Agricultural Sector Input Technical Coefficients, Demand Changes and CO2 Emissions after the Financial Crisis: Environmental Input-Output Growth Factor Model Approach

The agricultural sector has been declining year by year with the proportion of economic growth and GDP. The financial crisis in 2007 caused huge losses in the world's economies. Taiwan cannot avoid economic damage. In the future, the way from agriculture to production needs to be transformed. This study uses the Environmental Input-Output Growth Factor model to estimate the changes in CO2 emissions in the agricultural sector before and after the financial crisis, and summarizes the changing factors to observe the development characteristics of the agricultural sector. The results show that there are differences in the influencing factors before and after the financial crisis. The biggest influencing factors are “domestic final demand” and “production input technical coefficients”. Keywords: Agricultural Sector, CO2 Emission, Input Technical Coefficients, Environmental Input-Output Growth Factor model JEL Classifications: Q15, C6, Q5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.702

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Managing the customer waiting problem in fast food restaurants in Taiwan through reengineering of the app ordering process

Purpose: The aim of this research is to manage the customer-waiting problem in Taiwanese fast food restaurants through reengineering of the APP ordering process. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses a literature review to identify different approaches of reengineering and use them to improve the APP ordering process used in Taiwanese fast food restaurants. Findings: This research has identified six approaches of reengineering, which can be applied to improve the APP ordering process in fast food restaurants. The application of thereengineering approaches, in the APP ordering process in Taiwanese fast food restaurants, generated four suggestions of how to improve the original APP ordering process. Research limitations/implications: The subsequent research can apply other research methods to improve the reliability and validity. Practical implications: The application of reengineering approaches to improve the APP ordering process in fast food restaurants can be used in other country’s food industry and be adapted to other industries as well. The research could also provide a basis for companies that want to implement the APP ordering system. Originality/value: This research clarifies the customer-waiting problem in the APP ordering process in Taiwanese fast food restaurants and applies reengineering approaches to improve the original APP ordering process

Molecular ligand modulation of palladium nanocatalysts for highly efficient and robust heterogeneous oxidation of cyclohexenone to phenol.

Metallic nanoparticles are emerging as an exciting class of heterogeneous catalysts with the potential advantages of exceptional activity, stability, recyclability, and easier separation than homogeneous catalysts. The traditional colloid nanoparticle syntheses usually involve strong surface binding ligands that could passivate the surface active sites and result in poor catalytic activity. The subsequent removal of surface ligands could reactivate the surface but often leads to metal ion leaching and/or severe Ostwald ripening with diminished catalytic activity or poor stability. Molecular ligand engineering represents a powerful strategy for the design of homogeneous molecular catalysts but is insufficiently explored for nanoparticle catalysts to date. We report a systematic investigation on molecular ligand modulation of palladium (Pd) nanoparticle catalysts. Our studies show that β-functional groups of butyric acid ligand on Pd nanoparticles can significantly modulate the catalytic reaction process to modify the catalytic activity and stability for important aerobic reactions. With a β-hydroxybutyric acid ligand, the Pd nanoparticle catalysts exhibit exceptional catalytic activity and stability with an unsaturated turnover number (TON) >3000 for dehydrogenative oxidation of cyclohexenone to phenol, greatly exceeding that of homogeneous Pd(II) catalysts (TON, ~30). This study presents a systematic investigation of molecular ligand modulation of nanoparticle catalysts and could open up a new pathway toward the design and construction of highly efficient and robust heterogeneous catalysts through molecular ligand engineering

從劇場理論探討影響消費者於量販店選購雞肉類產品之因素兼論行銷策略研擬之研究

Chicken plays an important role in the consumption of poultry for a long time. Hypermarkets have become a critical channel for customers to buy chicken products now. In order to successfully expand the channel of chicken products at hypermarkets, we need to find the critical factors which affect customers purchasing chicken products at hypermarket through questionnaire survey. Then to formulate the marketing strategies based on the survey result. We hope this study will help in selling chicken products in the future.Based on Dramaturgical theory, this research is conducted by questionnaires and then analyzed by Grey Relation Analysis. The results indicate six critical factors that affect customers purchasing chicken products at hypermarkets: "The sanitary environment", "The cleanness of toilet", "The friendliness of the service employees", "The patience of the service employees", "The space side of the hypermarkets" and "The speed of check-out". Therefore, we develop two strategies: enhance "Service encounter" and introduce hypermarkets with positive "Store image". We hope through the two strategies can strengthen and improve the six critical factors above.雞肉在禽肉消費中長期以來都佔有重要的地位，且量販店現今已逐漸成為消費者購買雞肉產品的新通路，為成功地開拓雞肉類產品於量販店的通路，本研究藉由調查了解影響消費者在量販店內選購雞肉類產品時的關鍵因素，並依分析結果研擬行銷策略，以利未來雞肉類相關產品之銷售。本研究以劇場理論為基礎，採問卷調查法，以灰關聯法進行分析，研究結果發現影響消費者在量販店內選購雞肉類產品時的關鍵因素有6項，分別為：「環境的維護清潔」、「廁所的清潔維護」、「服務人員的親切程度」、「服務人員的耐心程度」、「是否不必忍受人擠人的情況」與「結帳速度」。因此，透過強化「服務接觸」與進駐「商店形象」良好的量販店等兩項行銷策略，以強化、改善上述6項關鍵的影響因素

Role of the Comonomeric Units in Reaching Linear Backbone, High Solid-State Order and Charge Mobilities in Heptacyclic Arene-Based Alternating Copolymers

Unpredictable trends of charge mobility (μ) in multicyclic heteroarenes-contained polymers remain an obstacle in designing high performance polymers used in polymeric field effect transistors (PFETs). The roles of the comonomeric units in reaching high hole mobility (μ_h) of copolymers containing a heptacyclic arene unit, dithienocyclopentacarbazole (DTCC) were investigated in this study. A series of four DTCC-based alternating copolymers, <b>PDTCC-1T</b>, <b>PDTCC-3T</b>, <b>PDTCC-BDT</b>, and <b>PDTCC-TT</b>, were synthesized from the Pd-catalyzed copolymerizations between DTCC and comonomeric units including thiophene (1T), terthiophene (3T), benzodithiophene (BDT) and thienothiophene (TT) units. Among the four DTCC-based alternating copolymers, highest mobility of 1.36 × 10^–2 cm² V^–1 s^–1 was reached in <b>PDTCC-3T</b>. Optoelectronic and 2D-WAXD studies revealed that strong electronic interaction and highly ordered solid-state structure were only observed in <b>PDTCC-3T</b>. It is attributed to the combination of two axisymmertric units, DTCC and 3T, linearized the polymer backbone, leading to a compact solid-state packing and high μ_h, while centrosymmertic comonomeric units, BDT and TT curved the polymer backbones of <b>PDTCC-BDT</b> and <b>PDTCC-TT</b>, which decreases solid-state order and μ_h. Furthermore, the short axisymmeritric 1T although results in a linear backbone of <b>PDTCC-1T</b>, comparing to 3T, it is too short to effectively reduce interchain steric hindrance caused by the solubilizing octyl chains on DTCC. Thus, effective π–π stacking is hindered in <b>PDTCC-1T</b>, resulting in low μ_h. The macroscopic performances of μ_hs agreed well with the optoelectronic and 2D-WAXD studies. It is concluded that the linear backbone of DTCC copolymers is the prerequisite to reach ordered solid-state packing, which facilitate effective charge transport, and it depends on the prudent choose on the symmetry of the comonomeric unit. In addition, balance between the solubility and adequate crowdedness of lateral side chains is essential for a PFET material to be not only easily processed, but also effectively π–π stack

Seeking Medical Assistance for Dysphonia Is Associated with an Improved Survival Rate in Laryngeal Cancer: Real-World Evidence

(1) Background: Patients with laryngeal cancer usually present with dysphonia. However, some studies reported that the duration from dysphonia to cancer diagnosis has been prolonged significantly in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate that in the initial dysphonia-related diagnosis and the interval between the diagnosis of laryngeal cancer may affect the overall survival (OS). (2) Methods: The 1997–2013 Longitudinal Health Insurance Database was used in this study. A propensity score with 1-to-1 matching was applied to balance the baseline characteristics. The OS was examined by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. (3) Results: A total of 2753 patients with a first primary laryngeal cancer diagnosis were identified. The patients without prior dysphonia-related diagnosis (PD−) group did have a significantly worse five-year survival (p = 0.015) comparing with those with a prior dysphonia-related diagnosis (PD+) group among glottic cancer patients. The group with a shorter dysphonia-to-diagnosis interval had a better five-year OS than the prolonged group (p = 0.007) in laryngeal cancer. (4) Conclusions: Looking for medical assistance before a diagnosis of glottic cancer is associated with a better overall survival, while a diagnostic delay of more than 30 days from the first medical examination for dysphonia is associated with a worse outcome among in patients with laryngeal cancer

Evaluation of the Bactec MGIT 960 System in Combination with the MGIT TBc Identification Test for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Respiratory Specimens▿

The sensitivity and specificity of the MGIT TBc identification (TBc ID) test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) detection in positive Bactec MGIT cultures were 95.2% and 99.2%, respectively. When MTC-positive results obtained from two additional molecular methods were included, the sensitivity of the MGIT TBc ID test was 85.4%, while that of culture was 95.7%