THE EFFECT OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITY CODEPENDENCY ON VIRTUAL COMMUNITY ADDICTION: EXPLORING THE MEDIATION EFFECTS

Long-Chuan Lu,Ching-Tzu Tsai 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Introduction Virtual communities have changed lifestyles and interpersonal relations, creating an internet community culture. They are a primary medium of emotional contact with others. American psychologist estimated that more than 350 million people have Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) (Hong et al., 2014; SickFacebook.com, 2010), some kind of virtual community addiction (VCA). An average of 728 million people use Facebook every day, and users spend much time on Facebook (Hong et al., 2014). 80.24% of university students think that Facebook is an important element of social culture (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012). VCA has been explored in psychology in the past. This study adds three psychological dimensions and sense of virtual community when investigating the antecedents of VCA. The results of this study may direct public attention to VCA and help develop guidelines for online marketing and operation of virtual communities. Literature review and hypotheses development Virtual community addiction (VCA) Many people are not aware of addictive in virtual community. While some addictive behaviors are considered mental disorders, an increasing number of studies has found potentially addictive behavior involving computers and the internet (Andreassen et al., 2012), including video game addiction (Fisher, 1994), Internet addiction (Beard, 2005), mobile phone addiction (Choliz, 2010), and online addiction (Griffiths, 2012). The definition of Internet addiction remains controversial. This study defines VCA as a tendency that users forced to use and even can not control not to use for the virtual communities. Virtual community codependency (VCC) Although codependency lacks a clear definition, there are only two perspectives on codependency that are relevant to this study. First, codependency is a learned helplessness, resulting in individuals who cannot create or participate in interpersonal relationships in the future (O’Gorman, 1993). Second, codependency is a pattern of dysfunction in interpersonal relationships. According to the social compensation theory, if people feel insecurity and negative social identity in real life interpersonal networks, they may spend more time using virtual communities as compensation. Therefore, we hypothesize: H1. Virtual community codependency (VCC) positively influences virtual community addiction (VAC). Sense of virtual community (SVC) Blanchard (2007) defined the SVC as members feel membership, a sense of belonging and attachment to the group through electronic communication. Abfalter et al. (2012) defined the SVC as members having a sense of ‘spirit of belonging together’ in a virtual community. Members are interacting more, making them develop close relationships that lead to a stronger bond (Abfalter et al., 2012; Chavis et al., 1986; Obst et al., 2002). Facebook is widely used in the virtual community, regardless of the number and use of the degree has been increasing. Thus, we conclude that high VCC will need individuals to have a desire to derive compensation from the virtual community that cannot be achieved in the real world. If people in this community have similar needs, priorities, and goals, increasing the use of Facebook will lead to an increase in VCA. We propose the following hypothesis: H2. The relationship between the Virtual Community Codependency (VCC) and Virtual Community Addiction (VAC) is mediated by the Sense of Virtual Community (SVC). Behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral approach system (BAS) Gray (1982) proposed the most widely applied pair of systems controlling behavioral activity, the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and the behavioral approach system (BAS). These are intrinsic motivation systems in charge of desire and disgust (Carver & White, 1994). They are used to measure the sensitivity of individuals to punishment avoidance and to reward acquisition. When the sensitivity of an individual toward penalty/reward is higher, their response to a stimulus is greater (Linden et al., 2007). Studies also show that Internet addiction and BIS are related (Yen et al, 2009). Thus, we conclude that high VCC will be stimulated by BIS when there is an accident or a novel experience, and negative emotional reactions will seek to be resolved in the virtual world. Hence, Facebook users will to escape from the real environment to the virtual world, so as to addict on the virtual community. This leads to the following hypothesis: H3. The direct relationship between the Virtual Community Codependency (VCC) and Virtual Community Addiction (VAC) is mediated by the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). BAS is based on motivations for an individual to pursue and achieve goals. BAS is more active and more sensitive to external reward clues, leading to stimulated sensory seeking behavior (Beauchaine et al., 2001). If the incentive clues appear, individuals who have high BAS are more prone to short positive emotions and approaching behavior individuals with low BAS. Thus, we speculate that high VCC will be stimulated by BAS when there is reward responsiveness or when driven in pursuit of goals in the virtual community. It will also make it more likely to engage in fun seeking in virtual communities. Thus, Facebook users deeply trapped in the virtual environment by BAS stimulation and fail to pull themselves out. Therefore, we hypothesize: H4. The direct relationship between Virtual Community Codependency (VCC) and Virtual Community Addiction (VAC) is mediated by the Behavioral Approach System (BAS). Methodology Survey development and measurement We adapted a number of scales (Abfalter et al., 2012; Andreassen et al., 2012; Carver & White, 1994; Fischer et al., 1991) and compiled a 55 item self-report scale questionnaire. Following the procedure recommended by Churchill (1979), we pre-tested the scale on 30 college students to determine the reliability and validity of the constructs. Based on the feedback, we refined the measures and ensured that all of the questionnaire items were applicable to our research. Finally, 53 valid items were retained in the formal questionnaire. Data collection and sample profile We used a web-based survey to collected data from the Youthwant survey platform in Taiwan. This was a more effective way to search for respondents for this study. The formal questionnaires were free to answer by members of the network platform. The participants were told of the survey’s importance to trigger participant’s interest, and give a 10 bonus points as reward. A total of 224 questionnaires were returned, 3 invalid and 221 effective. Respondents were evenly distributed across various ages between 18 and 50 years. The majority of respondents were female (60.2%) and only about 23.1% were students. Most respondents had completed university education (60.6%). 93.6% had been used Facebook for more than one year, with 63.3% having over four years of membership. 70.6% use Facebook more than once a day and for 82.8%, daily usage is at least a half hour, while 71.0% exceed a half an hour each time they use Facebook. This shows that of all respondents were long-term users. Results The total effects are determined by testing the direct impact of VCC on VCA without the mediator constructs. The results (see Table 1) show a significant relationship between VCC and VCA (β11 = 0.572, p < 0.001), supporting H1 (VCC positively affects VAC). The mediating effect is slight but statistically significant. 0.096 of the indirect effect is the result of the effect of VCC on SVC, which in turn influences VCA. The direct relationship between the VCC and VCA is significant as mediated by the SVC. Thus, H2 was supported. The mediating effect involves testing the direct relationship between the VCC and VCA mediated by the BIS. The results show a significant relationship between VCC and VCA (β13 = 0.488, p<0.001). VCC positively and significantly affects BIS (β12 = 0.493, p < 0.001). The effect of BIS on VCA is also positively significant (β23 = 0.169, p <0.05). This was confirmed by the evaluation of the structural model results. The direct effect is 0.488 (t = 5.661, p < 0.001) and the indirect effect is 0.083 (0.493 ? 0.169= 0.083) which is significant (z = 2.039, p < 0.05) by Sobel test. Thus, the direct relationship between the VCC and VCA is slightly mediated by BIS. H3 was supported. The VAF of the model is 33.70% (0.193 / (0.380 + 0.193) ? 100%). In this situation, a VAF larger than 20% and less than 80% can be characterized as partial mediation (Hair et al., 2014). The ?2 effect size is 0.117, showing that BAS has medium effects on VCA. Thus, H4 was supported. Discussion This study is a step by step quantification of how changes in virtual community codependency (VCC) are related to changes in virtual community addiction (VCA) directly and indirectly through one or more mediators. First, the results show a strong relationship between virtual community codependency (VCC) and virtual community addiction (VCA). Furthermore, we cannot deny that the sense of virtual community (SVC) has a small mediating effect on the direct relationship between virtual community codependency (VCC) and virtual community addiction (VCA). The increased use of Facebook when there is a sense of the ‘spirit of belonging together’ can lead to increased tendency to virtual community addiction (VCA). The results are supported by Fischer et al. (1991) and Hong et al., (2014). Limitations and future research directions There are limitations in this study. First, this study does not have a large sample. Second, with technology advances and use behavior changes, the popularity of virtual communities and dependency is rising. The virtual community addiction scale can only evaluate the current situation. This study investigated the latent variables that determine partial or complete mediation using the AVF of Hair (2014). The judgment of AVF uses rules of thumb and awaits meta-analysis of partial and/or complete mediation in the future. Finally, future research could examine virtual communities in other cultures.

Experiment of an ABS-type control strategy for semi-active friction isolation systems

Lu, Lyan-Ywan,Lin, Ging-Long,Lin, Chen-Yu Techno-Press 2011 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.8 No.5

Recent studies have discovered that a conventional passive isolation system may suffer from an excessive isolator displacement when subjected to a near-fault earthquake that usually has a long-period velocity pulse waveform. Semi-active isolation using variable friction dampers (VFD), which requires a suitable control law, may provide a solution to this problem. To control the VFD in a semi-active isolation system more efficiently, this paper investigates experimentally the possible use of a control law whose control logic is similar to that of the anti-lock braking systems (ABS) widely used in the automobile industry. This ABS-type controller has the advantages of being simple and easily implemented, because it only requires the measurement of the isolation-layer velocity and does not require system modeling for gain design. Most importantly, it does not interfere with the isolation period, which usually decides the isolation efficiency. In order to verify its feasibility and effectiveness, the ABS-type controller was implemented on a variable-friction isolation system whose slip force is regulated by an embedded piezoelectric actuator, and a seismic simulation test was conducted for this isolation system. The experimental results demonstrate that, as compared to a passive isolation system with various levels of added damping, the semi-active isolation system using the ABS-type controller has the better overall performance when both the far-field and the near-fault earthquakes with different PGA levels are considered.

Experiment of an ABS-type control strategy for semi-active friction isolation systems

Lyan-Ywan Lu,Ging-Long Lin,Chen-Yu Lin 국제구조공학회 2011 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.8 No.5

Recent studies have discovered that a conventional passive isolation system may suffer from an excessive isolator displacement when subjected to a near-fault earthquake that usually has a long-period velocity pulse waveform. Semi-active isolation using variable friction dampers (VFD), which requires a suitable control law, may provide a solution to this problem. To control the VFD in a semi-active isolation system more efficiently, this paper investigates experimentally the possible use of a control law whose control logic is similar to that of the anti-lock braking systems (ABS) widely used in the automobile industry. This ABS-type controller has the advantages of being simple and easily implemented, because it only requires the measurement of the isolation-layer velocity and does not require system modeling for gain design. Most importantly, it does not interfere with the isolation period, which usually decides the isolation efficiency. In order to verify its feasibility and effectiveness, the ABS-type controller was implemented on a variable-friction isolation system whose slip force is regulated by an embedded piezoelectric actuator, and a seismic simulation test was conducted for this isolation system. The experimental results demonstrate that, as compared to a passive isolation system with various levels of added damping, the semi-active isolation system using the ABS-type controller has the better overall performance when both the far-field and the near-fault earthquakes with different PGA levels are considered.

Vertical equipment isolation using piezoelectric inertial-type isolation system

Lyan-Ywan Lu,Ging-Long Lin,Yi-Siang Chen,Kun-An Hsiao 국제구조공학회 2020 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.26 No.2

Among anti-seismic technologies, base isolation is a very effective means of mitigating damage to structural and nonstructural components, such as equipment. However, most seismic isolation systems are designed for mitigating only horizontal seismic responses because the realization of a vertical isolation system (VIS) is difficult. The difficulty is primarily due to conflicting isolation stiffness demands in the static and dynamic states for a VIS, which requires sufficient rigidity to support the self-weight of the isolated object in the static state, but sufficient flexibility to lengthen the isolation period and uncouple the ground motion in the dynamic state. To overcome this problem, a semi-active VIS, called the piezoelectric inertia-type vertical isolation system (PIVIS), is proposed in this study. PIVIS is composed of a piezoelectric friction damper (PFD) and a leverage mechanism with a counterweight. The counterweight provides an uplifting force in the static state and an extra inertial force in the dynamic state; therefore, the effective vertical stiffness of PIVIS is higher in the static state and lower in the dynamic state. The PFD provides a controllable friction force for PIVIS to further prevent its excessive displacement. For experimental verification, a shaking table test was conducted on a prototype PIVIS controlled by a simple controller. The experimental results well agree with the theoretical results. To further investigate the isolation performance of PIVIS, the seismic responses of PIVIS were simulated numerically by considering 14 vertical ground motions with different characteristics. The responses of PIVIS were compared with those of a traditional VIS and a passive system (PIVIS without control). The numerical results demonstrate that compared with the traditional and passive systems, PIVIS can effectively suppress isolation displacement in all kinds of earthquake with various peak ground accelerations and frequency content while maintaining its isolation efficiency. The proposed system is particularly effective for nearfault earthquakes with long-period components, for which it prevents resonant-like motion.

Malignant transformation of ovarian mature cystic teratoma into squamous cell carcinoma: a Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (TGOG) study

An Jen Chiang,Min-Yu Chen,Chia-Sui Weng,Hao Lin,Chien-Hsing Lu,Peng-Hui Wang,Yu-Fang Huang,Ying-Cheng Chiang,Mu-Hsien Yu,Chih-Long Chang 대한부인종양학회 2017 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.28 No.5

Objective: The malignant transformation (MT) of ovarian mature cystic teratoma (MCT)to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is very rare. This study analyzed cases from multiplemedical centers in Taiwan to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment, andprognostic factors of this disease and reviewed related literature. Methods: Pathological reports of 16,001 patients with primary ovarian cancer who weretreated at Taiwan medical centers from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed. In total, 52 patients withMT of MCT to SCC were identified. Results: Among all ovarian MCTs, the incidence of MT to SCC is 0.2%. The median age ofpatients was 52 years (range, 29–89 years), and the mean tumor size was 10.5 cm (range, 1–40cm). We analyzed the patients in our study and those in the literature and determined thatearly identification and complete surgical resection of the tumor are essential for long-termsurvival. In addition, adjuvant chemotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy can be usedto treat this malignancy. Old age, large tumor size (≥15.0 cm), and solid components in MCTsare suitable indicators predicting the risk of MT of MCT to SCC. Conclusion: Similar to general epithelial ovarian cancers, the early detection of MT of MCTto SCC is critical to long-term survival. Therefore, older patients with a large tumor or those with a tumor containing a solid component in a clinically diagnosed MCT should beevaluated to exclude potential MT to SCC.

세라믹 코팅이 기계 주조용 알루미늄합금(7075 T6)의 마찰·마모특성에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

류성기,정광조,로룡 한국안전학회 2003 한국안전학회지 Vol.18 No.3

This study deals with the influence of ceramic coating on characteristics of friction and abrasion of aluminum alloyt(7075 T6) used in mechanical casting In this research, frictional wear characteristic of ceramic coating materials such as Al₂O₃, Si₃N₄, SiC was investigated using aluminum alloy(7075 T6) and stainless 403 cast iron under room temperature and normal air pressure. The coating layer was observed using SEM The conclusions are as follows: 1) Friction coefficients of Al₂O₃, SiC and S i₃N₄ are obtained 0.63 0.56 and 0.54 respectively. 2) Abrasion resistance of stainless 403 cast iron with Si₃N₄ is the best among the ceramic coating materials. 3) Abrasion mechanism of aluminum alloy(7075 T6) coated with ceramic material and stainless 403 cast iron is caused by brittle fracture. 4) Coating the ceramic material on the aluminum alloy(7075 T6) can effectively increase the antiwear, impact properties, and corrosion resistance.

Characteristic Evaluation of Friction and Wear in the C-N and TiN Coated Gear

Lu, Long,Xu, Feng,Jiang, Tao,Zhang, Qi,Lyu, Sungki 한국정밀공학회 2010 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.11 No.1

C-N films were deposited on the 20CrMo alloy steel substrate by the Plasma Source Ion Implantation (PSII) method and TiN films were coated on the same material by the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) method. It was found that friction coefficient of C-N coating were relatively lower than TiN coating. And with the load increased, the friction coefficients of C-N coating and TiN coating were both decreased. Then the author puts forward the test rig, working under the conditions of 1,800 rpm, $20\;N{\cdot}m$ for 100 h. The observations by microscope showed the wear reduced. The antiwearing performance enhanced prominently. But the TiN coated gear had a more serious friction phenomenon than C-N coated gear. This is caused by that coating of TiN, which was made at a high temperature about $500^{\circ}C$. The high temperature led to the substrate intenerated and the surface hardness had decreased from 850 HV to 630 HV. PSII method eliminates the tempering problem of the coating of C-N films, which had better wear resistance than TiN films. The friction and wear resistance of gears which coated by C-N films ameliorated significantly.

Effect of Al Content on Structure and Properties of Ti1-xAlxN Hard Film Prepared by Multi-arc Ion Plating

Long-Lu,류성기,Guangguang Feng,Minghao Ren,Huixia Zhang 한국정밀공학회 2013 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

The compound technology of ion nitriding and multi-arc ion plating is adopted to make Ti1-xAlxN film on 40 Cr. The influence of Al content to the structure and functions of film is analyzed through SEM (Scanning Electron Telescope), XRD analyzer,micro hardness tester and scratch tester. It indicated that the Al content has obvious influence on the structure and function of film. The more Al content, the more droplets in the film. Phase structure tends to multiphase composite structures. The micro hardness and bonding force will be increased first, and then decreased with the rising Al content.

Characterization and uncertainty of uplift load-displacement behaviour of belled piers

Lu, Xian-long,Qian, Zeng-zhen,Zheng, Wei-feng,Yang, Wen-zhi Techno-Press 2016 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.11 No.2

A total of 99 full-scale field load tests at 22 sites were compiled for this study to elucidate several issues related to the load-displacement behaviour of belled piers under axial uplift loading, including (1) interpretation criteria to define various elastic, inelastic, and "failure" states for each load test from the load-displacement curve; (2) generalized correlations among these states and determinations to the predicted ultimate uplift resistances; (3) uncertainty in the resistance model factor statistics required for reliability-based ultimate limit state (ULS) design; (4) uncertainty associated with the normalized load-displacement curves and the resulting model factor statistics required for reliability-based serviceability limit state (SLS) design; and (5) variations of the combined ULS and SLS model factor statistics for reliability-based limit state designs. The approaches discussed in this study are practical and grounded realistically on the load tests of belled piers with minimal assumptions. The results on the characterization and uncertainty of uplift load-displacement behaviour of belled piers could be served as to extend the early contributions for reliability-based ULS and SLS designs.

Stabilization of a Coupled ODE-wave System with Disturbances

Lu Lu,Yu-Long Zhang,Jun-Min Wang,Dong-Xia Zhao 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.3

This paper is devoted to stabilizing an ODE-PDE coupled system with boundary disturbance, where the PDE is chosen to be a wave equation with viscous damping. Applying the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) technic, the unknown disturbance is estimated by the extended state observer (ESO). Assuming the absence of disturbance, the dynamic boundary connection is designed. The methods of spectral analysis and separation of operator are applied, which ensures the Riesz basis property as well as the spectrum determined growth condition. The exponential stability of the coupled system without disturbance is then concluded. Finally, combining the disturbance estimation and the dynamic boundary connection, a feedback controller designed to stabilize the coupled system, and the closed-loop system is proved to be asymptotically stable.