Identification of SNPs in TG and EDG1 genes and their relationships with carcass traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo)

Thyroglobulin (TG) gene was known to be regulated fat cell growth and differentiation and the endothelial differentiation sphingolipid G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (EDG1) gene involves blood vessel formation and known to be affecting carcass traits in beef cattle. The aim of this study was to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both TG and EDG1 genes and to analyze the association with carcass traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo). The T354C SNP in TG gene located at the 3’ flanking region and c.-312A>G SNP located at 3’-UTR of EDG1 gene were used for genotyping the animals using PCR-RFLP method. Three genotypes were identified in T354C SNP in TG gene and only two AA and AG genotypes were observed for the c.-312A>G SNP in EDG1 gene. The results indicated that T354C SNP in TG gene was not significantly associated with carcass traits. However, the c.-312A>G SNP in EDG1 gene had significant effects on backfat thickness (BF) and yield index (YI). These results may provide valuable information for further candidate gene studies affecting carcass traits in Korean cattle and may use as marker assisted selection for improving the quality of meat in Hanwoo. Key words : TG, EDG1, Carcass traits, Hanwo

The efects of psychological ownership on loyal customers' perceptions : applying brand tourism effect and conspicuous consumption to luxury hotel marketing

This study aims to examine the conflict between loyal customers and non-loyal customers in the luxury hotel environment. This research mainly applied the concept of brand tourism effect and employed a 2 (two types of non-loyal customers: brand immigrants and brand tourists) x 2 (areas divided by psychological ownership: lounge vs. restaurant) mixed experimental design on the dependent variables (i.e., emotions, infringement, attitude, brand image, and switching intention) and 934 participants were recruited from nationwide online panels. To investigate loyal customers' different brand perceptions from non-loyal customers, MANOVA was performed and to examine the relationship among infringement, attitude, brand image, and switching intention, PLSSEM was conducted. The result revealed that loyal customers negatively perceive brand immigrants and positively perceive brand tourists. Loyal customers perceive higher levels of infringement and switching intention when they view brand immigrants, while loyal customers perceive positive attitude and brand image when they view brand tourists. Psychological ownership, which divided the background into lounge and restaurant, is also found to play a moderating role in loyal customers' perceptions of brand tourists and brand immigrants on infringement, attitude, and switching intention. In addition, for brand immigrants, infringement is positively related to switching intention, and attitude and brand image are negatively linked with switching intention, while for brand tourists, infringement is the only variable that has a positive influence on switching intention. In sum, the current study demonstrated that loyal customers perceive brand differently depending on the types of customers (i.e., brand tourists and brand immigrants) and two types of backgrounds (i.e., lounge and restaurant). Finally, the theoretical and empirical contributions of the present study are discussed.Includes bibliographical reference

The Structural Importance of Consumer Networks

This dissertation contains three essays that investigate how a consumer’s social network position (i.e., a person’s location within a web of relationships) plays an important role in the way that consumer influences and exchanges information with others. Using social capital theory as the conceptual framework, I demonstrate that a consumer’s location within a network (network centrality) has an effect on their ability to influence others and, conversely, on others’ ability to influence them. I also show that network positions influence the type of information that is sought from others (information about the self or information about others). Moreover, I demonstrate that people’s perceptions of their own social capital may not coincide with their actual stores of social capital, revealing how this discrepancy may yield certain social benefits and social costs. Together, the findings of this research contribute to our understanding of consumer networks and further emphasize the relevance and importance of social network positions and social capital. Essay 1 provides a framework for understanding the association between network centrality and the flow of consumer influence. Overall, people see themselves as opinion leaders when they perceive that they are central (i.e., popular) within their networks. However, these self-assessments are sometimes at odds with the perceptions of the rest of the network members. Counter-intuitively, the findings demonstrate that consumers who perceive themselves to be central in networks are quite susceptible to the influence of others. Essay 2 further extends the investigation of network centrality to information-seeking behavior. The results demonstrate that network centrality is positively related to a consumer’s rate of seeking information from other network members. Interestingly, people occupying degree central positions tend to seek information about their own consumer behavior (i.e., feedback), while people occupying betweenness central positions tend to seek information about the behavior of other consumers. Finally, Essay 3 focuses on the instrumental and detrimental role of the individual’s materialism in social network development. Based on an experimental study and a separate longitudinal field study of a social network, I demonstrate that materialistic consumers are susceptible to a perceptual network fallacy (a mismatch between individuals’ perceptions of their social networks versus their actual social networks, as rated by others) over time. Results from the longitudinal field study demonstrate that materialistic individuals overestimated the number of friends they had in their social networks in two separate time periods. Further, materialistic individuals overestimated the growth of their social networks over time. A follow-up experimental study reveals that materialistic consumers overestimated the extent to which others desired to develop friendships with them. Using the latest social network analysis techniques, I demonstrate the unique advantages and disadvantages of occupying central positions in social networks

Collapse transition of a square-lattice polymer with next nearest-neighbor interaction

We study the collapse transition of a polymer on a square lattice with both nearest-neighbor and next nearest-neighbor interactions, by calculating the exact partition function zeros up to chain length 36. The transition behavior is much more pronounced than that of the model with nearest-neighbor interactions only. The crossover exponent and the transition temperature are estimated from the scaling behavior of the first zeros with increasing chain length. The results suggest that the model is of the same universality class as the usual theta point described by the model with only nearest-neighbor interaction.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Hard Decision Combining-based Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Systems

In this paper, we propose a hard decision combining-based cooperative spectrum sensing scheme to maximize the detection probability in cognitive radio systems. We maximize the detection probability by finding the optimum number of cooperating users for a given false alarm probability. To this end, we analytically derive a closed-form expression for the detection and false alarm probability in terms of the number of cooperating users. It is shown that the detection probability of cooperative sensing is maximized when the optimum number of users with good reporting channel condition and high interference to noise ratio are selected. The analytic results are verified by computer simulation.Seoul R&BS Progra

Channel Probing in the Uplink of OFDM-based Wireless Systems

In this paper, we consider a new channel probing scheme for opportunistic scheduling in the uplink of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based wireless systems. To reduce signaling overhead for the probing, we consider a twostep channel probing process; called pre-probing and mainprobing. Good subchannels are first estimated through the preprobing process using a probing signal transmitted through subcarriers spread out the whole bandwidth. Then, by sending a main-probing signal over only good subchannels, the proposed scheme can significantly reduce the probing signaling overhead without noticeable performance degradation compared to the full probing scheme. Finally, the performance of the proposed scheme is verified by computer simulation