Identifying relevant location determinants is a good starting point for shop operators, help to increase profitability and, thus, avoiding business failure. Traditional Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) or the Analytic Network Process (ANP) have shortages that require improvement. Herein, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), ANP based on DEMATEL (DANP), and modified Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (modified VIKOR) are used to construct a hybrid multiple-attribute decision making (MADM) model, encompassing three dimensions and thirteen criteria in exploring the location determinants of Asia’s unique Bubble Tea Shops (BTSs) and to evaluate three preselected alternatives in Nanjing, China. The empirical findings of the DEMATEL method reveal that traffic traits (D1) and site traits (D2) are critical to BTSs, and that once these are enhanced, shop traits (D3) are also improved. Criteria deemed as important, based on the DEMATEL and DANP methodology, are (in descending order): proximity to a street corner (C2), proximity to public transportation systems (C1), road width (C3), proximity to communities (C5), proximity to commercial areas (C6), types of shop (C9), and proximity to schools (C7). Different decision-making rankings among alternatives are indicated based upon the modified VIKOR method and corresponding strategies for improvement are presented.

The recycled Kevlar^®/polyester/low-melting-point polyester (recycled Kevlar^®/PET/LPET) nonwoven geotextiles are immersed in neutral, strong acid, and strong alkali solutions, respectively, at different temperatures for four months. Their tensile strength is then tested according to various immersion periods at various temperatures, in order to determine their durability to chemicals. For the purpose of analyzing the possible factors that influence mechanical properties of geotextiles under diverse environmental conditions, the experimental results and statistical analyses are incorporated in this study. Therefore, influences of the content of recycled Kevlar^® fibers, implementation of thermal treatment, and immersion periods on the tensile strength of recycled Kevlar^®/PET/LPET nonwoven geotextiles are examined, after which their influential levels are statistically determined by performing multiple regression analyses. According to the results, the tensile strength of nonwoven geotextiles can be enhanced by adding recycled Kevlar^® fibers and thermal treatment.

Although Taiwan has had a unique property tax system for a long time, oversupply and increasing prices have persisted in the regional market during recent decades. In order to shed light on this problem, this study investigated the impact of property taxation on housing markets in different regions from a disequilibrium viewpoint based on the stock-flow model. The panel data of 20 counties or cities in Taiwan for the period from 1982 to 2016 was examined. The empirical findings verified that housing price was the most important factor for influencing the long-run housing supply and demand in regions both with and without oversupply. The low interest rate policy was an important factor driving the long-run housing demand, but only in over-supply regions. The current property tax system cannot impact the long-run housing demand, only the short-run demand in both regions. Moreover, the property tax cannot effectively disturb the supply behavior in the long-run in both regions. This study also confirmed that housing-market disequilibrium existed in regions both with and without oversupply, making up the gap. The property tax’s impact on the adjustment speed to long-run equilibrium in over-supply regions was weaker than under-supply regions.

The vegetation blanket is the most common choice for soil and water preservation. This is a feasible method that protects the land and environment according to basic agriculture and engineering theories. This study manufactured eco-friendly nonwoven vegetation blankets by using cotton fibers, far-infrared fibers, PLA fibers, and low melting-point fibers at a 1:1:7:1 ratio. This ratio yielded from the pilot study provides the resulting vegetation blankets’ optimum air permeability and water absorption. This study further finds that a needle-punching density of 30 needles/cm[sup]2[/sup] allows fibers to lie in a loose structure, and therefore yielding the optimum air permeability and water absorption. In plant growth evaluation, for nonwoven vegetation blankets that contain 50 wt% far-infrared fibers, the plant growth length is 1.3 times greater than that of blankets with 10 wt% far-infrared fibers. This result proves that far-infrared fibers have usually been applied to plant growth.