33 research outputs found
The Study on Cross Border E-Commerce Startup
The internet has been enhanced the roads of global commercials. Companies use the internet platforms to sell their products and make the profits for the companies. Cross Border E-Commerce is an important opportunity in this time point but it will be challenged at the same time. This application will use multiple research methodologies: Field observations method on the cross border e-commerce platforms - Alibaba, Amazon, Aliexpress, Lazada and eBay for one year; Focus group methos and then in-depth Interview method for studying and providing the suggestions about the critical factors to have Cross Border E-Commerce Startup. Luckily, the study got the results and applications: Firstly, about the products requiring, the StarUp must require or produce the products with uniqueness. Secondly, for expanding the international markets for surviving, the StarUp must enter cross border e-Commerce internet world. Thirdly, for reducing the cost, the StarUp must use cross border e-Commerce to reach the global customers in different countries. Fourthly, the oversea warehouses will be one trend of cross-border e-Commerce. Fifthly, it is very important for StarUp to learn and get professionals on, for example, the optimization of Keywords of their products and the analyzing the Big Data for marketing and selling. Finally, the StarUp must group and train their own professional cross border e-Commerce team
Developmental Problems of Current Cross Border e-Commerce Companies and Countermeasures
The development of cross border e-commerce industry is one of important global trends. From eMarketer (2019), the global sales of e-commerce in 2018 was 2.5 trillion US dollars and will reach 7.5 trillion US dollars in 2020. In this number - 7.5 trillion US dollars, the cross border e-commerce consumers will occupy 44.6% of e-commerce. Due to the quick development, companies will encounter problems by the way. The research purposes of this paper was to discuss some problems and provide suggestions. During the time of industry-academic cooperation, observational survey was used as the research methodology. The research subjects were 5 Taiwanese cross border e-commerce companies which located in the vehicles components industry and fashion handbag industry. The companies might have over a 30-years-old history or might be a new company. The common factor of these 5 companies are they all use cross border e-commerce multiple platforms to sell their products around the world. The research results and suggestions of these 5 cross border e-commerce companies are the following. Firstly, the problem is business opportunities are difficult to catch recently and the amount of each order earned is becoming smaller. The suggestion for this problem is to suggest adapting multiple cross border e-commerce portals operations on budgets and “Software Key activities” for decision making. The second problem is the cost of cross border e-commerce logistic is high. The suggestion for this problem is to use Big Data Analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to calculate exact oversea inventories. The third problem is lack of trust. The suggestion for this problem is localization strategy, to systematically recruit and train the talents who are familiar with the culture, products and markets. And it should use the third-party money transfer security services
Long-term results of intensity-modulated radiotherapy concomitant with chemotherapy for hypopharyngeal carcinoma aimed at laryngeal preservation
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of this retrospective study is to investigate laryngeal preservation and long-term treatment results in hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with chemotherapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-seven patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma (stage II-IV) were enrolled and underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy regimens were monthly cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for six patients and weekly cisplatin for 19 patients. All patients were treated with IMRT with simultaneous integrated boost technique. Acute and late toxicities were recorded based on CTCAE 3.0 (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median follow-up time for survivors was 53.0 months (range 36-82 months). The initial complete response rate was 85.2%, with a laryngeal preservation rate of 63.0%. The 5-year functional laryngeal, local-regional control, disease-free and overall survival rates were 59.7%, 63.3%, 51.0% and 34.8%, respectively. The most common greater than or equal to grade 3 acute and late effects were dysphagia (63.0%, 17 of 27 patients) and laryngeal stricture (18.5%, 5 of 27 patients), respectively. Patients belonging to the high risk group showed significantly higher risk of tracheostomy compared to the low risk group (p = 0.014).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>After long-term follow-up, our results confirmed that patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated with IMRT concurrent with platinum-based chemotherapy attain high functional laryngeal and local-regional control survival rates. However, the late effect of laryngeal stricture remains a problem, particularly for high risk group patients.</p
Percutaneous transhepatic techniques for retrieving fractured and intrahepatically dislodged percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheters
Dislodged intrabiliary drainage devices, including catheters, endoprostheses, and stents, may further impair drainage and cause various local reactions, vascular and gastrointestinal tract complications. Endoscopic approaches for management of plastic biliary endoprostheses have been extensively discussed. However, in rare cases of fracture of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) catheters, only a percutaneous transhepatic technique for retrieving should be applied to avoid further damage by its rigid fragment. We present the adjusted techniques using either a goose neck snare, over-the-wire balloon catheter, or biopsy forceps with image demonstration and reviews. We encountered two patients with PTBD tube fracture and intrahepatic dislodgment. In both patients, percutaneous approaches were used for successfully retrieving and removing the fractured catheter through transhepatic tract: one with the use of a biopsy forceps, another with an inflatable balloon catheter
A Near-Real-Time Automatic Orbit Determination System for COSMIC and Its Follow-On Satellite Mission: Analysis of Orbit and Clock Errors on Radio Occultation
The COSMIC-2 mission is a follow-on mission of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) with an upgraded payload for improved radio occultation (RO) applications. The objective of this paper is to develop a near-real-time (NRT) orbit determination system, called NRT National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) system, to support COSMIC-2 in atmospheric applications and verify the orbit product of COSMIC. The system is capable of automatic determinations of the NRT GPS clocks and LEO orbit and clock. To assess the NRT (NCTU) system, we use eight days of COSMIC data (March 24-31, 2011), which contain a total of 331 GPS observation sessions and 12 393 RO observable files. The parallel scheduling for independent GPS and LEO estimations and automatic time matching improves the computational efficiency by 64% compared to the sequential scheduling. Orbit difference analyses suggest a 10-cm accuracy for the COSMIC orbits from the NRT (NCTU) system, and it is consistent as the NRT University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (URCA) system. The mean velocity accuracy from the NRT orbits of COSMIC is 0.168 mm/s, corresponding to an error of about 0.051 ÎĽrad in the bending angle. The rms differences in the NRT COSMIC clock and in GPS clocks between the NRT (NCTU) and the postprocessing products are 3.742 and 1.427 ns. The GPS clocks determined from a partial ground GPS network [from NRT (NCTU)] and a full one [from NRT (UCAR)] result in mean rms frequency stabilities of 6.1E-12 and 2.7E-12, respectively, corresponding to range fluctuations of 5.5 and 2.4 cm and bending angle errors of 3.75 and 1.66 ÎĽrad
Effects of Eye Drops Containing Hyaluronic Acid-Nimesulide Conjugates in a Benzalkonium Chloride-Induced Experimental Dry Eye Rabbit Model
Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a common ocular disease worldwide. Currently, anti-inflammatory agents and immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporine A, have been widely used to treat this chronic condition. However, the multifactorial etiology of DES, poor tolerance, low bioavailability, and prolonged treatment to response time have limited their usage. In this study, nimesulide, a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 selective inhibitor, was conjugated with hyaluronic acid (HA), and the HA-nimesulide conjugates were expected to increase the solubility and biocompatibility for alleviating the DES in the benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-induced goblet cell-loss dry eye model. The therapeutic efficacy of HA-nimesulide was assessed using fluorescein staining, goblet cell density by conjunctival impression cytology, and histology and immunohistochemistry of corneal tissues. Compared to commercial artificial tears and Restasis®, the HA-nimesulide conjugates could promote goblet cell recovery and enhance the regeneration of the corneal epithelium. Importantly, immunofluorescent staining studies demonstrated that the HA-nimesulide conjugates could decrease the number of infiltrating CD11b-positive cells after two weeks of topical application. In the anti-inflammatory test, the HA-nimesulide conjugates could inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw 264.7 cell model. In conclusion, we demonstrated that HA-nimesulide conjugates had anti-inflammatory activity, and promoted goblet cell recovery and corneal epithelium regeneration when used as topical eye drops; accordingly, the HA-nimesulide conjugates could potentially be effective for the treatment of DES
Cobalt(II)-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Terminal-Capped Alkynyl α‑Cyano Alkanone Systems. An Oxygen-Mediated Radical Chain Reaction
A new <i>N</i>-hydroxyphthalimide
(NHPI)/CoÂ(II)-catalyzed
protocol, mechanistically involving a sequence of α-hydrogen
abstraction, 5-<i>exo</i>-<i>dig</i> cyclization,
oxygen capture, hydrogen transfer, and 1,4-dehydration, has been developed
to facilitate aerobic oxidation of aryl-, silyl-, and alkyl-capped
alkynyl α-cyano alkanone systems to the corresponding highly
functionalized products in an effective manner, thus turning this
novel chain reaction, originally occurring spontaneously in low yields,
into a practical methodology
Tandem Cyclization of α‑Cyano α‑Alkynyl Aryl Ketones Induced by <i>tert</i>-Butyl Hydroperoxide and Tetrabutylammonium Iodide
The radical cascade protocol of the α-cyano α-TMS/aryl-capped alkynyl aryl ketones promoted by <i>tert</i>-butyl hydroperoxide under catalysis with tetrabutylammonium iodide in refluxing benzene has been developed, leading to the construction of a variety of highly functionalized [6,6,5] tricyclic frameworks in an efficient manner
Mosaicism for Robertsonian jumping translocation at amniocentesis: 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10)mat/46,XY,i(15)(q10)/46,XY, genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and postnatal follow-up in a pregnancy with a favorable fetal outcome
Objective: We present genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and postnatal follow-up of 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10)mat/46,XY,i(15)(q10)/46,XY at amniocentesis in a pregnancy with a favorable fetal outcome. Case report: A 27-year-old, primigravid woman underwent amniocentesis at 19 weeks of gestation because increased nuchal translucency thickness, and the result was 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10)[29]/46,XY,i(15)(q10)[3]/46,XY[5]. Simultaneous array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis on the DNA extracted from uncultured amniocytes revealed arr (1–22) × 2, (X,Y) × 1. The maternal karyotype was 45,XX,der(15;22)(q10;q10), and the paternal karyotype was 46,XY. She was referred for genetic counseling, and repeat amniocentesis performed at 23 weeks of gestation revealed 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10)mat[23]/45,XY,-22[2]. aCGH analysis on uncultured amniocytes detected no genomic imbalance, and polymorphic DNA marker analysis excluded uniparental disomy (UPD) 15. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using the chromosome 15q specific probe and the chromosome 22q specific probe detected three 15q signals in 4/104 cells (3.8%). The woman was advised to continue the pregnancy, and, a 3186-g phenotypically normal male baby was delivered at 38 weeks of gestation. The umbilical cord had a karyotype of 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10) (40/40 cells). When follow-up at age seven months, the neonate was normal in development, the peripheral blood had a karyotype of 45,XY,der(15;22)(q10;q10) (40/40 cells), and the buccal mucosal cells had normal signals in all 100 cells. Conclusions: Mosaicism for Robertsonian jumping translocations at amniocentesis can be a transient condition and can be associated with a familial Robertsonian translocation and a favorable fetal outcome. Prenatal diagnosis of a Robertsonian jumping translocation involving chromosome 15 should include UPD 15 testing to exclude UPD 15
Construction and Selection of an Entomopathogenic Fungal Library From Soil Samples for Controlling Spodoptera litura
Chemical pesticides have been used for pest control for many decades, but they cause serious problems, including insecticide resistance, secondary pest resurgence, and negative environmental impacts. Therefore, sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides are necessary for pest control. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are natural epizootic pathogens of insects, and some of them have been used as microbial biocontrol agents. Herein, we attempted to construct an entomopathogenic fungal library (EFLib) via the “Tenebrio molitor pathogenicity-based fungal collection method (TmPC)” to select EPF for control of the serious agricultural pest Spodoptera litura. A total of 172 soil samples were collected in northern and central Taiwan for the EFLib construction. The isolation efficiency of TmPC was 64.02%. The EFLib consisted of 101 isolates and was designated as the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) EFLib. Among these isolates, 26 showed high virulence (mortality = 100%) to T. molitor larvae. Based on the results of molecular identification, the highly virulent isolates belonged to seven genera, including Beauveria, Clonostachys, Fusarium, Cordyceps, Penicillium, Purpureocillium, and Metarhizium. To evaluate the potential of these isolates for Spodoptera litura control, 12 isolates were selected for pathogenicity screening against S. litura larvae. A total of six EPF isolates belonging to the genera Beauveria and Metarhizium showed rapid eradication of the S. litura larvae. To rank the potential of these fungal strains for pest management, the six isolates were subjected to thermotolerance and conidial production assays, and a novel effective conidia number (ECN) formula was applied. The results indicated that the ECN index of Beauveria australis (NCHU-113) was much higher than that of Metarhizium isolates. However, among the Metarhizium isolates, NCHU-95 showed the highest ECN index. Altogether, NCHU-69 and NCHU-113 should be further tested in field trials. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to integrate pathogenicity or virulence and ECN data into EPF screening and ranking, providing a baseline for mass selection of potential EPF strains for further applications