Ribosomal protein L21 (RPL21) plays an important role in ribosome assembly. It is considered to be a major cause for the occurrence of the hypotrichosis simplex (HTS), a type of sustained hair loss from early childhood to adulthood. In this study, the full-length sequence of pig RPL21 gene (GenBank accession number: KU891824) was cloned and identified for the first time. We found it contains a 483-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 160 amino acids. It is located in the plus strand of chromosome 11, which spans 2,167 bp from 4,199,792 to 4,201,958. We found RPL21 expression level is closely related to cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest. In the knockdown group, the cell proliferation activity was significantly decreased (P<0.01) and an obvious accumulation of cells at the G2/M phase with a simultaneous up-regulation of p53 and p21 was observed. This likely due to knockdown of RPL21 triggered ribosomal stress, which affected the normal ribosome assembly and caused defective ribosome biogenesis. The unassembled RPs were released consequently from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm where they can activate p53-dependent cell-cycle responsive factors and led to a G2/M arrest. We expect these results may provide valid information for further study on the pig RPL21 gene and the cause of hypo trichosis simplex.

Prolonged communication between oocytes and the surrounding somatic cells is one of the unique reproductive physiology in canine. Paracrine Kit ligand (KITL) signaling is a well-known communication between granulosa cells and the oocyte. KITL is a cytokine growth factor secreted by granulosa cells that signals via the c-kit receptor expressed by oocytes. Paracrine factors, including growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), exert their effects by binding with the kinase receptors expressed on the granulosa cells. However, the regulations of GDF9 and BMP15 in the canine KITL expression are currently poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the effects of GDF9 and BMP15 on the expression of KITL in canine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro. In Annexin V assay recombinant GDF9 and BMP15 did not induce apoptosis in the cultured ovarian granulosa cells. When treated, FSH significantly increased KITL expression, and hCG suppressed its expression. When both FSH and hCG were treated, the expression of KITL was affected by GDF9 and BMP15 in dose and time dependent manner in the luteal granulosa cells. GDF9 (10 ng/mL) significantly decreased KITL expression after12 h. BMP15 (10 ng/mL) significantly also decreased KITL expression after 24 h. Western blot and immunochemistry results indicate that GDF9 activated Smad2/3. After blocking ALK 4/5/7 receptors by SB, GDF9 failed to activate Smad2/3, also BMP15 did not activate Smad1/5/8 after blocking ALK 2/3/6 receptors by DM. So GDF9 exerts its effects via using ALK 4/5/7 receptors to activate SMAD2/3 signaling, and BMP15 binds ALK 2/3/6 receptors to activate SMAD1/5/8 signaling. The expression of KITL was not changed by SB or DM treatment. However, the effect of GDF9 and BMP15, which decreased the expression of KITL, was suppressed by SB or DM treatment. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that recombinant GDF9 and BMP15 decrease KITL expression in canine ovarian granulosa cells.

The antioxidant activity of 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol (CM, 2:1, v/v) extracts from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) was investigated in this study. The antioxidant potential of various extracts of turmeric was evaluated by using different antioxidant tests, namely DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, ABTS [2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and β-carotene bleaching assays as well as total phenol content and total flavonoid content. All extracts exhibited abundant total phenol content, total flavonoid content and strong antioxidant activity. Particularly, higher activity was exhibited by CM extract with 46.32±0.35 mg CAE/g and 15.58±0.39 mg QE/g of total phenol content and total flavonoid content. Generally, antioxidant activity of various extracts from turmeric increased in the following order: 70% methanol extract, 70% ethanol extract and CM extract, respectively. Results suggested that turmeric could be widely used as a source of antioxidant and a kind of functional material in food.

Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), known as the ‘economic’ NATO Agreement dominated by the United States, will impose profound influence on the politics, economy, society and intellectual property system in China. There are deep-seated reasons why the US are extremely active to make TPP signed and why China is ruled out in the course of the negotiations. Since China has entered into the WTO, the domestic and international market is closely related, and TPP must have significant impact on China’s international market. With regard to the influence, China shall take efficient measures to cope with, including: dealing with issues appropriately regarding its economic sovereignty, based on its own situations, promoting of negotiations on free trade agreement, keeping on improving the hard and soft power in intellectual property, fully taking advantages of “the Belt and Road Strategy” and exploring new market; and getting ready for constant adaptation to TPP rules and the like.

In Hanoks which are Korean traditional houses, gudeuls (ondols) are more important than other elements. Recently, demand for Hanoks has been rapidly increasing thanks to the effects of Korean waves and rediscovery of traditions. This paper traced the process of development of gudeul construction technology to examine the definitions of terns and changes in the types of gudeuls and discussed the prospect of future gudeul construction technology.

Electronic Word of-Mouth (eWOM) helps consumers evaluate product quality and reduces decision risk without physical trials, and makes their purchase decision. More and more firms are embracing and applying eWOM marketing strategy as a complementary strategy for advertising to increase sales. However, little has been known regarding the mechanism underlying the eWOM effect on online consumer behavior and purchase decision. The paper is to examine the effect of eWOM to provide practitioners insightful guidance on service systems design and the allocation of firm resources to more effectively develop eWOM marketing strategies. This article seeks to shed light on eWOM effect from the empirical study. Consumers are increasingly using online consumer reviews to evaluate product quality. It is paramount for marketers to understand what makes online consumer reviews helpful to consumers and how this evaluation affects their decisions. Dual-process theory has been adopted in this study to investigate the factors and its links with consumers' purchase intention.This article examines how the electronic word of mouth (eWOM) information attitude (positive vs. negative), website's reputation, motivation to process information, consumer reviews, product evaluations, information quantity and source credibility contribute to the eWOM effect. The article also describes a study on the moderating role of the product type. The empirical study also examines the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on consumer consideration and choice of an product.The survey results from 652 participants of an online survey. The study consisted of an online survey that was conducted on a survey website in 2015. All measurement items were measured using 7-point Likert scales. In order to provide greater insight into the results, several iterations of factor and reliability analyses were undertaken to determine a reduced set of composite dimensions. Principal component analyses and reliability analyses were used to simplify and purify the factors by removing variables with less loadings. The proposed model was analyzed by using the maximum likelihood method (i.e., ML), with structural equations analyses (LISREL 8). This study highlights that consumers’ reliance on online user reviews to choose products is significantly influenced by the quantity of products available. This study also proposes a more robust hierarchical structure to model the interaction effect between online user reviews and product quantity. This article further studies the impact of eWOM across brand reputation websites on consumers’ purchasing decisions. In parallel with the eWOM available on the Internet, consumers are able to reach almost every piece of eWOM brand reputation relevant to their interested products. The effect of eWOM motivation may influence consumers’ search costs for product information and affect their final decisions.

The main purpose of the research is to examine how to evaluate good governance, capacity-building, marketing communication strategy, performance measures based on the empirical results. Related literature is reviewed for building the indicator of the research construct. The paper examines the global platform for interface marketing and management for the city context. Governance dimensions include antitrust, liability, consumer protection and intellections. Capability consists of transportation, manufacturing and communication facilities. Performance measures include economic performance and welfare indicators. The research employs the mail survey and interview research methods to collect data from 172 government officers. Good governance, capacity-building strategy, marketing communication strategy, performance measures were reviewed and provided an adequate model for improving policy performance. A city owns good governance and capacity-building, this can attract more business investment for maintaining unique characteristics and competitive advantages. A set of city marketing activities could be an effective policy instrument to achieve the goal of sustainability development and better performance for communicating city citizens. The research also applies the case study and questionnaire survey for examining the research issues empirically. Tainan and Kaohsiung City in Taiwan were selected for research subject for building the measurement indicators. The study tests the predictions of relationships by using mail survey data from chain store and franchise firms and employ structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the research questions. Results show that governance, capacity-building, citizen communication strategies are key factors in reinforcing cities performance. This research suggests the authority governance and capacity-building systems regularly. Meanwhile, the main issue is how to implement good governance, capacity-building, citizen communication strategy toward sustainability development and performance. This research suggests policy assessment, policy recommendation, policy alternatives and city marketing implications in the future. The study ends with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications.

Brand communities have been increasingly used by marketers to build brands. A brand community can be defined as a “…group of consumers with a shared enthusiasm for the brand and a well-developed social identity, whose members engage jointly in group actions to accomplish collective goals and/or express mutual sentiments and commitments” (Bagozzi and Dholakia, 2006, p. 45). Recent research on brand communities has begun to identify the importance of consumers’ psychological processes in regard to developing successful brand communities. Based on the flow theory from positive psychology, we propose that flow could be generated by brand community characteristics and plays an important role in influencing brand community members’ attitudes toward the brand. Specifically, we propose a model that identifies brand community characteristics (i.e., community cohesiveness and information quality) that produce flow experience and how the flow experience impacts brand identification and brand loyalty. Members from 31 automobile brand communities participated in this survey study, and 580 validated questionnaires were returned. Structural Equation Model was used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that community cohesiveness and information quality positively directly influence brand identification and also indirectly influence brand identification via flow. Flow also positively influences members’ brand identification and, subsequently, impacts brand loyalty. The results from our research contribute to the branding, brand community, and flow theory literature.

Consumers use their five senses to experience and evaluate products, especially visual sense. According to the previous psychological studies, they purpose that there are two opposite effects when consumer encounters a serial trail process. The two order effects are primacy effect and recency effect. When consumers are selecting items and considering which one is more favorable, they are starting to recall what experiences they just gone through. If they clearly recall what they firstly experienced than the following ones, the effect is primacy. Conversely, recency effect, which has the opposite direction, comes out when the data in the memories are decaying over the time. Despite of product presenting order, consumers rely on other cues before evaluating products. This study purposed that country of origin or so-called brand of origin is a critical determinant of making choice. Experiments were developed to test country of origin effect when participants sampled the item in a sequence. Other possible variables which affect choice were controlled in this study. The study examined order effects and the moderating effect of country of origin of sampling a sequence of products with similar visual cue and dissimilar visual cue on preference. The study used crystal glasses and let participants see them sequentially. The study aimed (a) to investigate the primacy effect and recency effect in the (dis)similar visual cue scenario, and (b) to investigate COO effect moderates the route between order effects and consumer preference. The study conducted four experimental studies. The data were collected from Taiwanese aged 22 in average. In the pretest, the study adopted one-way ANOVA to choose the experimental items and country of origin. The study also adopted one-sample T-test to examine participants’ preference orientation in the main test. The result showed that: 1. the appearance of the product did not affect preference, but order effects did have an impact on preference;2. primacy effect would be strengthened or weakened according to different country of origin labeling on the products. Participants mostly preferred the product from a relatively high image country no matter the item is presented firstly or secondly. Findings contribute to marketers to develop positive impression on certain products by the appropriate product display under the influence of country of origin effect.

This study examines when high tech firms are better off specializing in either exploration or exploitation learning strategy. Drawing on the organizational learning literature, we hypothesize that a firm’s imbalance between exploration and exploitation (or specialization strategy) has differential impacts on firm performance depending on its structural characteristics and external environment. A survey data of 180 high tech firms in China shows that firm age and scarcity of R&D resources moderate the relationship between specialization and business performance. Moreover, specialization strategy works better when competitive intensity is low.

We propose that while EMFs’ international diversification promotes new product performance, technological capability actually mediates the relationship between international diversification and new product performance. We further argue that focusing on more developed markets strengthens the positive effect of EMFs’ international diversification on their technological capability accumulated over the process of internationalization, whereas it weakens the impact of EMFs’ technological capability on their new product performance because EMFs have to compete with local and global firms in the more developed target countries. Analysis on Chinese manufacturers’ international efforts provides support for these hypotheses.

Technology-mediated communication is established as a key channel for firms to interact with consumers, who can choose between a rapidly expanding variety of devices types and interaction modes such as live-chats, video calls, voice-controlled virtual assistants, or online avatars. However, frustrated consumers report publicly about their negative experience and attribute their discontent to a lack of authenticity of the technology-mediated encounter. In technology-mediated contexts consumers often cannot relate to tangible products and observable behavior of a service employee to judge the authenticity of the encounter. Thus, it is unknown how consumers form their authenticity evaluation. We address this gap by exploring the concept of authenticity in technology-mediated consumer-firm interactions. Based on 41 qualitative in-depth interviews we provide a framework of consequences and antecedents of authenticity perception. Most importantly, we identify three different categories of cues from which consumers infer to judge the authenticity of an encounter: the interaction counterpart, the communication quality and the brand experience

This study addresses the influence of corruption on firm innovation in Chinese market. Using both the logit model and a fuzzy-set analytical approaches based on a new official sample of 2700 privately-owned and 148 state-owned firms over the period of 2011 to 2013, the study add further evidence to growing methodological consideration regarding complexity theory. The results show a significant negative effect of corruption on firm innovation, additional, firm sale and education and market have a positive bearing on innovation activity. However, the government ownership firms have a negative and significant effect on innovation. The findings have important implication for theory, practitioners and policy-making and shed light on a new perspective to focus on the long run effect of corruption.

We integrate institutional theory and the resource-based view of capability to examine the interplay of institutional environments and firm-specific capabilities on value-creating synergy by emerging market firms (EMFs). We argue that EMFs expand into countries with better-developed institutions as a means to overcome poor institutions at home. EMFs that develop strong absorptive capacity and knowledge transfer capability are better able to benefit from a portfolio of complementary sources of knowledge across multiple markets. We analyze data on a sample of manufacturing firms’ international expansion to demonstrate that expansion into a host country with a better-developed institutional environment promotes innovation success. This effect was found to be stronger for firms with strong absorptive capacity and well-developed knowledge transfer capability.

Luxun, whose works are well-received in Japan, is regarded as a ‘national author’. In 1909, Japanese print media for the first time reported such a ‘thought warrior’ and ‘literature master’. Since then, scholars studying Luxun has made their effort to advertise Luxun. Even up to now, it is fair enough to say as an ‘advocate’ of Chinese national culture, Luxun is still boasting of his radiance, because his works are as mellow as wine, leading readers to meaningful afterthoughts. It is found both in China and Japan that language textbooks of primary and secondary school are seen as a medium to learn about Luxun. Interpreting and teaching Luxun’s works can not only render people more capable of using language, but spread literature knowledge and enrich spiritual wold. Separated by the East China Sea, Japan published the first translated work written by Luxun in 1920s and his articles in Japanese language textbooks were also translated by famous indigenous writers or translators. There are two benefits when we take a look at how many articles written by Luxun are collected into Japanese language textbooks, explore the collecting background, interpret textbooks and analyze exercises about his articles. One is that we can have a clear understanding of the popularity and acceptance of ‘Luxun Spirit’ in Japanese basic education. The other is that we can draw some important lessons for our teaching about Luxun in middle school, and the teaching and study of ‘ China-Japan comparative literature’ for Japanese major students.

The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the proximate and nutritional compositions including mineral, vitamin, amino acids and fatty acids in Korean yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.). Carbohydrate (68.1%) possessed the large single constituent of yam. Small amounts of crude protein (16.9%), crude ash (5.8%) and crude fat (2.0%) contents were found. Yam was found to be good sources of essential minerals such as K (1295.5 mg/100 g), Mg (115.3 mg/100 g), Na (99.0 mg/100 g) and Ca (56.5 mg/100 g) but Zn (0.3 mg/100 g) content was low. Relatively abundant vitamin B1 (11.5 mg/100g) could be observed while vitamin A, B3 and B6 were not found. The amino acid analysis revealed that the yam was superior with respect to glutamic acid (1770.6 mg%), lysine (1210.6 mg%) and urea (550.9 mg%). Essential amino acids were calculated to be 2954.5 mg%. The amino acid profiles showed that yam to be limiting in valine and leusine. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid were the most predominant fatty acids with the value of 31.5% and 41.5%, respectively. And the polyunsaturated fatty acids including linoleic acid and linolenic acid were present in a large quantities in yam. And it also contained higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids compared saturated fatty acids.

As a solemn and serious uniform, military uniform can be differentiated easily from any other clothing in the aspects of color, material and style. Inspired by military uniform, fashion designers have been applying military uniform elements into modern fashion design in recent years, which helps to bring military uniform from the trench onto international fashion runway. The primary method of this research is theory analysis method and exampling study method. Based on the collected materials of modern military uniform, this paper takes the fashion and cultural study theory of the famous American scholar Susan B. Kaiser as the leading theory to analyze four subject positions embodied in military uniform, including nation, rank, gender and time and space. By analyzing the subject positions embodied in military uniform, it shows the rich cultural connotation of military uniform and the function of various small details. Meanwhile, by giving specific examples, this paper explores the influences of military uniform on modern fashion design in respect to color, style, material, pattern and accessory. Through the conduct of this research, it comes to the conclusion that military uniform also has the characteristics and properties described in the fashion and cultural theory of Susan B. Kaiser, in addition, designers can be inspired by every specific object around them, which shows the talents of designers.