• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2008

As managing customer relationship gets more important, companies are strengthening information service using multi-channels to their customers as a part of their customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives. It means companies are now accepting such information services not as simple information -delivering tools, but as strategic initiatives for acquiring and maintaining customer loyalty. In this paper, we attempt to validate whether or not such various information services would impact on organizational performance in terms of CRM strategy. More specifically, our research objective is to answer the next three questions: first, how to construct the instruments to measure not information quality but information service quality?; second, which attributes of information service quality can influence corporate image and customer loyalty?; finally, does each information service type have unique characteristics compared with others in terms of influencing corporate image and customer loyalty? With respect to providing answers to those questions, the previous studies had been limited in that those studies failed to consider the variety of types of information service or restricted the quality of information service to information quality. An appropriate research model answering the above questions should consider the fact that most companies are utilizing multi channels for their information services, and include the recent strategic information service such as customer online community. Moreover, since corporate information service could be regarded as a type of products or services delivered to customer, it is necessary to adopt the criteria for assessing customer's perceived value when to measure the quality of information service. Therefore, considering both multi-channels and multi-traits may enable us to tell the detailed causal routes showing which quality attributes of which information service would affect corporate image and customer loyalty. As information service channels, we include not only homepage and DM (direct mail), which are the most frequently applied information service channels, but also online community, which is getting more strategic importance in recent years. With respect to information service quality, we abstract information quality, convenience of information service, and timeliness of information service through a wide range of relevant literature reviews. As our dependant variables, we consider corporate image and customer loyalty that both of them are the critical determinants of organizational performance, and also attempt to grasp the relationship between the two constructs. We conducted a huge online survey at the homepage of one of representative dairy companies in Korea, and gathered 367 valid samples from 407 customers. The reliability and validity of our measurements were tested by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and principal factor analysis respectively, and seven hypotheses were tested through performing correlation test and multiple regression analysis. The results from data analysis demonstrated that timeliness and convenience of homepage have positive effects on both corporate image and customer loyalty. In terms of DM, its' information quality was represented to influence both corporate image and customer loyalty, but we found its' convenience have a positive effect only on corporate image. With respect to online community, we found its timeliness contribute significantly both to corporate image and customer loyalty. Finally, as we expected, corporate image was revealed to provide a great influence to customer loyalty. This paper provides several academic and practical implications. Firstly, we think our research reinforces CRM literatures by developing the instruments for measuring information service quality. The previous relevant studies have mainly depended on the measurements of information quality or service quality which were developed independently. Secondly, the fact that we conducted our research in a real situation may enable academics and practitioners to understand the effects of information services more clearly. Finally, since our study involved three different types of information service which are most frequently applied in recent years, the results from our study might provide operational guidelines to the companies that are delivering their customers information by multi-channel. In other words, since we found that, in terms of customer loyalty, the key areas would be different from each other according to the types of information services, our analysis would help to make decisions such as selecting strengthening points or allocating resources by information service channels.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.427-436
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• 2004

The current study was conducted to determine the effect of suspension method on satisfaction level of Korean consumers and objective meat quality traits in Hanwoo longissimus dorsi(LD), triceps brachii(TB) and semimembranosus(SM) muscles. Eighteen Hanwoo steers were slaughtered and alternative sides were hung either by pelvic bone(TS) or Achilles tendon(Al). Sensory characteristics, WB-shear force, sarcomere length, water-holding capacity, saroomere length and cooking loss were determined after a 7-d chiller ageing. Higher carcass quality grade received significantly(p < 0.05) greater eating quality for LD, but the grade did not affect eating quality for both TB and SM. TS did not influence objective and subjective meat quality for TB, but that significantly(P < 0.05) improved eating quality for LD and SM. The most noticeable result was that when SM was tenderstretehed, eating quality was equivalent to that of nonna1ly hung LD. In relationship between objective and subjective meat quality assessments, eating qualty for LD had a significant(P < 0.05) relationship with intramuscular fat content, while that for SM was greatly(P < 0.05) related to saroomere length. The current study indicated that pelvic hanging was an effective way to improve eating quality both LD and SM, and carcass quality grades did not greatly reflect eating quality of SM and TB. The data also implied that instnunental measurements poorly estimated the satisfaction level of Korean conswners.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.1059-1066
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary sulfur (S) and vitamin E (Vit E) supplementation on the quality of beef from longissimus muscle of Hanwoo bulls. Eleven, 29 months-aged Hanwoo bulls were randomly divided into three feed supplementation groups (S (n = 4), Vit E (n = 4) and S+Vit E (n = 3)). S was given as much as 12 g/head/d and Vit E was given as much as 1,200 IU/head/d; both supplements were given for 3 months prior to slaughter. At 24 h post-slaughter, the carcasses were weighed and evaluated by official grader for carcass traits. At 48 h post-slaughter, the M. longissimus from each carcass was collected and stored at $4{\pm}0.2^{\circ}C$ for 10 days. There were no significant differences in yield and quality grades of carcass and proximate composition, physical properties and aroma pattern of meat among all groups. At 5 days of storage, the TBARS value of meat from cattle with S+Vit E supplementation was significantly lower (p<0.05) than other groups; and at 10 days of storage, the TBARS value of meat from cattle with Vit E and S+Vit E supplementations was significantly lower (p<0.05) than from cattle with S supplementation. At 5 days of storage, MetMb concentration of meat from cattle with S+Vit E supplementation was significantly lower (p<0.05) than from cattle with Vit E supplementation; and at 10 days of storage, MetMb concentration of meat from cattle with S+Vit E supplementation was significantly lower (p<0.05) than from other groups. At 10 days of storage, the redness value of meat from cattle with S supplementation was significantly higher (p<0.05) than from cattle with Vit E supplementation and the hue-angle value of meat from cattle with S and S+Vit E supplementations was significantly lower (p<0.05) than from cattle with Vit E supplementation. Dietary Vit E supplementation had a better effect on lipid stability whereas dietary S supplementation had a better effect on OxyMb stability. The dietary combination of S and Vit E created the highest protection for beef from myoglobin oxidation and thus improved the color stability of meat.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2015

Cryopreservation of boar semen is continually researched in reproductive technologies and genetic resource banking in breed conservation. For evaluating the boar semen quality, sperm motility (MOT) is an important parameter because the movement of spermatozoa indicates active metabolism, membrane integrity and fertilizing capacity. Various researches have been trying to improve the quality of semen post-thawed in boar. Recently, polymorphism (g.358A>T) of cluster-of-differentiation antigen 9 (CD9) gene reported to be significant association with MOT. Also, CD9 gene was expressed in the male germ line stem cells is crucial for sperm-egg fusion, and was therefore selected as candidate gene for boar semen. This study was conducted to evaluate the pig SNP (g.358A>T) of CD9 gene as a positional controlling for semen parameters of post-thawed boar semen. To results, the g.358A>T SNP of the CD9 gene was significantly associated with the traits such as MOT, curve linear velocity, straight line velocity, average path velocity and amplitude of lateral head displacement. Particularly, the g.358A>T SNP significantly has the highest association with MOT and animals with AA genotype (p<0.001). Therefore, we suggest that the g.358A>T in the intron 6 region of the porcine CD9 may be used as a molecular marker for Duroc boar Post-thawed semen quality, although its functional effect was not defined yet.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.539-545
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to locate the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with quality properties in the recombinant inbred lines derived from the 'Milyang 23' and 'Gihobyeo' cross. Four quality-related traits; protein content, amylose content, fat acid content and sensory value were measured. Eight QTLs for protein content were detected on chromosomes 1 (two loci), 3, 6, 7 and 8 (three loci), each accounting for $6.0\%\~15.2\%$ of the phenotypic variation. Three QTLs for amylose content were detected on chromosomes 6 and 7 (two loci), each explaining from $7.3\%\;to\;24.4\%$ of the phenotypic variation. Six QTLs for fat acid content were detected on chromosomes 2 (two loci), 3, 6 (two loci) and 7, each explaining form $5.5\%\;to\;14.0\%$ of the phenotypic variation. Six QTLs for sensory value were detected on chromosomes 2, 6, 7(two loci) and 8 (two loci), each accounting for $5.5\%\~10.3\%$ of the phenotypic variation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1195-1201
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• 2009

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary alpha-lipoic acid (LA) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in Arbor Acres broilers. A total of 240 1-d-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments (0, 300 ppm, 600 ppm, and 900 ppm dietary LA supplementation, respectively). Birds were slaughtered at 42 days old. Live body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), average feed intake (AFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), dressing percentage, breast muscle percentage, thigh muscle percentage, abdominal fat percentage, muscle color (L*, a*, b*), pH values at 24 h postmortem, meat shear force value (SFV) and anti-oxidative ability were measured. Results showed that addition of 600 ppm or 900 ppm LA decreased BW (p<0.01), ADG (p<0.01) and AFI (p<0.05) compared with other diets. FCR was not affected by dietary LA content. LA had no marked effect on dressing percentage, breast muscle percentage or thigh muscle percentage. Abdominal fat percentage was lower (p<0.05) in the 900 ppm LA supplementation group than the control group. Dietary 900 ppm LA increased (p<0.05) breast and thigh muscle pH value at 24 h postmortem compared with the control treatment. Dietary LA increased thigh muscle a* value, though no significant difference was found in thigh muscle a* value among the treatments. Dietary LA significantly decreased breast muscle L* value (p<0.05), breast muscle b* value (p<0.01) and thigh muscle b* value (p<0.05). Broilers fed LA had higher breast muscle a* value (p<0.05) and thigh muscle L* value (p<0.05). All test groups had lower (p<0.05) breast muscle SFV than the control group. Dietary 600 ppm or 900 ppm LA both decreased (p<0.01) thigh muscle SFV compared with the control treatment. Dietary 900 ppm LA significantly increased (p<0.05) TAOC, SOD and GSHPx compared with no LA treatment. Broilers fed LA had lower (p<0.01) MDA compared with the control treatment. These results suggested that dietary LA enhanced the anti-oxidative ability and oxidative stability, and contributed to the improvement of meat quality in broilers.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.314-319
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• 2007

The aims of this work were to compare the effects of dehairing methods and sex on pork quality and cold storage stability. For this study, one half of40 pigs were dehaired by scalding in the same abattoir, and the other half by dehiding. Each treatment consisted of one half gilts and one half castrated male pigs. Meat quality traits were measured at 24 hr after slaughter, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA), metmyoglobin contents and total plate counts (TPC) were evaluated at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days of cold storage. The carcass weight and backfat thickness of pigs dehaired by scalding were significantly higher than those dehided (p<0.05). Compared to scalded carcasses, dehided carcasses had a lower longissimus dorsi muscle temperature (p<0.05). Furthermore, dehided carcasses had significantly lower drip loss than scalded carcasses (p<0.05). However, meat color parameters were not affected by the dehairing method. During cold storage, TBA values of scalded carcasses were slightly higher initially, whereas the dehided carcasses had higher TBA values at 21 days (p<0.05). The total plate counts (TPC) associated with scalding and dehiding treatment were not significantly different at any point during cold storage. The TPC exponentially increased in both scalded and dehided carcasses from 7 to 14 days of cold storage.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1553-1558
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of stocking density or group size on feed intake, daily gain, and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo (Korean indigenous breed) steers reared from 7 months to 31 months of age. Thirty Hanwoo steers were divided into four groups with three replicates each (a total of 12 pens). In each group, one (G1), two (G2), three (G3), and four steers (G4) per pen were allocated as treatments. Pen size was $32.0m^2$, and therefore Hanwoo steers in G1, G2, G3, and G4 were reared under different space allowances, i.e. 32.0, 16.0, 10.6, and $8.0m^2$/steer, respectively. Steers were reared following a conventional beef cattle management method in Korea, and were offered a fixed amount of commercial concentrate with ad libitum forages. Results were subjected to analysis of variance with stocking density as the main effect, and significance was declared at p<0.05. Although total feed intake was not significantly altered, it numerically increased in animals of low stocking density (G1) compared to those subjected to high stocking density treatment (i.e. G4). Feed conversion ratio was higher (p<0.05) in G3 compared to G1 and G2. Animals in G1 (low stocking density) grew faster (p<0.05) than those of high stocking density (G3 and G4). Back fat thickness, meat yield index, and meat yield grade were similar among all levels of stocking density. However, longissimus muscle area was larger in G1 and G2 (p<0.01) compared to G3 and G4, and animals in G3 produced smaller carcasses (p<0.05). Carcass quality traits, including marbling score, meat color, fat color, texture, maturity and meat quality grade, as determined by a group of experts, were not significantly different among the treatments. In conclusion, lower stocking density resulted in increased feed efficiency, daily gain, and carcass weight in Hanwoo steers. However it remains unclear whether such differences are the results of stocking density or group size, or a combination of both. Nonetheless, these results confirm previous studies reporting a negative effect of increased stocking density on animal productivity. Further, animal welfare under an intensive farming system in relation to economical return is discussed.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.227-236
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary lycopene supplementation on meat quality in Longissimus Muscle of Korean native pigs. Meat samples were obtained from pigs which had been fed with finishing pig diets containing basal diets(C), 200 ppm lycopene (T1), 400 ppm lycopene (T2), and 800 ppm lycopene(T3). Longissimus muslce pH was not influenced by feeding lycopene. Total microbial counts of treatments were significantly lower than those of control at 0 day of storage (p<0.05). Counts of lactic acid bacteria and coliform of T2 and T3 were significantly lower than those of control and T1 at 0 day of storage(p<0.05). Regardless of packaging, microbial counts increased as the storage period increased(p<0.05). While water-holding capacity (WHC) values of the treatments were lower than those of control, cooking losses values of treatments were higher than those of control (p<0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that Korean native pigs fed lycopene supplemented diets affect the microbial counts and meat quality (volatile basic nitrogen, WHC and cooking loss) compared with conventional ones. These results may show a fundamental data on production of Korean native pork.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2016

This study was performed to investigate the role of pH and temperature postmortem, and to demonstrate the importance of these factors in determining meat quality. Postmortem pH_45min (pH at 45 min postmortem or initial pH) via analysis of Pearson’s correlation showed high positive correlation with pH change pH_c24 (pH change from pH_45min to pH_24h postmortem). However, postmortem pH after 24 h (pH_24h or ultimate pH) had a high negative correlation with pH change, pH_c24, CIE L*, and protein content. Initial temperature postmortem (T_1h ) was positively associated with a change in temperature from 45 min to 24 h postmortem (T_c24) and cooking loss, but negatively correlated with water holding capacity. Temperature at 24 h postmortem (T_24h) was negatively associated with T_c24. Collectively, these results indicate that higher initial pH was associated with higher pH_c24, T_1h, and T_c24. However, higher initial pH was associated with a reduction in carcass weight, backfat thickness, CIE a* and b*, water holding capacity, collagen and fat content, drip loss, and cooking loss as well as decreased shear force. In contrast, CIE a* and b*, drip loss, cooking loss, and shear force in higher ultimate pH was showed by a similar pattern to higher initial pH, whereas pH_c24, carcass weight, backfat thickness, water holding capacity, fat content, moisture content, protein content, T_1h, T_24h, and T_c24 were exhibited by completely differential patterns (p<0.05). Therefore, we suggest that initial pH, ultimate pH, and temperatures postmortem are important factors in determining the meat quality of pork.