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Objective: To determine the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin production in six Cenchrus purpureus cultivars, with and without fertilization, harvested every 21 days during 168 days. Design/methodology/approach: The evaluated cultivars were CT-115, elephant grass, king grass, Maralfalfa, Roxo, and Taiwan, with and without fertilization. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement and four replications. The fertilization dose was 141-43-20 of NPK. Forage was harvested every 21 days during six months in the rainy season. We tested the samples for dry matter (DM), ash, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. We performed a nonlinear regression analysis. We determined biomass production with the estimated values and the percentage of each component. The goodness-of-fit indicators were: R², the coefficient of determination (R), and the model selection criterion (MSC). The parameters and goodness-of-fit coefficients were analyzed in ANOVA with the SAS software using the GLM procedure. Means were compared with Tukey's test. Results: The Maralfalfa cultivar presented a higher cellulose production (3,786 kg ha-1), similar (p>0.05) to the elephant grass and Taiwan cultivars, which presented values of 3,451 kg ha-1 and 3,329 kg ha-1, respectively, and different (p<0.05) from CT-115 and king grass, which produced more than 1 t ha-1 of cellulose. Limitations/implications: Cellulose production increased by the effect of fertilization. Findings/conclusions: The fertilized Maralfalfa, elephant grass, and Taiwan cultivars produced more than 4,000 kg ha-1 of cellulose, 3,000 kg ha-1 of hemicellulose, and 1,000 kg ha-1 of lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We assessed the measurement equivalence and feasibility of the paper-and-pencil and touch-screen modes of administration of the Taiwan Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-PR25, a commonly used questionnaire to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with prostate cancer in Taiwan., Methods: A cross-over design study was conducted in 99 prostate cancer patients at an urology outpatient clinic. Descriptive exact and global agreement percentages, intraclass correlation, and equivalence test based on minimal clinically important difference (MCID) approach were used to examine the equity of HRQOL scores between these two modes of administration. We also evaluated the feasibility of computerized assessment based on patients' acceptability and preference. Additionally, we used Rasch rating scale model to assess differential item functioning (DIF) between the two modes of administration., Results: The percentages of global agreement in all domains were greater than 85% in the EORTC QLQ-PR25. All results from equivalence tests were significant, except for Sexual functioning, indicating good equivalence. Only one item exhibited DIF between the two modes. Although nearly 80% of the study patients had no prior computer-use experience, the overall proportion of acceptance and preference for the touch-screen mode were quite high and there was no significant difference across age groups or between computer-use experience groups., Conclusions: The study results showed that the data obtained from the modes of administration were equivalent. The touch-screen mode of administration can be a feasible and suitable alternative to the paper-and-pencil mode for assessment of patient-reported outcomes in patients with prostate cancer.

In the last ten years, as international environmental protection consciousness has increased, the study and applications of green building, green construction materials and energy savings as well as reduction of carbon dioxide have become urgent issues for governments. In Taiwan, joss papers are burned in more than 11,731 registered shrines or temples in traditional Chinese deity or ancestor worship ceremonies during special holidays or occasions. Instead of placing this large amount of burned joss paper ash (BJPA) in landfills, this study proposes recycling BJPA by replacing some cement with calcined BJPA (CBJPA) in mortar specimens. After BJPA samples were calcined at a high kiln temperature, mortar samples were created using CBJPA to replace cement at seven different levels: 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%. Tests like setting time and compressive strength were performed for macro-analyses; scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis were carried out for the microstructure and chemical composition analyses. The test results showed that the compressive strengths of specimens with different levels of CBJPA replacement were apparently less than those of the control group (0% CBJPA) at all curing times. The compressive strength and setting time both decreased as the fraction of CBJPA in the mortar increased. Furthermore, because the hydration product did not cement and the mortar specimen structure was loose, the expected strength improvement from the pozzolanic reaction provided by the CBJPA was not clearly observed.

The Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) launched a national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system after integrating eight private recycling organizations in 1998. After that, the environmental performance of the EPR system brought a lot of attention to policy makers. Many studies show positive environmental effects of the EPR system in Taiwan. However, there are controversial questions remained, such as whether the performance indicators used are the right choice to estimate the environmental effects of the recycling policy? Can those estimated results really reflect the performance of the system? This paper would therefore like to more accurately evaluate the performance indicators of the EPR system based on data observed over the past decade in Taiwan. In the process of evaluating the performance indicators, we have found that the collection rates for durable goods are often ignored in countries that pursue a zero waste policy. This may affect the actual recycling outcome and resource direction targeted by producers. However, in order for the collection rate to be adopted as a policy indicator, how to estimate the amounts of retired or waste products during a period is critical. In this paper, we estimate the collection rate for electrical and electronic waste by using the survival analysis and ownership data analysis approaches. We also provide a comparison of both approaches and put forward suggestions for directions in the future in solid waste management.

This study examines whether the Internet-based questionnaire is psychometrically equivalent to the paper-based questionnaire. A random sample of 2,400 teachers in Taiwan was divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was invited to complete the electronic form of the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) placed on the Internet, whereas the control group was invited to complete the paper-based CES-D, which they received by mail. The multisample invariance approach, derived from structural equation modeling (SEM), was applied to analyze the collected data. The analytical results show that the two groups have equivalent factor structures in the CES-D. That is, the items in CES-D function equivalently in the two groups. Then the equality of latent mean test was performed. The latent means of "depressed mood," "positive affect," and "interpersonal problems" in CES-D are not significantly different between these two groups. However, the difference in the "somatic symptoms" latent means between these two groups is statistically significant at alpha = 0.01. But the Cohen's d statistics indicates that such differences in latent means do not apparently lead to a meaningful effect size in practice. Both CES-D questionnaires exhibit equal validity, reliability, and factor structures and exhibit a little difference in latent means. Therefore, the Internet-based questionnaire represents a promising alternative to the paper-based questionnaire.

Taiwan's EPA has implemented a new guideline called the "Plastic Products Restriction Policy", prohibiting some industries to use plastics as packaging materials for the sake of sustainable use of resources. The significant effect resulting from this policy is the substitution of plastic products with paper products. Is this policy beneficial to achieve future sustainability? I attempt to analyze the resource choice between renewable resources and exhaustible resources for production of final products and services in case of exhaustion of natural resources. In this paper, I develop a framework to examine the dynamic responsiveness of a socio-economical system in facing a continual depletion of natural resources provided by an environmental system. In this framework, the status of an environmental system in terms of carrying capacity is affected by the cumulative impacts caused from human activities, including environmental pollution and resource exploitation. Conversely, it also affects the growth of renewable resources. This framework can serve as a guideline to construct indicators to measure the status of the environmental system and the socio-economical system in order to support a policy planner that formulates an appropriate environmental policy. Based on this framework, I also develop a mathematical model to determine the optimal ratio of resources choice between renewable resources and exhaustible resources.

Conflicting goals affecting solid waste management are explored in this paper to find the best implementation of resource recovery with a small-scale waste-to-energy process. Recycling paper and plastic material often leaves a shortage of thermal energy to support incineration that forces operators to supplement the process with auxiliary fuels. Although there are considerable profits to be made from material recovery, the increase of fuel usage causes conflict given that it is cost prohibitive. A series of trials performed on a small-scale 1.5-t/day incineration plant with a cyclone heat recovery system found that material recycling can impede performance. Experimental results are expressed as empirical regression formulas with regard to combustion temperature, energy transfer, and heat recovery. Process optimization is possible if the waste moisture content remains <30%. To test the robustness of the optimization analysis, a series of sensitivity analyses clarify the extent of material recycling needed with regard to plastic, paper, and metal. The experiments also test whether the moisture in the waste would decrease when recycling paper because of its exceptional capacity to absorb moisture. Results show that recycling paper is strongly recommended when the moisture content is >20%, whereas plastic recycling is not necessary at that moisture condition. Notably, plastic recovery reduces the heat needed to vaporize the water content of the solid waste, thus it is recommended only when the moisture content is <10%. For above-normal incineration temperatures, plastic recycling is encouraged, because it removes excess energy. Metal is confirmed as an overall priority in material recycling regardless of the moisture content of the incoming waste.

The concentration of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was determined in paired specimens of liquid plasma and of plasma that had been applied to a filter paper disk, dried, and eluted; the measurements were performed by an immunochemiluminometric assay (ICMA). The 129 paired assays showed good correlation: y = 1.04x + 4.99; R2 = 0.934, where y is the result on dried samples and x is that on liquid samples. In 18 patients with acromegaly who lived on an island off the West Pacific Rim, plasma specimens were collected, applied to filter paper, dried, and mailed to a laboratory in the Upper Midwest of the United States. IGF-I was eluted from the filter paper disks and measured by ICMA. IGF-I concentrations ranged from 101 to 254 ng/ml in 11 patients with newly diagnosed but untreated acromegaly, 138 to 503 ng/ml in 4 patients with recurrent acromegaly, and 27 to 88 ng/ml in 3 patients with surgically cured acromegaly. These data demonstrate that plasma specimens of patients with acromegaly can be collected on filter paper disks and mailed to a laboratory on a distant continent for measurement of IGF-I. Such use of laboratory resources in one continent to help another continent, "Laboratories Without Borders," is somewhat analogous to the program "Doctors Without Borders."