National Chung Hsing University

About: National Chung Hsing University is a education organization based out in Taichung, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Thin film. The organization has 19443 authors who have published 24060 publications receiving 540154 citations. The organization is also known as: NCHU.

Intron-mediated alternative splicing of Arabidopsis P5CS1 and its association with natural variation in proline and climate adaptation

Abstract: Drought-induced proline accumulation is widely observed in plants but its regulation and adaptive value are not as well understood. Proline accumulation of the Arabidopsis accession Shakdara (Sha) was threefold less than that of Landsberg erecta (Ler) and quantitative trait loci mapping identified a reduced function allele of the proline synthesis enzyme Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase1 (P5CS1) as a basis for the lower proline of Sha. Sha P5CS1 had additional TA repeats in intron 2 and a G-to-T transversion in intron 3 that were sufficient to promote alternative splicing and production of a nonfunctional transcript lacking exon 3 (exon 3-skip P5CS1). In Sha, and additional accessions with the same intron polymorphisms, the nonfunctional exon 3-skip P5CS1 splice variant constituted as much as half of the total P5CS1 transcript. In a larger panel of Arabidopsis accessions, low water potential-induced proline accumulation varied by 10-fold and variable production of exon 3-skip P5CS1 among accessions was an important, but not the sole, factor underlying variation in proline accumulation. Population genetic analyses suggest that P5CS1 may have evolved under positive selection, and more extensive correlation of exon 3-skip P5CS1 production than proline abundance with climate conditions of natural accessions also suggest a role of P5CS1 in local adaptation to the environment. These data identify a unique source of alternative splicing in plants, demonstrate a role of exon 3-skip P5CS1 in natural variation of proline metabolism, and suggest an association of P5CS1 and its alternative splicing with environmental adaptation.

Female online shoppers: Examining the mediating roles of e-satisfaction and e-trust on e-loyalty development

Abstract: Purpose – As the number of female customers shopping in online clothing stores increases, understanding how female customers’ e-loyalty is formed and fostered in this type of online store becomes very pivotal. Yet, despite its importance, little research has been done on this issue. The purpose of this paper is to focus on female online clothing shoppers and aim to examine the mediators of e-loyalty in the context of online clothing stores: e-satisfaction and e-trust. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 482 subjects who are female and have online clothing store shopping experience in Taiwan were obtained and structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the measurement and structural models. Findings – The results show that both perceived online privacy and security are positively associated with e-trust, whereas web design is not. Furthermore, perceived delivery time and web site design are positively associated with e-satisfaction. Both e-trust and e-satisfaction in turn positively influenc...