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• 31. [Article] The effect of reputation systems and on-line chat services on consumers' responses towards unfamiliar retailers

  Creating effective functions in website designs that reduce consumers' anxiety in shopping online is a challenge common to most e-retailers. The present study investigated the roles of online reputation ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The effect of reputation systems and on-line chat services on consumers' responses towards unfamiliar retailers Author: Zhang, Ruirui Creating effective functions in website designs that reduce consumers' anxiety in shopping online is a challenge common to most e-retailers. The present study investigated the roles of online reputation systems and instant chat services in decreasing customer perceived risk and increasing initial trust in unfamiliar e-retailers. Therefore, the reputation system when coupled with live chat service may be an effective external mechanism for providing potential consumers with critical decision making information. The present research focused on examining the respective value of live chat services and reputation systems in reducing potential consumers' perceived risk and simultaneously increasing their initial trust towards an unfamiliar e-retailer. The present research tested an e-retailing trust model based on the consumer decision making process. The model incorporated the following variables: (1) live chat service, and (2) reputation system, and explanatory variables: (1) perceived risk and (2) an initial trust. Customer prediction of purchasing is the response variable. The moderating role of interdependent and independent self-construal on online consumers’ behavior was also examined. Based on the review of literature, the following hypotheses were developed: (H1) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is positive, perceived risk will decrease. (H2) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere presence of a live chat feature will decrease perceived risk. (H3) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is viewed as negative, perceived risk will increase. (H4) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will very as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere absence of a live chat feature will result in an increase in perceived risk. (H5) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the live chat function in the e-retailing website. (H6) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the evaluation system presented in the website. (H7) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the customers' perceived risk. (H8) Purchase intention will be influenced by the customers' initial trust. (H9) There is no interaction effect between the perceived risk and initial trust. (H10) Self-construal will moderate the effects on initial trust and perceived risk. A two by two factorial between-subjects experiment was conducted using a mock retail website design to examine the effect of reputation system and live chat service on customers. The findings demonstrated that the evaluation system significantly influences customers' perceived risk and initial trust, and directly influences customers' purchase intention. Perceived risk and initial trust influence customers' purchase intention independently. For future marketing implications, this research suggests that positive customer reviews, transaction history or other evaluation details in the web presentation is crucial for a starting e-retailer. Although there is no significant direct effect of self-construal on the perceived risk and initial trust, this research demonstrated that female and male have different self-construal and self-construal can be a good mediator to observe its effects on the customers' attitude and behavior. Furthermore, customers' initial trust and perceived risk determine their behavior separately which indicates that customers' initial trust increase doesn’t mean their perceived risk will decrease. Title: The effect of reputation systems and on-line chat services on consumers' responses towards unfamiliar retailers Author: Zhang, Ruirui Creating effective functions in website designs that reduce consumers' anxiety in shopping online is a challenge common to most e-retailers. The present study investigated the roles of online reputation systems and instant chat services in decreasing customer perceived risk and increasing initial trust in unfamiliar e-retailers. Therefore, the reputation system when coupled with live chat service may be an effective external mechanism for providing potential consumers with critical decision making information. The present research focused on examining the respective value of live chat services and reputation systems in reducing potential consumers' perceived risk and simultaneously increasing their initial trust towards an unfamiliar e-retailer. The present research tested an e-retailing trust model based on the consumer decision making process. The model incorporated the following variables: (1) live chat service, and (2) reputation system, and explanatory variables: (1) perceived risk and (2) an initial trust. Customer prediction of purchasing is the response variable. The moderating role of interdependent and independent self-construal on online consumers’ behavior was also examined. Based on the review of literature, the following hypotheses were developed: (H1) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is positive, perceived risk will decrease. (H2) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere presence of a live chat feature will decrease perceived risk. (H3) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is viewed as negative, perceived risk will increase. (H4) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will very as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere absence of a live chat feature will result in an increase in perceived risk. (H5) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the live chat function in the e-retailing website. (H6) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the evaluation system presented in the website. (H7) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the customers' perceived risk. (H8) Purchase intention will be influenced by the customers' initial trust. (H9) There is no interaction effect between the perceived risk and initial trust. (H10) Self-construal will moderate the effects on initial trust and perceived risk. A two by two factorial between-subjects experiment was conducted using a mock retail website design to examine the effect of reputation system and live chat service on customers. The findings demonstrated that the evaluation system significantly influences customers' perceived risk and initial trust, and directly influences customers' purchase intention. Perceived risk and initial trust influence customers' purchase intention independently. For future marketing implications, this research suggests that positive customer reviews, transaction history or other evaluation details in the web presentation is crucial for a starting e-retailer. Although there is no significant direct effect of self-construal on the perceived risk and initial trust, this research demonstrated that female and male have different self-construal and self-construal can be a good mediator to observe its effects on the customers' attitude and behavior. Furthermore, customers' initial trust and perceived risk determine their behavior separately which indicates that customers' initial trust increase doesn’t mean their perceived risk will decrease. Close

• 32. [Article] Monitoring Research Publications at Oregon State University Libraries: The “Web of Science” Project 2012-2013

  Short report on OSU Libraries' "Web of Science" project. Started in 2012 the research output from Oregon State University (as represented in peer reviewed journal articles) was monitored weekly using ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Monitoring Research Publications at Oregon State University Libraries: The “Web of Science” Project 2012-2013 Author: Avery, Bonnie E. Short report on OSU Libraries' "Web of Science" project. Started in 2012 the research output from Oregon State University (as represented in peer reviewed journal articles) was monitored weekly using an RSS feed from the Web of Science database. When available and where consistent with retained author rights, these articles were added to the ScholarsArchive@OSU, Oregon State University's open access institutional repository. This was originally written for the Libraries' newsletter, The Messenger, but was not published. Title: Monitoring Research Publications at Oregon State University Libraries: The “Web of Science” Project 2012-2013 Author: Avery, Bonnie E. Short report on OSU Libraries' "Web of Science" project. Started in 2012 the research output from Oregon State University (as represented in peer reviewed journal articles) was monitored weekly using an RSS feed from the Web of Science database. When available and where consistent with retained author rights, these articles were added to the ScholarsArchive@OSU, Oregon State University's open access institutional repository. This was originally written for the Libraries' newsletter, The Messenger, but was not published. Close

• 33. [Article] Load testing of loan search : project report

  "The purpose of this project is to load test, and fine tune the loan search functionality of the Broker Blueprint web application, an innovative Business-to-Business (B2B) online service aiding mortgage ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Load testing of loan search : project report Author: Pai, Jiten "The purpose of this project is to load test, and fine tune the loan search functionality of the Broker Blueprint web application, an innovative Business-to-Business (B2B) online service aiding mortgage lenders and brokers in today's highly competitive mortgage market. Broker Blueprint enables brokers to search for suitable mortgage loans across various participating lenders by entering their borrowers’ loan parameters on a single page. The Broker Blueprint portal also expands the exposure of lending institutions’ loan programs into untapped markets and gives participating lenders an edge over competing institutions."--Preface Title: Load testing of loan search : project report Author: Pai, Jiten "The purpose of this project is to load test, and fine tune the loan search functionality of the Broker Blueprint web application, an innovative Business-to-Business (B2B) online service aiding mortgage lenders and brokers in today's highly competitive mortgage market. Broker Blueprint enables brokers to search for suitable mortgage loans across various participating lenders by entering their borrowers’ loan parameters on a single page. The Broker Blueprint portal also expands the exposure of lending institutions’ loan programs into untapped markets and gives participating lenders an edge over competing institutions."--Preface Close

• 34. [Article] Incorporation of diet information derived from Bayesian stable isotope mixing models into mass-balanced marine ecosystem models : a case study from the Marennes-Oléron Estuary, France

  This thesis presents two related studies on the methodology for creating, and subsequently analyzing, an inverse food web model of an intertidal seagrass bed. The first study (Chapter 2) describes, for ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Incorporation of diet information derived from Bayesian stable isotope mixing models into mass-balanced marine ecosystem models : a case study from the Marennes-Oléron Estuary, France Author: Pacella, Stephen Roger This thesis presents two related studies on the methodology for creating, and subsequently analyzing, an inverse food web model of an intertidal seagrass bed. The first study (Chapter 2) describes, for the first time in the literature, a method for incorporating isotopic information gained from Bayesian mixing models into an inverse food web model. The second study (Chapter 3) analyzes the results of this food web model from an ecological perspective, which includes the first complete description of the carbon budget of an intertidal seagrass food web incorporating isotopic information. Linear inverse modeling (LIM) is a technique that estimates a complete network of flows in an under-determined system (e.g., a food web) using a combination of site-specific data and previously published data. This estimation of complete flow networks of food webs in marine ecosystems is becoming more recognized as a powerful tool for understanding ecosystem functioning. However, diets and consumption rates of organisms are often difficult or impossible to accurately and reliably measure in the field, resulting in a large amount of uncertainty in the magnitude of consumption flows and resource partitioning in food web models. In order to address this issue, Chapter 2 utilized stable isotope data to help aid in estimating these unknown flows. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope data of consumers and producers in the Marennes-Oleron seagrass system were used in Bayesian mixing models; the output of which were then used to constrain consumption flows in an inverse analysis food web model of the seagrass ecosystem. We hypothesized that incorporating the diet information gained from the stable isotope mixing models would result in a more constrained food web model. In order to test this, two inverse food web models were built to track the flow of carbon through the seagrass food web on an annual basis, with units of mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. The first model (Traditional LIM) included all available data, with the exception of the diet constraints formed from the stable isotope mixing models. The second model (Isotope LIM) was identical to the Traditional LIM, but included the SIAR diet constraints. Both models were identical in structure, and intended to model the same Marennes- Oleron intertidal seagrass bed. Each model consisted of 27 compartments (24 living, 3 detrital) and 175 flows. Comparisons between the outputs of the models showed the addition of the SIAR-derived isotopic diet constraints further constrained the solution range of all food web flows on average by 26%. Flows that were directly affected by an isotopic diet constraint were 45% further constrained on average. These results confirmed our hypothesis that incorporation of the isotope information would result in a more constrained food web model, and demonstrated the benefit of utilizing multi-tracer stable isotope information in ecosystem models. In Chapter 3, Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) was used to investigate the functional ecology of the system. The majority of seagrass food web studies thus far have relied on trophic marker analyses (i.e. stable isotopes, fatty acids) to investigate food sources and trophic positions, and as a result, few studies have examined seagrass beds from a perspective of whole-ecosystem functioning. By quantifying the Marennes- Oleron seagrass food web using linear inverse modeling coupled with results from isotopic mixing models, this study investigated the relative trophic importance of primary producers in the system, the trophic structure of the seagrass bed flora and fauna, the relative importance of allochthonous versus autochthonous carbon, and both the sequestration and export of organic carbon to the surrounding environment. Additionally, results of these analyses were compared with other coastal systems, including a neighboring bare mudflat located in the Marennes-Oleron estuary. Grazing rates indicated that microphytobenthos was directly consumed about 7 times more than Zostera, while a novel metric of total food web dependency derived from network analysis showed the consumer compartments relied upon microphytobenthos 22 time more than on Z. noltii via direct and indirect pathways. Meiofauna was found to provide an important link between primary production and detritus with upper trophic levels (i.e. fish). Autochthonous carbon was utilized over 4 times more than allochthonous carbon by the seagrass food web in total, and the system was shown to be a net carbon sink. Our analysis supported the concept that seagrass meadows have a high metabolic capacity and the ability to accumulate large sedimentary carbon pools (e.g., carbon sequestration), which are important climate-regulating ecosystem services. ENA revealed the Oleron seagrass bed to be a relatively mature, stable system internally, with strong connections via energy transport to and from surrounding environments. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study was the first to fully characterize the carbon budget of an intertidal seagrass food web utilizing probabilistic methods. Title: Incorporation of diet information derived from Bayesian stable isotope mixing models into mass-balanced marine ecosystem models : a case study from the Marennes-Oléron Estuary, France Author: Pacella, Stephen Roger This thesis presents two related studies on the methodology for creating, and subsequently analyzing, an inverse food web model of an intertidal seagrass bed. The first study (Chapter 2) describes, for the first time in the literature, a method for incorporating isotopic information gained from Bayesian mixing models into an inverse food web model. The second study (Chapter 3) analyzes the results of this food web model from an ecological perspective, which includes the first complete description of the carbon budget of an intertidal seagrass food web incorporating isotopic information. Linear inverse modeling (LIM) is a technique that estimates a complete network of flows in an under-determined system (e.g., a food web) using a combination of site-specific data and previously published data. This estimation of complete flow networks of food webs in marine ecosystems is becoming more recognized as a powerful tool for understanding ecosystem functioning. However, diets and consumption rates of organisms are often difficult or impossible to accurately and reliably measure in the field, resulting in a large amount of uncertainty in the magnitude of consumption flows and resource partitioning in food web models. In order to address this issue, Chapter 2 utilized stable isotope data to help aid in estimating these unknown flows. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope data of consumers and producers in the Marennes-Oleron seagrass system were used in Bayesian mixing models; the output of which were then used to constrain consumption flows in an inverse analysis food web model of the seagrass ecosystem. We hypothesized that incorporating the diet information gained from the stable isotope mixing models would result in a more constrained food web model. In order to test this, two inverse food web models were built to track the flow of carbon through the seagrass food web on an annual basis, with units of mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. The first model (Traditional LIM) included all available data, with the exception of the diet constraints formed from the stable isotope mixing models. The second model (Isotope LIM) was identical to the Traditional LIM, but included the SIAR diet constraints. Both models were identical in structure, and intended to model the same Marennes- Oleron intertidal seagrass bed. Each model consisted of 27 compartments (24 living, 3 detrital) and 175 flows. Comparisons between the outputs of the models showed the addition of the SIAR-derived isotopic diet constraints further constrained the solution range of all food web flows on average by 26%. Flows that were directly affected by an isotopic diet constraint were 45% further constrained on average. These results confirmed our hypothesis that incorporation of the isotope information would result in a more constrained food web model, and demonstrated the benefit of utilizing multi-tracer stable isotope information in ecosystem models. In Chapter 3, Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) was used to investigate the functional ecology of the system. The majority of seagrass food web studies thus far have relied on trophic marker analyses (i.e. stable isotopes, fatty acids) to investigate food sources and trophic positions, and as a result, few studies have examined seagrass beds from a perspective of whole-ecosystem functioning. By quantifying the Marennes- Oleron seagrass food web using linear inverse modeling coupled with results from isotopic mixing models, this study investigated the relative trophic importance of primary producers in the system, the trophic structure of the seagrass bed flora and fauna, the relative importance of allochthonous versus autochthonous carbon, and both the sequestration and export of organic carbon to the surrounding environment. Additionally, results of these analyses were compared with other coastal systems, including a neighboring bare mudflat located in the Marennes-Oleron estuary. Grazing rates indicated that microphytobenthos was directly consumed about 7 times more than Zostera, while a novel metric of total food web dependency derived from network analysis showed the consumer compartments relied upon microphytobenthos 22 time more than on Z. noltii via direct and indirect pathways. Meiofauna was found to provide an important link between primary production and detritus with upper trophic levels (i.e. fish). Autochthonous carbon was utilized over 4 times more than allochthonous carbon by the seagrass food web in total, and the system was shown to be a net carbon sink. Our analysis supported the concept that seagrass meadows have a high metabolic capacity and the ability to accumulate large sedimentary carbon pools (e.g., carbon sequestration), which are important climate-regulating ecosystem services. ENA revealed the Oleron seagrass bed to be a relatively mature, stable system internally, with strong connections via energy transport to and from surrounding environments. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study was the first to fully characterize the carbon budget of an intertidal seagrass food web utilizing probabilistic methods. Close

• 35. [Article] Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling in shear webs of box and I-beams and the effect upon design criteria

  Information reviewed and reaffirmed, April 1960. Original report dated October 1943.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling in shear webs of box and I-beams and the effect upon design criteria Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914-, Dawley, E. R. Information reviewed and reaffirmed, April 1960. Original report dated October 1943. Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling in shear webs of box and I-beams and the effect upon design criteria Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914-, Dawley, E. R. Information reviewed and reaffirmed, April 1960. Original report dated October 1943. Close

• 36. [Article] Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling and ultimate strengths of shear webs of box beams having plywood face grain direction parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the beams

  Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Report originally issued October 1944.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling and ultimate strengths of shear webs of box beams having plywood face grain direction parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the beams Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914- Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Report originally issued October 1944. Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : buckling and ultimate strengths of shear webs of box beams having plywood face grain direction parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the beams Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914- Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Report originally issued October 1944. Close

• 37. [Article] Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : the effect of repeated buckling on the ultimate strengths of box beams with shear webs in the inelastic buckle range

  Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Orignal report published December 1944.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : the effect of repeated buckling on the ultimate strengths of box beams with shear webs in the inelastic buckle range Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914- Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Orignal report published December 1944. Title: Supplement to design of plywood webs in box beams : the effect of repeated buckling on the ultimate strengths of box beams with shear webs in the inelastic buckle range Author: Heebink, T. B. (Thomas Bruce), 1914-, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Cottingham, Willard Sherwin, Lewis, Wayne C., 1914- Information reviewed and reaffirmed, January 1959. Orignal report published December 1944. Close

• 38. [Article] FAR : an end-user language to support cottage e-services

  E-commerce has begun to evolve beyond simple web pages to more sophisticated ways of conducting e-business transactions, such as through electronic advertising, negotiation, and delivery. However, to participate ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: FAR : an end-user language to support cottage e-services Author: Chekka, Sudheer Kumar E-commerce has begun to evolve beyond simple web pages to more sophisticated ways of conducting e-business transactions, such as through electronic advertising, negotiation, and delivery. However, to participate in these advances requires the skills of professional programmers, and end-user owners of small businesses often cannot justify this expense. In this thesis, we present FAR, an end-user language to offer and deliver e-services. The novel aspects of FAR are its support of small e-services and its multiparadigm approach to combining ideas from spreadsheets and rule-based programming with drag-and-drop web page layout devices. Title: FAR : an end-user language to support cottage e-services Author: Chekka, Sudheer Kumar E-commerce has begun to evolve beyond simple web pages to more sophisticated ways of conducting e-business transactions, such as through electronic advertising, negotiation, and delivery. However, to participate in these advances requires the skills of professional programmers, and end-user owners of small businesses often cannot justify this expense. In this thesis, we present FAR, an end-user language to offer and deliver e-services. The novel aspects of FAR are its support of small e-services and its multiparadigm approach to combining ideas from spreadsheets and rule-based programming with drag-and-drop web page layout devices. Close

• 39. [Article] Design of plywood webs in box beams

  Information reviewed and reaffirmed, 1958.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Design of plywood webs in box beams Author: Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.) Information reviewed and reaffirmed, 1958. Title: Design of plywood webs in box beams Author: Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.) Information reviewed and reaffirmed, 1958. Close

• 40. [Article] Box handles of webbing instead of rope save shipping space.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Box handles of webbing instead of rope save shipping space. Author: Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.) Title: Box handles of webbing instead of rope save shipping space. Author: Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.) Close