Assisted digital storytelling and scientific concept development: A study on preschool children of foreign marriage families

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AN ECONOMY-WIDE ANALYSIS OF GM FOOD LABELING POLICIES IN TAIWAN

The development of agricultural biotechnology offers the opportunity to increase crop production, lowers farming costs, improves food quality and could reduce costs to consumers. For the food importing economies, the import quantities as well as prices will be affected through world market as the production technology of GM crops is adopted by the exporting countries. Many sectors will be affected by the use of these crops through vertical (or backward) and horizontal (or forward) linkages. The purpose of this paper is to develop an economy-wide quantitative assessment of the economic impacts of the introduction of GM products with and without labeling. The modeling framework used in this analysis is TAIGEM (Taiwan General Equilibrium Model), a multi-sectoral computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Taiwan¡¦s economy which is derived from ORANI model (Dixon, Parmenter, Sutton and Vincent, 1982). TAIGEM is amended by splitting corn and soybeans into GM and non-GM varieties. It also endogenizes the decision of producers and consumers to use GM vs. non-GM corn and soybeans in their intermediate uses and consumption, respectively. We also consider the consumers¡¦ acceptance of GM food so that the mandatory labeling policy can be examined. Our simulation results indicate that the most extreme import ban on GM crops would be very costly in terms of total production values, ranging from NT$ 40 to 90 billions per year.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Investigation of the properties of nanostructured Li-doped NiO films using the modified spray pyrolysis method

The lithium-doped nickel oxide (L-NiO) films were synthetized using the modified spray pyrolysis method with a two-step grown process. By observing the spectra of X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of L-NiO films, the intensity of Ni 2p(3/2) peak of Ni(3+) bonding state increases with increasing Li concentration that causes the decrease of transparency and resistivity. The L-NiO films with optimum characteristics were obtained at Li = 8 at%, where a p-type resistivity of 4.1 × 10(−1) Ω cm and optical transparency above 76% in the visible region are achieved

Pleiotropic Effects of Vitamin D in Kidney Disease

Vitamin D is metabolized in the liver and kidneys and then converted to the active form, 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1.25(OH)2D]. Chronic kidney disease patients usually lack both 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1.25(OH)2D due to impaired renal function and 1α-hydroxylase deficiency. Chronic kidney disease patients have a high incidence of cardiovascular and infectious morbidities. Increasing evidence indicates a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular and infectious mortality risks. Vitamin D may have significant biological effects beyond its traditional roles on mineral and bone metabolism. Many extrarenal cells have the capability to produce local active 1.25(OH)2D in an intracrine or paracrine fashion. Vitamin D has a significant association with nonskeletal diseases, such as immunodeficiency, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, proteinuria, and acute kidney injury. This article aims to review and summarize the pleiotropic effects of vitamin D in patients with kidney disease, particularly the immunological, metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal effects

catena-Poly[[diaqua­magnesium(II)]-bis­(μ-5-ammonio­isophthalato-κ2 O 1:O 3)]

In the title compound, [Mg(C8H6NO4)2(H2O)2]n, the MgII ion lies on a twofold roatation axis and is coordinated in a slightly distorted octa­hedral environment. Pairs of bridging ammonium­isophthalate ligands connect symmetry-related MgII ions, forming chains along [010]. In the crystal, inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link these chains into a three-dimensional network. The centroids of pairs of symmetry-related benzene rings within a chain are separated by 3.5707 (12) Å

Developing the dielectric mechanisms of polyetherimide/multiwalled carbon nanotube/(Ba0.8Sr0.2)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 composites

Various amounts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes [MWNTs] were embedded into polyetherimide [PEI] to form PEI/MWNT composites, and their dielectric properties were measured at 1 MHz. The Lichtenecker mixing rule was used to find a reasonable dielectric constant for the MWNTs used in this study. The dielectric constants of the developed composites were significantly increased, and the loss tangents were significantly decreased as 2.0 wt.% (Ba0.8Sr0.2)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 ceramic powder [BSTZ] was added to the PEI/MWNTs to form PEI/MWNT/BSTZ composites. The Lichtenecker and Yamada mixing rules were used to predict the dielectric constants of the PEI/MWNT and PEI/MWNT/BSTZ composites. Equivalent electrical conduction models of both composites were established using the two mixing rules. In addition, the theoretical bases of the two mixing rules were used to explain the measured results for the PEI/MWNT and PEI/BSTZ/MWNT composites