► We investigate the effect of retailer collection in a closed-loop supply chain. ► The model captures that electronics manufacturers typically are not remanufacturers. ► The retailer collection ...policy prevails if third-party firms act as non-profit ones.
This paper proposes a retailer collection model whereby the retailer collects end-of-life products and the manufacturer cooperates with a third-party firm to handle used products, and a non-retailer collection model whereby a third-party firm is subcontracted by the manufacturer for collection work. While the return rate, manufacturer’s profits, and channel members’ total profits of the retailer collection model are not always superior to those of the non-retailer collection model, we find that the retail collection model analytically outperforms when the third-party firm is a non-profit organization for recycling and disposal.
To achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction, a number of countries have implemented carbon tax policies, and carbon pricing has become an important tool. This paper discusses the interactions ...between a government and an enterprise for implementing carbon taxes over time or by level of tax, considering greenhouse gas emission. We examine the impacts of various carbon tax policies on enterprises' investments in new technology, their reductions in production quantity, and governments' tax remittances. A case study of the strategic responses of three firms in Taiwan's electronics, cement, and steel industries to two carbon emission policies promulgated by government shows that appropriate levels of tax can induce an enterprise to alter its production processes to achieve emission reduction as part of a long-term business strategy.
Developing bifunctional catalysts for the ORR and OER, along with a unique cathode structure, is essential for advancing rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) and aluminum-air batteries (AABs). Our ...catalyst (NiFe LDH A-FeSACoSA-FeCoAlloy-CNT/NC) integrates nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe LDH), iron-cobalt dual single atoms (FeSACoSA), and iron-cobalt nanoalloy (FeCoAlloy) within carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a nitrogen-doped carbon framework (NC). Due to its distinctive features, this catalyst excels, achieving an ORR half-wave potential of 0.84 V and an OER potential of 1.56 V (Ej=10mAcm−2). In ZABs, it outperforms the Pt/C+RuO2, reaching a power density of 266 mWcm−2 and demonstrating impressive rechargeability over 495 h (1484 cycles). Flexible ZABs achieve 173 mWcm−2 and over 270 cycles (90 h), while flexible AABs reach 145 mWcm−2, surpassing Pt/C+RuO2. Exceptional performance in terms of capacity, power density, rechargeability, and lifespan is attributed to the catalyst's design and the cathode configuration's unique attributes.
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•The catalyst was synthesized via Schiff reaction, carbonization and NH3 processes.•The catalyst shows an excellent bifunctional characteristics of ORR and OER.•The ZAB demonstrates 809 mAh g−1 at 50 mA cm−2 and 266 mW cm−2 at 381 mA cm−2.•The flexible ZAB shows 710.8 mAh g−1 at 1 mA cm−2 and 173 mW cm−2 at 182 mA cm−2.•The flexible AABs reach 120.7 mAh g−1 at 1 mA cm−2 and 145 mW cm−2 at 157 mA cm−2.
Food hazards can appear at any stage of global food supply chains, making it essential to define critical control points to capture the data about ingredients, manufacture and dates-certain (sell-by, ...use-by), etc., and provide it in a transparent manner to supply chain participants and consumers. The government of Taiwan has appointed a non-profit research organization to conduct a pilot project to launch a potential national-wide food traceability system to increase the intangible value of purchased food and to enhance food safety. This paper discusses a financially viable business model for a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) application to a food traceability system. We conduct a case study of RFID implementation in the chain of convenience stores in Taiwan. The Taiwanese experiment may have implications for policy-makers, industry and public health officials elsewhere.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continued unabatedly, many global supply chains involved in manufacturing and distributing personal protective equipment often failed to meet surge demand due to production ...capacity limits. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing medical mask supply chain in Taiwan was decentralized, but immediately following the outbreak in 2020, the government of Taiwan established a centralized virtual company that integrated production, distribution, and sales. We use an exploratory empirical case study to gain insights into Taiwan's innovative public-private collaboration and the relationship between collaborative activities and supply chain resilience. This paper examines how a ten-fold growth, from 1.88 million to 20 million, in the daily production of medical masks, and their equitable distribution was achieved within four months of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that the public-private collaboration through a government-led centralized supply chain mitigated the impacts of unpredictable disruptions, built supply chain resilience, and ensured mask availability to the public.
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced in an irreversible non-enzymatic reaction of carbohydrates and proteins. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are known to have elevated AGE ...levels, which is viewed as a risk factor of diabetes-related complications. In a clinical setting, it has been shown that patients with oral cancer in conjunction with DM have a higher likelihood of cancer metastasis and lower cancer survival rates. AGE-RAGE (a receptor of AGEs) is also correlated with metastasis and angiogenesis. Recent studies have suggested that the malignancy of cancer may be enhanced by glyceraldehyde-derived AGEs; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study examined the apparently close correlation between AGE-RAGE and the malignancy of SAS oral cancer cell line. In this study, AGEs increased ERK phosphorylation, enhanced cell migration, and promoted the expression of RAGE, MMP2, and MMP9. Using PD98059, RAGE antibody, and RAGE RNAi to block RAGE pathway resulted in the inhibition of ERK phosphorylation. Cell migration, MMP2 and MMP9 expression were also reduced by this treatment. Our findings demonstrate the importance of AGE-RAGE with regard to the malignancy of oral cancer, and help to explain the poor prognosis of DM subjects with oral cancer.
In a circular economy, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a regulatory approach that accounts for all environmental costs associated with a product throughout its life cycle. When considering ...the EPR, the regulator must (1) design an integrated framework for different stakeholders and (2) provide effective policies to create financial incentives to accelerate the circular system. Recycling funds and subsidies are the most prominent financial strategies that can either encourage or curtail the flows of recycled products. In Indonesia, a few companies provided recycling bonus s to their customers as incentives to increase the recycling rate. However, the recycling rate was not as effective as expected by the enterprise because recycling was practiced by a limited number of companies, rendering it economically unviable. The enterprises hope the government could develop a recycling fund system. In order to develop the recycling fund system, a system dynamic model was proposed and simulated to optimize the recycling funds and subsidies based on decentralized reverse supply chains. Although it is not a novelty model; however, the research show a very significant results for the government in Indonesia. This enabled a more precise, well-planned, and sustainable decision-making process for the EPR. In addition, by utilizing the system dynamic model with different scenarios in a real case study (aseptic paper packaging waste), we found that the capacity of the recycler could become the reference for the funds to be paid by the importer-producer group, wherein the recycling rate will increase with an increase in the recycling fund.
•When formulating an EPR scheme, two points must be considered: framework and policies.•A system dynamic model was proposed and simulated to get the optimal solution.•A related case study involving aseptic paper packaging (APP) was considered.
We present a stoichiometric methodology for the synthesis of 4-arylated/alkylated 9(10H)-acridinones via a palladium-mediated ortho-C–H bond activation and C–C bond cross-coupling strategy. In the ...reaction, a N-(pyridin-2-yl)-9(10H)-acridinone palladacycle was employed as the starting substrate, which could be readily prepared by the stoichiometric reaction of N-(pyridin-2-yl)-9(10H)-acridinone and palladium(II) acetate in 89% isolated yield. Meanwhile, potassium aryl/alkyltrifluoroborates and p-benzoquinone were introduced to serve as the coupling partner and reaction promoter, respectively, in the presented palladium-mediated ortho-C–H bond arylation/alkylation of 9(10H)-acridinone. The reaction eventually furnished a variety of 4-arylated/alkylated 9(10H)-acridinones in 31–95% yields. The structures of N-(pyridin-2-yl)-9(10H)-acridinone palladacycle substrate and 4-phenylated/cyclopropylated 9(10H)-acridinone products were elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Kinetic isotope effect studies, as well as controlled experiments, were carried out to gain insight into the reaction mechanism. Finally, the removal of the directing group (i.e., pyridin-2-yl) was demonstrated on one of the ortho-arylated products, 4-phenyl-N-(pyridin-2-yl)-9(10H)-acridinone.
With the continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants that feature increased transmission and immune escape, there is an urgent demand for a better vaccine design that will provide broader ...neutralizing efficacy.
We report an mRNA-based vaccine using an engineered "hybrid" receptor binding domain (RBD) that contains all 16 point-mutations shown in the currently prevailing Omicron and Delta variants.
A booster dose of hybrid vaccine in mice previously immunized with wild-type RBD vaccine induced high titers of broadly neutralizing antibodies against all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). In naïve mice, hybrid vaccine generated strong Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies as well as low but significant titers against other VOCs. Hybrid vaccine also elicited CD8+/IFN-γ+ T cell responses against a conserved T cell epitope present in wild type and all VOCs.
These results demonstrate that inclusion of different antigenic mutations from various SARS-CoV-2 variants is a feasible approach to develop cross-protective vaccines.
When a firm agrees to pay a higher price to a key parts supplier in order to guarantee availability when an unexpected supply chain disruption or a strong demand in a retail market causes a scarcity ...of a needed material, both the purchase price and the acquired quantity behave in a positive relationship, which is an uncommon but important characteristic in the design of supply chain transaction contracts. This article investigates the design of transaction contracts in the supply chain of a manufacturer and a supplier, where the supplier (upstream firm) determines the form of positive relationship of scarce materials between the unit purchase price and the acquired quantity and the manufacturer (downstream firm) chooses the acquired quantity of materials after knowing the contract terms. We investigate two various charging schemes: uniform and block charging schemes. We show that despite the implementation of the block charging scheme, which seems unfavourable to the supplier since the supplier charges less at a low level of acquired quantities, the contract may return the same profits to the supplier as the uniform charging scheme, which seems favourable to the supplier since the supplier can charge a high transacted price for all quantities.
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