for five treatment groups, respectively. Treatment groups were isocaloricisonitrogenous diets. Laying performance and egg quality were measured for eight weeks. Results: Sargassum meal supplementation did not affect daily feed intake. Supplementation 1% to 3% of Sargassum meal in diets increased daily laying rate and egg mass compared with those from control group (p<0.05). Egg qualities among five groups were all similar. Supplementation of 3% Sargassum meal increased the lightness of egg yolk (p<0.05). Eggs produced from layers fed 1% and 2% Sargassum meal had a higher consumer’s acceptability than the control group (p<0.05). In blood characteristics, contents of glucose, nitrogen, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) increased as the increase of supplementation ratio of Sargassum meal (p<0.05). In serum antibody titers, supplementation of 2% Sargassum meal stimulated a higher immunoglobulin M (IgM) level than that from control group (p<0.05). However, IgM content of layers fed diets with Sargassum meal ≥3% were decreased (p<0.05). There was no difference in IgA and IgG titers among groups. Conclusion: Supplementation of 1% to 3% Sargassum meal has shown to increase egg laying rate and egg mass of Leghorn layers. However, high supplementation (5%) would negatively affect laying performance. In consideration of laying performance, egg quality, consumer responses, and blood antibody, supplementation of Sargassum meal was suggested 2% in the diet for layers. Objective: Seaweeds could be an alternative and functional feed resource. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Sargassum meal on laying performance and egg quality of layers.Methods: Two hundred 36-wk-old layers were divided into five treatment groups. Each treatment had four replicates with 10 hens per experimental unit. The corn-soybean meal basal diet was formulated as control group. Sargassum meals were included 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, or 5% to diets for five treatment groups, respectively. Treatment groups were isocaloric-isonitrogenous diets. Laying performance and egg quality were measured for eight weeks.Results: Sargassum meal supplementation did not affect daily feed intake. Supplementation 1% to 3% of Sargassum meal in diets increased daily laying rate and egg mass compared with those from control group (p<0.05). Egg qualities among five groups were all similar. Supplementation of 3% Sargassum meal increased the lightness of egg yolk (p<0.05). Eggs produced from layers fed 1% and 2% Sargassum meal had a higher consumer’s acceptability than the control group (p<0.05). In blood characteristics, contents of glucose, nitrogen, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) increased as the increase of supplementation ratio of Sargassum meal (p<0.05). In serum antibody titers, supplementation of 2% Sargassum meal stimulated a higher immunoglobulin M (IgM) level than that from control group (p<0.05). However, IgM content of layers fed diets with Sargassum meal ≥3% were decreased (p<0.05). There was no difference in IgA and IgG titers among groups.Conclusion: Supplementation of 1% to 3% Sargassum meal has shown to increase egg laying rate and egg mass of Leghorn layers. However, high supplementation (5%) would negatively affect laying performance. In consideration of laying performance, egg quality, consumer responses, and blood antibody, supplementation of Sargassum meal was suggested 2% in the diet for layers.

The Relationship Between Night Shift Work and the Risk of Abnormal Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone: A Hospital-Based Nine-Year Follow-up Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan

Chen, Hsin-Hao,Chiu, Hsiao-Hui,Yeh, Tzu-Lin,Lin, Chi-Min,Huang, Hsin-Yi,Wu, Shang-Liang Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2021 Safety and health at work Vol.12 No.3

Background: Health-care providers typically undergo shift work and are subjected to increased stress. Night shift work may induce disturbed sleep cycles and circadian rhythm. The objective of this study was to explore if night shift workers (NSWs) show an increased risk of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 574 employees without thyroid disease and abnormal TSH at baseline who underwent annual check-ups between 2007 and 2016 in a medical center. NSWs were defined as those with working time schedules other than daytime hours. We calculated the incidence rate and estimated the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for incident abnormal TSH and subclinical hypothyroidism compared with non-NSWs using a Cox regression model. Results: A total of 56 incident abnormal TSH cases and 39 subclinical hypothyroidism cases in NSWs were identified during 3000 person-years of follow-up. In models adjusted for age, sex, obesity, and working departments, we found no increased relative risk for incident abnormal TSH (HR: 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.33-1.60) or subclinical hypothyroidism (HR: 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.45) when comparing NSWs to non-NSWs; nor were incidence rates significantly different among exclusively medical employees after excluding administrative staff. Conclusion: In this hospital-based nine-year follow-up retrospective cohort study, NSWs were not associated with increased relative risk of incident abnormal TSH and subclinical hypothyroidism, in contrast to previous cross-sectional studies.