AN ANALYSIS ON POTENTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION THROUGH PLANTING ENERGY CROPS IN TAIWAN

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of planting energy crop on set-aside acreages in Taiwan. To do so, a Taiwan Agricultural Sector Model (TASM) was built and the data parameters of energy crop were incorporated into this model in order to simulate the economic and environmental impacts. Simulation results show that GHGE mitigation depends on the planting acreage of energy crops in which the optimal planting acreage of energy is determined by the profit of other agricultural products as well as government subsidy on energy crop. Therefore, the mitigation of GHGE depends on the government subsidy on energy crop per hectare. Such subsidy is also suitable for the green box by the regulation of WTO.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

SPATIAL EQUILIBRIUM MODELING WITH IMPERFECTLY COMPETITIVE MARKETS: AN APPLICATION TO RICE TRADE

A general imperfect competition spatial equilibrium model is developed to estimate the trading country behaviors in the international rice market using a conjectural variation approach. Such a model allows the possibility of an imperfect competitive market to exit on both the export and import sides without any assumption of market structure. The empirical results show that the major exporting countries, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S. acted as high degree of imperfect competitors(or oligopolies) while Pakistan acted as a lower degree of imperfect competitor. The importing countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Europe, Brazil, and the former USSR behaved as high degree of imperfect competitors (or oligopsonies). The empirical results also show that there are welfare gains of $1,492 million when all trading countries comply with the free trade agreement.Marketing,

Plasma levels in sepsis patients of annexin A1, lipoxin A4, macrophage inflammatory protein-3a, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin

AbstractBackgroundThe relationship between the various cytokine responses that occur during sepsis remains controversial. Emerging evidence indicates that the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses are regulated simultaneously from the beginning of sepsis. However, the roles of the novel anti-inflammatory mediators annexin (Anx)A1 and lipoxin (LX)A4 and the proinflammatory cytokines neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3a have been studied.MethodsIn this study, the plasma levels of AnxA1, LXA4, NGAL, MIP-3a, interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-6 in patients with sepsis were determined on admission to the intensive care unit. The patients were classified into survivors and non-survivors based on their outcome on day 28.ResultsAnxA1 and LXA4 levels were decreased in sepsis patients compared with control patients, whereas the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines MIP-3a, NGAL, IL-8, and IL-6 were elevated. Furthermore, a significantly higher level of MIP-3a was detected in nonsurviving patients compared with surviving patients (p < 0.05), whereas there were no significant differences between these two groups for the levels of the other mediators. Correlation analysis demonstrated that only NGAL level was closely correlated with the level of IL-6. Univariate analysis indicated that the levels of MIP-3a and IL-8 were independent factors associated with patient survival, but this was not confirmed by the multivariate analysis.ConclusionAnxA1 and LXA4 plasma levels were found to be decreased in sepsis patients, whereas the levels of MIP-3a and NGAL were found to be elevated. This warrants further study in order to determine the clinical implications of these changes

How to Create Suitable Augmented Reality Application to Teach Social Skills for Children with ASD

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by a reduced ability to appropriately express social greetings. Studies have indicated that individuals with ASD might not recognize the crucial nonverbal cues that usually aid social interaction. This study applied augmented reality (AR) with tabletop role-playing game (AR-RPG) to focus on the standard nonverbal social cues to teach children with ASD, how to appropriately reciprocate when they socially interact with others. The results showed that intervention system provides an AR combined with physical manipulatives and presents corresponding specific elements in an AR 3D animation with dialogue; thus, it can be used to help them increase their social interaction skills and drive their attention toward the meaning and social value of greeting behavior in specific social situations. We conclude that AR-RPG of social situations helped children with ASD recognize and better understand these situations and moderately effective in teaching the target greeting responses

Debris Flow Risk Assessment and Land-Use Planning – A Case Study of Jhonglun Hot Spring Area

The Jhonglun Scenic Area in Chiayi County, is famous for its hot spring, the region was hit by debris flow with tremendous losses and resulted with dramatic change of the landscape during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The most effective strategy for reducing natural hazard risks is through land-use planning. Following the concept of Risk=Hazard*Exposure*Vulnerability, this study conducted risk identification through the collection of landslide inventory and history debris flow hazard mapping of Chiayi DF051 potential debris flow torrent. Together with elements at risk information from field investigations, the risk analysis was conducted with several return periods debris flow simulation to recognize the possible economic losses and fatalities by debris flow. The identified high risk areas in Jhonglun Scenic Area were compared to the current special district planning to understand the spatial distribution of high risk areas. The result shows that some of the designated zones were among the areas with high debris flow risks, which further indicates that land-use planning should consider the consequences of natural hazards. The result of this study provides one of the first steps for land use planning restrictions within the potential debris flow region

Disordered Fe vacancies and superconductivity in potassium-intercalated iron selenide (K2-xFe4+ySe5)

The parent compound of an unconventional superconductor must contain unusual correlated electronic and magnetic properties of its own. In the high-Tc potassium intercalated FeSe, there has been significant debate regarding what the exact parent compound is. Our studies unambiguously show that the Fe-vacancy ordered K2Fe4Se5 is the magnetic, Mott insulating parent compound of the superconducting state. Non-superconducting K2Fe4Se5 becomes a superconductor after high temperature annealing, and the overall picture indicates that superconductivity in K2-xFe4+ySe5 originates from the Fe-vacancy order to disorder transition. Thus, the long pending question whether magnetic and superconducting state are competing or cooperating for cuprate superconductors may also apply to the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors. It is believed that the iron selenides and related compounds will provide essential information to understand the origin of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors, and possibly to the superconducting cuprates