• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.149-176
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• 2009

In the recent e-learning environment, avatars are often used to help learners get familiar with the contents, which is ultimately to motivate them to study more. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether avatars have actually the desirable effect on users of e-learning materials. Surprisingly, however, no extensive study has been conducted on this crucial issue Accordingly, main objectives this study are summarized as follows. First, we need to gain better understanding of how much learners' trust towards avatars (termed as "avatar trust") is transferred to learners' trust towards e-learning contents (termed as "contents trust"). Second, we need to investigate how much learners' personal relationships with avatars as well as learning behaviors change depending on avatar types (attractive vs. professional) and contents complexity (easy vs. difficult). As described in the study objectives, in order for us to analyze empirical data more systematically, we classified avatar types into two: "attractive" and "professional;" the contents are categorized as either "easy" or "difficult." Therefore, it is essential for this study to build a prototype e-learning website on which our research purpose can be realized and tested effectively with proper avatar types and e-learning contents. For this purpose, we built a prototype e-learning website, in which avatars are invited from currently working avatar instructors used in real-world e-learning websites, and e-learning contents are adapted from real-world contents about Java programming topic, which have been proved to have shown high quality and reliability. Our research method includes questionnaire survey by inviting a number of valid respondents comprised of office workers who are believed to have high demands for the e-learning contents as well as those who have previous experience with avatar instructors. Respondents were given one of the four e-learning experiment conditions (2 avatar types x 2 contents types) on a random basis. Each experimental e-learning condition is framed to have the same quality but different avatar type and content complexity. Then the respondents are asked to fill out the survey form which has questions about avatar trust, contents trust, personal relationships with avatar, and learning behavior, among others. Regarding the constructs used in research model, we based them rigorously on previous studies. For example, we used six constructs such as behavior to give information (BGI), behavior to obtain information (BOI), need for inclusion wanted, need for control wanted, contents trust, and avatar trust. To measure them, 7-Likert scales were used in the questionnaire. E-learning performance was measured indirectly through two constructs such as BGI and BOI. Six constructs used in the research model were adopted and revised from the FIRO-B model suggested by Schutz. Empirical results are as follows: First, professional avatars are more effective for difficult contents, while attractive avatars were not as effective for easy contents. Second, our study results ascertained that avatar trust transfers to contents trust regardless of avatar types and contents complexity.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.38
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• pp.29-63
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• 2015

This paper attempts to re-read Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire from a non-Aristotelian perspective, particularly focusing on the audience performativity. In Chapter 6 of the Poetics, Aristotle says that tragedy has a final purpose or end (telos) and that is to inspire a catharsis (literally "purification") of pity and fear by means of representation and to give pleasure from experiencing their relief. However, a dramatic theoretician Augusto Boal argues that Aristotelian catharsis is not to get rid of pity and fear through their vehement discharge; rather, the basic function of catharsis is the purging of antisocial elements from the social body and the restoration of order because catharsis occurs when the spectator, terrified by the spectacle of the catastrophe, is purified of his "hamartia" which looks similar to the tragic flaw of the hero in the play. Thus, Boal asserts that Aristotle's coercive system of tragedy manipulates the emotions of the passive spectator. By contrast, in non-Aristotelian aesthetics, tragedy functions not as legitimation for a particular political configuration but as the performance of ethical acts-through which all the participants, including not only the actors but also the audience, communicate more actively about practical problems and actively work in order to make sense of themselves, others, and society. Here, the audience is required to restore and reinforce his/her capacity to think and to act; thus, an unquestioning, passive, indifferent attitude is not allowed. In these contexts, this paper explores how Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire involves the audience in the responsibility for what occurs on the stage, in order to urge the audience's ethical judgements and responsible acts. This paper argues that what this play asks of us is not catharsis, the purging of pity and fear, but empathy toward the other's pain, beyond pity and fear, to carry out our responsibility of sharing in and caring for the other's suffering. That is to say that it will be an ethical way to "re-member" Blanche DuBoi-the iconic Williams victim "dis-membered" by traumatic memories and open wounds and is thus unable to complete her grieving and mourning-as one of us, not as the other. It will be the only way to remember right regarding her tragedy.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.26-35
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• 2023

Generally, solvent-type coatings generate a large amount of volatile organic chemicals(VOC), which are carcinogenic substances, in the manufacturing process, and their use is regulated due to environmental problems. There is also the problem of resource depletion due to limited fossil fuels. Therefore, in this study, UV-curable urethane acrylate oligomers were synthesized with different contents of isosorbide, which is a biomass material, and proceeded to evaluate the physical properties of coatings. As the isosorbide contents increased, the viscosity, glass transition temperature, tensile strength, stain resistance, and pencil hardness increased, but elongation and flexibility decreased, and BOI-3 showed the best adhesion. The isosorbide content of the oligomer fixed at 20%, UV-curable urethane acrylate oligomer was synthesized according to the content ratio of polycaprolactone diol(PCL) and Ecoprol H1000(Ecoprol). As the PCL/Ecoprol content ratio increased, the glass transition temperature, elongation, and flexibility increased, but the tensile strength and pencil hardness decreased. It was confirmed that the adhesion and stain resistance increased by improving the surface bonding strength of PCL. All films of oligomers synthesized were transparent without discoloration.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.259-261
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• 2003

The nsdD gene has been predicted to encode a GATA type transcription factor with the type IVb zinc finger DNA binding domain functions in activating sexual development of A. nidulans. In several allelic mutants of nsdD producing truncated NsdD polypeptides lacking the C-terminal zinc finger, the transcription level of nsdD gene was greatly increased. Also in an over-expressed mutant, the transcription under its own promoter was reduced. These results suggest that the expression of nsdD is negatively autoregulated. When the nsdD gene was over-expressed, cleistothecia were formed in excess amounts even in the presence of 0.6 M KC1 that inhibited sexual development of the wild type. Northern blot analysis revealed that the expression of nsdD was repressed by 0.6 M KC1. These results strongly suggest that the inhibition of sexual development by salts was carried out via the nsdD involved regulatory network.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2006

To develop transgenic birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) plants tolerant to environmental stress, Arabidopsis NDPK gene (AtNDPK) was introduced into birdsfoot trefoil plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and expressed powerfully under the control of the E35S promoter. The expression vector, pEN-K was used for introduction of AtNDPK gene into birdsfoot trefoil plaits. The transformed calli were selected on kanamycin containing medium and then regenerated. The transformed birdsfoot trefoil plants were cultivated for 4 months on BOi2Y medium. Genomic DNA PCR and Southern blot analysis confirmed the incorporation of AtNDPK into the birdsfoot trefoil genome.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2020

This work examined the corrosion protection performance of benzoate loaded hydrotalcite/graphene oxide (HT/GO-BZ) for carbon steel. HT/GO-BZ was fabricated by the co-precipitation method and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electronic microscopy. The corrosion inhibition action of HT/GO-BZ on carbon steel in 0.1 M NaCl solution was evaluated by electrochemical measurements. The benzoate content in HT/GO-BZ was determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Subsequently, the effect of HT/GO-BZ on the corrosion resistance of the water-based epoxy coating was investigated by the salt spray test. The obtained results demonstrated the intercalation of benzoate and GO in the hydrotalcite structure. The benzoate content in HT/GO-BZ was about 16%. The polarization curves of the carbon steel electrode revealed anodic corrosion inhibition activity of HT/GO-BZ and the inhibition efficiency was about 95.2% at a concentration of 3g/L. The GO present in HT/GO-BZ enhanced the inhibition effect of HT-BZ. The presence of HT/GO-BZ improved the corrosion resistance of the waterborne epoxy coating.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.33-43
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to assess the greening of investment flows as well as the orientation of financial sources of effective environmental protection. Both India and Vietnam are considered to be two Asian countries that are radically affected by global climate change. Governments of the two countries have implimented numerous measures against environmental pollution through the banking and finance sector. Developing green banking operations in India and Vietnam is a new direction in the socio-economic development strategy coupled with effective environmental protection. Research design, data and methodology: The data was mainly based on Asia Development Bank Institution (ADBI) and Bank of India (BOI) from 2015 - 2018. This paper focused on comparing and evaluating the development of green banks between the two countries. Result: The banks' contribution to green growth and green economy is shown in two basic aspects: (i) the connection between organizations, and individuals, and management process for investment projects, including environmental risks; and (ii) the operation of banks has a direct impact on the environment, through the application of technology to pay documents and apply e-banking. Conclusion: Paper reflects, compares and evaluates green banking operations in India and Vietnam to provide new directions aiming to develop financial and economic system along with effective and efficient step toward climate change control. India's green banking operations, after a specific assessment, will be lessons for the Government of Vietnam during the process of socio-economic development and environmental protection.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-43
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• 2014

1905년에 시작된 베트남 동유운동의 목적은 베트남의 젊은이들을 일본에서 공부시켜 독립과 근대화를 이끌 인재를 양성하는 것이었다. 그러나 1908년 일본 정부의 강제 출국 조치로 인해 동유운동이 중단됨으로써 목표했던 바를 이루는 데 실패한 것으로 평가되고 있다. 하지만 다른 시각에서 본다면 200여 명의 베트남 학생들이 수년간 유학을 한 결과가 어떠한 형태로든 베트남 근대사에 족적을 남겼을 것이라고 추측하는 것도 가능하다. 그간의 연구는 동유운동을 주도했던 판보이쩌우(Phan Bội $Ch{\hat{a}}u$)에 집중함으로써 학생들의 면면에 대해서는 크게 알려진 바가 없다. 이 연구는 당시 일본으로 유학했던 학생들에게 초점을 두어 그들이 누구인지 무엇을 공부했는지, 또한 당시 사회주의 사상 전파의 중심이었으며 아시아 각국의 혁명가들이 집결해있던 동경에서 학생들은 어떤 영향을 받고 어떻게 연계되었는지에 대해서 살펴보았다. 학생들 대부분은 동아동문서원이라는 중국인 유학생 예비학교의 특별반에서 일본어와 기초적인 초등교육 과목을 이수하는 데 그쳤고 단 세 명의 학생만이 군사예비학교인 진무학교를 졸업할 수 있었다. 즉 고등교육을 받은 학생은 전무했던 것이다. 강제 출국되기까지 그 기간이 짧았던 것이 가장 큰 원인임에 분명하지만 한편으로는 동유운동 자체가 철저히 준비되고 계획되지 않았던 점도 실패의 주요 원인으로 꼽을 수 있다. 특히 학생 선발에 대한 규정 없이 기본적으로 누구든지 수용함으로써 학생들의 절대다수가 10대 초중반이 되는 결과를 낳았다. 이는 독립과 혁명을 위한 인재 양성이라는 취지와 관계없이 다수의 학부모들이 동유운동을 단순히 자녀교육의 수단으로 이용했기 때문이다. 또한 이들을 입학시킬 학교 섭외조차 되지 않았고, 그 결과 전적으로 일본 내 조력자들의 호의에 의지해 동아동문서원에 설치된 베트남 학생들만을 위한 특별반에 만족해야 했다. 따라서 대부분의 베트남 학생들은 일본에서 공부했지만 실제로는 고립된 상태에서 외부세계를 경험할 수 없었고, 그렇다 하더라도 당시의 혁명적 사상을 이해하거나 수용하기에는 부족한 나이였다. 요컨대 동유운동의 실패는 그 기간이 짧았기 때문만이 아니라 그 짧은 기간 내에서도 교육의 질적 수준이 낮았다는 데에서도 그 원인을 찾을 수 있다. 일본에 유학했던 베트남 학생들의 전체 명단은 현재 실종된 것으로 보이며 다만 산발적인 정보를 종합하여 약 20여 명에 관한 성명과 간단한 정보를 파악할 수 있었다. 이 정보와 더불어 추후 더 많은 기록이 발굴된다면 베트남 현대사에서 그들의 이름이 등장하는지 다시 한 번 확인하고 재평가할 수 있을 것이다.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to clarify the impacts of acquisition parameters on artifacts in four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) images, such as the partial volume effect (PVE), partial projection effect (PPE), and mis-matching of initial motion phases between adjacent beds (MMimph) in cine mode scanning. A thoracic phantom and two cylindrical phantoms (2 cm diameter and heights of 0.5 cm for No.1 and 10 cm for No.2) were scanned using 4D CT. For the thoracic phantom, acquisition was started automatically in the first scan with 5 sec and 8 sec of gantry rotation, thereby allowing a different phase at the initial projection of each bed. In the second scan, the initial projection at each bed was manually synchronized with the inhalation phase to minimize the MMimph. The third scan was intentionally un-synchronized with the inhalation phase. In the cylindrical phantom scan, one bed (2 cm) and three beds (6 cm) were used for 2 and 6 sec motion periods. Measured target volume to true volume ratios (MsTrueV) were computed. The relationships among MMimph, MsTrueV, and velocity were investigated. In the thoracic phantom, shorter gantry rotation provided more precise volume and was highly correlated with velocity when MMimph was minimal. MMimph reduced the correlation. For moving cylinder No. 1, MsTrueV was correlated with velocity, but the larger MMimph for 2 sec of motion removed the correlation. The volume of No. 2 was similar to the static volume due to the small PVE, PPE, and MMimph. Smaller target velocity and faster gantry rotation resulted in a more accurate volume description. The MMimph was the main parameter weakening the correlation between MsTrueV and velocity. Without reducing the MMimph, controlling target velocity and gantry rotation will not guarantee accurate image presentation given current 4D CT technology.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 1995

The study made an observation on periodicity of oviposition, and the effects of nutrient and salinity in egg un larval development of Aedes togoi, and the results are summarized as follows: The 53.9% mosquitoes of one feeding laid eggs once, 26.9% laid hice and 19.2% laid three times. Autogenous rate of Aedes togoi reared in three different nutrient groups in larval stage was 6.9% in 0.8 mg/larva, 22.5% in 1.6 mg/larva and 44.4% in 2.4 mg/larva. The oviposition rate according to different salinity of the oviposition sites (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 4.0%) was 25.2% in distilled water, 36.2% in 0.5% salinity 23.5% in 1.0% salinity and 14.6% in 2.0% salinity. Developing period of the aquatic stage of male Aedes toBoi in $25^{\circ}C$ were shorter (10.73 days) than females (11.85 days). The most effective concentration of salinity for the developing period was 1.0% which took 9.25 days in males and 10.44 days in females. In the developmental status of the follicles according to nutrition in the larval stage, the numbers of follicles of groups fed 0.8 mg, 1.6 mg and 2.4 mg per larva were 180.7, 197.% and 202 respectively. The result of ovary dissection on the 1 with day after emergence, three different nutrition groups were in Christopher's stage IIa mostly; each 71.0%, 61.1% and 39.9% of the total follicles and autogenous females observed.