Understanding Older Adults’ Usage of Community Green Spaces in Taipei, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Pleson, Eryn; Nieuwendyk, Laura M.; Lee, Karen K.; Chaddah, Anuradha; Nykiforuk, Candace I. J.; Schopflocher, Donald

2014-01-01

As the world’s population ages, there is an increasing need for community environments to support physical activity and social connections for older adults. This exploratory study sought to better understand older adults’ usage and perceptions of community green spaces in Taipei, Taiwan, through direct observations of seven green spaces and nineteen structured interviews. Descriptive statistics from observations using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) confirm that older adults use Taipei’s parks extensively. Our analyses of interviews support the following recommendations for age-friendly active living initiatives for older adults: make green spaces accessible to older adults; organize a variety of structured activities that appeal to older adults particularly in the morning; equip green spaces for age-appropriate physical activity; and, promote the health advantages of green spaces to older adults. PMID:24473116

Hepatitis A virus seroepidemiology of elementary school children in New Taipei City in Taiwan.

PubMed

Tseng, Shih-Lun; Hsieh, Yu-Chia; Huang, Ya-Ling; Huang, Yu-Chiau; Hung, Yung-Tai; Huang, Yhu-Chering

2016-10-01

To establish the seroepidemiologic data of hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccine-preventable HAV diseases among school children (7-12 years old) attending elementary schools in New Taipei City, Taiwan. This is a pilot study of an ongoing nationwide study, and will be the reference for a national immunization program. The school children were selected for samplings, based on a multistage stratified sampling method that included 14 variables (4 socioeducational variables, 4 socioeducational variables, and 6 medical facilities' variables). The 29 administrative districts of New Taipei City were categorized into five strata. In total, 936 school children from 14 schools were recruited and bled for the serologic tests of HAV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The seropositive rate for HAV was 8.33% among the 936 children. From each school, the difference in the seropositive rate for HAV ranged 0-18.75%. There was no significant difference between each stratum (p = 0.059) or grade (p = 0.570); however, there was a difference between schools in the first stratum (p = 0.033) that was associated with different vaccination rates. This study also revealed a significantly greater seropositive rate in the vaccination group (p < 0.001) and in females (p = 0.02). The seropositive rate for the HAV was <10% and was mostly associated with the vaccination status. Because of the low HAV vaccination rate and low seropositive rate for the HAV, an effective hepatitis A vaccine is a useful tool to prevent HAV infection. It is worthy to discuss whether to include the HAV vaccine as part of a routine vaccination program in Taiwan. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

History and development of ophthalmology in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hou, Yu-Chih; Oren, Gale A; Chen, Muh-Shy; Hu, Fung-Rong

2016-12-01

Western medicine was first introduced to Taiwan by medical missionaries in the mid-19 th century. Modernization of medicine was systematically transplanted to Taiwan in the Japanese colonial period, and ophthalmology was established third among hospital departments, following internal medicine and surgery. Dr Hidetaka Yamaguchi, an ophthalmologist, was the first head of the Taihoku Hospital, later known as National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; Taipei, Taiwan). Ophthalmologists during the colonial period conducted studies on tropical and infectious eye diseases. After World War II, ophthalmologists at NTUH played an important role in medical education, residency training, studies, and teaching. Dr Yan-Fei Yang established the Taiwan Ophthalmological Society in 1960 and instituted its official journal in 1962. Dr Ho-Ming Lin established the Department of Ophthalmology at the Tri-Service General Hospital in the 1950s and the Veterans General Hospital in the 1960s. Taiwan ophthalmologists eradicated trachoma by 1971. Cataract surgery and penetrating keratoplasty were initially performed in the 1960s. Currently, there are about 1600 ophthalmologists in Taiwan conducting an estimated 120,000 cataract surgeries and 600 corneal transplantations annually. Many subspecialty societies have been established recently that serve to educate Taiwanese ophthalmologists and to connect with international ophthalmic societies. Taiwan ophthalmologists continue to contribute to the advancement of ophthalmic knowledge globally. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-02

government, led by Chiang Kai -shek and his Kuomintang (KMT) party, fled mainland China and moved to Taiwan, an island off the southern Chinese...system in which Chiang Kai -shek’s authoritarian Nationalist Party (KMT) ruled under martial law.7 The KMT permitted no political opposition and held no...19 Hsu, Jenny, “’Taipei’ gets direct link to WHO unit,” Taipei Times, January 23, 2009, p. 1. 20 Xie Yu , “Taiwan put under WHO

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-14

Chinese government, led by Chiang Kai -shek and his Kuomintang (KMT) party, fled mainland China and moved to Taiwan, an island off the southern Chinese...system in which Chiang Kai -shek’s authoritarian Nationalist Party (KMT) ruled under martial law.7 The KMT permitted no political opposition and held...19 Hsu, Jenny, “’Taipei’ gets direct link to WHO unit,” Taipei Times, January 23, 2009, p. 1. 20 Xie Yu , “Taiwan put under WHO

Seroprevalence, Seroconversion, and Risk Factors for Toxoplasmosis among Pregnant Women in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Hung, Ching-Sheng; Su, Hung-Wen; Lee, Yu-Luen; Weng, Hui-Wen; Wang, Yin-Chin; Naito, Toshio; Tsubouchi, Akiko; Wang, Giueng-Chueng; Fan, Chia-Kwung

2015-01-01

Herein, we determined the seroprevalence, seroconversion, and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection among pregnant women in Taipei, Taiwan. Pregnant women attending antenatal consultation in a Taipei medical center were invited, and 104 women completed a self-administered structured questionnaire. Venous blood samples were collected during the first and third trimester after consent was obtained. Serum IgG and IgM antibodies (Abs) as well as IgG avidity were analyzed using an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay. Of the samples collected in the first trimester, seven were seropositive for IgG Abs and one was seropositive for IgG + IgM Abs with a borderline avidity index, resulting in an overall seroprevalence of 7.7%. No statistically significant association was found between toxoplasmosis and age, pregnancy history, or any risk factors. Seroconversion was not detected from paired sera between the first and third trimesters. Pregnant women with senior high school education level or those who claimed to knowing Toxoplasma exhibited a significantly higher seroprevalence than those with bachelor degree (P = 0.05) or those who claimed not to have this knowledge (P = 0.05). Therefore, failure to understand the importance of T. gondii infection and the prevention measures resulted in the development of toxoplasmosis among these women.

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Toxocariasis among College Students in Taipei City, Taiwan

PubMed Central

FU, Chung-Jung; KAO, Cheng-Yan; LEE, Yueh-Lun; LIAO, Chien-Wei; CHEN, Po-Ching; CHUANG, Ting-Wu; WANG, Ying-Chin; CHOU, Chia-Mei; HUANG, Ying-Chie; NAITO, Toshio; FAN, Chia-Kwung

2015-01-01

Background: Infection by Toxocara spp. is known to be significantly associated with partial epilepsy. It has become popular for people to raise dogs/cats as pets and consume roasted meat/viscera, and the status of Toxocara spp. infection, epilepsy awareness, and associated risk factors among the general population are currently unknown in Taiwan. Methods: A seroepidemiological investigation among 203 college students (CSs), consisting of 110 males and 93 females with an average age of 21.5 ± 1.2 years, was conducted in 2009 in Taipei City. A Western blot analysis based on excretory-secretory antigens derived from Toxocara canis larvae (TcESs) was applied to determine the positivity of serum immunoglobulin G antibodies. A self-administered questionnaire was also given to obtain information about demographic characteristics, epilepsy awareness, and risk factors. A logistic regression model was applied for the statistical analysis using SPSS software. Results: The overall seropositive rate of Toxocara spp. infection was 8.4% (17/203). As to epilepsy awareness, a non-significantly higher seroprevalence was found in CSs who claimed to "know" about epilepsy compared to those who did not know (P > 0.05). Conclusions: It appears that appropriate educational programs are urgently needed to provide correct knowledge related to the prevention and control measures against Toxocara spp. infections to avoid potential threats by this parasite to the general population in Taiwan. PMID:26622304

Teaching Children's Songs: A Taiwan-US Comparison of Approaches by Kindergarten Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Mei-Ying; Campbell, Patricia Shehan

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to compare differences in approaches to teaching children's song by kindergarten teachers in Taiwan and the USA. Five public school kindergarten teachers in Taipei, Taiwan, and five public kindergarten teachers in Seattle, USA, were invited to voluntarily participate in this study. They were asked to teach six…

Evidence for a magma reservoir beneath the Taipei metropolis of Taiwan from both S-wave shadows and P-wave delays.

PubMed

Lin, Cheng-Horng

2016-12-23

There are more than 7 million people living near the Tatun volcano group in northern Taiwan. For the safety of the Taipei metropolis, in particular, it has been debated for decades whether or not these volcanoes are active. Here I show evidence of a deep magma reservoir beneath the Taipei metropolis from both S-wave shadows and P-wave delays. The reservoir is probably composed of either a thin magma layer overlay or many molten sills within thick partially molten rocks. Assuming that 40% of the reservoir is partially molten, its total volume could be approximately 350 km 3 . The exact location and geometry of the magma reservoir will be obtained after dense seismic arrays are deployed in 2017-2020.

Evidence for a magma reservoir beneath the Taipei metropolis of Taiwan from both S-wave shadows and P-wave delays

PubMed Central

Lin, Cheng-Horng

2016-01-01

There are more than 7 million people living near the Tatun volcano group in northern Taiwan. For the safety of the Taipei metropolis, in particular, it has been debated for decades whether or not these volcanoes are active. Here I show evidence of a deep magma reservoir beneath the Taipei metropolis from both S-wave shadows and P-wave delays. The reservoir is probably composed of either a thin magma layer overlay or many molten sills within thick partially molten rocks. Assuming that 40% of the reservoir is partially molten, its total volume could be approximately 350 km3. The exact location and geometry of the magma reservoir will be obtained after dense seismic arrays are deployed in 2017–2020. PMID:28008931

The Development of the Community University Movement in Taiwan: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Ching-Jung

2004-01-01

The Community University (CU) movement in Taiwan arose from calls for education reform and social change in the country since the last decade. In 1998 the first CU, Wenshan CU, operated by local activists and grass-roots groups, was established in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as an outgrowth of a popular rally for education reform in 1994.…

Geographic Variation in Cancer Incidence among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan (1995-2009).

PubMed

Hung, Giun-Yi; Horng, Jiun-Lin; Yen, Hsiu-Ju; Lee, Chih-Ying; Lee, Yu-Sheng

2015-01-01

Evidence from our recent study suggested that the overall trend for cancer incidence in children and adolescents has been increasing in Taiwan. To analyze geographic variations in this trend, cancer frequencies and incidence rates of disease groups were quantified according to geographic areas among 12,633 patients aged <20 years during 1995-2009 by using the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Three geographic levels were defined, namely county or city, region (Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Taiwan), and local administrative area (special municipality, provincial city, county-administered city, township, and aboriginal area). Of the regions, Northern Taiwan had the highest incidence rate at 139.6 per million person-years, followed by Central (132.8), Southern (131.8), and Eastern (128.4) Taiwan. Significantly higher standardized rate ratios (SRRs) were observed in Northern Taiwan (SRR = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.10) and at the township level (SRR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03-1.11). Of the cities or counties, New Taipei City yielded the highest SRR (1.08), followed by Taipei City (SRR = 1.07). A comparison of the rates in the four regions and the remainder of Taiwan according to cancer type revealed that only the rate of neuroblastomas in Eastern Taiwan was significantly low. Trend analysis showed that the most significant increase in incidence rate was observed at the township level, with an annual percent change of 1.8% during the 15-year study period. The high rate of childhood cancer in Northern Taiwan and at the township level deserves further attention. The potential impacts of environmental factors on the upward trend of childhood cancer incidence rate in townships warrant further investigation.

HIV Infection Risk among Injection Drug Users in a Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program, Taipei, Taiwan 2007-2010

PubMed Central

Yen, Yung-Feng; Rodwell, Timothy C.; Yen, Muh-Yong; Hsu, Yun-Hsia; Chuang, Peing; Li, Lan-Huei; Su, Lien-Wen; Yang, Yi-Hong; Fang, Yung-Chun; Garfein, Richard S.

2014-01-01

Background Taiwan has a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic that has recently shifted to an increase among injection drug users (IDUs). This study aimed to measure the prevalence and incidence and identify correlates of HIV infection among IDUs in a large methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP) in Taipei, Taiwan. Methods Data from intake interviews and HIV testing completed by IDUs upon admission to the Taipei City Hospital MMTP in 2007-2010 were included in this analysis. HIV testing was repeated semi-annually among maintained clients who were HIV-negative at admission. Results Of 1,444 IDUs admitted, 85.9% were male, median age was 40 years, and mean years of injecting was 14.3 (range: 1-64). The prevalence of HIV, HCV, and HIV/HCV co-infection was 13.4%, 91.1%, and 13.2%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, HIV infection was associated with sharing syringes during the 6 months prior to admission (OR=14.76, 95% CI 10.31-21.13), homelessness (OR=6.46, 95% CI1.49-28.00), and lifetime number of MMTP admissions (OR=1.76, 95% CI 1.30-2.38) and times incarcerated (OR=1.10, 95% CI1.03-1.18). HIV seroincidence was 1.15/100 person-years at risk (95% CI 0.62-8.77/100 PY) among IDUs who were HIV-negative at first admission. Conclusions Taiwanese IDUs in MMTP have a high HIV prevalence, which was associated with syringe sharing and other factors related to social marginalization. Our findings highlight the importance of harm reduction programs, including syringe exchange, along with HIV-prevention education. PMID:22783806

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Recent Developments and Their Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-03

Olympics (August) and the Paralympic Games (September). For instance, while appearing more conciliatory in a reported letter to U.N. Secretary-General... Games . A 1989 agreement stipulated that Taiwan be called “Zhonghua Taipei” — or “Chinese Taipei,” a term suggesting a more ambiguous Chinese...would use to refer to Taiwan during the 2008 Olympic Games .22 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense also has said that acquiring submarines — a move

Estimating Source Duration for Moderate and Large Earthquakes in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Wen-Yen; Hwang, Ruey-Der; Ho, Chien-Yin; Lin, Tzu-Wei

2017-04-01

Estimating Source Duration for Moderate and Large Earthquakes in Taiwan Wen-Yen Chang1, Ruey-Der Hwang2, Chien-Yin Ho3 and Tzu-Wei Lin4 1 Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan, ROC 2Department of Geology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC 3Department of Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC 4Seismology Center, Central Weather Bureau, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC ABSTRACT To construct a relationship between seismic moment (M0) and source duration (t) was important for seismic hazard in Taiwan, where earthquakes were quite active. In this study, we used a proposed inversion process using teleseismic P-waves to derive the M0-t relationship in the Taiwan region for the first time. Fifteen earthquakes with MW 5.5-7.1 and focal depths of less than 40 km were adopted. The inversion process could simultaneously determine source duration, focal depth, and pseudo radiation patterns of direct P-wave and two depth phases, by which M0 and fault plane solutions were estimated. Results showed that the estimated t ranging from 2.7 to 24.9 sec varied with one-third power of M0. That is, M0 is proportional to t**3, and then the relationship between both of them was M0=0.76*10**23(t)**3 , where M0 in dyne-cm and t in second. The M0-t relationship derived from this study was very close to those determined from global moderate to large earthquakes. For further understanding the validity in the derived relationship, through the constructed relationship of M0-, we inferred the source duration of the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake with M0=2-5*10**27 dyne-cm (corresponding to Mw = 7.5-7.7) to be approximately 29-40 sec, in agreement with many previous studies for source duration (28-42 sec).

National Disability Registers Report on Causes of Intellectual Disability in Taiwan: 2000-2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Yen, Chia-Feng; Wu, Jia-Ling; Kang, Shih-Wan

2009-01-01

The main purposes of the present analysis were to describe the causes of intellectual disability (ID) and examine its overtime change from 2000 to 2007 in Taiwan. Data of the present study mainly come from the public web-access information which collected by the Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interiors, Taipei, Taiwan. Data were…

An Analysis of Song-Leading by Kindergarten Teachers in Taiwan and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Mei-Ying; Campbell, Patricia Shehan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine components of the song-leading process used by kindergarten teachers in Taiwan and the United States, including the critical matter of starting pitch. Five public school kindergarten teachers in Taipei, Taiwan, and five public kindergarten teachers in Seattle, USA, were invited to participate in this study…

Administrative Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders Based on National Disability Registers in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Lin, Lan-Ping; Wu, Jia-Ling

2009-01-01

The aim of this paper was to describe the over time prevalence of autism from 2000 to 2007 in Taiwan, with particular focus on the age, gender, prevalence and causes. We analyzed data from the public web-access information collected by the Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interiors, Taipei, Taiwan. The data included: (1) the physically…

Holocene vertical tectonic movements of the Taipei Basin, northern Taiwan and its implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, B.; Hsieh, M.; Lai, T.; Liew, P.

2007-12-01

Many geological data of the Taipei Basin, although, have been published by various studies in past decades, however, vertical tectonic movement rate of the Basin was not well understood so far. This study, therefore, used radiocarbon dates, obtained from fifteen boreholes in the Basin, to calculate the Holocene vertical tectonic movement rate. In addition to the derived tectonic movement rate, this study also discussed the causes of the tectonic patterns of the Taipei Basin. The Taipei Basin, located in the northern Taiwan, was a half graben subsided and extended along the western boundary, the Shangiao Normal Fault, of the Basin. The Holocene vertical tectonic movement rate of the Basin were calculated based on 94 radiocarbon dates in fifteen boreholes, the elevations of the radiocarbon dating samples, and the eustatic sea-level curve of the past 15 ka. The results showed the rate in the western part of the Basin, was -2.2 -- -0.9 mm/yr (negative value indicates subsiding, and positive value indicates uplifting). In the central part of the Basin, the rate was ca. -1 -- 1 mm/yr while in the eastern part of the Basin, the rate was 0.1 -- 1.6 mm/yr. Along the Shiangiao Fault, the rate of the hanging-wall was ca. -1.6 -- -0.4 mm/yr and the rate of the footwall was ca. 0 mm/yr. According to the results of this study, the present territory of the Taipei Basin was not actually consistent with the tectonic subsiding region. The vertical tectonic movement pattern demonstrated subsidence in the western part and uplift in the eastern part of the Taipei Basin. The subsidence of the western part was controlled by the extension of the Shangiao Faul. The uplift of the eastern part might be ascribed to the roll-over of the Fault. Another possibility is that the uplift of the east was controlled by the same behavior as the Western Foothills.Consequently, the deposition of the eastern part of the Basin, wass mainly related to the accommodations due to sea-level rise but not

Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis Infection among Preschool Children in Kindergartens of Taipei City, Taiwan in 2008

PubMed Central

Chang, Tso-Kang; Liao, Chien-Wei; Huang, Ying-Chieh; Chang, Chun-Chao; Chou, Chia-Mei; Tsay, Hsin-Chieh; Huang, Alice; Guu, Shu-Fen; Kao, Ting-Chang

2009-01-01

The prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection among preschool children was reported to be low based on a 5-year screening program in Taipei City, Taiwan. The Taipei City government intended to terminate the E. vermicularis screening program among preschool children. Thus, we were entrusted with confirming whether pinworm infections among preschool children in Taipei City had truly declined. From each of 12 administrative districts 2-3 kindergartens were randomly selected for investigation. In total, 4,349 children were examined, of which 2,537 were boys and 1,812 were girls. The cellophane tape adhered to a glass slide was used, and all examinations were done by certified medical technologists. Results indicated that the overall prevalence rate of pinworm infections was 0.62% (27/4,349). Although the infection rate was higher among boys (0.67%, 17/2,537) than in girls (0.55%, 10/1,812), no significant difference was found (χ2 = 0.399, P = 0.62). According to the administrative district, the infection rate ranged from no positive cases of E. vermicularis infection in the Xinyi, Zhongzhen, and Wanhua Districts (0%; 0/299, 0/165, and 0/358, respectively), to 0.26% (1/131) in Songshan District, with the highest rate of 1.88% (7/373) in Wenshan District. Because the overall infection rate (0.62%, 27/4,349) in the present study was unchanged compared to that (0.40%, 197/49,541) previously reported in 2005, we propose that regular pinworm screening and treatment programs should be continued in some parts of Taipei City. PMID:19488428

Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis Infection among preschool children in kindergartens of Taipei City, Taiwan in 2008.

PubMed

Chang, Tso-Kang; Liao, Chien-Wei; Huang, Ying-Chieh; Chang, Chun-Chao; Chou, Chia-Mei; Tsay, Hsin-Chieh; Huang, Alice; Guu, Shu-Fen; Kao, Ting-Chang; Fan, Chia-Kwung

2009-06-01

The prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection among preschool children was reported to be low based on a 5-year screening program in Taipei City, Taiwan. The Taipei City government intended to terminate the E. vermicularis screening program among preschool children. Thus, we were entrusted with confirming whether pinworm infections among preschool children in Taipei City had truly declined. From each of 12 administrative districts 2-3 kindergartens were randomly selected for investigation. In total, 4,349 children were examined, of which 2,537 were boys and 1,812 were girls. The cellophane tape adhered to a glass slide was used, and all examinations were done by certified medical technologists. Results indicated that the overall prevalence rate of pinworm infections was 0.62% (27/4,349). Although the infection rate was higher among boys (0.67%, 17/2,537) than in girls (0.55%, 10/1,812), no significant difference was found (chi(2) = 0.399, P = 0.62). According to the administrative district, the infection rate ranged from no positive cases of E. vermicularis infection in the Xinyi, Zhongzhen, and Wanhua Districts (0%; 0/299, 0/165, and 0/358, respectively), to 0.26% (1/131) in Songshan District, with the highest rate of 1.88% (7/373) in Wenshan District. Because the overall infection rate (0.62%, 27/4,349) in the present study was unchanged compared to that (0.40%, 197/49,541) previously reported in 2005, we propose that regular pinworm screening and treatment programs should be continued in some parts of Taipei City.

The Administrative Population Report on Children with Developmental Delays in Taiwan, 2003 through 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Yen, Chia-Feng; Wu, Jia-Ling; Kang, Shih-Wan

2009-01-01

This paper was a population study with developmental delays and it included an examination of the trends the overtime change trend and reported channels of this group of people in Taiwan. We analyzed data for the present study mainly from the Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interiors, Taipei, Taiwan: "Number of early intervention…

Geographic Variation in Cancer Incidence among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan (1995–2009)

PubMed Central

Hung, Giun-Yi; Horng, Jiun-Lin; Yen, Hsiu-Ju; Lee, Chih-Ying; Lee, Yu-Sheng

2015-01-01

Background Evidence from our recent study suggested that the overall trend for cancer incidence in children and adolescents has been increasing in Taiwan. Methods To analyze geographic variations in this trend, cancer frequencies and incidence rates of disease groups were quantified according to geographic areas among 12,633 patients aged <20 years during 1995–2009 by using the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Three geographic levels were defined, namely county or city, region (Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Taiwan), and local administrative area (special municipality, provincial city, county-administered city, township, and aboriginal area). Results Of the regions, Northern Taiwan had the highest incidence rate at 139.6 per million person-years, followed by Central (132.8), Southern (131.8), and Eastern (128.4) Taiwan. Significantly higher standardized rate ratios (SRRs) were observed in Northern Taiwan (SRR = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02–1.10) and at the township level (SRR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03–1.11). Of the cities or counties, New Taipei City yielded the highest SRR (1.08), followed by Taipei City (SRR = 1.07). A comparison of the rates in the four regions and the remainder of Taiwan according to cancer type revealed that only the rate of neuroblastomas in Eastern Taiwan was significantly low. Trend analysis showed that the most significant increase in incidence rate was observed at the township level, with an annual percent change of 1.8% during the 15-year study period. Conclusions The high rate of childhood cancer in Northern Taiwan and at the township level deserves further attention. The potential impacts of environmental factors on the upward trend of childhood cancer incidence rate in townships warrant further investigation. PMID:26192415

Southeast Asia’s Relations with Taiwan, 2000-2016: An Assessment of Vietnam and Singapore

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

were considered good during Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui’s terms (1988–2000) with robust economic ties and de facto diplomatic relations. Studies of...the post -Lee period have described a state of deteriorated relations between Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries when Chen Shui-bian succeeded Lee...Taiwan set up its de facto embassy in Ho Chi Minh City in 1992, and Vietnam set up its own representative office in Taipei in 1993. Vietnam continued to

China/Taiwan: Evolution of the One China Policy - Key Statements from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-09

48 PRC Premier Li Peng Warns Taiwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Mainland-Taiwan “Koo-Wang...and March 1993, PRC President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng began to warn of having to use “drastic” or “resolute” measures to prevent Taiwan...commitment in its referral to Quemoy and Matsu.” (Wolff and Simon, p. 282-283.) 95 “Ye Jianying Explains Policy Concerning Return of Taiwan to Motherland and

Dome collapse eruption in Tatun Volcanic Group near metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan at ~6 kyrs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C.; Lee, T.

2010-12-01

The Tatun Volcanic Group (TVG) is located in the north of metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan. Over 6 million inhabitants are living in Taipei City and suburban area. Another critical issue is an international airport and two nuclear power plants are lying at the foot of the TVG. If the TGV will be re-active, the serious hazard for human lives and economies in this area will definitely occur. Understanding the youngest eruption history of the TVG will be much important for prediction the future activity of eruption. The core was collected from the Dream Lake at the eastern slop of Cising Mt.. Total 21 samples from depth 190 cm to 231.5 cm have been tested. Comparison of chemical compositions of glass and minerals in the volcanic clasts with those of lava around TVG, they clearly showed that the volcanic clasts can be correlated with the eruption of the closest Cising Mt. According to the radiocarbon (C-14) age of core sample at the depth 225 cm, the age was extrapolated around 6150 yrs ca. C-14 B.P.. Moreover, the respiratory cristobalite in the volcanic clasts were firstly identified by the identical morphology, chemical composition and Laser Raman Spectrometry (LRS). The crystalline silica was produced by vapor-phase crystallization and devitrification in the andesite lava dome and volcanic ash generated by pyroclastic flows formed by lava dome collapse in Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat (Baxter et al.,1999). These new evidence demonstrated that there would probably have the lava dome collapse eruptions in the TVG in the last 6 kyrs. The result in this paper also sustained that the landslide caused by the weak phreatic eruption within the last 6000 yrs in the TVG (Belousov et al., 2010). It must further be noted that an efficient program of the volcanic hazard reduction should be practiced for the metropolitan Taipei and suburban area.

Induced abortion in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, P D; Lin, R S

1995-04-01

Induced abortion is widely practised in Taiwan; however, it had been illegal until 1985. It was of interest to investigate induced abortion practices in Taiwan after its legalization in 1985 in order to calculate the prevalence rate and ratio of induced abortion to live births and to pregnancies in Taiwan. A study using questionnaires through personal interviews was conducted on more than seventeen thousand women who attended a family planning service in Taipei metropolitan areas between 1991 and 1992. The reproductive history and sexual behaviour of the subjects were especially focused on during the interviews. Preliminary findings showed that 46% of the women had a history of having had an induced abortion. Among them, 54.8% had had one abortion, 29.7% had had two, and 15.5% had had three or more. The abortion ratio was 379 induced abortions per 1,000 live births and 255 per 1,000 pregnancies. The abortion ratio was highest for women younger than 20 years of age, for aboriginal women and for nulliparous women. When logistic regression was used to control for confounding variables, we found that the number of previous live births is the strongest predictor relating to women seeking induced abortion. In addition, a significant positive association exists between increasing number of induced abortions and cervical dysplasia.

Comparative study on long-term visibility trend and its affecting factors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Junjun; Xing, Zhenyu; Zhuang, Bingliang; Du, Ke

2014-06-01

The rapid industrial development and urbanization has lead to increasing particulate matter pollution in the Cross Taiwan Strait Region, which has significant impacts on atmospheric visibility degradation. Long-term visibility trends in five typical cities over the cross-strait region (i.e., Xiamen and Fuzhou in the Western Taiwan Strait (WTS) region and Taipei, Taichung and Tainan in Taiwan) and its correlation with air quality and meteorological conditions were investigated using visibility and meteorological data during 1973-2011 and air pollution data during 2009-2011. For the entire period, the overall average visibilities in the WTS region were better than those in Taiwan, with an average of 16.8, 16.6, 8.5, 10.3 and 9.0 km in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Taipei, Taichung and Tainan, respectively. Decline trends with decreasing rates of - 0.5-0.1 km/yr existed in all cities except Taipei, which had an improvement in visibility after 1992. All seasons had decreasing trends during the 39-year period except in Taipei. The WTS region had the worse change trend compared with Taiwan. No statistically significant weekend effect in visibility is found over the region. Visibilities were better in summer and autumn, while worse in winter and spring. Correlation analysis revealed that significant negative correlations existed between visibility and NO2 and airborne particles (i.e., PM10 and PM2.5); PM2.5 played an important role in visibility degradation. High temperature and low pressure is beneficial for better visibility. Principal component analysis further confirmed the impacts of high concentrations of air pollutants, stable synoptic systems and humid air with high relative humidity on visibility impairment. In addition, case studies highlighted characteristics and potential causes of typical regional low visibility episodes over the region.

Typhoon Soudelor's Eye over Northwestern Taiwan

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-08-10

In this MODIS image from NASA's Aqua satellite, the eye of Typhoon Soudelor is seen over northwestern Taiwan on August 8, 2015 at 05:25 UTC (1:25 a.m. EDT). At that time, Soudelor had maximum sustained winds near 90 knots. It was less than 100 miles southwest of Taipei, Taiwan. Typhoon-force winds were felt up to 35 miles from the center, covering a 70 mile-wide diameter. Image credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team/Jeff Schmaltz..NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Demographics, training, and practice patterns of practitioners of folk medicine in Taiwan: a survey of the Taipei metropolitan area.

PubMed

Tsai, Pei-Shan; Lee, Pi-Hsia; Wang, Mei-Yeh

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographics, training, and practice patterns of folk medicine practitioners, their opinions toward statutory regulation of folk medicine, and the formal education and credentialing for folk medicine providers in the metropolitan Taipei area. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Included in the survey were 200 folk medicine practitioners in Taipei city and 200 folk medicine practitioners in Taipei county. The survey questionnaire consisted of 3 domains including demographics and training; practice patterns; and opinions toward statutory regulation of folk medicine and formal education and credentialing for Tuina, Ba Guan, Gua Sha, and reflexology providers. The response rates ranged from 86.3% to 99.5%. A typical folk medicine provider in the Taipei metropolitan area was a middle-aged man with a high school degree who worked about 50 hours a week. The majority of the providers in the Taipei metropolitan area received their training through apprenticeship. Years of training and experience varied widely among these practitioners. About 80% had received more than one year of training prior to starting their practice. Adult men and women were their major clientele. The major treatment modalities they offered were Tuina, Gua Sha, Ba Guan, reflexology, and meridian massage. The majority of the respondents agreed that practitioners should receive formal education and training and agreed that certifying the qualifications of folk medicine practitioners is necessary. Findings from the present survey provide an understanding of the training and practice patterns of Taiwanese folk medicine practitioners, highlight folk medicine practitioners' needs for formal education and training, and stress the importance of statutory regulation of folk medicine in Taiwan.

Impacts of Typhoon Soudelor (2015) on the water quality of Taipei, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Fakour, Hoda; Lo, Shang-Lien; Lin, Tsair-Fuh

2016-01-01

Typhoon Soudelor was one of the strongest storms in the world in 2015. The category 5 hurricane made landfall in Taiwan on August 8, causing extensive damage and severe impacts on the environment. This paper describes the changes of trihalomethane (THM) concentrations in tap and drinking fountain water in selected typhoon-affected areas in Taipei before and after the typhoon. Samples were taken from water transmission mains at various distances from the local water treatment plant. The results showed that organic matter increased between pre- and post-typhoon periods with a greater proportion of aromatic compounds. Although drinking fountains showed moderately less total trihalomethane (TTHM) levels than that of tap water, the intake of high turbidity water considerably diminished the efficiency of their purification systems after the typhoon. The percentage distribution of THM species increased throughout the distribution network, probably due to a longer contact time between chlorine and the organic matter in the pipelines. After 2 to 5 min of boiling, THM reduction was considerable in all cases with the greater extent in post-typhoon samples. It is evident that extreme weather conditions may have a severe impact on water quality, and thus more cautious strategies should be adopted in such cases. PMID:27125312

Reinvigorating Ethnic Cultural Identity Through Mother-Tongue-Teaching Materials in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Su-chiao

1996-01-01

Explores to what extent a mother-tongue educational program can reinvigorate Taiwan's ethnic cultural identity. Content of mother-tongue materials used in Taipei county for Taiwanese, Hakka, and Ataylic students is analyzed, and interviews with members from each ethnic group are also conducted as a supplement. (JL)

Transient Surface Deformation of Northern Taiwan, 2007-2011, Using Persistent Scattered InSAR with ALOS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C.; Chang, W.; Chang, C.

2013-12-01

The Taipei basin, triangular in shape and located in the northern Taiwan, is now developed into the most densely populated area and also the capital of politics and economics in Taiwan. North of the Taipei basin, the Tatun volcano group was proposed to be the cause of extensional collapse during the Pleistocene following the collision between the Luzon volcanic arc and the Eurasian continental margin at about 5 Ma. We investigated the contemporary surface deformation of the northern Taiwan using ALOS images that cover the Taipei basin and its surrounding mountainous area. The Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technique has been widely used in the past ten years. However, the mountainous areas surrounding the basin are mostly covered with densely various vegetations that reduce signal-to-noise ratio in the interferograms. Therefore, the DInSAR technique is not effective for measuring the surface deformation in and around the Taipei basin, including the Tatun volcano area, and consequently the Persistent Scatterer (PS) and small baseline (SB) InSAR techniques have been employed to extract phase signals of the chosen PS points. In this study, we aim to measure the ground deformation of northern Taiwan by processing the spaceborne radar interferometry data of ALOS acquired from 2007 to 2011 using PSInSAR and SBInSAR techniques. Compared with the Envisat and ERS images used by previous studies, L-band PALSAR images can produce more PS points in the region covered by dense vegetation so that our results reveal a higher resolution of ground deformation. The mean Line of Sight (LOS) velocity field of up to 8 mm/yr in the central Tatun volcanic area, and up to 5 mm/yr in the Taipei basin with higher rate at the hanging wall of the Sanchiao fault than the footwall. (See the Figure.) While previous studies indicated that the Taipei basin had experienced ground uplift from 1993 to 2001 and subsidence from 2003 to 2008, our results show a return to

CPTAC Establishes Formal Relationships with Two Academic Institutions in Taiwan | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Cancer.gov

The National Cancer Institute's Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) has entered into memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with Chang Gung University and Academia Sinica, in Taipei, Taiwan.

Indoor Air Quality in the Metro System in North Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Yi; Sung, Fung-Chang; Chen, Mei-Lien; Mao, I-Fang; Lu, Chung-Yen

2016-12-02

Indoor air pollution is an increasing health concern, especially in enclosed environments such as underground subway stations because of increased global usage by urban populations. This study measured the indoor air quality of underground platforms at 10 metro stations of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS) in Taiwan, including humidity, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), ozone (O₃), airborne particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ), bacteria and fungi. Results showed that the CO₂, CO and HCHO levels met the stipulated standards as regulated by Taiwan's Indoor Air Quality Management Act (TIAQMA). However, elevated PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels were measured at most stations. TVOCs and bacterial concentrations at some stations measured in summer were higher than the regulated standards stipulated by Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration. Further studies should be conducted to reduce particulate matters, TVOCs and bacteria in the air of subway stations.

Enterobius vermicularis infection and its risk factors among pre-school children in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Kuang-Yao; Yen, Chuan-Min; Hwang, Kao-Pin; Wang, Lian-Chen

2017-06-29

The prevalence of pinworm infection is extremely low in Taipei, Taiwan. This population study was designed to determine the current status and the associated risk factors of this infection among pre-school children. Perianal swab specimens were obtained from the parents or guardians using a two-consecutive-day adhesive cellophane perianal swab kit. Information of family background, personal hygiene, and household sanitary conditions were collected by asking the parents or guardians to complete a questionnaire. Of 44,163 children, 0.21% was found to infect with pinworm. The positive rate was highest in Datong (0.59%) and Nangang (0.58%) Districts and lowest in Neihu District (0.02%). There was no significant difference in the rates by gender (boys 0.24% and girls 0.19%) or school (kindergartens 0.25% and nurseries 0.17%). Significantly higher positive rates were found in children having parent with lower educational level and elder brother(s)/sister(s). Children taking bath by themselves and those sleeping in bed with matting had significantly higher positive rates. Five significant independent predictors of pinworm infection were determined by multivariate analysis: having elder brother(s), having elder sister(s), infrequent washing hands after using toilet facilities, bathing without the help of family members, and sleeping on bed with matting. The prevalence of pinworm infection in the pre-school children of Taipei is extremely low and decreasing. Good hand washing habit should be an important preventive measure. Transmission of this infection in pre-school children may occur in the family through their school-age siblings. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Empirical Site Amplification Factors Incorporating Soil Nonlinearity in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, C. H.; Chung, C. H.; Che-Min, L.; Huang, J. Y.; Wen, K. L.

2017-12-01

Characteristics of site amplifications caused by both crustal and subduction earthquakes are important in Taiwan. For example, seismic waves were amplified and led to significant building damages in the Taipei Basin by the 1986 Hualien offshore (subduction interface) and the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquakes (crustal), for which the epicentral distances were about 100 km. To understand local site amplifications in Taiwan, empirical site amplification factors for horizontal ground motions are studied using recently constructed strong motion and site databases for the free-field TSMIP stations in Taiwan. Records of large magnitude earthquakes of ML larger than six from 1994 to 2014 were selected for this study. Site amplification factors at site conditions with Vs30 of 120 m/s to 1500 m/s and base accelerations up to 0.7g were inferred from intensity ratios of station pairs within specific distances. The reference site condition is assumed as Vs30 of 760 m/s (B/C boundary). Preliminary results indicate: 1. Soil nonlinearity is more obviously at short periods (PGA, Sa0.3) than long periods (PGV, Sa1.0). 2. Soil nonlinearity is significant for stations belong to site classes of B, C, D, and E in Taiwan. 3. Effect of station-pair distance is seen at short periods (PGA and Sa0.3). 4. No significant different is found in site amplifications of crustal and subduction earthquakes. The result could be a reference for the Fa and Fv in Taiwan's building code.

Evidence of transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting in Taipei City, Taiwan.

PubMed Central

Harn, H J; Shen, K L; Ho, L I; Yu, K W; Liu, G C; Yueh, K C; Lee, J H

1997-01-01

AIMS: To determine, by strain identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, whether transmission has occurred between individuals or whether new strains are present. METHODS: A rapid protocol for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was developed. This protocol was applied to 64 strains of M tuberculosis that had been confirmed by culture and microbiological methods. RESULTS: There are five groups of M tuberculosis prevalent in Taipei city, Taiwan. The major types are groups I and III. Groups I and II had been prevalent until the end of last year when, according to our group analysis, they had been eradicated. However, group III was continuously present from the middle of 1995 to the middle of 1996, and group IV was present at the end of both years, which indicated that both groups were transmitted continuously. These clustered strains had demographic characteristics consistent with a finding of transmission tuberculosis. Also, there were 13 of 64 strains with unique RAPD fingerprints that were inferred to be due primarily to the reactivation of infection. In the drug resistance analysis, the major type represented included group III and part of group IV. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data imply, not only that the prevalence of M tuberculosis in Taipei city is due to transmission rather than reactivation, but that drug resistance also may play a role in tuberculosis transmission. Images PMID:9378819

The measurement of dry deposition and surface runoff to quantify urban road pollution in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Yunn-Jinn; Chen, Chi-Feng; Lin, Jen-Yang

2013-10-16

Pollutants deposited on road surfaces and distributed in the environment are a source of nonpoint pollution. Field data are traditionally hard to collect from roads because of constant traffic. In this study, in cooperation with the traffic administration, the dry deposition on and road runoff from urban roads was measured in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The results showed that the dry deposition is 2.01-5.14 g/m(2) · day and 78-87% of these solids are in the 75-300 µm size range. The heavy metals in the dry deposited particles are mainly Fe, Zn, and Na, with average concentrations of 34,978, 1,519 and 1,502 ppm, respectively. Elevated express roads show the highest heavy metal concentrations. Not only the number of vehicles, but also the speed of the traffic should be considered as factors that influence road pollution, as high speeds may accelerate vehicle wear and deposit more heavy metals on road surfaces. In addition to dry deposition, the runoff and water quality was analyzed every five minutes during the first two hours of storm events to capture the properties of the first flush road runoff. The sample mean concentration (SMC) from three roads demonstrated that the first flush runoff had a high pollution content, notably for suspended solid (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease, Pb, and Zn. Regular sweeping and onsite water treatment facilities are suggested to minimize the pollution from urban roads.

Safe-Taipei a Program Project for Strong Motions, Active Faults, and Earthquakes in the Taipei Metropolitan Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jeen-Hwa

Strong collision between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea Plates causes high seismicity in the Taiwan region, which is often attacked by large earthquakes. Several cities, including three mega-cities, i.e., Taipei, Taichung, and Kaoshung, have been constructed on western Taiwan, where is lying on thick sediments. These cities, with a high-population density, are usually a regional center of culture, economics, and politics. Historically, larger-sized earthquakes, e.g. the 1935 Hsingchu—Taichung earthquake and the 1999 Chi—Chi earthquake, often caused serious damage on the cities. Hence, urban seismology must be one of the main subjects of Taiwan's seismological community. Since 2005, a program project, sponsored by Academia Sinica, has been launched to investigate seismological problems in the Taipei Metropolitan Area. This program project is performed during the 2005—2007 period. The core research subjects are: (1) the deployment of the Taipei Down-hole Seismic Array; (2) the properties of earthquakes and active faults in the area; (3) the seismogenic-zone structures, including the 3-D velocity and Q structures, of the area; (4) the characteristics of strong-motions and sites affects; and (5) strong-motion prediction. In addition to academic goals, the results obtained from the program project will be useful for seismic hazard mitigation not only for the area but also for others.

Asian Dust Storm Elevates Children’s Respiratory Health Risks: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Children’s Clinic Visits across Taipei (Taiwan)

PubMed Central

Yu, Hwa-Lung; Chien, Lung-Chang; Yang, Chiang-Hsing

2012-01-01

Concerns have been raised about the adverse impact of Asian dust storms (ADS) on human health; however, few studies have examined the effect of these events on children’s health. Using databases from the Taiwan National Health Insurance and Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency, this study investigates the documented daily visits of children to respiratory clinics during and after ADS that occurred from 1997 to 2007 among 12 districts across Taipei City by applying a Bayesian structural additive regressive model controlled for spatial and temporal patterns. This study finds that the significantly impact of elevated children’s respiratory clinic visits happened after ADS. Five of the seven lagged days had increasing percentages of relative rate, which was consecutively elevated from a 2-day to a 5-day lag by 0.63%∼2.19% for preschool children (i.e., 0∼6 years of age) and 0.72%∼3.17% for school children (i.e., 7∼14 years of age). The spatial pattern of clinic visits indicated that geographical heterogeneity was possibly associated with the clinic’s location and accessibility. Moreover, day-of-week effects were elevated on Monday, Friday, and Saturday. We concluded that ADS may significantly increase the risks of respiratory diseases consecutively in the week after exposure, especially in school children. PMID:22848461

China/Taiwan: Evolution of the One China Policy - Key Statements from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-07

Statements During Clinton Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 PRC Premier Li Peng Warns Taiwan...Soviet Union/Russia and built up its theater missile force.48 In December 1992 and March 1993, PRC President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng began to...Ye Jianying Explains Policy Concerning Return of Taiwan to Motherland and Peaceful Unification,” Xinhua [New China News Agency], September 30, 1981

Comparative Hair Trace Element Profile in the Population of Sakhalin and Taiwan Pacific Islands.

PubMed

Skalny, Anatoly V; Skalnaya, Margarita G; Serebryansky, Eugeny P; Zhegalova, Irina V; Grabeklis, Andrei R; Skalnaya, Oxana A; Skalnaya, Anastasia A; Huang, Pai-Tsang; Wu, Cheng-Chi; Bykov, Anatoly T; Tinkov, Alexey A

2017-11-17

The objective of the current study is to perform a comparative analysis of hair trace element content in 393 apparently healthy adults living in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China (94 women and 46 men) and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin, Russia (186 women and 67 men). The obtained data indicate that Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk inhabitants were characterized by significantly higher hair Co, Cr, Mn, and V levels, exceeding the respective Taipei values by a factor of 3, 2, 7, and 5, respectively (all p < 0.001). Hair Cu, Fe, and Si levels were also higher in examinees from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk than those from Taipei by 10% (p = 0.001), 61% (p < 0.001), and 68% (p < 0.001), respectively. It is notable that the only essential element, being significantly higher (+ 30%; p < 0.001) in Taipei inhabitants, is selenium. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk inhabitants were characterized by 60% higher levels of hair Sn, and nearly two- and threefold higher scalp hair content of Be and Cd in comparison to Taipei values, respectively (all p < 0.001). Oppositely, the examinees from Taipei had 14% (p = 0.040) and 47% (p = 0.001) higher levels of hair As and Hg as compared to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk inhabitants. Further analysis demonstrated that men from both Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Taipei were characterized by significantly higher hair Mn, As, and Pb levels in comparison to women. The intensive development of heavy industry in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk may result in increased metal emissions, whereas fish consumption may result in elevation of hair Hg, As, and Se levels in Taiwan inhabitants.

NASA Sees a Wider-Eyed Typhoon Soudelor Near Taiwan

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Soudelor on Aug. 7, 2015, at 4:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. EDT) as it was approaching Taiwan. Credits: NASA Goddard's MODIS Rapid Response Team Clouds in Typhoon Soudelor's western quadrant were already spreading over Taiwan early on August 7 when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead. Soudelor is expected to make landfall and cross central Taiwan today and make a second landfall in eastern China. NASA satellite imagery revealed that Soudelor's eye "opened" five more miles since August 4. On Aug. 7 at 4:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. EDT) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible-light image of Typhoon Soudelor as its western quadrant began brushing eastern Taiwan. The MODIS image showed Soudelor's 17-nautical-mile-wide eye and thick bands of powerful thunderstorms surrounded the storm and spiraled into the center. Just three days before, the eye was 5 nautical miles smaller when the storm was more intense. On Aug. 4 at 4:10 UTC (12:10 a.m. EDT) Aqua's MODIS image showed the eye was 12-nautical-mile-wide eye. At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on August 7, 2015, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that Typhoon Soudelor's maximum sustained winds increased from 90 knots (103.6 mph/166.7 kph) to 105 knots (120.8 mph / 194.5 kph). It was centered near 23.1 North latitude and 123.2 East longitude, about 183 nautical miles (210.6 miles/338.9 km) southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. It was moving to the west-northwest at 10 knots (11.5 mph/18.5 kph). For warnings and watches for Taiwan, visit the Central Weather Bureau website: www.cwb.gov.tw/eng/. For warnings in China, visit the China Meteorological Administration website: www.cma.gov.cn/en. Soudelor's final landfall is expected in eastern China on Saturday, August 8. Clouds in Typhoon Soudelor's western quadrant were already spreading over Taiwan early on August 7 when NASA's Aqua satellite passed

The prosecution of Taiwan sexuality researcher and activist Josephine Ho.

PubMed

Wang, Ping

2004-05-01

In April 2003, following a newspaper report of a hyperlink to a website on bestiality on the Sexuality Databank website of the Center for the Study of Sexualities, National Central University, Taipei, Taiwan, 14 conservative NGOs filed charges against the Center's founder, Josephine Ho, for "propagating obscenities that corrupt traditional values." Ho has been researching sexuality and supporting freedom for marginalised sexual minorities for ten years. In a public statement in response to the charges, she said that the work of scholarly research must not be dictated by prejudice and that differences in sexual values should not be arbitrated by law and should be open for public discussion. As the legal process began in January 2004, Ho's supporters in Taiwan have called for the preservation of the Taiwan Constitutional decree on integrity and autonomy of academic research and freedom of expression on the internet, for the University to resist calls to dismiss Ho from her post, and for respect for freedom of speech and expression and the right to create spaces to educate people about non-normative sexualities.

The Measurement of Dry Deposition and Surface Runoff to Quantify Urban Road Pollution in Taipei, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wang, Yunn-Jinn; Chen, Chi-Feng; Lin, Jen-Yang

2013-01-01

Pollutants deposited on road surfaces and distributed in the environment are a source of nonpoint pollution. Field data are traditionally hard to collect from roads because of constant traffic. In this study, in cooperation with the traffic administration, the dry deposition on and road runoff from urban roads was measured in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The results showed that the dry deposition is 2.01–5.14 g/m2·day and 78–87% of these solids are in the 75–300 µm size range. The heavy metals in the dry deposited particles are mainly Fe, Zn, and Na, with average concentrations of 34,978, 1,519 and 1,502 ppm, respectively. Elevated express roads show the highest heavy metal concentrations. Not only the number of vehicles, but also the speed of the traffic should be considered as factors that influence road pollution, as high speeds may accelerate vehicle wear and deposit more heavy metals on road surfaces. In addition to dry deposition, the runoff and water quality was analyzed every five minutes during the first two hours of storm events to capture the properties of the first flush road runoff. The sample mean concentration (SMC) from three roads demonstrated that the first flush runoff had a high pollution content, notably for suspended solid (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease, Pb, and Zn. Regular sweeping and onsite water treatment facilities are suggested to minimize the pollution from urban roads. PMID:24135820

Dose estimation for nuclear power plant 4 accident in Taiwan at Fukushima nuclear meltdown emission level.

PubMed

Tang, Mei-Ling; Tsuang, Ben-Jei; Kuo, Pei-Hsuan

2016-05-01

An advanced Gaussian trajectory dispersion model is used to evaluate the evacuation zone due to a nuclear meltdown at the Nuclear Power Plant 4 (NPP4) in Taiwan, with the same emission level as that occurred at Fukushima nuclear meltdown (FNM) in 2011. Our study demonstrates that a FNM emission level would pollute 9% of the island's land area with annual effective dose ≥50 mSv using the meteorological data on 11 March 2011 in Taiwan. This high dose area is also called permanent evacuation zone (denoted as PEZ). The PEZ as well as the emergency-planning zone (EPZ) are found to be sensitive to meteorological conditions on the event. In a sunny day under the dominated NE wind conditions, the EPZ can be as far as 100 km with the first 7-day dose ≥20 mSv. Three hundred sixty-five daily events using the meteorological data from 11 March 2011 to 9 March 2012 are evaluated. It is found that the mean land area of Taiwan in becoming the PEZ is 11%. Especially, the probabilities of the northern counties/cities (Keelung, New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County and Ilan County) to be PEZs are high, ranging from 15% in Ilan County to 51% in Keelung City. Note that the total population of the above cities/counties is as high as 10 million people. Moreover, the western valleys of the Central Mountain Range are also found to be probable being PEZs, where all of the reservoirs in western Taiwan are located. For example, the probability can be as high as 3% in the far southern-most tip of Taiwan Island in Pingtung County. This shows that the entire populations in western Taiwan can be at risk due to the shortage of clean water sources under an event at FNM emission level, especially during the NE monsoon period. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The limits of global health diplomacy: Taiwan's observer status at the world health assembly.

PubMed

Herington, Jonathan; Lee, Kelley

2014-10-01

In 2009, health authorities from Taiwan (under the name "Chinese Taipei")a formally attended the 62nd World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization as observers, marking the country's participation for the first time since 1972. The long process of negotiating this breakthrough has been cited as an example of successful global health diplomacy. This paper analyses this negotiation process, drawing on government documents, formal representations from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and key informant interviews. The actors and their motivations, along with the forums, practices and outcomes of the negotiation process, are detailed. While it is argued that non-traditional diplomatic action was important in establishing the case for Taiwan's inclusion at the WHA, traditional concerns regarding Taiwanese sovereignty and diplomatic representation ultimately played a decisive role. The persistent influence of these traditional diplomatic questions illustrates the limits of global health diplomacy.

Sexual knowledge, attitudes and activity of older people in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Tze-Fang; Lu, Chwen-Hwa; Chen, I-Ju; Yu, Shu

2008-02-01

We examined sexual activity and predictive factors among older people in Taipei, Taiwan. We aimed to characterize the older population engaged in sexual activity and determine influencing factors, exploring aspects of sexuality that may influence elders' health and quality of life (QOL). Studies of sexual attitudes and behaviour have found that sexual difficulties are common among mature adults worldwide, influenced in men and women by physical health, ageing, psychosocial and cultural factors. We conducted a community-based retrospective study involving a random sample of 412 men and 204 women over age 65. A questionnaire on demographics and social situations was administered, along with a Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale; 34 questions evaluated sexual knowledge and 18 evaluated sexual attitudes. Two-hundred and twenty participants were sexually active (35.7%), 185 mainly with spouses (84.1%); frequency was 21.4 (SD 16.9) times per year (range: 1-120). Multiple logistic regressions identified five significant predictors of sexual activity: gender, age, being with spouse, sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes. Sexual activity was significantly associated with higher education levels, lower stress and more self-reported daily activities. Our results agreed with Western studies linking sexual activity with better health and higher QOL in older adults. Older peoples' stress and daily activity levels are recognized quality-of-life measures; lower stress and more daily activities among sexually active older people suggests a connection between sexual activity and higher QOL. Increasing knowledge and improving attitudes about sexuality may help older people build healthier relationships and enhance health and QOL. Relevance to clinical practice. If healthcare professionals possess greater understanding of older peoples' sexuality, healthcare systems may find ways to increase sexual knowledge and foster healthier attitudes and relationships to improve older peoples

Microbiological Quality of Seafood Marketed in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wong, Hin-Chung; Jiang, Huai-Yu; Lin, Hsu-Yang; Wang, Yu-Ting

2015-11-01

Seafood is often associated with foodborne illnesses, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most common pathogen implicated in outbreaks in Taiwan. In this study, the microbiological quality of 300 raw or mixed ready-to-eat (RTE) and other cooking-needed seafood samples was examined. The total aerobic and coliform counts of the RTE samples were significantly higher than those of other cooking-needed samples. On average, 55.8 and 29.7% of the RTE samples failed to meet the local microbiological standards for total aerobic (5 log CFU/g) and coliform (3 log most probable number [MPN] per g), counts respectively; the corresponding percentages for the RTE samples from Taipei City were 9.1 and 18.2%, respectively. The total aerobic and coliform counts in the RTE samples from supermarkets and chain restaurants were significantly lower than those from traditional restaurants. The Vibrio species were more frequently identified in the cooking-needed samples than in RTE samples. Low incidences of V. parahaemolyticus (1.4%), V. vulnificus (1.9%), and V. cholerae (0%) were detected in most RTE samples. High densities of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus (1,200 MPN/g) were detected in a few RTE samples, only one of which contained toxigenic (tdh(+)) V. parahaemolyticus. The results of this investigation reveal that better hygiene of seafood providers such as chain restaurants, supermarkets, and traditional restaurants in Taipei City would effectively improve the microbiological quality of the seafood. The results will facilitate the establishment of measures for controlling the risks associated with seafood in Taiwan.

The feasibility of QR-code prescription in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, C-H; Tsai, F-Y; Tsai, W-L; Wen, H-W; Hu, M-L

2012-12-01

An ideal Health Care Service is a service system that focuses on patients. Patients in Taiwan have the freedom to fill their prescriptions at any pharmacies contracted with National Health Insurance. Each of these pharmacies uses its own computer system. So far, there are at least ten different systems on the market in Taiwan. To transmit the prescription information from the hospital to the pharmacy accurately and efficiently presents a great issue. This study consisted of two-dimensional applications using a QR-code to capture Patient's identification and prescription information from the hospitals as well as using a webcam to read the QR-code and transfer all data to the pharmacy computer system. Two hospitals and 85 community pharmacies participated in the study. During the trial, all participant pharmacies appraised highly of the accurate transmission of the prescription information. The contents in QR-code prescriptions from Taipei area were picked up efficiently and accurately in pharmacies at Taichung area (middle Taiwan) without software system limit and area limitation. The QR-code device received a patent (No. M376844, March 2010) from Intellectual Property Office Ministry of Economic Affair, China. Our trial has proven that QR-code prescription can provide community pharmacists an efficient, accurate and inexpensive device to digitalize the prescription contents. Consequently, pharmacists can offer better quality of pharmacy service to patients. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Contemporary Trends in East Asian Higher Education: Dispositions of International Students in a Taiwan University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Amy; Chou, Prudence; Ching, Greg

2010-01-01

This article details a mixed methods study conducted during the 2007-2008 academic year at the National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei Taiwan. It contributes to discourse examining the opportunities and challenges of international student enrollments in institutions of higher learning around the globe. In scope it details an empirical study…

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Recent Developments and Their Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-25

there is now in the year China is hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics (August) and the Paralympic Games (September). For instance, while appearing more...World War II. 22 Reportedly official PRC sources had been using “Zhongguo Taipei” — or “Taipei, China,” leading up to the Olympic Games . A 1989...to Taiwan during the 2008 Olympic Games .22 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense also has said that acquiring submarines — a move directed at the PRC

Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Recent Developments and Their Policy Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-07

August) and the Paralympic Games (September). For instance, while appearing more conciliatory in a reported letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki...about the name that the PRC would use to refer to Taiwan during the 2008 Olympic Games .24 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense also has said that...17, 2008. 24 Reportedly official PRC sources had been using “Zhongguo Taipei”—or “Taipei, China,” leading up to the Olympic Games . A 1989 agreement

The 1909 Taipei earthquake: implication for seismic hazard in Taipei

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kanamori, Hiroo; Lee, William H.K.; Ma, Kuo-Fong

2012-01-01

The 1909 April 14 Taiwan earthquake caused significant damage in Taipei. Most of the information on this earthquake available until now is from the written reports on its macro-seismic effects and from seismic station bulletins. In view of the importance of this event for assessing the shaking hazard in the present-day Taipei, we collected historical seismograms and station bulletins of this event and investigated them in conjunction with other seismological data. We compared the observed seismograms with those from recent earthquakes in similar tectonic environments to characterize the 1909 earthquake. Despite the inevitably large uncertainties associated with old data, we conclude that the 1909 Taipei earthquake is a relatively deep (50–100 km) intraplate earthquake that occurred within the subducting Philippine Sea Plate beneath Taipei with an estimated M_W of 7 ± 0.3. Some intraplate events elsewhere in the world are enriched in high-frequency energy and the resulting ground motions can be very strong. Thus, despite its relatively large depth and a moderately large magnitude, it would be prudent to review the safety of the existing structures in Taipei against large intraplate earthquakes like the 1909 Taipei earthquake.

Evaluation of the temporal variations of air quality in Taipei City, Taiwan, from 1994 to 2003.

PubMed

Chang, Shuenn-Chin; Lee, Chung-Te

2008-03-01

Data collected from the five air-quality monitoring stations established by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei City from 1994 to 2003 are analyzed to assess the temporal variations of air quality. Principal component analysis (PCA) is adopted to convert the original measuring pollutants into fewer independent components through linear combinations while still retaining the majority of the variance of the original data set. Two principal components (PCs) are retained together explaining 82.73% of the total variance. PC1, which represents primary pollutants such as CO, NO(x), and SO(2), shows an obvious decrease over the last 10 years. PC2, which represents secondary pollutants such as ozone, displays a yearly increase over the time period when a reduction of primary pollutants is obvious. In order to track down the control measures put forth by the authorities, 47 days of high PM(10) concentrations caused by transboundary transport have been eliminated in analyzing the long-term trend of PM(10) in Taipei City. The temporal variations over the past 10 years show that the moderate peak in O(3) demonstrates a significant upward trend even when the local primary pollutants have been well under control. Monthly variations of PC scores demonstrate that primary pollution is significant from January to April, while ozone increases from April to August. The results of the yearly variations of PC scores show that PM(10) has gradually shifted from a strong correlation with PC1 during the early years to become more related to PC2 in recent years. This implies that after a reduction of primary pollutants, the proportion of secondary aerosols in PM(10) may increase. Thus, reducing the precursor concentrations of secondary aerosols will be an effective way to lower PM(10) concentrations.

Characteristics of Broadband Seismic Noise in Taiwan and Neighboring Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ching-Wei; Rau, Ruey-Juin

2017-04-01

We used seismic waveform data from 115 broad-band stations of BATS (Institute of Earth Science, Academia Sinica) and Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network from 2012 to 2016 for noise-level mapping in Taiwan and neighboring islands. We computed Power Spectral Density (PSD) for each station and analyzed long-term variance of microseism energy and polarizations of noise for severe weather events. The island of Taiwan is surrounded by ocean and the Central Range which has the highest peak Jade Mountain at 3,952 meters height occupies more than 66% of the island and departs it into the east and west coasts. The geographic settings then result in the high population density in the western plain and northern Taiwan. The dominant noise source in the microseism band (periods from 4-20 seconds) is the coupling between the near-coast ocean and sea floor which produces the high noise of averaging -130 dB along the west coastal area. In the eastern volcanic-arc coastal areas, the noise level is about 7% smaller than the west coast due to its deeper offshore water depth. As for the shorter periods (0.1-0.25 seconds) band, the so-called culture noise, an anthropic activity variance with the highest -103 dB can be identified in the metropolitan areas, such as the Taipei city and the noise level in the Central Range area is averaging -138 dB. Moreover, the noise also shows a daily and temporal evolution mainly related to the traffic effect. Furthermore, we determined the noise level for the entire island of Taiwan during 26-28 September, 2016, when the typhoon Megi hit the island and retrieved the enhancement of secondary microseism energy for each stations. Typhoon Megi landed in eastern and central Taiwan and reached the maximum wind speed of 45m/s in the surrounded eyewall. The Central Range, as a barrier, decreased the wind speed in southern Taiwan making an enhancement less than 10 dB, while in northern Taiwan where the direction the typhoon headed to, can reach more than 35

Sediment characteristics and provenance of the Taiwan Shoal in the southern Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koo, W. S.; Lin, A. T.; Kuo, L. W.; Lee, Y. H.

2016-12-01

The Taiwan Shoal in the southern Taiwan Strait exhibits a lobe-shaped shallow water area, with a depth less than around 40 m and an area approximately of 13,000 km2. The Shoal consists of relict sediments remnant from deltaic deposits during the last glacial period and associated with the paleo-Min River. We collected seafloor sediments in and around the Taiwan Shoal to study the sediment characteristics and provenance of the Shoal as well as Taiwanese river sediments to characterize sediment sourced from southern Taiwan. Our results help to understand possible sediment delivery pathways in a source-to-sink context from the southern Taiwan Strait to the northern South China Sea. The method of X-ray diffraction is used to identify mineral compositions for muds and mineral compositions are examined under polarized microscope for sands. Zircon grains are separated from heavy minerals for U-Pb dating in order to understand the sediment source terranes. Sediments of the Taiwan Shoal are mostly tawny-colored, medium to coarse-grained sands with abundant shell fragments and shallow-water benthic foraminifera. Sediments to the south of the Taiwan Shoal and in the outer shelf consist of dark brown-colored and fine-grained sands with rare shell fragments. Siliciclastic compositions of the Taiwan Shoal sediments are mostly quartz. The second abundant composition is rock fragments with more occurrences near the Chinese coastline and the Penghu archipelago. Slate fragments are found to occur near Taiwan, especially in the Penghu Channel area. Clay minerals from the Penghu Channels and south of the Taiwan Shoal are dominated by illite and chlorite with minor smectite and kaolinite. The sediment colors and mineral species are very different for the sediments of the Taiwan Shoal and outer shelf, revealing that these two areas featuring different oceanographic processes and sediment provenance.

Taiwan`s experience with municipal waste recycling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C.H.

1998-12-31

Currently, each person on the average produces 1.15 kg of the municipal waste per day and a total of 9 million metric tons were generated annually in Taiwan. The disposal of such a huge amount of waste presents tremendous challenge for the island due to the scarcity of landfills and incineration facilities available locally. EPA of Taiwan, R.O.C. thus takes an active role in promoting waste recycling to reduce the garbage produced in municipalities. In order to efficiently utilize the government`s human and financial resources used in recycling, started from January 31, 1989, EPA has mandated the producer responsibility recyclingmore » program for several designated post-consumer products such as PET, PVC bottles, scrap tires, scrap motor vehicles, etc. Producer responsibility recycling program specifies that the manufacturers, importers and sellers of these designated products have the responsibility to retrieve their products and recycle them properly. Several negative effects have been encountered while the implementation of this producer responsibility recycling program in Taiwan which resulted in a modification of this recycling program recently. This paper presents the encountered experiences on the implementation of municipal waste recycling program in Taiwan.« less

Association of Internet search trends with suicide death in Taipei City, Taiwan, 2004-2009.

PubMed

Yang, Albert C; Tsai, Shi-Jen; Huang, Norden E; Peng, Chung-Kang

2011-07-01

Although Internet has become an important source for affected people seeking suicide information, the connection between Internet searches for suicide information and suicidal death remains largely unknown. This study aims to evaluate the association between suicide and Internet searches trends for 37 suicide-related terms representing major known risks of suicide. This study analyzes suicide death data in Taipei City, Taiwan and corresponding local Internet search trend data provided by Google Insights for Search during the period from January 2004 to December 2009. The investigation uses cross correlation analysis to estimate the temporal relationship between suicide and Internet search trends and multiple linear regression analysis to identify significant factors associated with suicide from a pool of search trend data that either coincides or precedes the suicide death. Results show that a set of suicide-related search terms, the trends of which either temporally coincided or preceded trends of suicide data, were associated with suicide death. These search factors varied among different suicide samples. Searches for "major depression" and "divorce" accounted for, at most, 30.2% of the variance in suicide data. When considering only leading suicide trends, searches for "divorce" and the pro-suicide term "complete guide of suicide," accounted for 22.7% of variance in suicide data. Appropriate filtering and detection of potentially harmful source in keyword-driven search results by search engine providers may be a reasonable strategy to reduce suicide deaths. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Taiwan Regulation of Biobanks.

PubMed

Fan, Chien-Te; Hung, Tzu-Hsun; Yeh, Chan-Kun

2015-01-01

This paper introduces legal framework and governance structure in relation to the management and development of biobanks in Taiwan. At first, we briefly describe Taiwan's population, political system and health care system. Secondly, this research introduces biobanking framework of Taiwan including 25 biobanks established with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In those biobanks, "Taiwan Biobank" is the first and the largest government-supported biobank which comprises population-based cohort study and disease- oriented study. Since the collection of information, data, and biological specimen of biobanks often involve highly sensitive personal information, in the legal framework of Taiwan, there is a specific regulation, "Human Biobank Management Act" (HBMA), which plays an important role in regulating biobanks in Taiwan. HBMA, the Personal Information Act and other regulations constitute a comprehensive legal and regulatory privacy framework of biobanks. Through the introduction and analysis of the current legal framework applicable to biobanks, we found that there are several challenges that need to be solved appropriately that involve duplicate review systems, the obstacles in the international collaboration, and data sharing between biobanks in Taiwan. © 2015 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Taiwan: Background Notes Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reams, Joanne Reppert

Concise background information on Taiwan is provided. The publication begins with a profile of Taiwan, discussing the people, geography, political establishment, and economy. A map of the country is provided. The bulk of the publication then provides more detailed information on Taiwan's people, geography, history, administration, political…

Does the Police-Monitored CCTV Scheme Really Matter on Crime Reduction? A Quasi-Experimental Test in Taiwan's Taipei City.

PubMed

Lai, Yung-Lien; Sheu, Chuen-Jim; Lu, Yi-Fen

2018-06-01

Although numerous public closed-circuit television (CCTV) initiatives have been implemented at varying levels in Taiwan's cities and counties, systematic evaluations of these crime reduction efforts have been largely overlooked. To address this void, a quasi-experimental evaluation research project was designed to assess the effect of police-monitored CCTV on crime reduction in Taipei City for a period of 54 months, including data for both before and after camera installation dates. A total of 40 viewsheds within a 100-m (328 feet) radius were selected as research sites to observe variations in four types of crime incidents that became known to police during the January 2008 to June 2012 period. While crime incidents occurring in both the target and control sites were reduced in frequency after CCTV installation, results derived from time-series analysis indicated that the monitoring had no significant effect on the reduction of property crime incidents with the sole exception of robbery. With respect to the effects of comparing target and control sites, the average Crime Reduction Quotient (CRQ) was 0.36, suggesting that CCTV has an overall marginal yet noteworthy influence. Viewed broadly, however, the police-installed CCTV system in Taipei City did not appear to be as efficient as one would expect. Conversely, cameras installed in some observation sites proved to be significantly more effective than cameras in other sites. As a recommendation, future researchers should identify how particular micro-level attributes may lead to CCTV cameras working more effectively, thereby optimizing location choices where monitoring will prove to be most productive.

Taiwan Biobank: a project aiming to aid Taiwan's transition into a biomedical island.

PubMed

Fan, Chien-Te; Lin, Jui-Chu; Lee, Chung-His

2008-02-01

Essentially, the term 'biobank' can be defined in different ways. Taking the UK Biobank's experience as the main example, the Taiwan Biobank aims to collect the DNA of a large group of people on the population base and track their health and lifestyle for at least 10 years. It is hoped that the information collected, regarding the mechanisms underlying how genes and environmental factors interact with each other to make us ill, will benefit the society in various ways, including the exploration of a new generation of treatments, support to preventive medicine discovery and also the possible benefits for the promotion of evolving public health-related industries in Taiwan. However, the involvement of large-scale population base gene data collection also triggered serious ethical, legal and social issues. In Taiwan, the challenge is even more serious than for any other biobanking experiences that have occurred previously. Among all the ethical, legal and social issues, the convergence of aboriginal people protection provided under Taiwan's Constitution imposes on the research team an obligation to create an innovative Ethical & Legal Governance Framework adaptable to the unique social background of Taiwan, including a workable public consultation/communication mechanism. In early 2005, the creation of the 'Taiwan Biobank' has been included as a part of Taiwan's strategic development in promoting the country as an island of biomedicine. In this report, the ideology, the goals and special features, government strategy, visions and, in particular, the ethical, legal and social issue planning of the Taiwan Biobank will be briefly introduced and reviewed.

Strong ground motion in the Taipei basin from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fletcher, Joe B.; Wen, K.-L.

2005-01-01

The Taipei basin, located in northwest Taiwan about 160 km from the epicenter of the Chi-Chi earthquake, is a shallow, triangular-shaped basin filled with low-velocity fluvial deposits. There is a strong velocity contrast across the basement interface of about 600 m/sec at a depth of about 600-700 m in the deeper section of the basin, suggesting that ground motion should be amplified at sites in the basin. In this article, the ground-motion recordings are analyzed to determine the effect of the basin both in terms of amplifications expected from a 1D model of the sediments in the basin and in terms of the 3D structure of the basin. Residuals determined for peak acceleration from attenuation curves are more positive (amplified) in the basin (average of 5.3 cm/ sec2 compared to - 24.2 cm/sec2 for those stations outside the basin and between 75 and 110 km from the surface projection of the faulted area, a 40% increase in peak ground acceleration). Residuals for peak velocity are also significantly more positive at stations in the basin (31.8 cm/sec compared to 20.0 cm/sec out). The correlation of peak motion with depth to basement, while minor in peak acceleration, is stronger in the peak velocities. Record sections of ground motion from stations in and around the Taipei basin show that the largest long-period arrival, which is coherent across the region, is strongest on the vertical component and has a period of about 10-12 sec. This phase appears to be a Rayleigh wave, probably associated with rupture at the north end of the Chelungpu fault. Records of strong motion from stations in and near the basin have an additional, higher frequency signal: nearest the deepest point in the basin, the signal is characterized by frequencies of about 0.3 - 0.4 Hz. These frequencies are close to simple predictions using horizontal layers and the velocity structure of the basin. Polarizations of the S wave are mostly coherent across the array, although there are significant

A case study on the influences of long-range transport to Taiwan`s acid deposition using Taiwan air quality model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ken-Hui Chang; Fu-Tien Jeng

1996-12-31

The long-range and transboundary transport of precursors of add deposition in East Asia became important due to the industrial development around this area. We started to develop Taiwan Air Quality Model (TAQM) system since 1992, which is based on regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM) system. A typical episode in Mei-Yu season has been selected to study. A case considering all emissions within simulated domain has been run as a reference case, and another perturbed case, not including Taiwan`s emission, has been also run for analyzing quantitatively the influence of long-range transport to Taiwan`s wet deposition during the episode are 31%more » and 24% for total sulfur compounds and total nitrogen compounds respectively; but for dry deposition, only 6% is contributed by long range transport for sulfur compounds and 29% for total nitrogen compounds. Therefore, the percentages of total acid deposition contributed by long-range transport are 27% and 25% for total sulfur compounds and total nitrogen compounds, respectively.« less

Identification of the Low-velocity Zone Beneath the Northern Taiwan by the P-wave Delays Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C. W.; Che-Min, L.

2017-12-01

Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan, located in northern Taiwan is near to the Tatun volcano group and the Shanchiao fault which is an active fault. This region is a complex tectonic environment. The Tatun volcano group is seen as a dormant volcano. Recently, the location of the magma reservoir of the Tatun volcano was discussed again. However, the volume and the location of the magma reservoir are still unclear. There are several seismic networks operated by different institutions around Taipei and Tatun volcano. In this study, we combined the data of these networks to analysis the P-wave arrival times for clarifying the magma reservoir. The events with hypocenters are deeper than 100 km and the local magnitude (ML) are larger than 4.0 were collected to analysis. Our results show that the stations could be separated into three groups by the slope of the P-wave arrival time. They are distributed at the western of the Basin edge, the Jin-Shan Plain areal and the Taipei Basin, respectively. When the epicenter distance of the different stations is the same, the P-wave arrival time of the stations on the west side of the basin edge will be 0.3 0.5 seconds later than that in the Taipei Basin, and the stations on the Jin-Shan Plain will be 0.1 0.4 seconds later than in the Taipei Basin. The slope of the P-wave arrival time in 3 groups is very different, indicating that the low-velocity zone is existed in shallow crustal beneath of these areas. However, the low-velocity zone can be connected to the magma reservoir of the Tatun volcano group or submarine volcano of Keelung Island or not? It can be discussed the correlation between the magma reservoir and the low-velocity zone by more events collected.

Incidence and Predicted Risk Factors of Pressure Ulcers in Surgical Patients: Experience at a Medical Center in Taipei, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Fu Shaw, Ling; Chang, Pao-Chu; Lee, Jung-Fen; Kung, Huei-Yu

2014-01-01

Purpose. To explore the context of incidence of and associated risk factors for pressure ulcers amongst the population of surgical patients. Methods. The initial study cohort was conducted with a total of 297 patients admitted to a teaching hospital for a surgical operation from November 14th to 27th 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan. The Braden scale, pressure ulcers record sheet, and perioperative patient outcomes free from signs and symptoms of injury related to positioning and related nursing interventions and activities were collected. Results. The incidence of immediate and thirty-minute-later pressure ulcers is 9.8% (29/297) and 5.1% (15/297), respectively. Using logistic regression model, the statistically significantly associated risk factors related to immediate and thirty-minute-later pressure ulcers include operation age, type of anesthesia, type of operation position, type of surgery, admission Braden score, and number of nursing intervention after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion. Admission Braden score and number of nursing intervention are well-established protected factors for the development of pressure ulcers. Our study shows that older operation age, type of anesthesia, type of operation position, and type of surgery are also associated with the development of pressure ulcers. PMID:25057484

Surveys of HIV-1, HTLV-I, and other sexually transmitted diseases in female sex workers in Taipei City, Taiwan, from 1993 to 1996.

PubMed

Chen, Y M; Yu, P S; Lin, C C; Jen, I

1998-07-01

Between 1993 and 1996 in Taipei, Taiwan, we studied the prevalences of HIV-1, HTLV-I, HSV-2, Chlamydia trachomatis, and syphilis infection in female commercial sex workers (CSW) and the pathogens' associated risk factors. Female CSW from nine massage parlors, two karaoke bars (KB), and 22 brothels in Taipei city participated in this study. Two of 557 (0.4%) KB CSWs from those who participated during the period from 1993 to 1994 had HIV-1 infection, whereas no KB CSWs in the periods 1994 to 1995 or 1995 to 1996 had HIV-1 infection. None of the 725 MP CSWs or 291 brothel CSWs who participated in the study between 1993 and 1996 had HIV-1 infection. In contrast, CSWs from brothels had elevated rates of both HTLV-I and active chlamydia infections compared with KB and MP CSWs (p < .05 and p < .005, respectively). KB CSWs showed an elevated rate of HSV-2 infection in the years 1993 and 1994 when compared with CSWs employed by brothels and MPs (p < .005). The prevalence rates of syphilis for CSWs from brothels dropped from 42.8% in the year 1993 to 1994 to 26.3% in the 1995 to 1996 period, whereas for KB and MP CSWs, the rates were < 6% in each of year studied.

Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 Infection among Men who Have Sex with Men in Taiwan in 2012.

PubMed

Huang, Szu-Wei; Wang, Sheng-Fan; Cowó, Ángel E; Chen, Marcelo; Lin, Yu-Ting; Hung, Chun-Po; Chen, Yi-Hsien; Yang, Jyh-Yuan; Tang, Hung-Jen; Chen, Yi-Ming Arthur

2015-01-01

The number of men who have sex with men (MSM) infected with HIV-1 in Taiwan has increased rapidly in the past few years. The goal of this study was to conduct a molecular epidemiological study of HIV-1 infection among MSM in Taiwan to identify risk factors for intervention. Voluntary counseling program and anonymous testing were provided to patrons at 1 gay bar, 7 night clubs and 3 gay saunas in Taipei and New Taipei Cities in 2012. HIV-1 subtypes were determined using gag subtype-specific PCR and phylogenetic analysis by env sequences. Recent HIV-1 infection was determined using LAg-Avidity EIA. In-depth interviews and questionnaires were used to identify risk factors. The prevalence and incidence of HIV-1 among MSM in Taiwan were 4.38% (53/1,208) and 3.29 per 100 person-years, respectively. Of 49 cases genotyped, 48 (97.9%) were infected with subtype B and 1 with CRF01_AE (2%). Phylogenetic analysis of 46 HIV-1 strains showed that 25 (54.4%) subtype B strains formed 9 clusters with each other or with other local strains. The CRF01_AE case clustered with a reference strain from a Thai blood donor with bootstrap value of 99. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that risk factors associated with HIV-1 infection included use of oil-based solution as lubricant (vs. saliva or water-based lubricants, OR= 4.23; p <0.001); exclusively receptive role (vs. insertive role, OR= 9.69; p <0.001); versatile role (vs. insertive role, OR= 6.45; p= 0.003); oral sex (vs. insertive role, OR= 11.93; p= 0.044); times of sexual contact per week (2-3 vs. zero per week, OR= 3.41; p= 0.021); illegal drug use (OR= 4.12; p <0.001); and history of sexually transmitted diseases (OR= 3.65; p= 0.002). In conclusion, there was no new HIV-1 subtype or circulating recombinant form responsible for the increase of HIV-1 among MSM in Taiwan in 2012. Misuse of oil-based solution as lubricant is a new risk factor identified among MSM in Taiwan. The Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control has

Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use: The Taipei Lectures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krashen, Stephen D.

This book is based on a series of four lectures, presented at National Taipei University, Taiwan, which reviewed the fundamentals of second language acquisition theory, presented original research supporting the theory, offered counterarguments to criticisms, and explored new areas that appeared to have promise for progress in both theory and…

"The Big One" in Taipei: Numerical Simulation Study of the Sanchiao Fault Earthquake Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Lee, S.; Ng, S.

2012-12-01

Sanchiao fault is a western boundary fault of the Taipei basin located in northern Taiwan, close to the densely populated Taipei metropolitan area. According to the report of Central Geological Survey, the terrestrial portion of the Sanchiao fault can be divided into north and south segments. The south segment is about 13 km and north segment is about 21 km. Recent study demonstrated that there are about 40 km of the fault trace that extended to the marine area offshore of northern Taiwan. Combined with the marine and terrestrial parts, the total fault length of Sanchiao fault could be nearly 70 kilometers. Based on the recipe proposed by IRIKURA and Miyake (2010), we estimate the Sanchiao fault has the potential to produce an earthquake with moment magnitude larger than Mw 7.2. The total area of fault rupture is about 1323 km2, asperity to the total fault plane is 22%, and the slips of the asperity and background are 2.8 m and 1.6 m respectively. Use the characteristic source model based on this assumption, the 3D spectral-element method simulation results indicate that Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is significantly stronger along the surface fault-rupture. The basin effects play an important role when wave propagates in the Taipei basin which cause seismic wave amplified and prolong the shaking for a very long time. It is worth noting that, when the rupture starts from the southern tip of the fault, i.e. the hypocenter locates in the basin, the impact of the Sanchiao fault earthquake to the Taipei metropolitan area will be the most serious. The strong shaking can cover the entire Taipei city, and even across the basin that extended to eastern-most part of northern Taiwan.

The administrative population report on children with developmental delays in Taiwan, 2003 through 2007.

PubMed

Lin, Jin-Ding; Yen, Chia-Feng; Wu, Jia-Ling; Kang, Shih-Wan

2009-01-01

This paper was a population study with developmental delays and it included an examination of the trends the overtime change trend and reported channels of this group of people in Taiwan. We analyzed data for the present study mainly from the Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interiors, Taipei, Taiwan: "Number of early intervention for children with developmental delays in Taiwan" from 2003 through 2007. The reported number of children with developmental delays slightly increased from 13,231 to 14,250 (increase rate=7.7%) from the year of 2003 through 2007 in Taiwan. More than one-half of children with developmental delays were reported during the age 3-5 years. Aged 0-2 group has the highest increasing reported numbers in the previous 5 years which changed dramatically increased from 4139 (31.3%) in 2003 to 6201 (43.5%) in 2007 (increase rate=49.8%). The medical care setting was the main reported channel of the children with developmental delays and the results also showed that the reported prevalence of the aged 0-2 developmentally delayed children was 57.4-102.2 per 10,000 children; aged 3-5 was 79.0-105.1 per 10,000 children from the year 2003-2007 in Taiwan. The present concluded that early intervention based on the precise affected population would provide important supports for families of children with developmental delays. Therefore, the health care system should be strengthened to increase the proportion of children identified at the earlier age and to decrease the variability in the age at identification for most of the conditions of children with developmental delays.

Urban air pollution and meteorological factors affect emergency department visits of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Taiwan.

PubMed

Ding, Pei-Hsiou; Wang, Gen-Shuh; Guo, Yue-Leon; Chang, Shuenn-Chin; Wan, Gwo-Hwa

2017-05-01

Both air pollution and meteorological factors in metropolitan areas increased emergency department (ED) visits from people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Few studies investigated the associations between air pollution, meteorological factors, and COPD-related health disorders in Asian countries. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the environmental factors and COPD-associated ED visits of susceptible elderly population in the largest Taiwanese metropolitan area (Taipei area, including Taipei city and New Taipei city) between 2000 and 2013. Data of air pollutant concentrations (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , O 3 , SO 2 , NO 2 and CO), meteorological factors (daily temperature, relative humidity and air pressure), and daily COPD-associated ED visits were collected from Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration air monitoring stations, Central Weather Bureau stations, and the Taiwan National Health Insurance database in Taipei area. We used a case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression models with odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for evaluating the associations between the environmental factors and COPD-associated ED visits. Analyses showed that PM 2.5 , O 3 , and SO 2 had significantly greater lag effects (the lag was 4 days for PM 2.5 , and 5 days for O 3 and SO 2 ) on COPD-associated ED visits of the elderly population (65-79 years old). In warmer days, a significantly greater effect on elderly COPD-associated ED visits was estimated for PM 2.5 with coexistence of O 3 . Additionally, either O 3 or SO 2 combined with other air pollutants increased the risk of elderly COPD-associated ED visits in the days of high relative humidity and air pressure difference, respectively. This study showed that joint effect of urban air pollution and meteorological factors contributed to the COPD-associated ED visits of the susceptible elderly population in the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan. Government

Childlessness patterns in Taiwan.

PubMed

Poston Dl

1988-06-01

Taiwan is a newly developed and industrialized area, and along with Korea, Brazil, Argentina, and a few other countries, belongs in a special class of recently industrialized areas. Taiwan has been undergoing large-scale modernization since the 1950s when the Nationalist government 1st began to implement land reform programs and today is 1 of the showcase of newly developed areas of the world. Demographic transition theory shows that fertility is negatively associated with modernization. During the past 3 decades, fertility in Taiwan has followed this pattern in a dramatic manner. Studies of childlessness conducted in Western countries have shown also that as the modernizing influences continue, fertility declines, and childlessness increases as it becomes more and more voluntary. Subregions with the highest levels of modernization and the lowest fertility rates should therefore be characterized by the highest levels of childlessness, particularly among younger women, and vice versa. Given the levels of socioeconomic and demographic development in Taiwan and its subregions circa 1980, as well as its variability among the hsiens and major cities, the author would expect to find higher levels of childlessness in the more developed localities, and lower levels in the less developed subregions. This hypothesis is tested with data from the 1980 Census of Population and Housing: General Report, Taiwan--Fukien Area (Republic of China, 1982) and the 1980 Taiwan--Fukien Demographic Fact Book (Republic of China, 1980).

HIV/HCV Coinfection in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Ching-Sheng; Kao, Jia-Horng

2016-01-01

Both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are important global public health problems with shared transmission routes. Although HIV/HCV coinfection is not uncommon, the prevalence rates vary significantly across different studies and regions. In Taiwan, injection drug users have become the major contributors to the HIV/AIDS epidemic since 2005. Because the prevalence of HCV infection is high in injection drug users, this HIV epidemic is also associated with a significant increase of HIV/HCV coinfection in Taiwan. To control Taiwan's HIV epidemic, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) launched a harm-reduction program in 2006. The HIV epidemic, the percentage attributed to injection drug users, and the prevalence of HIV/HCV coinfection gradually declined thereafter. In this article, we aimed to thoroughly examine the current literatures of HIV/HCV coinfection in Taiwan and hope to provide a better understanding of the needs for the management of this coinfection. We conducted a narrative review and searched for literature from PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library database untill August 2015. Studies relevant to the epidemiology and associated risk factors of HIV/HCV coinfection in Taiwan were examined and discussed.

Integrated structural model for active arc-continental collision from southern Taiwan to central Taiwan inferred from seismogenic views

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagai, S.; Wang, Y.; Ma, K.; Wu, Y.; Huang, H.

2010-12-01

The Taiwan Island is located in ongoing arc-continent collision zone between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Numerous geophysical and geological studies have explained the tectonic processes and developed various models. There are two end-member models for Taiwan collision; Thin-skinned model [e.g. Suppe, 1987] and Lithospheric collision model [Wu et al., 1997]. One of most important issue is that collision in Taiwan involves and contributes deformation to what depth. We have presented on this point in central Taiwan through seismological views, including both observed facts and results of tomographic inversion [Nagai et al., 2010 in WPGM 2010]. We have concluded that orogenic process should involve and contribute to depth of 30 km at least in central Taiwan, and suggested ’Upper Crustal Stacking Model’. We have indicated that existence of low-velocity blocks under Central Mountain Range (CMR) is one of the most important factors to understand Taiwan arc-continental collision process. We extend this idea to southern and northern Taiwan and to connect with balanced cross-sections proposed in Ustaszewski et al. [2010]. In this talk, we focused on the structural variation from southern Taiwan to central Taiwan. We have been performing the local double-difference tomography [Zhang and Thurber, 2003] in southern and northern Taiwan using the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network with temporary array observations. These results in seismic tomography show variation of seismic velocity under the CMR like in central Taiwan. Low-velocity anomalies are also detected. Although it should be checked carefully, velocity blocks segmented some parts and seismic activities seem to be located on their boundaries. The Jiaxian earthquake on 4th Mar, 2010 occurred on one of these segmentation boundaries. The tectonic process in Taiwan arc-continental collision consists of different-scale structures, which means finer resolution structures may be nested with the

Bridging the Strait: Implications for Japan and the United States Following a Peaceful Reunification of China and Taiwan

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

8 C . CHINA AND JAPAN ....................................................................................10 D. JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES... C . Bush, Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institute, 2005), 36. 8 Richard Stubbs, Rethinking...Asia’s Economic Miracle , (Houndsmill, England: Plagrave McMillan, 2005), 31-32. 3 Under the “one China, two systems” policy, Taipei would accept that

Taiwan: growing, growing, gone.

PubMed

Hanson, R

1979-10-01

Accommodation between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China may not be inconceivable as trade contacts (though officially disallowed) grow. Because of Taiwan's well-established success and the pressing need in China to industrialize, it appears, however, that such an accommodation will occur only after China becomes more like Taiwan. Taiwan owes its success, first, to land reform and then, in the 1960s, to steady industrialization. Besides broad controls over money supply and capital designed to ward off inflationary pressures when needed, and the grand outlines for development, another factor in the island's economic success is that the government has interfered little with private enterprise. The economy has an underpinning of small to medium size businesses. There are more than 10,000 trading companies. This diverse foundation has given the economy as a whole a flexible buffer on which more sophisticated industires can be formed.

Severe Dengue Fever Outbreak in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wang, Sheng-Fan; Wang, Wen-Hung; Chang, Ko; Chen, Yen-Hsu; Tseng, Sung-Pin; Yen, Chia-Hung; Wu, Deng-Chyang; Chen, Yi-Ming Arthur

2016-01-01

Dengue fever (DF) is a vector-borne disease caused by dengue viruses (DENVs). Epidemic dengue occurs intermittently in Taiwan. In 2014, Taiwan experienced its largest DF outbreak. There were 15,732 DF cases reported. There were a total of 136 dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases, of which 20 resulted in death. Most DF cases were reported in southern Taiwan. A total of 15,043 (96%) cases were from Kaohsiung, a modern city in southern Taiwan. This report reviews DF epidemics in Taiwan during 2005–2014. The correlation between DF and DHF along with temperature and precipitation were conjointly examined. We conclude that most dengue epidemics in Taiwan resulted from imported DF cases. Results indicate three main factors that may have been associated with this DF outbreak in Kaohsiung: an underground pipeline explosion combined with subsequent rainfall and higher temperature. These factors may have enhanced mosquito breeding activity, facilitating DENV transmission. PMID:26572871

Severe Dengue Fever Outbreak in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Sheng-Fan; Wang, Wen-Hung; Chang, Ko; Chen, Yen-Hsu; Tseng, Sung-Pin; Yen, Chia-Hung; Wu, Deng-Chyang; Chen, Yi-Ming Arthur

2016-01-01

Dengue fever (DF) is a vector-borne disease caused by dengue viruses (DENVs). Epidemic dengue occurs intermittently in Taiwan. In 2014, Taiwan experienced its largest DF outbreak. There were 15,732 DF cases reported. There were a total of 136 dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases, of which 20 resulted in death. Most DF cases were reported in southern Taiwan. A total of 15,043 (96%) cases were from Kaohsiung, a modern city in southern Taiwan. This report reviews DF epidemics in Taiwan during 2005-2014. The correlation between DF and DHF along with temperature and precipitation were conjointly examined. We conclude that most dengue epidemics in Taiwan resulted from imported DF cases. Results indicate three main factors that may have been associated with this DF outbreak in Kaohsiung: an underground pipeline explosion combined with subsequent rainfall and higher temperature. These factors may have enhanced mosquito breeding activity, facilitating DENV transmission. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Job coach factors associated with community-based employment service programme outcome measures for people with disabilities--a Taiwan case study.

PubMed

Yun-Tung, Wang

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore whether/which job coach factors were significantly associated with the community-based employment service (CBES) programme outcome measures in Taiwan. This study used the 2003-2005 CBES programme for People with Disabilities Database in Taipei City in Taiwan (n = 3924) to do a secondary data analysis using hierarchical multiple linear regression. This study found that 'occurrences of the services provided by the job coaches' variable was definitely the dominant predictor and explained additional 19.6% and 27.8% of the variances of annual salary and annual working month outcome measures, respectively. In addition, among six composition variables of 'occurrences of the services provided by the job coaches', 'occurrences of follow-up guidance', 'occurrences of intensive guidance', and 'occurrences of consultation before interviews with employer/director of human resources' were more powerful than the other three in predicting outcomes. Job coach factors in this study were significantly correlated with CBES programme outcome measures for people with disabilities in Taiwan after controlling for the socio-demographic variables. It indicates that the more inputs in the people with disabilities made by job coaches equates to better outcomes in this Taiwan case study.

Use of Chinese herbal medicine among menopausal women in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Lih-Chi; Wang, Bi-Ru; Chen, I-Chin; Shao, Chun-Hui

2010-04-01

To assess the patterns of use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) used by women in Taiwan to treat menopausal symptoms. A retrospective review of the records of women who received CHM therapies for menopausal symptoms at the Traditional Medicine Center, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, between January 2003 and December 2006. The average number of therapies per prescription, dosage, and duration of the prescription were recorded. The most commonly prescribed herbs and formulae were also recorded. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The records of 3432 women who were administered a total of 19370 CHMs to treat symptoms of the menopause were reviewed. The average number of drugs per prescription was 5.64. Most of the prescriptions (97.1%) were prescribed to be taken 3 times a day. The most commonly prescribed Chinese herb was Leonurus heterophyllus. Jia-Wey-Shiau-Yau-San was the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula. CHM is commonly used in Taiwan for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. The efficacy and safety of CHM drugs used for the management of menopausal symptoms require further study. Copyright 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural Features of the Western Taiwan Foreland Basin in the Eastern Taiwan Strait since Late Miocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WANG, J. H.; Liu, C. S.; Chang, J. H.; Yang, E. Y.

2017-12-01

The western Taiwan Foreland Basin lies on the eastern part of Taiwan Strait. The structures in this region are dominated by crustal stretch and a series of flexural normal faults have been developed since Late Miocene owing to the flexural of Eurasia Plate. Through deciphering multi-channel seismic data and drilling data, these flexural features are observed in the offshore Changhua coastal area. The flexure normal faults are important features to realize structural activity in the western Taiwan Foreland Basin. Yang et al. (2016) mention that the reactivated normal faults are found north of the Zhushuixi estuary. It should be a significant issue to decipher whether these faults are still active. In this study, we have analyzed all the available seismic reflections profiles in the central part of the Taiwan Strait, and have observed many pre-Pliocene normal faults that are mainly distributed in the middle of the Taiwan Strait to Changyun Rise, and we tentatively suggest that the formation of these faults may be associated with the formation of the foreland basal unconformity. Furthermore, we will map the distribution of these normal faults and examine whether the reactivated normal faults have extended to south of the Zhushuixi estuary. Finally, we discuss the relation between the reactivated normal faults in the Taiwan Strait and those faults onshore. Key words: Multichannel seismic reflection profile, Taiwan Strait, Foreland basin, normal fault.

Ophthalmic plastic and orbital surgery in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Chi-Hsin; Lin, I-Chan; Shen, Yun-Dun; Hsu, Wen-Ming

2014-06-01

We describe in this paper the current status of ophthalmic plastic and orbital surgery in Taiwan. Data were collected from the Bureau of National Health Insurance of Taiwan, the Bulletin of the Taiwan Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Society, and the Statistics Yearbook of Practicing Physicians and Health Care Organizations in Taiwan by the Taiwan Medical Association. We ascertained that 94 ophthalmologists were oculoplastic surgeons and accounted for 5.8% of 1621 ophthalmologists in Taiwan. They had their fellowship training abroad (most ophthalmologists trained in the United States of America) or in Taiwan. All ophthalmologists were well trained and capable of performing major oculoplastic surgeries. The payment rates by our National Health Insurance for oculoplastic and orbital surgeries are relatively low, compared to Medicare payments in the United States. Ophthalmologists should promote the concept that oculoplastic surgeons specialize in periorbital plastic and aesthetic surgeries. However, general ophthalmologists should receive more educational courses on oculoplastic and cosmetic surgery. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Clinical epidemiology of reduced kidney function among elderly male fishing and agricultural population in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Chi-Mei; Chien, Wu-Hsiung; Shen, Hsi-Che; Hu, Yi-Chun; Chen, Yu-Fen; Tung, Tao-Hsin

2013-01-01

To quantify the prevalence of and associated factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among male elderly fishing and agricultural population in Taipei, Taiwan. Subjects (n = 2,766) aged 65 years and over voluntarily admitted to a teaching hospital for a physical checkup were collected in 2010. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m². Among these subjects, the over prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 13.6% (95% CI: 12.3-14.9%). The age-specific prevalence of CKD in 65-74 years, 75-84 years, and ≥85 years was 8.2%, 19.1%, and 27.0%, respectively. From the multiple logistic regression, age (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.09), hyperuricemia (OR = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.90-3.78), central obesity (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02-1.56), hyperglycemia (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.11-1.67), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.08-1.66), and lower HDL-C (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23-1.92) were statistically significantly related to CKD. The presence of metabolic components (one or two versus none, OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25; three or more versus none, OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.86-2.78) also appeared to be statistically significantly related to CKD after adjustment for other independent factors. Several clinical factors independently affect the development of CKD in the elderly male fishing and agricultural population.

The effects of transported Asian dust on the composition and concentration of ambient fungi in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, H. Jasmine; Chan, Chang-Chuan; Rao, Carol Y.; Lee, Chung-Te; Chuang, Ying-Chih; Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien; Wu, Yi-Hua

2012-03-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of transported Asian dust and other environmental parameters on the levels and compositions of ambient fungi in the atmosphere of northern Taiwan. We monitored Asian dust events in Taipei County, Taiwan from January 2003 to June 2004. We used duplicate Burkard portable air samplers to collect ambient fungi before, during, and after dust events. Six transported Asian dust events were monitored during the study period. Elevated concentrations of Aspergillus ( A. niger, specifically), Coelomycetes, Rhinocladiella, Sporothrix and Verticillium were noted ( p < 0.05) during Asian dust periods. Botryosporium and Trichothecium were only recovered during dust event days. Multiple regression analysis showed that fungal levels were positively associated with temperature, wind speed, rainfall, non-methane hydrocarbons and particulates with aerodynamic diameters ≤10 μm (PM10), and negatively correlated with relative humidity and ozone. Our results demonstrated that Asian dust events affected ambient fungal concentrations and compositions in northern Taiwan. Ambient fungi also had complex dynamics with air pollutants and meteorological factors. Future studies should explore the health impacts of ambient fungi during Asian dust events, adjusting for the synergistic/antagonistic effects of weather and air pollutants.

Women scientists in Taiwan: an update.

PubMed

Wang, Hsiu-Yun; Stocker, Joel Floyd

2010-06-01

This paper reflects upon issues of gender and science in Taiwan. Its starting point is the first academic paper on the subject published in Taiwan in 1996 by Fu and Wang, and then it draws upon the biographical accounts of 20 women scientists. We emphasize the importance of focusing on the specific contexts of the history of science and women in Taiwan. Partly as a result of Taiwan's colonial past and women's limited access to education, women scientists did not emerge in Taiwan until the second half of the 20(th) century when higher education became available to women. The gender issues with which women scientists in Taiwan have had to cope include the ways in which women have been excluded or included, their marital and career status, the local and global politics of scientific knowledge, and negotiating social networks. These issues have remained largely the same since the Fu and Wang study, but they have certainly gained wider attention and understanding, and greater articulation, both within academia and society. 2010 Elsevier. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical manifestations of Clostridium difficile infection in a medical center in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lai, Chih-Cheng; Lin, Sheng-Hsiang; Tan, Che-Kim; Liao, Chun-Hsing; Huang, Yu-Tsung; Hsueh, Po-Ren

2014-12-01

To investigate the clinical characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) at a medical center in Taiwan. Patients with CDI were identified from medical records at the National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). The following information was gathered and analyzed to better understand the clinical manifestations of CDI: age; sex; underlying immunocompromised conditions; laboratory data; in-hospital mortality; and previous use of drugs such as antimicrobial agents, steroids, and antipeptic ulcer agents. During the years 2000-2010, 122 patients were identified as having CDI. This included 92 patients with nontoxigenic CDI (i.e., positive stool culture for C. difficile but negative results for toxins A and B) and 30 patients with toxigenic CDI (i.e., positive stool culture cultures for C. difficile and positive results for toxins A and B). Of the 122 patients, 48 (39%) patients were older than 65 years and most patients acquired the CDI while in the hospital. Active cancer was the most common reason for hospitalization, followed by diabetes mellitus, and end-stage renal disease. More than 90% of the patients had received antibiotics before acquiring CDI. The results of fecal leukocyte examinations were positive in 33 (27%) patients. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 26.2%. There were no significant differences between patients with nontoxigenic CDI and patients with toxigenic CDI. Clostridium difficile infection can develop in healthcare facilities and in community settings, especially in immunocompromised patients. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Seismic Strain Field in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, H.; Liang, W.; Chang, T.; Liu, Y.; Lee, E.

2001-12-01

Centroid-moment-tensor (CMT) solutions determined by inverting waveform data of Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) are collected for earthquakes that occurred in the Taiwan region. In total, the dataset contains more than 300 events that scattered across an area of 400 km by 400 km, including the devastating 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake sequence. The entire region is divided into 3 layers (0-40 km, 40-70 km, and greater than 70 km) with blocks of 0.2 degree by 0.2 degree in lateral dimension. Seismic moment tensors of all earthquakes that occurred inside each block are summed to give the strain tensor characterizing the corresponding seismic deformation. We calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the resulted strain tensor for each block and project the normalized maximum compressional (P) and extensional (T) axes on horizontal plane to resolve the strain field in Taiwan associated with regional seismic activities. For the majority of events with depths less than 40 km (i.e., at crustal scale), the strain field is characterized by nearly E-W compression along the eastern coastline and immediately offshore east of Taiwan. Once inland, clear fan-shaped trajectories of P-axes are observed, ranging from NW-SE in the northwest to NE-SW in the southwest. The Ryukyu and Luzon subduction systems show compression in the forearc region and extension in the backarc and outerrise regions. For depths greater than 40 km, a clear pattern of lateral compression is observed within the subducted Philippine Sea plate to the northeast of Taiwan. It is doubtless that the "slab-continent" collision is predominant at deeper depths near the junction between the Ryukyu arc and Taiwan Collision Zone, whereas the "arc-continent" collision is predominant in the central and southern Taiwan.

Ambient seismic noise study in Taiwan for two different scale arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Yao, H.; Liang, W.; Huang, B.; Wen, K.; Huang, W.; van der Hilst, R. D.

2008-12-01

It has been demonstrated that Time Domain Empirical Green's Function (TDEGF) from ambient seismic noise cross-correlation can be used to investigate crustal velocity structure from many studies around the world. For surface wave tomographic studies from ambient noise, the maximum exploring depth depends on the aperture of receiver array and the lateral resolution relies on the density of station-pair paths. To decipher subsurface structures in various scales, researchers can utilize some existing continuous-recording seismic stations and/or deploy a newly dense receiver array in the study region. In this study, we perform tomographic applications of ambient seismic noise analysis in Taiwan region for two arrays with very different scales. Taiwan is located at a complex convergent plate boundary zone where the Philippine Sea plate interacts with the Eurasian plate. As a result, the lateral velocity variations show dramatic patterns among different geologic provinces. In the past decade, many continuous-recording broadband stations have already been set up to monitor earthquake activities in the Taiwan region. The BATS (Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology) network is being operated by the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica (IESAS) since 1994. Currently, there are 20 permanent stations covering approximately 350 km by 400 km area around Taiwan, including some remote islets. In this study we selected 7 years data (2000-2006) from BATS to get the TDEGFs which were then used to measure inter-station phase velocities in the period band 5-30s. Finally we then constructed 2D phase velocity maps. At shorter periods (5-10s), phase velocity distribution can compare well with surface geology. At longer periods (14-22s), there is a saxophone shape low velocity zone beneath the Taiwan Island. Taipei Basin is a high-level artificial noise metropolis with a nearly triangular shape basin located close to northern tip of Taiwan with area just around 20 km by 20 km

Maternity Leave in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Joyce Yen; Han, Wen-Jui

2010-01-01

Using the first nationally representative birth cohort study in Taiwan, this paper examines the role that maternity leave policy in Taiwan plays in the timing of mothers returning to work after giving birth, as well as the extent to which this timing is linked to the amount of time mothers spend with their children and their use of breast milk…

A Study of Fifth Graders' Environmental Learning Outcomes in Taipei

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ching-San

2018-01-01

Environmental education has recently received much more attention than before among elementary school students' science learning in Taiwan. The major purpose of this study is to explore the learning outcomes on environmental education for 5th graders in Taipei. A quasi-experimental design with a single group was used in this study. Students in the…

Professional Counseling in Taiwan: Past to Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Yuh-Jen; Wang, Shu-Ching; Combs, Don C.; Lin, Yi-Chun; Johnson, Veronica

2013-01-01

Because of the recent introduction of a licensure law, professional counseling has grown rapidly in Taiwan after decades of slow development. The authors provide a historical review of the development of professional counseling in Taiwan and discuss the current status and future trajectory of professional counseling in Taiwan.

Medical education in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chou, Jen-Yu; Chiu, Chiung-Hsuan; Lai, Enoch; Tsai, Duujian; Tzeng, Chii-Ruey

2012-01-01

Taiwan's medical education system bears a close relationship with its colonial and post-colonial history. Since the late nineteenth century, Western medicine, Chinese medicine, and the practice of the other forms of traditional healing have encountered complex transactions with the state and one another, eventually evolving into the present medical system. Nowadays, the mainstream form of medical education in Taiwan is a 7-year Western program; other forms of medical education include a 5-year graduate program and traditional medicine programs. Challenged by the National Health Insurance that emphasizes cost management since 1995 and criticized by the US National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation in 1998, medical education reform was implemented by the Taiwan Medical Accreditation Council established in 2000. The reform tries to bring humanities into various aspects of medical education, including student recruitment, curriculum, licensing, and continuing education. Similar to other modernization projects, the reform transplants the American and British standards to Taiwan. These changes hope to insure the reflective capabilities in physicians on the welfare of patients. However, frustration of current and future physicians may be deepened if the reform is insensitive to local issues or incapable of addressing new global tendencies.

Lithospheric Structure Beneath Taiwan From Sp Converted Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glasgow, D.; McGlashan, N.; Brown, L.

2006-12-01

Taiwan is the product of three dimensionally complex interaction between the Eurasian Plate (EP) and the Philippine Sea plate (PSP), with the EP subducting eastward beneath the PSP in southern Taiwan while the PSP subducts northward beneath the EP in northern Taiwan. The structural emplacement of Philippine Arc lithosphere onto Chinese passive margin lithosphere is an exemplar of continental amalgamation, yet there are relatively few contraints on the geometry of lithosphere involved at depth. We have used teleseismic data recorded by the Broadband Array for Taiwan Seismology (BATS) to compute S-to-p wave receiver functions for the Taiwan region to provide new constraints on deep geometries. Moho conversions provide independent new estimates of crustal thickness, which vary from 35 to 55 km across the island in agreement with previous P to S conversion studies and local tomography. More significantly, our results suggest that the lithosphere- asthenosphere boundary (LAB) varies in depth from ca 140 km beneath northeastern Taiwan to ca 120 km beneath central Taiwan to perhaps less than 80 km beneath southern Taiwan. We attribute this along strike variation to the depression and decapitation of the Eurasian plate in the transition to northward subduction of the PSP.

Directly observed therapy reduces tuberculosis-specific mortality: a population-based follow-up study in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Yen, Yung-Feng; Yen, Muh-Yong; Lin, Yi-Ping; Shih, Hsiu-Chen; Li, Lan-Huei; Chou, Pesus; Deng, Chung-Yeh

2013-01-01

To determine the effect of directly observed therapy (DOT) on tuberculosis-specific mortality and non-TB-specific mortality and identify prognostic factors associated with mortality among adults with culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB). All adult Taiwanese with PTB in Taipei, Taiwan were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2006-2010. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each mortality outcome. Mean age of the 3,487 patients was 64.2 years and 70.4% were male. Among 2471 patients on DOT, 4.2% (105) died of TB-specific causes and 15.4% (381) died of non-TB-specific causes. Among 1016 patients on SAT, 4.4% (45) died of TB-specific causes and 11.8% (120) died of non-TB-specific causes. , After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratio for TB-specific mortality was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.30-0.69) among patients treated with DOT as compared with those on self-administered treatment. Independent predictors of TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality included older age (ie, 65-79 and ≥80 years vs. 18-49 years), being unemployed, a positive sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli, and TB notification from a general ward or intensive care unit (reference: outpatient services). Male sex, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, malignancy, and pleural effusion on chest radiography were associated with increased risk of non-TB-specific mortality, while presence of lung cavities on chest radiography was associated with lower risk. DOT reduced TB-specific mortality by 55% among patients with PTB, after controlling for confounders. DOT should be given to all TB patients to further reduce TB-specific mortality.

Current situation and industrialization of Taiwan nanotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Hsin-Ning; Lee, Pei-Chun; Tsai, Min-Hua; Chien, Kuo-Ming

2007-12-01

Nanotechnology is projected to be a very promising field, and the impact of nanotechnology on society is increasingly significant as the research funding and manufactured goods increase exponentially. A clearer picture of Taiwan's current and future nanotechnology industry is an essential component for future planning. Therefore, this investigation studies the progress of industrializing nanotechnology in Taiwan by surveying 150 companies. Along with understanding Taiwan's current nanotechnology industrialization, this paper also suggests ways to promote Taiwan's nanotechnology. The survey results are summarized and serve as the basis for planning a nanotechnology industrialization strategy.

Quantifying the seismicity on Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yi-Hsuan; Chen, Chien-Chih; Turcotte, Donald L.; Rundle, John B.

2013-07-01

We quantify the seismicity on the island of Taiwan using the frequency-magnitude statistics of earthquakes since 1900. A break in Gutenberg-Richter scaling for large earthquakes in global seismicity has been observed, this break is also observed in our Taiwan study. The seismic data from the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network are in good agreement with the Gutenberg-Richter relation taking b ≈ 1 when M < 7. For large earthquakes, M ≥ 7, the seismic data fit Gutenberg-Richter scaling with b ≈ 1.5. If the Gutenberg-Richter scaling for M < 7 earthquakes is extrapolated to larger earthquakes, we would expect a M > 8 earthquake in the study region about every 25 yr. However, our analysis shows a lower frequency of occurrence of large earthquakes so that the expected frequency of M > 8 earthquakes is about 200 yr. The level of seismicity for smaller earthquakes on Taiwan is about 12 times greater than in Southern California and the possibility of a M ≈ 9 earthquake north or south of Taiwan cannot be ruled out. In light of the Fukushima, Japan nuclear disaster, we also discuss the implications of our study for the three operating nuclear power plants on the coast of Taiwan.

Origins of Semisulcospira libertina (gastropoda: semisulcospiridae) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiu, Yuh-Wen; Bor, Hor; Kuo, Po-Hsun; Hsu, Kui-Ching; Tan, Mian-Shin; Wang, Wei-Kuang; Lin, Hung-Du

2017-07-01

The most accepted hypothesis has suggested that the fauna in Taiwan Island originated from South China, but some studies supported the Japan, Ryukyu Archipelago, and Taiwan Islands as a unique biogeographical district. This study examines whether the populations of freshwater snail Semisulcospira libertina in Taiwan are closer to those in Japan based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Our study shows the populations in North Taiwan originated from Japan and the cyclic glacial caused the migrations among islands and continent repeatedly; the populations in South Taiwan might originate from South China or South Asia. Our results will not only affect the conclusions in phylogeography of freshwater species in Taiwan but also change the sampling plans in the future studies about evolutionary of freshwater species in East Asia.

Scrap car recycling in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C.H.; Tai, H.S.; Fan, R.K.S.

1997-12-31

The official figure of registered automobiles released by the Ministry of Transportation of Taiwan, R.O.C. as of the end of April 1996, is approximately 4.8 millions. Among them, 18% of the cars are between seven and ten years old and 15% of the cars are old than ten years. The result of this large number of old cars is the problem of abandoned cars on the street of Taiwan. This phenomena not only hinders traffic flow but also undermines the living quality in the cities. To minimize these negative effects, EPA has promulgated a Scrap Motor Vehicles Management Regulation tomore » enforce the scrap car recycling in Taiwan. Under this regulation, a buyer of a new vehicle has to pay the Scrap Motor Vehicle Disposal fee (NT$ 3000, or US$ 110 for a car; and NT$ 700, or US$ 25 for a motorcycle). This paper presents the current status of scrap car recycling in Taiwan.« less

Discrepancy of cytogenetic analysis in Western and eastern Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Yu-Hsun; Chen, Pui-Yi; Li, Tzu-Ying; Yeh, Chung-Nan; Li, Yi-Shian; Chu, Shao-Yin; Lee, Ming-Liang

2013-06-01

This study aimed at investigating the results of second-trimester amniocyte karyotyping in western and eastern Taiwan, and identifying any regional differences in the prevalence of fetal chromosomal anomalies. From 2004 to 2009, pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis in their second trimester at three hospitals in western Taiwan and at four hospitals in eastern Taiwan were included. All the cytogenetic analyses of cultured amniocytes were performed in the cytogenetics laboratory of the Genetic Counseling Center of Hualien Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital. We used the chi-square test, Student t test, and Mann-Whitney U test to evaluate the variants of clinical indications, amniocyte karyotyping results, and prevalence and types of chromosomal anomalies in western and eastern Taiwan. During the study period, 3573 samples, 1990 (55.7%) from western Taiwan and 1583 (44.3%) from eastern Taiwan, were collected and analyzed. The main indication for amniocyte karyotyping was advanced maternal age (69.0% in western Taiwan, 67.1% in eastern Taiwan). The detection rates of chromosomal anomalies by amniocyte karyotyping in eastern Taiwan (45/1582, 2.8%) did not differ significantly from that in western Taiwan (42/1989, 2.1%) (p = 1.58). Mothers who had abnormal ultrasound findings and histories of familial hereditary diseases or chromosomal anomalies had higher detection rates of chromosomal anomalies (9.3% and 7.2%, respectively). The detection rate of autosomal anomalies was higher in eastern Taiwan (93.3% vs. 78.6%, p = 0.046), but the detection rate of sex-linked chromosomal anomalies was higher in western Taiwan (21.4% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.046). We demonstrated regional differences in second-trimester amniocyte karyotyping results and established a database of common chromosomal anomalies that could be useful for genetic counseling, especially in eastern Taiwan. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Seasonal variations in the physico-chemical characteristics of aerosols in North Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, Charles

2014-05-01

From 2007 to 2012, this study investigated the mass concentration and chemical composition of ambient aerosols (i.e. PM10, PM2.5, and PMc = PM10-PM2.5) at Cape Fuguei, Yangminshan, and NTU (National Taiwan University) stations in northern Taiwan. It was found that the concentration and composition of aerosols exhibited significant seasonal variations but without an inter-annual trend during the study period. Moderate correlations (R2 = 0.4-0.6) were observed among the aerosol concentrations at the respective stations, indicating that the aerosol concentrations were dominated by factors on regional scales. During the seasons of northeasterly winter monsoons, long range transport of dust and particulate air pollutants from the Asia Continent had negatively impacted the atmospheric environment in this area. On the other hand, as a highly developed urban area, Taipei has substantial local emissions of air pollutants that should have transported to the surrounding areas of Taipei basin and caused deterioration of air quality and visibility in Cape Fuguei and Yangminshan. The results indicated that the major components of aerosols in Taipei include sulfate, sea salts, dust, and organic matters. In addition, contributions from nitrate, ammonium, and elemental carbon were also significant. In terms of mass concentration, most of the sea salts and dust particles existed in the coarse mode of aerosols, whereas sulfate and EC were confined within PM2.5. This suggests that the dust and sea salts particles were externally mixed with EC and sulfate in the aerosols over Taipei area. Further, it was found that nitrate were closely associated with sea salts in aerosols, suggesting the reaction between nitric acid and sea salt particles. Different seasonality was observed for sea salt and dust: sea salts peaked in fall and dust reached the maximal level in springtime, implying their sources were regulated by independent seasonal factors. Particulate pollutants (i.e. sulfate, nitrate

Hydrogeological bedrock inferred from electrical resistivity model in Taichung Basin, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, C. W.; Chang, P. Y.; Chang, L. C.

2015-12-01

The four-year project of the study of groundwater hydrogeology and recharge model was indicated by Central Geological Survey, MOEA, Taiwan (R.O.C.) to evaluate recharge groundwater areas in Taiwan where included Taipei, Taichung Basins, Lanyang and Chianan Plains. The groundwater recharge models of Lanyang Plain and Taipei Basin have successfully been estimated in two years ago (2013-2014). The third year of the project integrates with geophysical, geochemistry, and hydrogeology models to estimate the groundwater recharge model in Taichung Basin region. Taichung Basin is mainly covered by Pre-Pleistocene of thick gravel, sandy and muddy sediment rocks within a joint alluvial fan, whereas the depth of the hydrological bedrock remains uncertain. Two electrical resistivity geophysical tools were carried out utilizing direct current resistivity and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) explorations, which could ideally provide the depth resolutions from shallow to depth for evaluating the groundwater resources. The study has carried out 21 AMT stations in the southern Taichung Basin in order to delineate hydrological bedrock in the region. All the AMT stations were deployed about 24 hours and processed with remote reference technique to reduce culture noises. The quality of most stations shows acceptable in the area which two stations were excluded due to near-field source effect in the southwestern basin. The best depth resolution is identified in 500 meters for the model. The preliminary result shows that the depths of the bedrock gradually changes from southern ~20 m toward to ~400 m in central, and eastern ~20 m to 180 m in the western basin inferred from the AMT model. The investigation shows that AMT method could be a useful geophysical tool to enhance the groundwater recharge model estimation without dense loggings in the region.

The Geothermal Potential, Current and Opportunity in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Sheng-Rong

2016-04-01

Located in the west Pacific Rim of Fire, Taiwan possesses rich geothermal resources due to volcanic activities and rapid uplifting of plate collision. Based on available data prior to 1980, Taiwan may have about 1 GWe of potential shallow geothermal energy, which is less than 3% of the national gross power generation. A 3-Mw pilot power plant, therefore, was constructed in 1981 and terminated in 1993 in the Chingshui geothermal field of Ilan, northeastern Taiwan. Recently, one of the National Science & Technology Program (NSTP) projects has been conducting research and reevaluating the island-wide deep geothermal energy. Four hot potential sites have been recognized. They are: (1) Tatun Volcano Group of northern Taiwan; (2) I-Lan Plain of NE Taiwan; (3) Lu-Shan area of Central Taiwan; and (4) Hua-Tung area of eastern Taiwan. We found that the geothermal resource in Taiwan may be as high as 160 GWe, with 33.6 GWe of exploitable geothermal energy. There are no any commercial geothermal power plants until now in Taiwan, although the potential is great. However, geothermal energy has been listed as one of major tasks of National Energy Program, Phase II (NEP-II) in Taiwan. We will conduct more detailed geothermal energy surveys on some proposed hot sites and to construct an EGS pilot geothermal plant with 1 MWe capability in a few years. Currently, there are three nuclear power plants, named No. 1, 2 & 3, in operations, which produce 16.5% gross generation of electricity and one (No. 4) is under construction, but is stopped and sealed now in Taiwan. Furthermore, the life-span of 40-year operation for those three power plants will be close-at hand and retire in 2018-2019, 2021-2023 and 2024-2025, respectively. Therefore, to find alternative energy sources, especially on the clean, renewable and sustainable ones for generating electricity are emergent and important for Taiwan's government in next few years. Among various energy sources, geothermal energy can be as base

Seroepidemiology of varicella among elementary school children in northern Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Ming-Ru; Kuo, Ching-Chia; Hsieh, Yu-Chia; Huang, Ya-Ling; Huang, Yu-Chiau; Hung, Yung-Tai; Huang, Yhu-Chering

2017-06-01

In Taiwan, varicella vaccine was included in the expanded program of immunization since 2004. A seroepidemiologic study in the postvaccine era is helpful to evaluate the efficiency of current varicella vaccination strategies. We used a multistage stratified systematic sampling design to classify 29 administrative districts of New Taipei City into five strata. In 2013, a total of 936 students from 14 primary schools were recruited and had blood drawn for serology tests for varicella-zoster virus-immunoglobulin-G via indirect chemiluminescence immunoassays. A history of clinical varicella and information on varicella vaccination status were obtained. Overall, the seroprevalence was 64.1%. For the five strata, the seropositive rate ranged from 54.2% (Stratum 5) to 71.7% (Stratum 2) with no significant difference. For each participating school, the seropositive rate ranged from 44.4% to 72.9% with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.005). For school children in each grade, seropositive rate increased significantly from 53.2% for Grade 1 to 71.8% for Grade 3 (p = 0.005) and increased steadily from 61.2% for Grade 4 to 71.2% for Grade 6 (p = 0.17). A positive correlation was observed between the seropositive rate and geometric mean titers (p = 0.035). Geometric mean titers and the rate of a history of clinical varicella were positively correlated with increasing class grades. Nine years after the introduction of the varicella vaccine into the expanded program of immunization in Taiwan, around two-thirds of elementary schoolchildren were seropositive for varicella-zoster virus. Further surveillance studies on clinical varicella cases are worthwhile to determine whether a second dose of varicella vaccine is needed in Taiwan. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Seroepidemiology of pertussis among elementary school children in northern Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Ching-Chia; Huang, Yhu-Chering; Hsieh, Yu-Chia; Huang, Ya-Ling; Huang, Yu-Chiau; Hung, Yung-Tai

2017-06-01

Pertussis has been considered a vaccine-preventable "childhood disease", but a shift in age distribution has been reported worldwide. We conducted a seroepidemiological study in 2013 in Taiwan to elucidate the seroprevalence of pertussis among elementary school children. With a multilevel randomized method, which included 14 variables (4 population variables, 4 socio-educational variables, and 6 medical facilities' variables), the 29 executive districts of New Taipei City, Taiwan, were categorized into five strata. From each stratum, the number of school children as well as the number of elementary schools were proportionally selected. Enzyme immunoassay was applied for pertussis immunoglobulin-G measurement. A total of 936 children from 14 schools were recruited. Most participants (98.89%) received at least three doses of acellular diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. The overall seropositive rate for pertussis was 33.97%. The seropositive rate was highest for students in Grade 1 (49.36%) and then declined with time, except for Grade 6 students. Students from Grade 1 to Grade 4 had a significant higher seropositive rate (37.18% vs. 27.56%, p = 0.002) than those from Grade 5 to Grade 6, but a lower geometric mean titer (18.71 NovaTec Unit/mL vs. 20.04 NovaTec Unit/mL, p = 0.20). For the class grades, geometric mean titers were positively correlated with seroprevalence (p < 0.005). Currently, almost one-third of elementary school children in Taiwan were seropositive for pertussis, a rate lower than expected. Seroprevalence declined with increasing class grades except for Grade 6. The current national immunization program may not provide adequate protection for children against pertussis. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Potential impacts of electric vehicles on air quality in Taiwan.

PubMed

Li, Nan; Chen, Jen-Ping; Tsai, I-Chun; He, Qingyang; Chi, Szu-Yu; Lin, Yi-Chiu; Fu, Tzung-May

2016-10-01

The prospective impacts of electric vehicle (EV) penetration on the air quality in Taiwan were evaluated using an air quality model with the assumption of an ambitious replacement of current light-duty vehicles under different power generation scenarios. With full EV penetration (i.e., the replacement of all light-duty vehicles), CO, VOCs, NOx and PM2.5 emissions in Taiwan from a fleet of 20.6 million vehicles would be reduced by 1500, 165, 33.9 and 7.2Ggyr(-1), respectively, while electric sector NOx and SO2 emissions would be increased by up to 20.3 and 12.9Ggyr(-1), respectively, if the electricity to power EVs were provided by thermal power plants. The net impacts of these emission changes would be to reduce the annual mean surface concentrations of CO, VOCs, NOx and PM2.5 by about 260, 11.3, 3.3ppb and 2.1μgm(-3), respectively, but to increase SO2 by 0.1ppb. Larger reductions tend to occur at time and place of higher ambient concentrations and during high pollution events. Greater benefits would clearly be attained if clean energy sources were fully encouraged. EV penetration would also reduce the mean peak-time surface O3 concentrations by up to 7ppb across Taiwan with the exception of the center of metropolitan Taipei where the concentration increased by <2ppb. Furthermore, full EV penetration would reduce annual days of O3 pollution episodes by ~40% and PM2.5 pollution episodes by 6-10%. Our findings offer important insights into the air quality impacts of EV and can provide useful information for potential mitigation actions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Herbal Medicine Research in Taiwan*

PubMed Central

Kaphle, Krishna; Wu, Leang-Shin; Yang, Nai-Yen Jack; Lin, Jen-Hsou

2006-01-01

Of all the countries in the world, why did you choose Taiwan to pursue your study? It is a question that I (comments of the first author) have answered a thousand times. My first visit to a laboratory at National Taiwan University opened my eyes to the possibilities of herbal medicine research, especially in the area of veterinary medicine. It became my ambition to link the knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda from the Indian subcontinent and their integration with other systems of medicine, including Western medicine (WM), to achieve the concept of Sustainable Medicine, firstly for animals and then for humans. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has implemented a technology development program to quickly establish the key technologies, and this is a moment of opportunity for Taiwan's traditional herbal medicine industry to upgrade and transform itself. This paper, initially intended to be a student's narration, has evolved into a multi-author treatise on the present state and likely future scenario of herbal medicine research in Taiwan. PMID:16550238

The Educational Strategies of Citizens' Identification and Recognition for Sustainable Urban Development in Taipei

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Fan-Sheng; Perng, Yeng-Horng

2016-01-01

Creating an attractive cityscape has become one of the most promising actions to improve urban functionality and increase urban competitiveness. However, the resistances from the local inhabitants are always against the urban development. Taipei City, a metropolis in Taiwan, is now composed of complex urban systems chaotically enclosed by existing…

[Nursing manpower and solutions in Taiwan].

PubMed

Teng, Su-Wen

2014-04-01

The shortage of nursing manpower is a long-term problem worldwide that affects Taiwan despite this country's internationally admired achievements in terms of its healthcare and national health insurance systems. This article reviews discussions related to the nursing shortage issue published by the World Health Organization, International Council of Nurses, and Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare. Next, an overview is given of the nursing workforce profile, causal factors behind the nursing shortage, and demand for and supply of nursing manpower. Finally, problems, resolutions, and expected outcomes for the nursing shortage in Taiwan are analyzed.

76 FR 13982 - Antidumping Duty Order: Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-15

...: Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department... on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) from Taiwan. DATES: Effective Date: March 15, 2011. FOR FURTHER... from Taiwan. See Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan: Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value...

Directly Observed Therapy Reduces Tuberculosis-Specific Mortality: A Population-Based Follow-Up Study in Taipei, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Yen, Yung-Feng; Yen, Muh-Yong; Lin, Yi-Ping; Shih, Hsiu-Chen; Li, Lan-Huei; Chou, Pesus; Deng, Chung-Yeh

2013-01-01

Objectives To determine the effect of directly observed therapy (DOT) on tuberculosis-specific mortality and non-TB-specific mortality and identify prognostic factors associated with mortality among adults with culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB). Methods All adult Taiwanese with PTB in Taipei, Taiwan were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2006–2010. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each mortality outcome. Results Mean age of the 3,487 patients was 64.2 years and 70.4% were male. Among 2471 patients on DOT, 4.2% (105) died of TB-specific causes and 15.4% (381) died of non-TB-specific causes. Among 1016 patients on SAT, 4.4% (45) died of TB-specific causes and 11.8% (120) died of non-TB-specific causes. , After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratio for TB-specific mortality was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.30–0.69) among patients treated with DOT as compared with those on self-administered treatment. Independent predictors of TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality included older age (ie, 65–79 and ≥80 years vs. 18–49 years), being unemployed, a positive sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli, and TB notification from a general ward or intensive care unit (reference: outpatient services). Male sex, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, malignancy, and pleural effusion on chest radiography were associated with increased risk of non-TB-specific mortality, while presence of lung cavities on chest radiography was associated with lower risk. Conclusions DOT reduced TB-specific mortality by 55% among patients with PTB, after controlling for confounders. DOT should be given to all TB patients to further reduce TB-specific mortality. PMID:24278152

NRAO Welcomes Taiwan as a New North American ALMA Partner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-12-01

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has announced a formal agreement enabling Taiwanese astronomers to participate in the North American component of the international ALMA partnership, alongside American and Canadian astronomers. Taiwan's efforts will be led by the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA). ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is the most ambitious ground-based astronomical observatory in history. Currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert at an altitude of 16,500 feet, it promises to revolutionize our understanding of the formation of planets, stars, and galaxies when it begins full science operations early in the next decade. The agreement, signed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and the American Institute in Taiwan, provides for approximately $20 million in ALMA construction funding through the National Science Council (NSC), Taiwan’s equivalent to the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and Canada's National Research Council (NRC), which have jointly funded North America's existing contribution to the international ALMA project. Activities under the agreement will include joint research projects, development projects, collaboration on construction, support of observatory operations and other forms of cooperation. Access to ALMA observing time will be shared, as will membership on advisory committees. “Taiwan is a world-class center for submillimeter-wavelength astronomical research, and we’re delighted that the ALMA project and all its future users will benefit from the resources and expertise that Taiwan’s deepening participation brings to this great, global endeavor,” said Dr. Fred Lo, NRAO's director. This new agreement increases and diversifies Taiwan’s Academia Sinica investment in ALMA beyond the levels achieved through its participation in the East Asian component of the ALMA partnership, which is led by the National Astronomical

Simulation of long-range transport aerosols from the Asian Continent to Taiwan by a southward Asian high-pressure system.

PubMed

Chuang, Ming-Tung; Fu, Joshua S; Jang, Carey J; Chan, Chang-Chuan; Ni, Pei-Cheng; Lee, Chung-Te

2008-11-15

Aerosol is frequently transported by a southward high-pressure system from the Asian Continent to Taiwan and had been recorded a 100% increase in mass level compared to non-event days from 2002 to 2005. During this time period, PM2.5 sulfate was found to increase as high as 155% on event days as compared to non-event days. In this study, Asian emission estimations, Taiwan Emission Database System (TEDS), and meteorological simulation results from the fifth-generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) were used as inputs for the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to simulate a long-range transport of PM2.5 event in a southward high-pressure system from the Asian Continent to Taiwan. The simulation on aerosol mass level and the associated aerosol components were found within a reasonable accuracy. During the transport process, the percentage of semi-volatile PM2.5 organic carbon in PM2.5 plume only slightly decreased from 22-24% in Shanghai to 21% near Taiwan. However, the percentage of PM2.5 nitrate in PM2.5 decreased from 16-25% to 1%. In contrast, the percentage of PM2.5 sulfate in PM2.5 increased from 16-19% to 35%. It is interesting to note that the percentage of PM2.5 ammonium and PM2.5 elemental carbon in PM2.5 remained nearly constant. Simulation results revealed that transported pollutants dominate the air quality in Taipei when the southward high-pressure system moved to Taiwan. Such condition demonstrates the dynamic chemical transformation of pollutants during the transport process from continental origin over the sea area and to the downwind land.

Physics teaching in the medical schools of Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Jiann-wien; Hsu, Roy

2012-02-01

We describe and analyze the statistics of general physics and laboratory courses in the medical schools of Taiwan. We explore the development of the general physics curriculum for medical students of Taiwan. Also, an approach to designing a general physics course in combination with its application to medical sciences is proposed. We hope this preliminary study can provide a useful reference for physics colleagues in the medical schools of Taiwan to revolutionize the dynamics of teaching physics to the medical students of Taiwan. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Land, carbon and water footprints in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Yung-Jaan, E-mail: yungjaanlee@gmail.com

The consumer responsibility approach uses footprints as indicators of the total direct and indirect effects of a product or consumption activity. This study used a time-series analysis of three environmental pressures to quantify the total environmental pressures caused by consumption in Taiwan: land footprint, carbon footprint, and water footprint. Land footprint is the pressure from appropriation of biologically productive land and water area. Carbon footprint is the pressure from greenhouse gas emissions. Water footprint is the pressure from freshwater consumption. Conventional carbon footprint is the total CO{sub 2} emitted by a certain activity or the CO{sub 2} accumulation during amore » product life cycle. This definition cannot be used to convert CO{sub 2} emissions into land units. This study responds to the needs of “CO{sub 2} land” in the footprint family by applying the carbon footprint concept used by GFN. The analytical results showed that consumption by the average Taiwan citizen in 2000 required appropriation of 5.39 gha (hectares of land with global-average biological productivity) and 3.63 gha in 2011 in terms of land footprint. The average Taiwan citizen had a carbon footprint of 3.95 gha in 2000 and 5.94 gha in 2011. These results indicate that separately analyzing the land and carbon footprints enables their trends to be compared and appropriate policies and strategies for different sectors to be proposed accordingly. The average Taiwan citizen had a blue water footprint of 801 m{sup 3} in 2000 and 784 m{sup 3} in 2011. By comparison, their respective global averages were 1.23 gha, 2.36 gha and 163 m{sup 3} blue water in 2011, respectively. Overall, Taiwan revealed higher environmental pressures compared to the rest of the world, demonstrating that Taiwan has become a high footprint state and has appropriated environmental resources from other countries. That is, through its imports of products with embodied pressures and its exports

Probability estimates of seismic event occurrence compared to health hazards - Forecasting Taipei's Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fung, D. C. N.; Wang, J. P.; Chang, S. H.; Chang, S. C.

2014-12-01

Using a revised statistical model built on past seismic probability models, the probability of different magnitude earthquakes occurring within variable timespans can be estimated. The revised model is based on Poisson distribution and includes the use of best-estimate values of the probability distribution of different magnitude earthquakes recurring from a fault from literature sources. Our study aims to apply this model to the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 7 million, which lies in the Taipei Basin and is bounded by two normal faults: the Sanchaio and Taipei faults. The Sanchaio fault is suggested to be responsible for previous large magnitude earthquakes, such as the 1694 magnitude 7 earthquake in northwestern Taipei (Cheng et. al., 2010). Based on a magnitude 7 earthquake return period of 543 years, the model predicts the occurrence of a magnitude 7 earthquake within 20 years at 1.81%, within 79 years at 6.77% and within 300 years at 21.22%. These estimates increase significantly when considering a magnitude 6 earthquake; the chance of one occurring within the next 20 years is estimated to be 3.61%, 79 years at 13.54% and 300 years at 42.45%. The 79 year period represents the average lifespan of the Taiwan population. In contrast, based on data from 2013, the probability of Taiwan residents experiencing heart disease or malignant neoplasm is 11.5% and 29%. The inference of this study is that the calculated risk that the Taipei population is at from a potentially damaging magnitude 6 or greater earthquake occurring within their lifetime is just as great as of suffering from a heart attack or other health ailments.

From waste minimization to ISO 14000: Taiwan`s experience and prospects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wen-Huei Chen; Wain-Sun Hou

Taiwan has completed a very successful five-year industrial waste minimization (IWM) demonstration and promotion project sponsored by the government. From 1990 to 1995, the project successfully disseminated the IWM concept of pollution prevention (P2) to industries. It effectively reduced industrial waste while significantly benefitting the economy by assisting industries in implementing in-plant IWM programs. In July 1995, the second stage of the five-year IWM and ISO 14000 promotion project was initiated for further promoting the IWM, P2, and cleaner production and, in particular, coping with the upcoming international environmental management standards (ISO 14000). To assist industries in establishing an environmentalmore » management system (EMS) and accumulating related experience, an EMS pilot demonstration project of five model industries and an ISO 14001 EMS demonstration and promotion project for 22 factories in 13 industries were initiated in October 1995 and August 1996, respectively. These projects can assist Taiwan`s industries in changing the constitution of their enterprises, enhancing competition in the international market, and helping our nation achieve the forerunner`s profits in sustainable development. 9 refs., 3 figs.« less

Taiwan's second remote sensing satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chern, Jeng-Shing; Ling, Jer; Weng, Shui-Lin

2008-12-01

FORMOSAT-2 is Taiwan's first remote sensing satellite (RSS). It was launched on 20 May 2004 with five-year mission life and a very unique mission orbit at 891 km altitude. This orbit gives FORMOSAT-2 the daily revisit feature and the capability of imaging the Arctic and Antarctic regions due to the high enough altitude. For more than three years, FORMOSAT-2 has performed outstanding jobs and its global effectiveness is evidenced in many fields such as public education in Taiwan, Earth science and ecological niche research, preservation of the world heritages, contribution to the International Charter: space and major disasters, observation of suspected North Korea and Iranian nuclear facilities, and scientific observation of the atmospheric transient luminous events (TLEs). In order to continue the provision of earth observation images from space, the National Space Organization (NSPO) of Taiwan started to work on the second RSS from 2005. This second RSS will also be Taiwan's first indigenous satellite. Both the bus platform and remote sensing instrument (RSI) shall be designed and manufactured by NSPO and the Instrument Technology Research Center (ITRC) under the supervision of the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL). Its onboard computer (OBC) shall use Taiwan's indigenous LEON-3 central processing unit (CPU). In order to achieve cost effective design, the commercial off the shelf (COTS) components shall be widely used. NSPO shall impose the up-screening/qualification and validation/verification processes to ensure their normal functions for proper operations in the severe space environments.

Emergence and evolution of avian H5N2 influenza viruses in chickens in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lee, Chang-Chun David; Zhu, Huachen; Huang, Pei-Yu; Peng, Liuxia; Chang, Yun-Cheng; Yip, Chun-Hung; Li, Yao-Tsun; Cheung, Chung-Lam; Compans, Richard; Yang, Chinglai; Smith, David K; Lam, Tommy Tsan-Yuk; King, Chwan-Chuen; Guan, Yi

2014-05-01

Sporadic activity by H5N2 influenza viruses has been observed in chickens in Taiwan from 2003 to 2012. The available information suggests that these viruses were generated by reassortment between a Mexican-like H5N2 virus and a local enzootic H6N1 virus. Yet the origin, prevalence, and pathogenicity of these H5N2 viruses have not been fully defined. Following the 2012 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks, surveillance was conducted from December 2012 to July 2013 at a live-poultry wholesale market in Taipei. Our findings showed that H5N2 and H6N1 viruses cocirculated at low levels in chickens in Taiwan. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all H5N2 viruses had hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes derived from a 1994 Mexican-like virus, while their internal gene complexes were incorporated from the enzootic H6N1 virus lineage by multiple reassortment events. Pathogenicity studies demonstrated heterogeneous results even though all tested viruses had motifs (R-X-K/R-R) supportive of high pathogenicity. Serological surveys for common subtypes of avian viruses confirmed the prevalence of the H5N2 and H6N1 viruses in chickens and revealed an extraordinarily high seroconversion rate to an H9N2 virus, a subtype that is not found in Taiwan but is prevalent in mainland China. These findings suggest that reassortant H5N2 viruses, together with H6N1 viruses, have become established and enzootic in chickens throughout Taiwan and that a large-scale vaccination program might have been conducted locally that likely led to the introduction of the 1994 Mexican-like virus to Taiwan in 2003. H5N2 avian influenza viruses first appeared in chickens in Taiwan in 2003 and caused a series of outbreaks afterwards. Phylogenetic analyses show that the chicken H5N2 viruses have H5 and N2 genes that are closely related to those of a vaccine strain originating from Mexico in 1994, while the contemporary duck H5N2 viruses in Taiwan belong to the Eurasian gene pool. The

Emergence and Evolution of Avian H5N2 Influenza Viruses in Chickens in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lee, Chang-Chun David; Zhu, Huachen; Huang, Pei-Yu; Peng, Liuxia; Chang, Yun-Cheng; Yip, Chun-Hung; Li, Yao-Tsun; Cheung, Chung-Lam; Compans, Richard; Yang, Chinglai; Smith, David K.; Lam, Tommy Tsan-Yuk

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Sporadic activity by H5N2 influenza viruses has been observed in chickens in Taiwan from 2003 to 2012. The available information suggests that these viruses were generated by reassortment between a Mexican-like H5N2 virus and a local enzootic H6N1 virus. Yet the origin, prevalence, and pathogenicity of these H5N2 viruses have not been fully defined. Following the 2012 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks, surveillance was conducted from December 2012 to July 2013 at a live-poultry wholesale market in Taipei. Our findings showed that H5N2 and H6N1 viruses cocirculated at low levels in chickens in Taiwan. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all H5N2 viruses had hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes derived from a 1994 Mexican-like virus, while their internal gene complexes were incorporated from the enzootic H6N1 virus lineage by multiple reassortment events. Pathogenicity studies demonstrated heterogeneous results even though all tested viruses had motifs (R-X-K/R-R) supportive of high pathogenicity. Serological surveys for common subtypes of avian viruses confirmed the prevalence of the H5N2 and H6N1 viruses in chickens and revealed an extraordinarily high seroconversion rate to an H9N2 virus, a subtype that is not found in Taiwan but is prevalent in mainland China. These findings suggest that reassortant H5N2 viruses, together with H6N1 viruses, have become established and enzootic in chickens throughout Taiwan and that a large-scale vaccination program might have been conducted locally that likely led to the introduction of the 1994 Mexican-like virus to Taiwan in 2003. IMPORTANCE H5N2 avian influenza viruses first appeared in chickens in Taiwan in 2003 and caused a series of outbreaks afterwards. Phylogenetic analyses show that the chicken H5N2 viruses have H5 and N2 genes that are closely related to those of a vaccine strain originating from Mexico in 1994, while the contemporary duck H5N2 viruses in Taiwan belong to the

Opportunity, Choice, and Burglary Victimization in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Shih-Ya

2015-07-01

This study examined burglary victimization in Taiwan with an application of the structure-choice model that included four theoretical dimensions: proximity to crime, exposure to crime, target attractiveness, and guardianship. Drawing on the 2000 Taiwan Areas Criminal Victimization Survey, the results of the current study showed a moderate effect of the opportunity model on Taiwan's burglary victimization. Also, this study found both consistent and conflicting findings in the current data. The null effect of motorcycles (including scooters) that represented the concept of target attractiveness in relation to burglary risk reflected a difference in population density and transportation needs between Taiwan and the West. Clearly, the role of social context needs to be understood when studies apply a Western model to a non-Western context. © The Author(s) 2014.

Using media exposure to predict the initiation and persistence of youth alcohol use in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Fong-ching; Lee, Ching-mei; Chen, Ping-hung; Chiu, Chiung-hui; Miao, Nae-fang; Pan, Yun-chieh; Huang, Tzu-fu; Lee, Shu-ching

2014-05-01

Youth consumption of alcohol is a major public health problem in Taiwan, yet little research has been conducted to examine the potential influence of exposure to alcohol advertising. The present study examined the prospective influence that exposure to alcohol advertising has on the initiation and persistence of youthful drinking in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools in Taipei, Taiwan were assessed in the 10th grade with follow-up conducted in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected in 2010 and 2011 to assess the patterns of change in youth alcohol drinking behaviors, media exposure to alcohol, and risk and protective factors. Of the 1712 non-drinking students in the 10th grade, 285 (16.6%) had initiated drinking by the 11th grade. Of the 590 drinkers in the 10th grade, 396 (67.1%) were persistently drinking by the 11th grade. Multivariate analysis results indicated that when other potential confounders were accounted for, greater media exposure to alcohol advertising in the 10th grade was found to be significantly associated with the initiation of alcohol use and when combined with an increase in media exposure from grades 10 to 11, this was significantly associated with the persistence of alcohol use. Exposure to alcohol advertising in the media was associated with both the initiation and the persistence of alcohol use by youth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of INCSEA principles to the Taiwan Strait.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wen-Chung, Chai

2003-06-01

The waters surrounding Taiwan are important international waterways. In addition to merchant ships of every nation, the warships of the United States, Japan, Russia, and China may appear in these waters. No hostility is expected between Taiwan and the United States, Japan, or Russia; however, Taiwan and China have a tense relationship, and both sides face a potential for naval incidents. As Taiwan and China expand their naval capability, the International Maritime Organization Convention for the lnternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea may not be sufficient to prevent naval incidents, any of which might develop into conflict or war.more » Therefore, China and Taiwan need to develop maritime confidence building measures (CBMs) that could reduce the chance of naval incidents and strengthen mutual trust and confidence. Among the variety of maritime CBM concepts for military purposes, the most successful and effective measure has been the 1972 U.S.-Soviet Union Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). The success of the agreement demonstrates that CBMs represent a workable alternative to traditional arms controls. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a concrete approach to the constraint of naval activities between China and Taiwan to reduce accidents and misunderstandings. This paper outlines the categories and characteristics of incidents at sea. Next, the author identifies the successful factors of the U.S.-Soviet INCSEA and applies the INCSEA concept to the Taiwan Strait. Finally, the author develops a framework of options and a step-by-step approach for establishing an INCSEA between Taiwan and China.« less

The application of seismic risk-benefit analysis to land use planning in Taipei City.

PubMed

Hung, Hung-Chih; Chen, Liang-Chun

2007-09-01

In the developing countries of Asia local authorities rarely use risk analysis instruments as a decision-making support mechanism during planning and development procedures. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a methodology to enable planners to undertake such analyses. We illustrate a case study of seismic risk-benefit analysis for the city of Taipei, Taiwan, using available land use maps and surveys as well as a new tool developed by the National Science Council in Taiwan--the HAZ-Taiwan earthquake loss estimation system. We use three hypothetical earthquakes to estimate casualties and total and annualised direct economic losses, and to show their spatial distribution. We also characterise the distribution of vulnerability over the study area using cluster analysis. A risk-benefit ratio is calculated to express the levels of seismic risk attached to alternative land use plans. This paper suggests ways to perform earthquake risk evaluations and the authors intend to assist city planners to evaluate the appropriateness of their planning decisions.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in Taiwan's surface waters: impact of waste streams from hospitals and pharmaceutical production facilities.

PubMed

Lin, Angela Yu-Chen; Tsai, Yu-Ting

2009-06-01

We investigated the occurrence and distribution of pharmaceuticals (including antibiotics, estrogens, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), beta-blockers, and lipid regulators) in three rivers and in the waste streams of six hospitals and four pharmaceutical production facilities in Taiwan. The most frequently detected pharmaceuticals were acetaminophen, erythromycin-H(2)O, sulfamethoxazole, and gemfibrozil. NSAIDs were the next most-often detected compounds, with a detection frequency >60%. The other analytes were not detected or were seen in only a few samples at trace concentrations. The present study demonstrates a significant discharge of human medications from hospital and drug production facilities into surface waters in the Taipei district. The high concentrations of pharmaceuticals found in the Sindian and Dahan rivers demonstrate the alarming degree to which they have been impacted by urban drainage (waste effluents from hospitals, households, and pharmaceutical production facilities). The ubiquitous occurrence at extremely high concentrations of acetaminophen and erythromycin-H(2)O in both rivers (up to 15.7 and 75.5 microg/L) and in wastewater from hospitals and pharmaceutical production facilities (up to 417.5 and 7.84 microg/L) was unique. This finding, in combination with acetaminophen's status as the drug most often prescribed by Taiwan's dominant clinical institute, suggests the potential use of acetaminophen as a molecular indicator of contamination of Taiwan's aqueous environments with untreated urban drainage.

Quarantine for SARS, Taiwan

PubMed Central

King, Chwan-Chuan; Chen, Cathy W. S.; Ho, Mei-Shang; Lee, Jen-Yu; Liu, Feng-Chi; Wu, Yi-Chun

2005-01-01

During the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Taiwan, >150,000 persons were quarantined, 24 of whom were later found to have laboratory-confirmed SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection. Since no evidence exists that SARS-CoV is infective before the onset of symptoms and the quarantined persons were exposed but not symptomatic, we thought the quarantine's effectiveness should be investigated. Using the Taiwan quarantine data, we found that the onset-to-diagnosis time of previously quarantined confirmed case-patients was significantly shortened compared to that for those who had not been quarantined. Thus, quarantine for SARS in Taiwan screened potentially infective persons for swift diagnosis and hospitalization after onset, thereby indirectly reducing infections. Full-scale quarantine measures implemented on April 28 led to a significant improvement in onset-to-diagnosis time of all SARS patients, regardless of previous quarantine status. We discuss the temporal effects of quarantine measures and other interventions on detection and isolation as well as the potential usefulness of quarantine in faster identification of persons with SARS and in improving isolation measures. PMID:15752447

Effects of commuting mode on air pollution exposure and cardiovascular health among young adults in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Liu, Wen-Te; Ma, Chih-Ming; Liu, I-Jung; Han, Bor-Cheng; Chuang, Hsiao-Chi; Chuang, Kai-Jen

2015-05-01

The association between traffic-related air pollution and adverse cardiovascular effects has been well documented; however, little is known about whether different commuting modes can modify the effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system in human subjects in urban areas with heavy traffic. We recruited 120 young, healthy subjects in Taipei, Taiwan. Each participant was classified with different commuting modes according to his/her own commuting style. Three repeated measurements of heart rate variability (HRV) indices {standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) and the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (r-MSSD)}, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), temperature, humidity and noise level were conducted for each subject during 1-h morning commutes (0900-1000 h) in four different commuting modes, including an electrically powered subway, a gas-powered bus, a gasoline-powered car, and walking. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate the association of PM2.5 with HRV indices. The results showed that decreases in the HRV indices were associated with increased levels of PM2.5. The personal exposure levels to PM2.5 were the highest in the walking mode. The effects of PM2.5 on cardiovascular endpoints were the lowest in the subway mode compared to the effects in the walking mode. The participants in the car and bus modes had reduced effects on their cardiovascular endpoints compared to the participants in the walking mode. We concluded that traffic-related PM2.5 is associated with autonomic alteration. Commuting modes can modify the effects of PM2.5 on HRV indices among young, healthy subjects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Taiwan's underwater cultural heritage documentation management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tung, Y.-Y.

2015-09-01

Taiwan is an important trading and maritime channels for many countries since ancient time. Numerous relics lie underwater due to weather, wars, and other factors. In the year of 2006, Bureau of Cultural Heritage (BOCH) entrusted the Underwater Archaeological Team of Academia Sinica to execute the underwater archaeological investigation projects. Currently, we verified 78 underwater targets, with 78 site of those had been recognized as shipwrecks sites. Up to date, there is a collection of 638 underwater objects from different underwater archaeological sites. Those artefacts are distributed to different institutions and museums. As very diverse management methods/systems are applied for every individual institution, underwater cultural heritage data such as survey, excavation report, research, etc. are poorly organized and disseminated for use. For better communication regarding to Taiwan's underwater cultural heritage in every level, a universal format of documentation should be established. By comparing the existing checklist used in Taiwan with guidelines that are followed in other countries, a more intact and appropriate underwater cultural heritage condition documentation system can be established and adapted in Taiwan.

Increasing cardiopulmonary emergency visits by long-range transported Asian dust storms in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chan, Chang-Chuan; Chuang, Kai-Jen; Chen, Wen-Jone; Chang, Wei-Tien; Lee, Chung-Te; Peng, Chi-Ming

2008-03-01

This study aims to explore whether Asian dust storms can affect health after 4000 km long-range transport from their origins to downwind areas. Asian dust storms reaching Taipei, Taiwan are tracked by satellite images and confirmed by backward trajectory analysis and ground air pollution monitoring between 1995 and 2002. Our outcome variables include emergency visits for ischaemic heart diseases (ICD-9-CM 410-411, 414), cerebrovascular diseases (ICD-9-CM 430-437), and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) (ICD-9-CM 493, 496) from the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). We use simple paired t-test and Poisson regression models to compare difference in emergency visits, air pollution levels and meteorological conditions for the pairs of Asian dust events and pre-dust periods. There were 39 high dust events with PM(10) greater than 90 microg/m(3) and another 46 low dust events with PM(10) less than 90 microg/m(3). Compared to their pre-dust periods, PM(10) concentrations are significantly increased by 77 microg/m(3) per event for the high dust events. Asian dust storms increase cardiopulmonary emergency visits during storm-affecting periods in Taipei when ambient PM(10) concentrations are above 90 microg/m(3). Compared to their pre-dust periods, emergency visits for ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and COPD during high dust events are increased by 0.7 case (35%), 0.7 case (20%), and 0.9 case (20%) per event, respectively, by paired t-tests. By comparing the model-predicted to the observed emergency visits, we find emergency visits for cardiovascular diseases (ICD-9-CM 410-411, 414, 430-437) were significantly increased by 2.9 cases (67%) per event for the 39 high Asian dust events.

Paradoxical increase in cigarette smuggling after the market opening in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wen, C P; Peterson, R A; Cheng, T Y D; Tsai, S P; Eriksen, M P; Chen, T

2006-06-01

To assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan. Review of tobacco industry documents for references to smuggling activities related to Taiwan and government statistics on seizure of smuggled cigarettes. The market opening in 1987 led to an increase in smuggling. Contraband cigarettes became as available as legal ones, with only a small fraction (8%) being seized. Being specifically excluded from the market-opening, Japan entered the Taiwan market by setting up a Swiss plant as a legal cover for smuggling 10-20 times its legal quota of exports to Taiwan. Smuggling in Taiwan contributed to increased consumption of foreign brands, particularly by the young. Taiwan, not a member of the World Health Organization, was excluded from the East Asian 16-member "Project Crocodile", a regional anti-smuggling collaborative effort to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Taiwan showed a sharp increase in smuggling after market liberalisation. Being excluded from the international community, Taiwan faces an uphill battle to fight smuggling alone. If Taiwan remained as its weakest link, global efforts to reduce tobacco use will be undermined, particularly for countries in the East Asian region.

Species of Nepalomyia Hollis from Taiwan (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Peloropeodinae).

PubMed

Wang, Mengoing; Chen, Hongyin; Yang, Ding

2013-01-01

An overview is presented for the species of the genus Nepalomyia Hollis, 1964 trom Taiwan. Nepalonyia xtaoyanae sp. nov. is described and N. brevifurcata (Yang & Saigusa, 2001) and N. orientalis (Yang & Li, 1998) are recorded from Taiwan for the first time. A key is provided for all seven named species of this genus from Taiwan.

Real-Time Surveillance of Infectious Diseases: Taiwan's Experience.

PubMed

Jian, Shu-Wan; Chen, Chiu-Mei; Lee, Cheng-Yi; Liu, Ding-Ping

Integration of multiple surveillance systems advances early warning and supports better decision making during infectious disease events. Taiwan has a comprehensive network of laboratory, epidemiologic, and early warning surveillance systems with nationwide representation. Hospitals and clinical laboratories have deployed automatic reporting mechanisms since 2014 and have effectively improved timeliness of infectious disease and laboratory data reporting. In June 2016, the capacity of real-time surveillance in Taiwan was externally assessed and was found to have a demonstrated and sustainable capability. We describe Taiwan's disease surveillance system and use surveillance efforts for influenza and Zika virus as examples of surveillance capability. Timely and integrated influenza information showed a higher level and extended pattern of influenza activity during the 2015-16 season, which ensured prompt information dissemination and the coordination of response operations. Taiwan also has well-developed disease detection systems and was the first country to report imported cases of Zika virus from Miami Beach and Singapore. This illustrates a high level of awareness and willingness among health workers to report emerging infectious diseases, and highlights the robust and sensitive nature of Taiwan's surveillance system. These 2 examples demonstrate the flexibility of the surveillance systems in Taiwan to adapt to emerging infectious diseases and major communicable diseases. Through participation in the GHSA, Taiwan can more actively collaborate with national counterparts and use its expertise to strengthen global and regional surveillance capacity in the Asia Pacific and in Southeast Asia, in order to advance a world safe and secure from infectious disease.

Real-Time Surveillance of Infectious Diseases: Taiwan's Experience

PubMed Central

Jian, Shu-Wan; Chen, Chiu-Mei; Lee, Cheng-Yi

2017-01-01

Integration of multiple surveillance systems advances early warning and supports better decision making during infectious disease events. Taiwan has a comprehensive network of laboratory, epidemiologic, and early warning surveillance systems with nationwide representation. Hospitals and clinical laboratories have deployed automatic reporting mechanisms since 2014 and have effectively improved timeliness of infectious disease and laboratory data reporting. In June 2016, the capacity of real-time surveillance in Taiwan was externally assessed and was found to have a demonstrated and sustainable capability. We describe Taiwan's disease surveillance system and use surveillance efforts for influenza and Zika virus as examples of surveillance capability. Timely and integrated influenza information showed a higher level and extended pattern of influenza activity during the 2015-16 season, which ensured prompt information dissemination and the coordination of response operations. Taiwan also has well-developed disease detection systems and was the first country to report imported cases of Zika virus from Miami Beach and Singapore. This illustrates a high level of awareness and willingness among health workers to report emerging infectious diseases, and highlights the robust and sensitive nature of Taiwan's surveillance system. These 2 examples demonstrate the flexibility of the surveillance systems in Taiwan to adapt to emerging infectious diseases and major communicable diseases. Through participation in the GHSA, Taiwan can more actively collaborate with national counterparts and use its expertise to strengthen global and regional surveillance capacity in the Asia Pacific and in Southeast Asia, in order to advance a world safe and secure from infectious disease. PMID:28418738

[Glocalization: the outlook for Taiwan evidence based health care].

PubMed

Chen, Chiehfeng

2014-12-01

Public attention to evidence-based health care (EBHC) has increased significantly in recent years. Key problems related to applying EBHC in current healthcare practice include the timely update of up-to-date knowledge and skills and the methodology used to implement EBHC in clinical settings. EBHC has been introduced to the Taiwan healthcare system for the past two decades. The annual EBM (Evidence based medicine) National Competition is a unique and important EBHC activity in Taiwan. EBHC has been promoted widely in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and other professions, and EBHC-related organizations such as the Taiwan Evidence Based Medicine Association (TEBMA), and Taiwan Evidence Based Nursing Association (TEBNA), have increased in number and grown in membership. In addition to domestic developments, Taiwan is also actively involved in global organizations, such as the Cochrane Collaboration, East Asian Cochrane Alliance (EACA), and the International Society for Evidence Based Health Care (ISEHC). In Taiwan, most medical professionals work cooperatively to promote EBHC, which facilitates the gradual improvement of healthcare quality.

76 FR 13660 - Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-14

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-1088 (Final)] Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject investigation, the United... (March 2011), entitled Polyvinyl Alcohol from Taiwan: Investigation No. 731-TA-1088 (Final). By order of...

The spiritual intelligence of nurses in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Ke-Ping

2006-03-01

The purposes of the study included: (1) defining the profile of nurses' spiritual intelligence; (2) examining the relationship between nurses' demographic characteristics and spiritual intelligence; and (3) exploring the mode of nurses' spiritual intelligence and related factors, among nurses in Taiwan. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed and administered to 299 hospital registered nurses, who were distributed throughout metropolitan Taipei. Wolman's (2001) PsychoMatrix Spirituality Inventory, a 4-point scaled, self-reported, 49-item questionnaire covering seven spiritual factors (divinity, mindfulness, extrasensory perception, community, intellectuality, trauma, and childhood spirituality) was used to measure nurses' spiritual intelligence. Results showed that nurses' spiritual intelligence was centralized in a moderate degree, while trauma and childhood spirituality were either moderate or high. Age and childhood spirituality were the most significant variables affecting nurses' spiritual intelligence, accounting for 61.4% of the variance in nurses' spiritual intelligence. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the spiritual intelligence profile of nurses and may also help facilitate a program for nurses' spiritual development as well as improve the quality of spiritual care.

Predictors of the initiation and persistence of internet addiction among adolescents in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Fong-Ching; Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Lee, Ching-Mei; Chen, Ping-Hung; Miao, Nae-Fang

2014-10-01

The present study examined the psychosocial factors associated with the initiation and persistence of Internet addiction among adolescents in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade, in Taipei, Taiwan. Self-administered questionnaires were collected in each year to assess the pattern of changes in Internet addiction and psychosocial factors. Of the 1602 students without an Internet addiction in the 10th grade, 253 (15.8%) had initiated Internet addiction by grade 11. Multivariate analysis results indicated that greater engagement in online activities (i.e., social network website use, online gaming), depression, and lower school bonding in grade 10 coupled with an increase in online activities, depression, and smoking from grades 10 to 11 predicted the initiation of Internet addiction. Of the 605 students with Internet addiction in the 10th grade, the addiction had persisted for 383 students (63.3%) in grade 11. An increase in the existence of depression and alcohol use from grades 10 to 11 predicted the persistence of Internet addiction. Online activities, depression, and substance use were important predictors of youth initiation and of the persistence of Internet addiction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paradoxical increase in cigarette smuggling after the market opening in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wen, C P; Peterson, R A; Cheng, T Y D; Tsai, S P; Eriksen, M P; Chen, T

2006-01-01

Objectives To assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan. Methods Review of tobacco industry documents for references to smuggling activities related to Taiwan and government statistics on seizure of smuggled cigarettes. Results The market opening in 1987 led to an increase in smuggling. Contraband cigarettes became as available as legal ones, with only a small fraction (8%) being seized. Being specifically excluded from the market‐opening, Japan entered the Taiwan market by setting up a Swiss plant as a legal cover for smuggling 10–20 times its legal quota of exports to Taiwan. Smuggling in Taiwan contributed to increased consumption of foreign brands, particularly by the young. Taiwan, not a member of the World Health Organization, was excluded from the East Asian 16‐member “Project Crocodile”, a regional anti‐smuggling collaborative effort to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Conclusions Taiwan showed a sharp increase in smuggling after market liberalisation. Being excluded from the international community, Taiwan faces an uphill battle to fight smuggling alone. If Taiwan remained as its weakest link, global efforts to reduce tobacco use will be undermined, particularly for countries in the East Asian region. PMID:16728745

Taiwan Space Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jann-Yenq

Taiwan space programs consist of FORMOSAT-1, -2, and -3, sounding rockets, and international cooperation. FORMOSAT-1, a low-earth-orbit (LEO) scientific experimental satellite, was launched on January 26, 1999. It circulates with an altitude of 600 km and 35 degree inclination around the Earth every 97 minutes, transmitting collected data to Taiwan's receiving stations approximately six times a day. The major mission of FORMOSAT-1 includes three scientific experiments for measuring the effects of ionospheric plasma and electrodynamics, taking the ocean color image and conducting Ka-band communication experiment. The FORMOSAT- 1 mission was ended by June 15, 2004. FORMOSAT-2, launched on May 21, 2004 onto the Sun-synchronous orbit located at 891 km above ground. The main mission of FORMOSAT-2 is to conduct remote sensing imaging over Taiwan and on terrestrial and oceanic regions of the entire earth. The images captured by FORMOSAT-2 during daytime can be used for land distribution, natural resources research, environmental protection, disaster prevention and rescue work etc. When the satellite travels to the eclipsed zone, it observes natural phenomena of lighting in the upper atmosphere. FORMOSAT-3 is an international collaboration project between Taiwan and the US to develop advanced technology for the real-time monitoring of the global climate. This project is also named Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate, or FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC for short. Six micro-satellites were launched on 15 April 2007 and eventually placed into six different orbits at 700 800 kilometer above the earth ground. These satellites orbit around the earth to form a LEO constellation that receives signals transmitted by the 24 US GPS satellites. The satellite observation covers the entire global atmosphere and ionosphere, providing over 2,500 global sounding data per day. These data distribute uniformly over the earth's atmosphere. The global climate information

[The medical autonomy of elderly in Taiwan].

PubMed

Chen, Kai-Li; Chen, Ching-Huey

2014-10-01

The elderly population is increasing rapidly in Taiwan. With the average life expectancy on the rise, the elderly have become major consumers of healthcare products and services. Factors that influence respect for autonomy, a core value of medical ethics, may be related to family, society, and the medical culture. Especially in patients who are already elderly, aging causes declines in physical, mental and societal capacities. Practicing a respect for patient autonomy is particularly challenging for healthcare professionals in Taiwan due the unique culture background of elderly Taiwanese patients. This article reviews and integrates the literature related to the issue of patient autonomy and elaborates on medical decision-making among elderly patients in Taiwan in the contexts of: the disadvantages faced by the elderly, the background of Chinese culture, and the current medical decision-making environment. A few suggestions are proposed to help preserve the medical-decision-making autonomy of elderly patients in Taiwan.

Maternity Leave in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Feng, Joyce Yen; Han, Wen-Jui

2011-01-01

Using the first nationally representative birth cohort study in Taiwan, this paper examines the role that maternity leave policy in Taiwan plays in the timing of mothers returning to work after giving birth, as well as the extent to which this timing is linked to the amount of time mothers spend with their children and their use of breast milk versus formula. We found that the time when mothers returned to work coincided with the duration of guaranteed leave. In particular, mothers with a labor pension plan resumed work significantly earlier than mothers with no pension plan, and mothers with no pension plan returned to work significantly later than those with pension plans. The short leave of absence guaranteed under existing policies translated into mothers spending less time with their children and being more likely to exclusively use formula by 6 months after birth. In contrast, mothers who resumed work later than 6 months after birth were more likely to have not worked before birth or to have quit their jobs during pregnancy. Implications and recommendations for parental leave policy in Taiwan are discussed. PMID:21603074

Maternity Leave in Taiwan.

PubMed

Feng, Joyce Yen; Han, Wen-Jui

2010-07-01

Using the first nationally representative birth cohort study in Taiwan, this paper examines the role that maternity leave policy in Taiwan plays in the timing of mothers returning to work after giving birth, as well as the extent to which this timing is linked to the amount of time mothers spend with their children and their use of breast milk versus formula. We found that the time when mothers returned to work coincided with the duration of guaranteed leave. In particular, mothers with a labor pension plan resumed work significantly earlier than mothers with no pension plan, and mothers with no pension plan returned to work significantly later than those with pension plans. The short leave of absence guaranteed under existing policies translated into mothers spending less time with their children and being more likely to exclusively use formula by 6 months after birth. In contrast, mothers who resumed work later than 6 months after birth were more likely to have not worked before birth or to have quit their jobs during pregnancy. Implications and recommendations for parental leave policy in Taiwan are discussed.

Regulatory control of low level radioactive waste in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, T.D.S.; Chiou, Syh-Tsong

1996-12-31

The commercial operation of Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Unit One marked the beginning of Taiwan`s nuclear power program. There are now three NPPs, each consisting of two units, in operation. This represents a generating capacity of 5,144 MWe. Nuclear power plants are sharing some 30 percent of electricity supplies in Taiwan. As far as low level radwaste (LLRW) is concerned, Taiwan Power Company (TPC) is the principal producer, contributing more than 90 percent of total volume of waste arising in Taiwan. Small producers, other than nuclear industries, medicine, research institutes, and universities, are responsible for the remaining 10 percent.more » In the paper, the LLRW management policy, organizational scheme, regulatory control over waste treatment, storage, transportation and disposal are addressed. Added to the paper in the last is how this country is managing its Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) waste.« less

Subsurface imaging, TAIGER experiments and tectonic models of Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Francis T.; Kuo-Chen, H.; McIntosh, K. D.

2014-08-01

The seismicity, deformation rates and associated erosion in the Taiwan region clearly demonstrate that plate tectonic and orogenic activities are at a high level. Major geologic units can be neatly placed in the plate tectonic context, albeit critical mapping in specific areas is still needed, but the key processes involved in the building of the island remain under discussion. Of the two plates in the vicinity of Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is oceanic in its origin while the Eurasian Plate (EUP) is comprised partly of the Asian continental lithosphere and partly of the transitional lithosphere of the South China Sea basin. It is unanimously agreed that the collision of PSP and EU is the cause of the Taiwan orogeny, but several models of the underlying geological processes have been proposed, each with its own evolutionary history and implied subsurface tectonics. TAIGER (TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research) crustal- and mantle-imaging experiments recently made possible a new round of testing and elucidation. The new seismic tomography resolved structures under and offshore of Taiwan to a depth of about 200 km. In the upper mantle, the steeply east-dipping high velocity anomalies from southern to central Taiwan are clear, but only the extreme southern part is associated with seismicity; toward the north the seismicity disappears. The crustal root under the Central Range is strongly asymmetrical; using 7.5 km/s as a guide, the steep west-dipping face on the east stands in sharp contrast to a gradual east-dipping face on the west. A smaller root exists under the Coastal Range or slightly to the east of it. Between these two roots lies a well delineated high velocity rise spanning the length from Hualien to Taitung. The 3-D variations in crustal and mantle structures parallel to the trend of the island are closely correlated with the plate tectonic framework of Taiwan. The crust is thickest in the central Taiwan collision zone, and although it thins

What University Governance Can Taiwan Learn from the United States?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lung-Sheng; Land, Ming H.

2010-01-01

Due to changes from centralization to marketization, Taiwan's university governance must increase its effectiveness. The purpose of this paper was to introduce trends in and issues of Taiwan's university governance, describe university governance in the United States, and draw implications that Taiwan's university governance needs to learn from…

Very-long-period seismic signals at the Tatun Volcano Group, northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, C. H.; Pu, H. C.

2016-12-01

Very-long-period (VLP) seismic events have been detected in the Tatun Volcano Group (TVG), located around the border between Taipei City and New Taipei City in northern Taiwan, in which has 7 million residents. By using both analyses of particle motions and travel-time delay, one VLP volcanic earthquake's source is estimated to be at a shallow depth ( 800 m) beneath Mt. Chihsin, which is the highest and youngest volcano in the TVG. The significant variation of seismic energy at different azimuths provides strong evidence to distinguish a crack source from other kinds of sources, such as a sphere, vertical pipe or even double-couple source. This is further confirmed by synthetic modeling of the seismograms recorded at two stations as well as the compressional first-motion at three seismic stations. Thus, a deeper plumping system with high-pressure fluid is required to generate the VLP signals and other volcanic earthquakes in the TVG. Combining this result with those of previous studies, we conclude that the TVG might not be totally extinct and some further investigations must be carried out to improve understanding of the volcanic characteristics of the TVG.

The Study of Aeromagnetic Surveys in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, P. T.; Tong, L. T.; Lin, W.; Chang, S. F.

2016-12-01

The airborne magnetic survey is a cost-effective method for regional geological investigation. Most of developed countries use aeromagnetic data as important fundamental information for resources development. The first aeromagnetic survey was conducted in the offshore areas of west and southern Taiwan in 1968 by U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office to help Taiwan finding oil. Later, in 2007, a helicopter-borne magnetic survey was proceed in east Taiwan for underground granite bodies. In order to improve better understanding of deep geological structures associated with the Holocene volcanism in Taiwan, we applied helicopter-borne magnetic technique in northern Taiwan include Tatun Volcano Group (TVG) and Kueishan island in 2013 and 2014 to obtain the distribution information of potential magma chamber as well as hydrothermal pathways along regional geological structures. The most important findings of the high-resolution aeromagnetic dataset since 1960's to 2014 acquired include: (1) the distribution of subsurface igneous rocks and the Curie point depth in Tatun Volcano Group, Keelung Volcano Group, and Kueishantao Volcano; (2) the widely distributed NE high-magnetic belts in northern Taiwan may be associated with NE fractures created by long-term subsidence in this area; (3) the high-magnetic belts in south of Lanyang River which is very different from the magnetic characteristics of the Central Range may imply paleo oceanic plate; (4) the NE high-magnetic belts in Penghu area formed by magma intrusion along NE fractures and the dense and high-magnetic anomalies may be associated with the Miocene basaltic lava overlying on the pre-Tertiary igneous dykes and are widely spread in northern Penghu area. The new aeromagnetic survey techniques help us to investigate the areas with steep terrain or covered by dense vegetation which was difficult to obtain reasonable geological understanding, and also provide an opportunity for us to apply the geothermal energy prospecting.

Educating Students with Learning Disabilities in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Yun-Ju

2011-01-01

In East Asia, Taiwan is one of only a few countries that has a clear definition of learning disabilities (LD) as well as operational criteria for the identification of LD. In Taiwan, special education services for students with LD are mandated in the Special Education Act of 1984. According to the official statistics from the Taiwanese Special…

Challenges to Globalisation, Localisation and Sinophilia in Music Education: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Wai-Chung; Law, Wing-Wah

2006-01-01

In the past, the music curricula of Hong Kong (HK), Mainland China and Taiwan have focused on Western music, but with the advent of music technology and the new tripartite paradigm of globalisation, localisation and Sinophilia this has begun to change. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei share a common historical culture and their populations are…

An investigation of snakebite antivenom usage in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Chih-Chuan; Chaou, Chung-Hsien; Tseng, Chiung-Yao

2016-08-01

Four types of antivenom are used to treat snakebites by the six species of venomous snakes native to Taiwan. Research into antivenom use in Taiwan and its outcomes, as well as the utility of current Taiwan Poison Control Center guidelines for antivenom use, has been limited. We aimed to provide increased understanding by investigating the treatment and outcomes of patients treated for snakebite in Taiwan. On the basis of data collected from the 2009 Taiwan National Health Insurance database, patients with snakebites were identified and categorized into two sets of groups according to types of antivenom administered. The relationships between antivenom types, dosage and the variables of antibiotic use, surgical intervention, acute respiratory failure acute, renal failure, antivenom-related allergic reaction, mortality, need for hospital admission, and length of hospitalization were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The majority of patients were successfully treated by administration of 1 vial of antivenom and discharged without complications. However, patients treated for neurotoxic-type venom snakebite required administration of larger doses of antivenom and > 30% required surgical intervention, particularly those treated for Chinese cobra snakebite. Approximately 10% of patients were administered two types of antivenom. The results partially support Taiwan Poison Control Center guidelines for treating the hemorrhagic-type venom snakebite. However, deficit in the guidelines for treatment of neurotoxic-type venom snakebite is obvious and new guidelines for treatment of neurotoxic-type venom snakebite and diagnosis should be developed. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A material flow of lithium batteries in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, T C; You, S J; Yu, B S; Yao, K F

2009-04-30

Li batteries, including secondary and cylindrical/button primary Li batteries, are used worldwide in computers, communications and consumer electronics products. However, there are several dangerous issues that occur during the manufacture, shipping, and storage of Li batteries. This study analyzes the material flow of lithium batteries and their valuable heavy metals in Taiwan for the year 2006 by material flow analysis. According to data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration, Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Bureau of Foreign Trade, Directorate General of Customs, and the Li batteries manufactures/importers/exporters. It was found that 2,952,696 kg of Li batteries was input into Taiwan for the year 2006, including 2,256,501 kg of imported Li batteries and 696,195 kg of stock Li batteries in 2005. In addition, 1,113,867 and 572,215 kg of Li batteries was domestically produced and sold abroad, revealing that 3,494,348 kg of different types of Li batteries was sold in Taiwan. Of these domestically sold batteries, 504,663 and 146,557 kg were treated domestically and abroad. Thus, a total of 2,843,128 kg of Li batteries was stored by individual/industry users or illegally disposed. In addition, it was also observed that 2,120,682 kg of heavy metals contained in Li batteries, including Ni, Co, Al, Cu and Ni, was accumulated in Taiwan, with a recycled value of 38.8 million USD. These results suggest that these heavy metals should be recovered by suitable collection, recycling and reuse procedures.

Canine distemper virus in wild ferret-badgers of Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Chen-Chih; Pei, Kurtis Jai-Chyi; Liao, Ming-Huei; Mortenson, Jack A

2008-04-01

Canine distemper is an acute or subacute, highly contagious, febrile disease that is caused by canine distemper virus (CDV). Two CDV-infected wild Taiwan ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata subauantiaca) were found in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan, in 2005. Each case was confirmed by detecting CDV RNA in lung and brain tissues. A suspected third case was detected based on clinical signs and histology. These cases are the first record of wildlife infected by CDV in Taiwan. It is believed that domestic dogs or coexisting wild carnivores infected with the virus were the most likely source, and a serologic survey is needed to fully understand the host range of this virus in Taiwan. In addition, further genetic sequencing is needed to determine the source of these CDV cases.

Epidemiology of organophosphate pesticide poisoning in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Tzeng Jih; Walter, Frank Gardner; Hung, Dong Zong; Tsai, Jin Lian; Hu, Sheng Chuan; Chang, Jung San; Deng, Jou-Fang; Chase, Jung San; Denninghoff, Kurt; Chan, Hon Man

2008-11-01

The nationwide epidemiology of organophosphate pesticide (OP) poisoning has never been reported in detail for Taiwan. This study retrospectively reviewed all human OP exposures reported to Taiwan's Poison Control Centers (PCCs) from July 1985 through December 2006. There were 4799 OP exposures. Most OP exposures were acute (98.37%) ingestions (74.50%) of a single OP (80.37%) to attempt suicide (64.72%) in adults (93.25%). Males were the most common gender (64.95%). Most patients (61.97%) received atropine and/or pralidoxime. The mortality rate for all 4799 OP exposures was 12.71%. Exposures to single OPs without co-intoxicants caused 524 deaths; of these, 63.36% were due to dimethyl OPs. Dimethyl OPs cause the majority of deaths in Taiwan.

Enterobius vermicularis infection is well controlled among preschool children in nurseries of Taipei City, Taiwan.

PubMed

Chu, Tu-Bin; Liao, Chien-Wei; Nara, Takeshi; Huang, Ying-Chie; Chou, Chia-Mei; Liu, Yu-Hsin; Fan, Chia-Kwung

2012-10-01

Whether Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) infections among preschool children in Taipei City had truly declined was investigated. A total of 6,661 preschool children from 28 nurseries were randomly selected from 4 major geographic districts in Taipei City to examine the status of pinworm infection by using adhesive thin cellophane tape swab method. The overall prevalence of pinworm infection was 0.5% (30/6,661). Boys (0.6%; 21/3,524) had higher prevalence than girls (0.3%; 9/3,137) (p=0.06). Southern district (0.6%; 10/1,789) showed insignificantly higher prevalence than Western district (0.2%; 1/606) (p=0.22). Pinworm screening program remains necessary for some parts of Taipei City.

Earthquake-induced gravitational potential energy change in the active Taiwan orogenic belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Chung-Liang; Hsu, Shu-Kun

2005-07-01

The Philippine Sea Plate is converging against the Eurasian Plate near Taiwan at a velocity of 7-8 cm yr-1 this has caused the Taiwan orogenesis and induced abundant earthquakes. In this study we examine the corresponding change of gravitational potential energy (ΔGPE) using 757 earthquakes from the earthquake catalogue of the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) from 1995 July to 2003 December. Our results show that the variation of the crustal ΔGPE strongly correlates with the different stages of the orogenesis. Except for the western Okinawa Trough and southern Taiwan, most of the Taiwan convergent region exhibits a gain of crustal ΔGPE. In contrast, the lithospheric ΔGPE in the Taiwan region exhibits a reverse pattern. For the whole Taiwan region, the earthquake-induced crustal ΔGPE and the lithospheric ΔGPE during the observation period are 1.03 × 1017 J and -1.15 × 1017 J, respectively. The average rate of the whole ΔGPE in the Taiwan region is very intense and equal to -2.07 × 1010 W, corresponding to about 1 per cent of the global GPE loss induced by earthquakes.

Motorcycle pollution control in Taiwan, Republic of China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, H.W.; Hsiao, H.C.; Walsh, M.P.

1998-12-31

The Taiwan EPA has developed a comprehensive approach to motor vehicle pollution control. Building on its early adoption of US `83 standards for light duty vehicles (starting July 1, 1990) it recently moved to US `87 requirements, which include the 0.2 gram per mile particulate standard, as of July 1, 1995. Heavy duty diesel particulate standards almost as stringent as US `90, 6.0 grams per brake horsepower hour NO{sub x} and 0.7 particulate, using the US transient test procedure, went into effect on July 1, 1993. It is intended that US`94 standards, 5.0 NO{sub x} and 0.25 particulate, will bemore » adopted soon. Clearly the most distinctive feature of the Taiwan program, however, is its motorcycle control effort, reflecting the fact that motorcycles dominate the vehicle fleet and are a substantial source of emissions. This paper will summarize Taiwan`s extensive efforts to address this problem.« less

Classification management plan of groundwater quality in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chun Ming; Chen, Yu Ying; Pan, Shih Cheng; Li, Hui Jun; Hsiao, Fang Ke

2017-04-01

Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration has been monitoring regional water quality for 14 years. Since the beginning of 2002 till now, there are 453 regional groundwater monitoring wells in ten groundwater subregions in Taiwan, and the monitoring of groundwater quality has been carried out for a long time. Currently, water quality monitoring project has reached 50 items, while the number of water quality monitoring data has reached more than 20,000. In order to use the monitoring data efficiently, this study constructed the localized groundwater quality indicators of Taiwan. This indicator takes into account the different users' point of view, incorporating the Taiwan groundwater pollution monitoring standards (Category II), irrigation water quality standard and drinking water source water quality standard. 50 items of water quality monitoring projects were simplified and classified. The groundwater quality parameters were divided into five items, such as potability for drinking water, salting, external influence, health influences and toxicity hazard. The weight of the five items of groundwater was calculated comprehensively, and the groundwater quality of each monitoring well was evaluated with three grades of good, ordinary, and poor. According to the monitoring results of the groundwater monitoring wells in October to December of 2016, about 70% of groundwater quality in Taiwan is in good to ordinary grades. The areas with poor groundwater quality were mostly distributed in coastal, agriculture and part of the urban areas. The conductivity or ammonia nitrogen concentration was higher in those regions, showing that groundwater may be salinized or affected by external influences. Groundwater quality indicators can clearly show the current comprehensive situation of the groundwater environment in Taiwan and can be used as a tool for groundwater quality classification management. The indicators can coordinate with the Taiwan land planning policy in the

Three depositional states and sedimentary processes of the western Taiwan foreland basin system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yi-Jung; Wu, Pei-Jen; Yu, Ho-Shing

2010-05-01

The western Taiwan foreland basin formed during the Early Pliocene as the flexural response to the loading of Taiwan orogen on the Eurasian plate. What makes Taiwan interesting is the oblique collision, which allows the foreland basin to be seen at different stages in its evolution at the present day. Due to oblique arc-continent collision from north to south, the western Taiwan foreland basin has evolved into three distinct subbasins: an over-filled basin proximal to the Taiwan orogen, mainly distributed in the Western Foothills and Coastal Plain provinces, a filled basin occupying the shallow Taiwan Strait continental shelf west of the Taiwan orogen and an under-filled basin distal to the Taiwan orogen in the deep marine Kaoping Slope offshore southwest Taiwan, respectively. The over-filled depositional phase is dominated by fluvial environments across the structurally controlled piggy-back basins. The filled depositional state in the Taiwan Strait is characterized by shallow marine environments and is filled by Pliocene-Quaternary sediments up to 4,000 m thick derived from the Taiwan orogen with an asymmetrical and wedge-shaped cross section. The under-filled depositional state is characteristic of deep marine environments in the wedge-top basins accompanied by active structures of thrust faults and mud diapers. Sediments derived from the Taiwan orogen have progressively filled the western Taiwan foreland basin across and along the orogen. Sediment dispersal model suggests that orogenic sediments derived from oblique dischronous collisional highlands are transported in two different ways. Transport of fluvial and shallow marine sediments is perpendicular to hill-slope and across-strike in the fluvial and shallow marine environments proximal to the orogen. Fine-grained sediments mainly longitudinally transported into the deep marine environments distal to the orogen. The present sedimentary processes in the over-filled basin on land are dominated by fluvial

Influenza A(H6N1) Virus in Dogs, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lin, Hui-Ting; Wang, Ching-Ho; Chueh, Ling-Ling; Su, Bi-Ling

2015-01-01

We determined the prevalence of influenza A virus in dogs in Taiwan and isolated A/canine/Taiwan/E01/2014. Molecular analysis indicated that this isolate was closely related to influenza A(H6N1) viruses circulating in Taiwan and harbored the E627K substitution in the polymerase basic 2 protein, which indicated its ability to replicate in mammalian species. PMID:26583707

Education in Taiwan (Formosa). Bulletin, 1956, No. 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sassani, Abul H. K.

1956-01-01

"Education in Taiwan (Formosa)" is based mostly on official reports of the Ministry of Education published in Taiwan, including other official and private reports which are not yet published. The text has been supplemented with additional data and information obtained from other official sources and through interviews with Chinese…

Program Changes in Technology Teacher Education in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Chih-Chien Steven

Taiwan has two technology teacher departments: one at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and the other at National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNU). In recent years, both universities' technology teacher education programs have simultaneously followed two lines of development: the transition from an industrial arts education program to…

Taiwan Ascii and Idl_save Data Archives (AIDA) for THEMIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, B.; Hsieh, W.; Shue, J.; Angelopoulos, V.; Glassmeier, K. H.; McFadden, J. P.; Larson, D.

2008-12-01

THEMIS (Time History of Events and their Macroscopic Interactions during Substorms) is a satellite mission that aims to determine where and how substorms are triggered. The space research team in Taiwan has been involved in data promotion and scientific research. Taiwan Ascii and Idl_save Data Archives (AIDA) for THEMIS is the main work of the data promotion. Taiwan AIDA is developed for those who are not familiar with the Interactive Data Language (IDL) data analysis and visualization software, and those who have some basic IDL concepts and techniques and want more flexibilities in reading and plotting the THEMIS data. Two kinds of data format are stored in Taiwan AIDA: one is ASCII format for most users and the other is IDL SAVE format for IDL users. The public can download THEMIS data in either format through the Taiwan AIDA web site, http://themis.ss.ncu.edu.tw/e_data_download.php. Taiwan AIDA provides (1) plasma data including number density, average temperature, and velocity of ions and electrons, (2) magnetic field data, and (3) state information including the position and velocity of five THEMIS probes. On the Taiwan AIDA web site there are two data-downloading options. The public can download a large amount of data for a particular instrument in the FTP equivalent option; the public can also download all the data for a particular date in the Data Search option.

Democratic Reforms in Taiwan: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-26

stationed in Taiwan were happy under martial law. For local citizens, the Taiwan Garrison Command tried defendants for alleged civilian crimes ...of dissidents; sentencing of an average of 10 years for several hundred political prisoners; use of martial law to try a variety of crimes in...military courts; limited freedom of speech , political assembly, freedom of the press, and labor strikes; lengthy detentions incommunicado and without

76 FR 72722 - Helical Spring Lock Washers From China and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-25

... Spring Lock Washers From China and Taiwan Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the... antidumping duty orders on helical spring lock washers from China and Taiwan would be likely to lead to... with respect to helical spring lock washers from Taiwan. Background The Commission instituted these...

An Evaluation of Taiwan Vocational and Technical Education Programs in Agriculture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meaders, O. Donald; Chi-ho, Hu

Presented in both English and Chinese, this study of the system of agricultural education in Taiwan secondary and postsecondary schools resulted from the author's five-month stay in Taiwan and subsequent visits. Focus of the study is on evaluation of Taiwan's vocational agriculture education programs with information about students, faculties,…

Intercultural Training for US Business Expatriates in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chien, Tien-Chen; McLean, Gary N.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to explore the intercultural training needs for US business expatriates on assignment in Taiwan. The study assesses Taiwan culture-specific training needs of US expatriates from the perspectives of both US expatriates and their Taiwanese colleagues and compares the perceived importance of these intercultural training needs…

Development of Taiwan Undergraduates' Volunteer Service Motivation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho-Tang, Wu; Chin-Tang, Tu; Mei-Ju, Chou; Jing-Fang, Hou; Meng-Shan, Lei

2016-01-01

This study aims to develop Taiwan undergraduates' volunteer service motivation scale. To begin with, item pool was proposed on the basis of literature. After discussing with three Taiwan undergraduates, item pool, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (N = 150) was proceeded, where three tests were conducted EFA: 1. Item analysis: comparisons of…

Scrap computer recycling in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C.H.; Chang, S.L.; Wang, K.M.

1999-07-01

It is estimated that approximately 700,000 scrap personal computers will be generated each year in Taiwan. The disposal of such a huge amount of scrap computers presents a difficult task for the island due to the scarcity of landfills and incineration facilities available locally. Also, the hazardous materials contained in the scrap computers may cause serious pollution to the environment, if they are not properly disposed. Thus, EPA of Taiwan has declared scrap personal computers as a producer responsibility recycling product on July 1997 to mandate that the manufacturers, importers and sellers of personal computers have to recover and recyclemore » their scrap computers properly. Beginning on June 1, 1998, a scrap computer recycling plan is officially implemented on the island. Under this plan, consumers can deliver their unwanted personal computers to the designated collection points to receive reward money. Currently, only six items are mandated to be recycled in this recycling plan. They are notebooks, monitor and the hard disk, power supply, printed circuit board and shell of the main frame of the personal computer. This paper presents the current scrap computer recycling system in Taiwan.« less

76 FR 58040 - Certain Polyester Staple Fiber From Korea and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-19

... Polyester Staple Fiber From Korea and Taiwan Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the... antidumping duty orders on certain polyester staple fiber from Korea and Taiwan would be likely to lead to...), entitled Certain Polyester Staple Fiber From Korea and Taiwan: Investigation Nos. 731-TA-825 and 826...

Earthquake-induced gravitational potential energy change at convergent plate boundary near Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, C.; Hsu, S.

2004-12-01

The coseismic displacement induced by earthquakes will change the gravitational potential energy (GPE). Okamoto and Tanimoto (2002) have shown that the gain of {Δ GPE} corresponds to the compressional stress regime while the loss of {Δ GPE} corresponds to the extensional stress regime. Here we show an example at a convergent plate boundary near Taiwan. The Philippine Sea Plate is converging against the Eurasian Plate with a velocity of 7-8 cm/yr near Taiwan, which has caused the active Taiwan orogeny and induced abundant earthquakes. We have examined the corresponding change of gravitational potential energy by using 757 earthquakes from the earthquake catalogue of the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) from July 1995 to December 2003. The results show that the variation of the crustal Δ GPE strongly correlates with the different stage of the orogenesis. Except for the western Okinawa Trough and the southern Taiwan, most of the Taiwan convergent region exhibits a gain of crustal Δ GPE. In contrast, the lithospheric Δ GPE in the Taiwan region exhibits a reverse pattern. For the whole Taiwan region, the earthquake-induced crustal Δ GPE and the lithospheric Δ GPE during the observation period are 1.03×1017 joules and -1.15×1017 joules, respectively. The average rate of the whole Δ GPE in the Taiwan region is very intense and equal to -2.07×1010 watts, corresponding to about one percent of the global Δ GPE loss induced by earthquakes.

Indoor Air Quality in the Metro System in North Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chen, Ying-Yi; Sung, Fung-Chang; Chen, Mei-Lien; Mao, I-Fang; Lu, Chung-Yen

2016-01-01

Indoor air pollution is an increasing health concern, especially in enclosed environments such as underground subway stations because of increased global usage by urban populations. This study measured the indoor air quality of underground platforms at 10 metro stations of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS) in Taiwan, including humidity, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), ozone (O3), airborne particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), bacteria and fungi. Results showed that the CO2, CO and HCHO levels met the stipulated standards as regulated by Taiwan’s Indoor Air Quality Management Act (TIAQMA). However, elevated PM10 and PM2.5 levels were measured at most stations. TVOCs and bacterial concentrations at some stations measured in summer were higher than the regulated standards stipulated by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration. Further studies should be conducted to reduce particulate matters, TVOCs and bacteria in the air of subway stations. PMID:27918460

Leadership styles and nursing faculty job satisfaction in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Hsiu-Chin; Beck, Susan L; Amos, Linda K

2005-01-01

To examine nursing faculty job satisfaction and their perceptions of nursing deans' and directors' leadership styles, and to explore how the perceptions of leadership styles relate to faculty job satisfaction in Taiwan. Descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires. The sample was recruited from 18 nursing programs, and 286 questionnaires were returned. Faculty perceived that Taiwan's nursing deans and directors showed more transformational than transactional leadership. Taiwan's nursing faculty were moderately satisfied in their jobs, and they were more satisfied with deans or directors who practiced the transactional leadership style of contingent reward and the transformational style of individualized consideration. A style with negative effect was passive management by exception. Three types of leadership behaviors explained significant variance (21.2%) in faculty job satisfaction in Taiwan, indicating the need for further attention to training and development for effective leadership behaviors.

Taiwan Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation: Some Critical Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Tze-Chang

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on the influences and changes of recent Taiwan teacher preparation program evaluation (TTPPE) as one of the national evaluation projects conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. The main concerns are what kind of ideology is transformed through the policy by means of evaluation, and what…

Transformation of Taiwan’s Reserve Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

force roles, missions, and capabilities, based on the requirement to counter People’s Republic of China advan- tages in air and maritime power -projection... people on Taiwan increasingly identify themselves as citizens of a state that is separate and distinct from the PRC. As a result, the Chinese Communist...including short- comings in the PLA’s ability to project power significantly across the Taiwan Strait, technological advantages of Taiwan’s armed

Beliefs about physical activity--focus group results of Chinese community elderly in Seattle and Taipei.

PubMed

Lin, Yen-Chun; Huang, Lian-Hua; Young, Heather M; Chen, Ya-Mei

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs about physical activity held by Chinese immigrant older adults in Seattle and to compare them with the beliefs held by Chinese elderly in Taipei. Researchers conducted 2 focus groups of Chinese older adults to explore their behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and perceived control beliefs. The first group included 10 elderly recruited from the Chinese Information and Service Center in Seattle, Washington. The second group included 14 elderly adults recruited from a health center in Taipei, Taiwan. This study used a qualitative study design, and deductive content analysis was used for analyzing information gathered. The results showed that Chinese immigrant older adults in Seattle had positive attitudes toward physical activity and that, compared with the group in Taipei, the group in Seattle perceived more positive social and environmental supports. The factors influencing Chinese older adults' physical activity and behaviors both in Seattle and in Taipei are discussed.

A Crowdsourcing-based Taiwan Scientific Earthquake Reporting System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, W. T.; Lee, J. C.; Lee, C. F.

2017-12-01

To collect immediately field observations for any earthquake-induced ground damages, such as surface fault rupture, landslide, rock fall, liquefaction, and landslide-triggered dam or lake, etc., we are developing an earthquake damage reporting system which particularly relies on school teachers as volunteers after taking a series of training courses organized by this project. This Taiwan Scientific Earthquake Reporting (TSER) system is based on the Ushahidi mapping platform, which has been widely used for crowdsourcing on different purposes. Participants may add an app-like icon for mobile devices to this website at https://ies-tser.iis.sinica.edu.tw. Right after a potential damaging earthquake occurred in the Taiwan area, trained volunteers will be notified/dispatched to the source area to carry out field surveys and to describe the ground damages through this system. If the internet is available, they may also upload some relevant images in the field right away. This collected information will be shared with all public after a quick screen by the on-duty scientists. To prepare for the next strong earthquake, we set up a specific project on TSER for sharing spectacular/remarkable geologic features wherever possible. This is to help volunteers get used to this system and share any teachable material on this platform. This experimental, science-oriented crowdsourcing system was launched early this year. Together with a DYFI-like intensity reporting system, Taiwan Quake-Catcher Network, and some online games and teaching materials, the citizen seismology has been much improved in Taiwan in the last decade. All these constructed products are now either operated or promoted at the Taiwan Earthquake Research Center (TEC). With these newly developed platforms and materials, we are aiming not only to raise the earthquake awareness and preparedness, but also to encourage public participation in earthquake science in Taiwan.

Joint Local/Teleseismic Tomographic Inversion in Taiwan Using TAIGER and Other Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, E.; Wu, F. T.; Huang, B.; Liang, W.; Wang, C.; Rawlinson, N.; Okaya, D. A.

2008-12-01

Taiwan, one of the most active orogenic belts, is at the intersection of two subduction zones. In southern Taiwan, the South China Sea Slab (SCSS), part of Eurasian Plate (EP), subducts beneath the Luzon arc along the Manila trench. In northern Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) subducts beneath the Ryukyu arc along the Ryukyu trench. The thin skinned model and lithospheric deformation model have been proposed to explain the formation of orogeny. To distinguish between these two geodynamically possible processes, imaging of the deep structures below Taiwan is necessary. In this study, explosion data, local/regional earthquakes and teleseisms are used to invert the velocity structures of Taiwan from surface to about 150 km. Temporary passive broadband (on land and at the ocean bottom), active sources array datasets of the TAIGER (TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research) project and permanent array datasets of the BATS (Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology) and CWB (Central Weather Bureau) are used in this study. FMTOMO (fast marching tomography) of Rawlinson et al. (2006) is employed to invert the 3D P-wavespeed beneath Taiwan. The derived velocity perturbations dVp (dVp= Vfinal-Vinital) are clearly related to geology and tectonics. At shallow depth (< 10km), dVp >0 under the Central Range (Pre-Tertiary metamorphic rocks) and dVp < 0 under the Foothills (Pliocene sedimentary). Below a depth about 20 km, the placement of the high and low anomalies is reversed, i.e., dVp>0 under the Foothills and dVp<0 under the Central Range; the low velocity core of the Central Ranges extend down to about 50 km, forming the mountain root. A steeply dipping high velocity zone lies under the thickening 'mountain root' in central Taiwan. In southern Taiwan, the high velocity zone dips eastward coinciding with the Benioff Zone. The geometry of the high velocity zones in the upper mantle are key to understanding the Taiwan orogeny.

Country Profiles, Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeny, S. M.; And Others

A profile of Taiwan is sketched in this paper. Emphasis is placed on the nature, scope, and accomplishments of population activities in the country. Topics and sub-topics include: location and description of the country; population (size, growth patterns, age structure, urban/rural distribution, ethnic and religious composition, migration,…

A dataset from bottom trawl survey around Taiwan

PubMed Central

Shao, Kwang-Tsao; Lin, Jack; Wu, Chung-Han; Yeh, Hsin-Ming; Cheng, Tun-Yuan

2012-01-01

Abstract Bottom trawl fishery is one of the most important coastal fisheries in Taiwan both in production and economic values. However, its annual production started to decline due to overfishing since the 1980s. Its bycatch problem also damages the fishery resource seriously. Thus, the government banned the bottom fishery within 3 nautical miles along the shoreline in 1989. To evaluate the effectiveness of this policy, a four year survey was conducted from 2000–2003, in the waters around Taiwan and Penghu (Pescadore) Islands, one region each year respectively. All fish specimens collected from trawling were brought back to lab for identification, individual number count and body weight measurement. These raw data have been integrated and established in Taiwan Fish Database (http://fishdb.sinica.edu.tw). They have also been published through TaiBIF (http://taibif.tw), FishBase and GBIF (website see below). This dataset contains 631 fish species and 3,529 records, making it the most complete demersal fish fauna and their temporal and spatial distributional data on the soft marine habitat in Taiwan. PMID:22707908

[An outline medical history of Taiwan (I): the period of folklore medicine and witch doctor].

PubMed

Li, C

1997-01-01

The paper makes a correlated analysis on the origin of health folklore between Chinese in mainland and Taiwan island. After quoting literatures written by authors living in the Qing dynasty in Taiwan, this paper analyses health condition among aboriginals of Taiwan during the witchcraft age. Along with the increasing immigration from China mainland to Taiwan island, health of folklore and gods from China mainland were introduced into Taiwan, hence the period of witch doctor in Taiwan, featuring the correlation of both. Though modern medicine in Taiwan is so advanced, yet there are still witch doctors elsewhere.

A synthesized biophysical and social vulnerability assessment for Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yung-Jaan

2017-11-01

Taiwan, located in the Western Pacific, is a country that is one of the most vulnerable to disasters that are associated with the changing climate; it is located within the Ring of Fire, which is the most geologically active region in the world. The environmental and geological conditions in Taiwan are sensitive and vulnerable to such disasters. Owing to increasing urbanization in Taiwan, floods and climate-related disasters have taken an increasing toll on human lives. As global warming accelerates the rising of sea levels and increasing of the frequency of extreme weather events, disasters will continue to affect socioeconomic development and human conditions. Under such circumstances, researchers and policymakers alike must recognize the importance of providing useful knowledge concerning vulnerability, disaster recovery and resilience. Strategies for reducing vulnerability and climate-related disaster risks and for increasing resilience involve preparedness, mitigation and adaptation. In the last two decades, extreme climate events have caused severe flash floods, debris flows, landslides, and other disasters and have had negative effects of many sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure and health. Since climate change is expected to have a continued impact on socio-economic development, this work develops a vulnerability assessment framework that integrates both biophysical and social vulnerability and supports synthesized vulnerability analyses to identify vulnerable areas in Taiwan. Owing to its geographical, geological and climatic features, Taiwan is susceptible to earthquakes, typhoons, droughts and various induced disasters. Therefore, Taiwan has the urgent task of establishing a framework for assessing vulnerability as a planning and policy tool that can be used to identify not only the regions that require special attention but also hotspots in which efforts should be made to reduce vulnerability and the risk of climate-related disaster. To

[Current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan].

PubMed

Pan, Li-Jia; Cui, Rui; Zhan, Bi-Yu; Liao, Cai-Yan; Cao, Qi-Hua; Li, Gui-Lan; Guo, Yi

2012-09-01

The current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Taiwan region is introduced in this paper from the three aspects, named the development state of standard of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan, the implementation of Taiwan district standard and the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan. At present, the relevant standards of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan just include the standard operation procedure of acupuncture and moxibustion, the reference guideline of the safe operation in the medical service centers of traditional Chinese medicine, and the faculty standard of Chinese medicine hospital, etc. It is concluded that the current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibusiton presented the weak awareness of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the industry, insufficient enterprise standard, less-quantity of the implemented standards and narrow coverage.

Characteristics of the first human milk bank in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Fang-Yuan; Cheng, Shao-Wen; Wu, Tsung-Zu; Fang, Li-Jung

2013-02-01

The benefits of feeding human milk to infants, even in prematurity, have been well documented. Well-organized donor milk processing has made the milk bank a good source of nutrition for premature or sick infants if their own mother's milk is not sufficient or suitable. The Taipei City Hospital Milk Bank was established in 2005 and is the first nonprofit human milk bank to operate in Taiwan. The milk bank has adopted standards of practice laid down by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and United Kingdom Association for Milk Banking. The clinical characteristics of the eligible milk donors, the recipients, and the donor milk were reviewed retrospectively. In the past 6 years, 816 eligible donors donated a total or 13,900 L (mean 17.03 L/donor) of breast milk. The mean age of these donors was 31.3 years, and 79.7% of them had college education. Most had term delivery (91.2%), with mean birth weight of their babies being 3120 g; 68.9% of the donors were primiparas. A total of 551 infants had received bank milk, with these indications: prematurity (65.4%), malabsorption (7.6%), feeding intolerance (7.2%), maternal illness (5.1%) and post-surgery (4.6%). The pass rate of raw donor milk was around 72.1%. The most common reasons to discard raw milk were Gram-negative rods contamination (72.8%) and ≥10 colony-forming units/mL of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (62.3%). Only 0.63% of donor milk post pasteurization showed bacterial growth. Proper management and operation of a human milk bank can support breastfeeding, and provide a safe alternative to artificial formula for feeding preterm or ill infants in Taiwan. Sustainability of the milk bank needs more propagation and financial support by health authorities. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The impact of Chinese cultural values on Taiwan nursing leadership styles: comparing the self-assessments of staff nurses and head nurses.

PubMed

Chang, Yuanmay

2008-06-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Chinese culture on nursing leadership behavior in Taiwan nurses. A descriptive study compared staff nurses' assessment of Chinese value in the leadership behavior of their head nurses. Data analysis was made on a convenience sample in Taiwan of 214 head nurses and 2,127 staff nurses who had worked with their head nurse for at least one year. Six medical centers and regional hospitals in northern (Taipei), central (Taichung) and southern (Kaohsiung) Taiwan were recruited for this study. Instruments included the demographic questionnaire, Chinese Value Survey, and Kang's Chinese Leadership Behaviors Module Scale. Results indicated that head nurses scored significantly higher than staff nurses in terms of all cultural values and leadership behaviors. Both staff nurses and head nurses scored the highest mean scores in personal integrity (Yi) and human connectedness (Ren) and the lowest in moral discipline (Li). Staff nurse perceptions of leadership behavior indicated the role of parent to be higher than either the role of director or mentor. Head nurses perceptions of leadership behavior emphasized the role of the director more than either parent or mentor. There were no significant differences between the staff nurses and head nurses in terms of expectative leadership behavior, which gave the role of director higher mean scores than those of either the parent or mentor. Positive and significant associations (r = .266 to r = .334) were found between cultural values and perceptions of leadership behavior. Cultural values predicted 10.6% of leadership behavior variance. The three demographic characteristics of location in northern Taiwan (beta = .09), intention to leave (beta = -.14), and general unit (beta = .10) and the two cultural values of human connectedness (Ren) (beta = .16) and personal integrity (Yi) (beta = .16) together reported a cumulative R2 of 14.6% to explain variance in leadership behavior

Seasonal Patterns of Japanese Encephalitis and Associated Meteorological Factors in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Che-Liang; Chang, Hsiao-Ling; Lin, Chuan-Yao; Chen, Kow-Tong

2017-10-29

The persistent transmission of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Taiwan necessitates exploring the risk factors of occurrence of Japanese encephalitis (JE). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between meteorological factors and the incidence of JE in Taiwan. We collected data for cases of JE reported to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) from 2000 to 2014. Meteorological data were obtained from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau. The relationships between weather variability and the incidence of JE in Taiwan were determined via Poisson regression analysis and a case-crossover methodology. During the 15-year study period, a total of 379 cases of JE were reported. The incidence of JE showed significant seasonality, with the majority of cases occurring in summertime (for oscillation, p < 0.001). The number of JE cases started to increase at temperatures of 22 °C (r² = 0.88, p < 0.001). Similarly, the number of JE cases began to increase at a relative humidity of 70-74% (r² = 0.75, p < 0.005). The number of JE cases was positively associated with mean temperature and relative humidity in the period preceding the infection. In conclusion, the occurrence of JE is significantly associated with increasing temperature and relative humidity in Taiwan. Therefore, these factors could be regarded as warning signals indicating the need to implement preventive measures.

Wintertime sea surface temperature fronts in the Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yi; Shimada, Teruhisa; Lee, Ming-An; Lu, Hsueh-Jung; Sakaida, Futoki; Kawamura, Hiroshi

2006-12-01

We present wintertime variations and distributions of sea surface temperature (SST) fronts in the Taiwan Strait by applying an entropy-based edge detection method to 10-year (1996-2005) satellite SST images with grid size of 0.01°. From climatological monthly mean maps of SST gradient magnitude in winter, we identify four significant SST fronts in the Taiwan Strait. The Mainland China Coastal Front is a long frontal band along the 50-m isobath near the Chinese coast. The sharp Peng-Chang Front appears along the Peng-Hu Channel and extends northward around the Chang-Yuen Ridge. The Taiwan Bank Front evolves in early winter. As the winter progresses, the front becomes broad and moves toward the Chinese coast, connecting to the Mainland China Coastal Front. The Kuroshio Front extends northeastward from the northeastern tip of Taiwan with a semicircle-shape curving along the 100-m isobath.

The Ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae, Ixodidae) of Taiwan: A Synonymic Checklist

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

Lyme disease in Taiwan" Primary isolation of Borrelia burgdor- idae). Acarina 10:95-136. Wilson...the recent emergence of Lyme borreliosis and human babesiosis in Taiwan (Shih and Chao 1998, 1999; Shih et al. 1997, 1998), it is imperative that these...the Ixodes kuntzi Hoogstraal & Kohls, principal vector of Lyme borreliosis in 1965.35 Taiwan collections in USNTC. northeastern Asia and is

New Lithospheric Model of Taiwan based on the Receiver Function Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, H.; Zhu, L.; Chen, H.

2008-12-01

Taiwan is situated on the junction area between two subduction systems. The complex orogeny was developed by collision between the Eurasian continental plate and Philippine Sea plate and is still active in the present. Therefore, Taiwan provides unique opportunities for geophysical imaging of the ongoing process underneath. The TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) combined a field program of active and passive seismology, which will undoubtedly be a major step forward in understanding mountain building process. In 2006, we developed a new crustal model of Taiwan from teleseismic waveforms by the receiver function method. We determined lateral variation of Moho discontinuity, crustal thickness (H), and Vp/Vs ratios (Kappa) for each permanent broadband station using all the available teleseismic data collected by BATS (Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology) and CWB (Central Weather Bureau). All the broadband stations are distributed uniformly over the whole Taiwan area so that we could delineate the Moho depth contour map. Recently, we concentrated on the three linear temporary arrays of the TAIGER project and obtained three high-resolution images of crustal structure across Taiwan along west-to-east direction from north to south by using the CCP (common-conversion-point) stacking of teleseismic P-to-S converted waves. Sharp impedance contrasts in these images clearly show the relief of each of seismic discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle. The preliminary results show that the Moho depth, 40 to 50 km of central Taiwan is deeper than in other parts of the island, which suggests crustal thickening due to collision. In addition, shallow part of western foothill area show highly acoustic impedance which probably results from thick sediment.

Epidemiological Features of Japanese Encephalitis in Taiwan from 2000 to 2014

PubMed Central

Chang, Yu-Kang; Chang, Hsiao-Ling; Wu, Ho-Sheng; Chen, Kow-Tong

2017-01-01

The incidence of Japanese encephalitis (JE) decreased sharply after the national vaccination program was implemented in Taiwan in 1968. However, cases of JE still occur. The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiology and vaccination policy for JE in Taiwan. We analyzed the data on JE cases reported to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) between 2000 and 2014. During the 15-year study period, a total of 4,474 cases were reported to the Taiwan CDC. Of these, 379 (8.5%) were classified as confirmed cases, and 4,095 (91.5%) were classified as suspected cases. The incidence of JE ranged from 0.59 to 1.61 per 1,000,000 people and peaked in 2007. Men had a higher incidence of JE than women (1.37 versus 0.84 per 1,000,000; P = 0.03). Patients who were 40–59 years of age had a higher incidence than did patients younger than 20 years (1.82 versus 0.23; P < 0.001). Patients who lived in the eastern region of Taiwan had the highest incidence rate of JE (P < 0.001). Compared with those who were not vaccinated with the JE vaccine, patients who received four doses of JE vaccine had a lower risk of suffering from death and/or hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio: 0.26; 95% confidence interval: 0.08–0.90; P = 0.04). JE is still a public health problem in Taiwan, and monitoring JE via diagnostic testing to determine the best vaccination program along with enforcing JE vaccine boosters for adults is necessary to eliminate JE in Taiwan. PMID:27821699

Epidemiological Features of Japanese Encephalitis in Taiwan from 2000 to 2014.

PubMed

Chang, Yu-Kang; Chang, Hsiao-Ling; Wu, Ho-Sheng; Chen, Kow-Tong

2017-02-08

The incidence of Japanese encephalitis (JE) decreased sharply after the national vaccination program was implemented in Taiwan in 1968. However, cases of JE still occur. The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiology and vaccination policy for JE in Taiwan. We analyzed the data on JE cases reported to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) between 2000 and 2014. During the 15-year study period, a total of 4,474 cases were reported to the Taiwan CDC. Of these, 379 (8.5%) were classified as confirmed cases, and 4,095 (91.5%) were classified as suspected cases. The incidence of JE ranged from 0.59 to 1.61 per 1,000,000 people and peaked in 2007. Men had a higher incidence of JE than women (1.37 versus 0.84 per 1,000,000; P = 0.03). Patients who were 40-59 years of age had a higher incidence than did patients younger than 20 years (1.82 versus 0.23; P < 0.001). Patients who lived in the eastern region of Taiwan had the highest incidence rate of JE ( P < 0.001). Compared with those who were not vaccinated with the JE vaccine, patients who received four doses of JE vaccine had a lower risk of suffering from death and/or hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio: 0.26; 95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.90; P = 0.04). JE is still a public health problem in Taiwan, and monitoring JE via diagnostic testing to determine the best vaccination program along with enforcing JE vaccine boosters for adults is necessary to eliminate JE in Taiwan. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

75 FR 22842 - Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

...)] Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam Determinations On the basis of the record... material injury by reason of imports from Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam of PRCBs that have been found by... notification of preliminary determinations by Commerce that imports of PRCBs from Indonesia, Taiwan, and...

Nursing directors' leadership styles and faculty members' job satisfaction in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Hsiu-Chin; Baron, Mark

2006-10-01

Nursing leaders in Taiwan seldom receive the leadership training necessary to lead an academic organization. As a result, leaders may experience burn out, and dissatisfaction among faculty may increase. This study examined nursing faculty members' perceptions of nursing directors' leadership and their job satisfaction levels to understand how perceptions of leadership styles related to job satisfaction in Taiwan. This descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study used self-administered questionnaires. Transformational leadership theory supported the research framework. Nine schools with nursing programs awarding diplomas to students participated in this study. A total of 175 questionnaires were returned (72% response rate). The findings indicated that Taiwan's nursing directors tend to display transformational leadership more frequently in their workplaces and that Taiwan's nursing faculty members are moderately satisfied in their jobs. In addition, nursing faculty in Taiwan are more satisfied with directors who practice the leadership style of attributed idealized influence.

Analysis of optoelectronic strategic planning in Taiwan by artificial intelligence portfolio tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Rang-Seng

1992-05-01

Taiwan ROC has achieved significant advances in the optoelectronic industry with some Taiwan products ranked high in the world market and technology. Six segmentations of optoelectronic were planned. Each one was divided into several strategic items, design artificial intelligent portfolio tool (AIPT) to analyze the optoelectronic strategic planning in Taiwan. The portfolio is designed to provoke strategic thinking intelligently. This computer- generated strategy should be selected and modified by the individual. Some strategies for the development of the Taiwan optoelectronic industry also are discussed in this paper.

Counseling Psychology Licensure in Taiwan: Development, Challenges, and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Li-fei; Kwan, Kwong-Liem K.; Huang, Su-Fei

2011-01-01

The development and consequences of licensure for counseling psychologists in Taiwan are presented to promote cross-cultural awareness surrounding issues in the counseling psychology profession. The national licensure statute for counseling psychologists in Taiwan was established by the Taiwanese Legislature in 2001. While the licensing system…

77 FR 72884 - Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-06

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-1197 (Final)] Steel Wire Garment Hangers... injured by reason of imports of steel wire garment hangers from Taiwan, provided for in subheading 7326.20... notification of a preliminary determination by Commerce that imports of steel wire garment hangers from Taiwan...

Transformation and Framework of Teacher Professional Development in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Bo-Ruey

2016-01-01

This article describes the situation of teacher professional development in Taiwan, including the history and the framework of teacher professional development. With diversification of teacher education systems and institutions, teacher professional development in Taiwan is undergoing a gradual governance shift from the model of centralised state…

Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of Mesoscale Eddies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of...The objective of this project is to characterize variability in the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and to understand (1) how this variability is related to...Mindanao Current and (2) how westward-propagating mesoscale eddies that arrive east of Taiwan from the ocean interior affect Kuroshio variability. This

Teaching Benchmark Strategy for Fifth-Graders in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Der-Ching; Lai, M. L.

2013-01-01

The key purpose of this study was how we taught the use of benchmark strategy when comparing fraction for fifth-graders in Taiwan. 26 fifth graders from a public elementary in south Taiwan were selected to join this study. Results of this case study showed that students had a much progress on the use of benchmark strategy when comparing fraction…

77 FR 27079 - Certain Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-08

... industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of imports from China and Taiwan of certain... Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan Determinations On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed... that imports of certain stilbenic optical brightening agents from China and Taiwan were being sold at...

76 FR 76437 - Certain Welded Stainless Steel Pipe From Korea and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-07

... Welded Stainless Steel Pipe From Korea and Taiwan Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed... antidumping duty orders on certain welded stainless steel pipe from Korea and Taiwan would be likely to lead... 2011), entitled Certain Welded Stainless Steel Pipe from Korea and Taiwan, Investigation Nos. 731-TA...

Response of upper ocean cooling off northeastern Taiwan to typhoon passages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zhe-Wen; Zheng, Quanan; Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh; Kuo, Yi-Chun; Yeh, Ting-Kuang

2017-07-01

A comprehensive investigation of the typhoon induced upper ocean processes and responses off northeastern Taiwan was conducted. Using the Regional Ocean Modeling System, the upper ocean responses of all typhoons striking Taiwan between 2005 and 2013 were simulated. In addition to Kuroshio intrusion, the present study demonstrates another important mechanism of typhoon induced near-inertial currents over the continental shelf of East China Sea, which can also trigger a distinct cooling (through entrainment mixing) within this region. Results indicate that the processes of typhoon inducing distinct cooling off northeastern Taiwan are conditional phenomena (only ∼12% of typhoons passing Taiwan triggered extreme cooling there). Subsequently, by executing a series of sensitivity experiments and systematic analyses on the behaviors and background conditions of all those typhoon cases, key criteria determining the occurrences of cooling through both mechanisms were elucidated. Occurrences of cooling through the Kuroshio intrusion mechanism are determined mainly by the strength of the local wind over northeastern Taiwan. A distinct cooling triggered by enhanced near-inertial currents is shown to be associated with the process of wind-current resonance. Both processes of Kuroshio intrusion and enhanced near-inertial currents are dominated by wind forcing rather than upper oceanic conditions. Based on the recent findings on the possible dynamic linkage between sea surface temperature near northeast Taiwan and local weather systems, the results elucidated in this study lay the foundation for further improvement in the regional weather prediction surrounding northeast Taiwan.

High Outpatient Visits among People with Intellectual Disabilities Caring in a Disability Institution in Taipei: A 4-Year Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Loh, Ching-Hui; Choi, Im-Cheng; Yen, Chia-Feng; Hsu, Shang-Wei; Wu, Jia-Ling; Chu, Cordia M.

2007-01-01

Few studies reported in the literature have addressed the long-term trend of the use of medical care for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in institutions. The subject cohort in this study was made of 168 individuals with ID in a public residential facility from 1999 to 2002 in Taipei, Taiwan. The average age of participants was 19.3…

Management of Crohn's disease in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PubMed Central

Wei, Shu-Chen; Chang, Ting-An; Chao, Te-Hsin; Chen, Jinn-Shiun; Chou, Jen-Wei; Chou, Yenn-Hwei; Chuang, Chiao-Hsiung; Hsu, Wen-Hung; Huang, Tien-Yu; Hsu, Tzu-Chi; Lin, Chun-Chi; Lin, Hung-Hsin; Lin, Jen-Kou; Lin, Wei-Chen; Ni, Yen-Hsuan; Shieh, Ming-Jium; Shih, I-Lun; Shun, Chia-Tung; Tsang, Yuk-Ming; Wang, Cheng-Yi; Wang, Horng-Yuan; Weng, Meng-Tzu; Wu, Deng-Chyang; Wu, Wen-Chieh; Yen, Hsu-Heng

2017-01-01

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing and remitting inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. CD is rare in Taiwan and other Asian countries, but its prevalence and incidence have been steadily increasing. A steering committee was established by the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease to formulate statements on the diagnosis and management of CD taking into account currently available evidence and the expert opinion of the committee. Thorough clinical, endoscopic, and histological assessments are required for accurate diagnosis of CD. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are complementary to endoscopic evaluation for disease staging and detecting complications. The goals of CD management are to induce and maintain remission, reduce the risk of complications, and improve quality of life. Corticosteroids are the mainstay for inducing re-mission. Immunomodulating and biologic therapies should be used to maintain remission. Patients should be evaluated for hepatitis B virus and tuberculosis infection prior to treatment and receive regular surveillance for cancer. These consensus statements are based on current local evidence with consideration of factors, and could be serve as concise and practical guidelines for supporting clinicians in the management of patients with CD in Taiwan. PMID:28670226

Management of ulcerative colitis in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PubMed Central

Wei, Shu-Chen; Chang, Ting-An; Chao, Te-Hsin; Chen, Jinn-Shiun; Chou, Jen-Wei; Chou, Yenn-Hwei; Chuang, Chiao-Hsiung; Hsu, Wen-Hung; Huang, Tien-Yu; Hsu, Tzu-Chi; Lin, Chun-Chi; Lin, Hung-Hsin; Lin, Jen-Kou; Lin, Wei-Chen; Ni, Yen-Hsuan; Shieh, Ming-Jium; Shih, I-Lun; Shun, Chia-Tung; Tsang, Yuk-Ming; Wang, Cheng-Yi; Wang, Horng-Yuan; Weng, Meng-Tzu; Wu, Deng-Chyang; Wu, Wen-Chieh; Yen, Hsu-Heng

2017-01-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic mucosal inflammation of the colon, and the prevalence and incidence of UC have been steadily increasing in Taiwan. A steering committee was established by the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease to formulate statements on the diagnosis and management of UC taking into account currently available evidence and the expert opinion of the committee. Accurate diagnosis of UC requires thorough clinical, endoscopic, and histological assessment and careful exclusion of differential diagnoses, particularly infectious colitis. The goals of UC therapy are to induce and maintain remission, reduce the risk of complications, and improve quality of life. As outlined in the recommended treatment algorithm, choice of treatment is dictated by severity, extent, and course of disease. Patients should be evaluated for hepatitis B virus and tuberculosis infection prior to immunosuppressive treatment, especially with steroids and biologic agents, and should be regularly monitored for reactivation of latent infection. These consensus statements are also based on current local evidence with consideration of factors, and could be serve as concise and practical guidelines for supporting clinicians in the management of UC in Taiwan. PMID:28670225

Research on English Teaching and Learning: Taiwan (2004-2009)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Suchiao; Tsai, Yachin

2012-01-01

This article analyzes research in second/foreign language teaching and learning conducted in Taiwan over the period 2004-2009. Representative articles published in local refereed journals and conference proceedings--not readily accessible outside Taiwan--are reviewed to reflect current trends in English teaching and learning. The main themes…

The Moho discontinuity beneath Taiwan orogenic zone inferred from receiver function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, H.; Chen, C.; Liang, W.

2013-12-01

We determine the depth variations of the Moho discontinuity beneath Taiwan from receiver function analysis. Taiwan is a young (~6.5 Ma) orogenic zone as a consequence of oblique collision between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. In northeastern Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate subducts northwestward under the Eurasian Plate along the Ryukyu Trench; in southern Taiwan, the Eurasian Plate subducts eastward beneath the Philippine Sea Plate along the Manila Trench. Recent tomographic models of Taiwan reveal P-wave velocity variations of the lithospheric structure that provide important constraints on the orogenic processes in this region. However, the depth variations of the Moho discontinuity, a key observation for better understanding crustal deformation, remain elusive. In this study, we aim to delineate the Moho depth variations by analyzing seismic converted phases indicative of the presence of discontinuity structure. We analyze waveform data from teleseismic events recorded at the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS). Preliminary results of receiver functions beneath BATS stations in eastern Taiwan show that more than one converted phase (P-to-S) are likely present in crustal depths, suggesting possible multiple crustal layering, which may complicate the detection of the Moho. We further carry out synthetic experiments to explore possible crustal structures that reconcile our observations.

Indigenous Wildlife Rabies in Taiwan: Ferret Badgers, a Long Term Terrestrial Reservoir.

PubMed

Lan, Yu-Ching; Wen, Tzai-Hung; Chang, Chao-Chin; Liu, Hsin-Fu; Lee, Pei-Fen; Huang, Chung-Yuan; Chomel, Bruno B; Chen, Yi-Ming A

2017-01-01

The emerging disease of rabies was confirmed in Taiwan ferret badgers (FBs) and reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on July 17, 2013. The spread of wildlife rabies can be related to neighborhood countries in Asia. The phylogenetic analysis was conducted by maximum likelihood (ML) methods and the Bayesian coalescent approach based on the glycoprotein (G) and nucleoprotein (N) genes. The phylogeographic and spatial temporal dynamics of viral transmission were determined by using SPREAD, QGIS. Therefore, the origin and the change with time of the viruses can be identified. Results showed the rabies virus of FB strains in Taiwan is a unique clade among other strains in Asia. According to the phylogeographic coalescent tree, three major genotypes of the FB rabies virus have circulated in three different geographical areas in Taiwan. Two genotypes have distributed into central and southern Taiwan between two ecological river barriers. The third genotype has been limited in southeastern Taiwan by the natural mountain barrier. The diversity of FB rabies viruses indicates that the biological profile of FBs could vary in different geographical areas in Taiwan. An enhanced surveillance system needs to be established near the currently identified natural barriers for early warnings of the rabies virus outbreak in Taiwan.

Indigenous Wildlife Rabies in Taiwan: Ferret Badgers, a Long Term Terrestrial Reservoir

PubMed Central

Wen, Tzai-Hung; Liu, Hsin-Fu; Lee, Pei-Fen; Chomel, Bruno B.

2017-01-01

The emerging disease of rabies was confirmed in Taiwan ferret badgers (FBs) and reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on July 17, 2013. The spread of wildlife rabies can be related to neighborhood countries in Asia. The phylogenetic analysis was conducted by maximum likelihood (ML) methods and the Bayesian coalescent approach based on the glycoprotein (G) and nucleoprotein (N) genes. The phylogeographic and spatial temporal dynamics of viral transmission were determined by using SPREAD, QGIS. Therefore, the origin and the change with time of the viruses can be identified. Results showed the rabies virus of FB strains in Taiwan is a unique clade among other strains in Asia. According to the phylogeographic coalescent tree, three major genotypes of the FB rabies virus have circulated in three different geographical areas in Taiwan. Two genotypes have distributed into central and southern Taiwan between two ecological river barriers. The third genotype has been limited in southeastern Taiwan by the natural mountain barrier. The diversity of FB rabies viruses indicates that the biological profile of FBs could vary in different geographical areas in Taiwan. An enhanced surveillance system needs to be established near the currently identified natural barriers for early warnings of the rabies virus outbreak in Taiwan. PMID:28497055

Stockpile Model of Personal Protective Equipment in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Yu-Ju; Chiang, Po-Jung; Cheng, Yu-Hsin; Huang, Chun-Wei; Kao, Hui-Yun; Chang, Chih-Kai; Huang, Hsun-Miao; Liu, Pei-Yin; Wang, Jen-Hsin; Chih, Yi-Chien; Chou, Shu-Mei; Yang, Chin-Hui; Chen, Chang-Hsun

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has established a 3-tier personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiling framework that could maintain a minimum stockpile for the surge demand of PPE in the early stage of a pandemic. However, PPE stockpiling efforts must contend with increasing storage fees and expiration problems. In 2011, the Taiwan CDC initiated a stockpile replacement model in order to optimize the PPE stockpiling efficiency, ensure a minimum stockpile, use the government's limited funds more effectively, and achieve the goal of sustainable management. This stockpile replacement model employs a first-in-first-out principle in which the oldest stock in the central government stockpile is regularly replaced and replenished with the same amount of new and qualified products, ensuring the availability and maintenance of the minimum stockpiles. In addition, a joint electronic procurement platform has been established for merchandising the replaced PPE to local health authorities and medical and other institutions for their routine or epidemic use. In this article, we describe the PPE stockpile model in Taiwan, including the 3-tier stockpiling framework, the operational model, the components of the replacement system, implementation outcomes, epidemic supports, and the challenges and prospects of this model.

Tide-surge Interaction Intensified by the Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wen-Zhou; Shi, Fengyan; Hong, Hua-Sheng; Shang, Shao-Ping; Kirby, James T.

2010-06-01

The Taiwan Strait is a long and wide shelf-channel where the hydrodynamics is extremely complex, being characterized by strong tides, and where storm surges frequently occur during the typhoon season. Obvious oscillations due to tide-surge interaction were observed by tide gauges along the northern Fujian coast, the west bank of the Taiwan Strait, during Typhoon Dan (1999). Numerical experiments indicate that nonlinear bottom friction (described by the quadratic formula) is a major factor to predict these oscillations while the nonlinear advective terms and the shallow water effect have little contribution. It is found that the tide-surge interaction in the northern portion of the Taiwan Strait is intensified by the strait. Simulations based on simplified topographies with and without the island of Taiwan show that, in the presence of the island, the channel effect strengthens tidal currents and tends to align the major axes of tidal ellipses along the channel direction. Storm-induced currents are also strengthened by the channel. The pattern of strong tidal currents and storm-induced currents along the channel direction enhances tide-surge interaction via the nonlinear bottom friction, resulting in the obvious oscillations along the northern Fujian coast.

A prospective study of dietary intakes and influential factors from pregnancy to postpartum on maternal weight retention in Taipei, Taiwan.

PubMed

Lyu, Li-Ching; Lo, Chaio-Chen; Chen, Heng-Fei; Wang, Chia-Yu; Liu, Dou-Ming

2009-12-01

Excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention are risk factors for female obesity. The present study was to examine dietary intakes and weight history from a prospective follow-up study from early pregnancy to 1 year postpartum. A total of 151 pregnant women within 20 weeks of pregnancy in Taipei, Taiwan were interviewed periodically to collect dietary and lifestyle information. The participants had an average age of 30 years and the average gestational weight gain was 14 kg, with an average daily intake of 7830 kJ (1870 kcal) in the 1 year following parturition. By bivariate analyses, maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI and breast-feeding were not related to postpartum weight retention, but gestational weight gain had significant positive correlations (r 0.54 at 6 months, r 0.44 at 1 year; P < 0.05). The generalised estimating equations showed that the average weight before pregnancy, at 6 months and 1 year postpartum was 53.35 kg, 55.75 kg (weight retention 2.36 kg; P < 0.01) and 54.75 kg (weight retention 1.48 kg; P < 0.01), respectively. After controlling for age, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain and parity, we found at 6 months that the adjusted weight retention at postpartum was 0.79 kg (P < 0.01), but at 1 year it was - 0.08 kg (P>0.05). From multivariate analyses, dietary energy intake and energy intake per kg body weight as a long-term physical activity index could explain 24 % of the variation at 6 months and 27 % of the variation at 1 year in postpartum weight retention. These results suggest that pregnant women should be advised to control gestational weight gain, decrease energy intakes after child-bearing and maintain regular exercise in order to prevent postpartum obesity.

Using SERVQUAL to evaluate quality disconfirmation of nursing service in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chou, Shieu-Ming; Chen, Thai-Form; Woodard, Beth; Yen, Miao-Fen

2005-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of disconfirmation of the perceived quality of nursing services, and its relationship to patient's satisfaction, intent to return, and intent to recommend to others. The service dimensions were tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, which were adopted from the Gap model of Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985). A total of 186 subjects was tested by a modified SERVQUAL (service quality) instrument. These subjects were from 15 randomly selected medical-surgical units in a medical center in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. The response rate was 92%. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used to analyze subjects' responses. A number of the demographic variables served as covariates in data analysis. Responsiveness was highly significant in predicting overall satisfaction with hospital service (p = .0003). Reliability was significant in predicting overall satisfaction with nursing care (p < .00005) and intent to return. Empathy was a highly significant predictor of intent to recommend.

An Integrated Mobile Application to Improve the Watershed Management in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, T. Y.; Chen, M. H.; Lee, C. Y.

2015-12-01

This study aims to focus on the application of information technology on the reservoir watershed management. For the civil and commercial water usage, reservoirs and its upstream plays a significant role due to water scarcity and inequality, especially in Taiwan. Due to the progress of information technology, apply it can improve the efficiency and accuracy of daily affairs significantly which already proved by previous researches. Taipei Water Resource District (TWRD) is selected as study area for this study, it is the first reservoir watershed which authorized as special protection district by urban planning act. This study has designed a framework of mobile application, which addressed three types of public affairs relate to watershed management, includes building management, illegal land-use investigation, and a dashboard of real time stream information. This mobile application integrated a dis-connected map and interactive interface to collect, record and calculate field information which helps the authority manage the public affairs more efficiency.

Avian Hepatitis E Virus in Chickens, Taiwan, 2013

PubMed Central

Hsu, Ingrid W.-Y.

2014-01-01

A previously unidentified strain of avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) is now endemic among chickens in Taiwan. Analysis showed that the virus is 81.5%–86.5% similar to other aHEVs. In Taiwan, aHEV infection has been reported in chickens without aHEV exposure, suggesting transmission from asymptomatic cases or repeated introduction through an unknown common source(s). PMID:24378180

Kindergarten Teachers' Experience with Reporting Child Abuse in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Jui-Ying; Huang, Tzu-Yi; Wang, Chi-Jen

2010-01-01

Objective: The objectives were to examine factors associated with reporting child abuse among kindergarten teachers in Taiwan based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Method: A stratified quota sampling technique was used to randomly select kindergarten teachers in Taiwan. The Child Abuse Intention Report Scale, which includes demographics,…

Inclusive Higher Education for Students with Disabilities in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Hua-Kuo

2004-01-01

The purpose of this paper was intended to present the current status of inclusive higher education for students with disabilities in Taiwan. Literature review, documentary analysis, and field observation were used to collect the needed information. The history for educating students with disabilities in higher education institutions in Taiwan has…

Gender Barriers in Higher Education: The Case of Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ru-jer

2001-01-01

Used data from a variety of sources to examine gender barriers to higher education in Taiwan. Findings show that barriers remain, that women still suffer disadvantages in access to higher education, even though the expansion of higher education in Taiwan has substantially benefitted females over the past few decades. (SLD)

Incidence of eye cancer in Taiwan: an 18-year review.

PubMed

Cheng, C-Y; Hsu, W-M

2004-02-01

To describe the incidence and histologic patterns of eye cancers in Chinese in Taiwan. Beginning in 1979, cases of cancer in Taiwan were reported to the Taiwan National Cancer Registry. Information on all Chinese patients diagnosed with eye malignancies under the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, site 190, was retrieved for analysis from the data bank of the Taiwan National Cancer Registry. In all, 733 cases with primary eye cancers were identified from 1979 to 1996, an 18-year period. The average annual age-standardized incidence of eye cancers was 2.46 per million population (2.57 for male and 2.33 for female). For cases less than 15 years of age, the most common eye malignancy was retinoblastoma (86.0%), followed by rhabdomyosarcoma (3.9%) and lymphoma (2.8%). For cases 15 years of age or older, the most common eye malignancy was melanoma (28.6%), followed by squamous cell sarcoma (21.0%) and lymphoma (20.8%). The time trends of the incidence of eye cancers were relatively stable over the 18-year period in Taiwan. Retinobalstoma, melanoma, and lymphoma were the three most common eye cancers in this Chinese population.

2016 Guidelines of the Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology for the management of atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Chiang, Chern-En; Wu, Tsu-Juey; Ueng, Kwo-Chang; Chao, Tze-Fan; Chang, Kuan-Cheng; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Lin, Yenn-Jiang; Yin, Wei-Hsian; Kuo, Jen-Yuan; Lin, Wei-Shiang; Tsai, Chia-Ti; Liu, Yen-Bin; Lee, Kun-Tai; Lin, Li-Jen; Lin, Lian-Yu; Wang, Kang-Ling; Chen, Yi-Jen; Chen, Mien-Cheng; Cheng, Chen-Chuan; Wen, Ming-Shien; Chen, Wen-Jone; Chen, Jyh-Hong; Lai, Wen-Ter; Chiou, Chuen-Wang; Lin, Jiunn-Lee; Yeh, San-Jou; Chen, Shih-Ann

2016-11-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Both the incidence and prevalence of AF are increasing, and the burden of AF is becoming huge. Many innovative advances have emerged in the past decade for the diagnosis and management of AF, including a new scoring system for the prediction of stroke and bleeding events, the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and their special benefits in Asians, new rhythm- and rate-control concepts, optimal endpoints of rate control, upstream therapy, life-style modification to prevent AF recurrence, and new ablation techniques. The Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology aimed to update the information and have appointed a jointed writing committee for new AF guidelines. The writing committee members comprehensively reviewed and summarized the literature, and completed the 2016 Guidelines of the Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation. This guideline presents the details of the updated recommendations, along with their background and rationale, focusing on data unique for Asians. The guidelines are not mandatory, and members of the writing committee fully realize that treatment of AF should be individualized. The physician's decision remains most important in AF management. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Space programs in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Lou-Chuang; Chang, Guey-Shin; Ting, Nan-Hong

2013-10-01

Taiwan's current and future space programs are briefly introduced in this paper. The National Space Organization (NSPO) in Taiwan has successfully carried out three satellite programs (FORMOSAT-1, 2, &3) since its establishment in 1991. FORMOSAT-1 is a scientific satellite performing three scientific experiments for measuring the density, velocity and temperature of ionospheric plasmas, taking the ocean color image, and conducting Ka-band communication experiments. Equipped with a 2m ground resolution remote sensing instrument, FORMOSAT-2 operates in a sun-synchronous orbit with revisit time equal to one day. This unique feature of the daily revisit capability is significantly useful for post disaster assessment and environmental monitoring. FORMOSAT-2 also carries a scientific payload "Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL)". ISUAL provides the world's first long-term satellite observations on the lighting phenomenon in the earth's upper atmosphere. FORMOSAT-3 is a constellation of six micro-satellites to collect atmospheric and ionospheric data for weather prediction and for climate, ionosphere, and geodesy research. FORMOSAT-3 has demonstrated the ability to significantly increase the accuracy of weather forecasting by utilizing the GPS Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) technique. Currently, NSPO is pursuing the follow-on space missions of FORMOSAT-5 and FORMOSAT-7. FORMOSAT-5 will be the first to utilize a CMOS detector on a high-resolution earth-observation camera. FORMOSAT-7 is a joint mission of Taiwan/US to deploy a 12-satellite constellation operational system to provide dense and timely GNSS RO data to the global communities for real-time weather forecast as well as space science research.

Pyogenic Liver Abscess as Endemic Disease, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Tsai, Feng-Chiao; Huang, Yu-Tsung; Chang, Luan-Yin

2008-01-01

Pyogenic liver abscess has become a health problem in Taiwanese society. However, the extent of this problem has remained unclear because of the lack of a population-based study. We therefore performed a nationwide analysis of pyogenic liver abscess in Taiwan from 1996 through 2004. We analyzed 29,703 cases from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database and 506 cases from National Taiwan University Hospital. Our analysis showed that the annual incidence of pyogenic liver abscess increased steadily from 11.15/100,000 population in 1996 to 17.59/100,000 in 2004. Diabetes, malignancy, renal disease, and pneumonia were associated with a higher risk for the disease. By contrast, death due to pyogenic liver abscess decreased over time, although population-based abscess-related death increased slightly. Renal disease, malignancy, pneumonia, and heart disease correlated with higher death rates; Klebsiella pneumoniae infection and therapeutic procedures were related to lower death rates. Diabetes did not significantly change death rates for the 506 patients from the hospital. PMID:18826824

The Buddha and the Computer: Career Guidance in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Martin R.

Career decision making in Taiwan was examined in the context of a society undergoing dynamic change as modern entrepreneurial values are accommodated in a cherished traditional culture. Especially during the past 20 years, the economy of Taiwan has changed from agriculture to technology. At the same time, the educational needs of students have…

Higher Education Research Community in Taiwan: An Emerging Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Sheng-Ju; Chan, Ying

2015-01-01

This paper aims to explore the evolution and characteristics of the higher education research community in Taiwan. In echoing the development of the East Asian region, Taiwan has made substantial progress during the past two decades. The massification of higher education itself has played a major role in promoting the academic differentiation or…

Teacher Preparation for Early Childhood: Special Education in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Hua-Kuo

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is intended to present the current model of teacher preparation for early childhood special education in Taiwan. Documentary analysis was conducted in the study to collect and analyze the obtained data. The main features of teacher preparation policies for early childhood special education in Taiwan could be summarized…

Can Hospital Competition Really Affect Hospital Behavior or Not? An Empirical Study of Different Competition Measures Comparison in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Yu, Tsung-Hsien; Tung, Yu-Chi; Wei, Chung-Jen

2017-01-01

Different approaches to measure the hospital competition index might lead to inconsistent results of the effects of hospital competition on innovation adoption. The purpose of this study is to adopt a different approach to define market area and measure the level of competition to examine whether hospital competition has a positive effect on hospital behavior, taking quality indicator projects participation as an example. A total of 238 hospitals located in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung were recruited in this study. Competition index was used as the independent variable, and participation lists of Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator and Taiwan Healthcare Indicator Series in 2012 were used as dependent variables. All data used in this study were retrieved from the 2012 national hospital profiles and the participation list of the 2 quality indicator projects in 2012; these profiles are issued by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare annually. Geopolitical boundaries and 4 kinds of fixed radiuses were used to define market area. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and hospital density were used to measure the level of competition. A total of 12 competition indices were produced in this study by employing the geographic information system, while max-rescaled R2 was used to evaluate and compare the models on goodness of fit. The results show that the effects of hospital competition on quality indicator projects participation were varied, which mean different indicators for market competition might reveal different conclusions. Furthermore, this study also found the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at 5-km radius was the optimum competition index. PMID:28147887

Can Hospital Competition Really Affect Hospital Behavior or Not? An Empirical Study of Different Competition Measures Comparison in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yu, Tsung-Hsien; Tung, Yu-Chi; Wei, Chung-Jen

2017-01-01

Different approaches to measure the hospital competition index might lead to inconsistent results of the effects of hospital competition on innovation adoption. The purpose of this study is to adopt a different approach to define market area and measure the level of competition to examine whether hospital competition has a positive effect on hospital behavior, taking quality indicator projects participation as an example. A total of 238 hospitals located in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung were recruited in this study. Competition index was used as the independent variable, and participation lists of Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator and Taiwan Healthcare Indicator Series in 2012 were used as dependent variables. All data used in this study were retrieved from the 2012 national hospital profiles and the participation list of the 2 quality indicator projects in 2012; these profiles are issued by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare annually. Geopolitical boundaries and 4 kinds of fixed radiuses were used to define market area. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and hospital density were used to measure the level of competition. A total of 12 competition indices were produced in this study by employing the geographic information system, while max-rescaled R 2 was used to evaluate and compare the models on goodness of fit. The results show that the effects of hospital competition on quality indicator projects participation were varied, which mean different indicators for market competition might reveal different conclusions. Furthermore, this study also found the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at 5-km radius was the optimum competition index.

Typhoon induced summer cold shock advected by Kuroshio off eastern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Yi-Chun; Zheng, Zhe-Wen; Zheng, Quanan; Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh; Lee, Chia-Ying; Chern, Shi-We; Chao, Yan-Hao

2017-01-01

In this study, we used satellite observations, in-situ measurements, and numerical modelling to investigate an extreme temperature change triggered by a typhoon in the ocean near the Kuroshio region off eastern Taiwan. With the westward passage of Typhoon Morakot in 2009 through Taiwan, a distinct cool wake was generated at the southeastern corner of Taiwan (CWSET) and moved towards the downstream Kuroshio region; it involved a precipitous cooling of at least 4 °C within 10-20 km of the coast. Rapid and drastic temperature drops triggered by the CWSET and advected by the strong conveyor belt effect of the Kuroshio Current are highly probable sources of cold shocks in summer. We clarified the mechanism that generated the CWSET through a series of sensitivity experiments using the Regional Oceanic Modeling System. The cold shock was mainly triggered by local wind stress associated with the typhoon. In addition, the Kuroshio Current was demonstrated to have played a crucial role in both the generation of upwelling off the southeastern coast of Taiwan during the passage of the typhoon and the transporting of this impact downstream. This process was verified through a systematic analysis of all typhoons moving westward through Taiwan from 2005 to 2013. Cold-shock stress is thought to be linked with naturally occurring 'fish kills', and obtaining a more thorough understanding of the CWSET will be helpful for protecting aquaculture off the eastern coast of Taiwan from the impacts of cold shocks triggered by typhoons moving westward through Taiwan in summer.

Seismic Migration Imaging of the Crust and Upper Mantle Discontinuity Structure beneath Southern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.-S.; Kuo, B.-Y.

2009-04-01

Taiwan is located in the convergent plate boundary zone where the Philippine Sea plate has obliquely collided on the Asian continental margin, initiating the arc-continent collision and subsequent mountain-building in Taiwan. Receiver function has been a powerful tool to image seismic velocity discontinuity structure in the crust and upper mantle which can help illuminate the deep dynamic process of active Taiwan orogeny. In this study, we adopt backprojection migration processing of teleseismic receiver functions to investigate the crust and upper mantle discontinuities beneath southern Taiwan, using the data from Southern Taiwan Transect Seismic Array (STTA), broadband stations of Central Weather Bureau (CWB), Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS), and Taiwan Integrated Geodynamics Research (TAIGER). This composite east-west trending linear array has the aperture of about 150 km with the station spacing of ~5-10 km. Superior to the common midpoint (CMP) stack approach, the migration can properly image the dipping, curved, or laterally-varying topography of discontinuous interfaces which very likely exist under the complicated tectonic setting of Taiwan. We first conduct synthetic experiments to test the depth and lateral resolution of migration images based on the WKBJ synthetic waveforms calculated from available source and receiver distributions. We will next construct the 2-D migration image under the array to reveal the topographic variation of the Moho and lithosphere discontinuities beneath southern Taiwan.

Separation or Unification for Taiwan: An Economic Comparison.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-09-01

Table 11-9. Average Size of Taiwan’s FDI in SE Asia (Cumulative through 1993) Host Country $M per Project Indonesia 13.50 Vietnam 13.09 Malaysia ...leaders. By April 1996, Taiwan had signed investment protection agreements with Indonesia, Malaysia , the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam and...and Surabaya, Indonesia; Penang, Malaysia ; Laos; and Subic Bay, the Philippines. See Chen Hurng-yu (1994), 128. The first stage of the Subic Bay

Establishment of Vespa bicolor in Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

PubMed Central

Sung, I-Hsin; Lu, Sheng-Shan; Chao, Jung-Tai; Yeh, Wen-Chi; Lee, Wei-Jie

2014-01-01

Abstract The establishment of a hornet, Vespa bicolor F., in Taiwan was confirmed based on successful field collection of adults of both sexes and two subterranean colonies. Information on nesting habitat, nest measurement, and colony composition of this species are provided in this article. V. bicolor is the ninth hornet species ever recorded from Taiwan. Possible pathway for the introduction of this alien species is also discussed. PMID:25434034

Transfusion-acquired AIDS in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yao, C; Wang, W W; Chung, Y M; Su, Y L; Liu, C Y; Chen, Y M

1996-01-01

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can be transmitted through blood transfusion. The first transfusion-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient in Taiwan was a 46-year-old woman who received two units of whole blood during a hysterectomy at a provincial hospital in 1985. In 1991, she experienced a herpes zoster infection. In March 1993, she had extensive herpetic gingivostomatitis and another herpes zoster attack, and was treated at the same hospital. Two months later, she had oral candidiasis and was treated at a medical center. She was not tested for HIV-1 infection until she developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in June 1993. In February 1994, and developed cytomegalovirus retinitis and died 6 months later. Donor blood given to the patients during the hysterectomy was HIV-1 positive. The donor's HIV infection was discovered in 1991 and he died of AIDS in 1993. As blood centers in Taiwan did not start screening for HIV-1 until January 1988, it is urgently recommended that any individual who received a blood transfusion between 1984 and 1987 in Taiwan and who currently experiences repeated episodes of opportunistic infections have an HIV-1 blood test. The receipt of a blood transfusion between 1984 and 1987 should be listed by the Department of Health as an indication for HIV-1 screening.

A zonation technique for landslide susceptibility in southern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, Jie-Lun; Tian, Yu-Qing; Chen, Yie-Ruey; Tsai, Kuang-Jung

2016-04-01

In recent years, global climate changes violently, extreme rainfall events occur frequently and also cause massive sediment related disasters in Taiwan. The disaster seriously hit the regional economic development and national infrastructures. For example, in August, 2009, the typhoon Morakot brought massive rainfall especially in the mountains in Chiayi County and Kaohsiung County in which the cumulative maximum rainfall was up to 2900 mm; meanwhile, the cumulative maximum rainfall was over 1500m.m. in Nantou County, Tainan County and Pingtung County. The typhoon caused severe damage in southern Taiwan. The study will search for the influence on the sediment hazards caused by the extreme rainfall and hydrological environmental changes focusing on southern Taiwan (including Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung). The instability index and kriging theories are applied to analyze the factors of landslide to determine the susceptibility in southern Taiwan. We collected the landslide records during the period year, 2007~2013 and analyzed the instability factors including elevation, slope, aspect, soil, and geology. Among these factors, slope got the highest weight. The steeper the slope is, the more the landslides occur. As for the factor of aspect, the highest probability falls on the Southwest. However, this factor has the lowest weight among all the factors. Likewise, Darkish colluvial soil holds the highest probability of collapses among all the soils. Miocene middle Ruifang group and its equivalents have the highest probability of collapses among all the geologies. In this study, Kriging was used to establish the susceptibility map in southern Taiwan. The instability index above 4.21 can correspond to those landslide records. The potential landslide area in southern Taiwan, where collapses more likely occur, belongs to high level and medium-high level; the area is 5.12% and 17.81% respectively.

Characteristics and management of infectious industrial waste in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, M.-C.; Lin, Jim Juimin

Infectious industrial waste management in Taiwan is based on the specific waste production unit. In other countries, management is based simply on whether the producer may lead to infectious disease. Thus, Taiwan has a more detailed classification of infectious waste. The advantage of this classification is that it is easy to identify the sources, while the disadvantage lies in the fact that it is not flexible and hence increases cost. This study presents an overview of current management practices for handling infectious industrial waste in Taiwan, and addresses the current waste disposal methods. The number of small clinics in Taiwanmore » increased from 18,183 to 18,877 between 2003 and 2005. Analysis of the data between 2003 and 2005 showed that the majority of medical waste was general industrial waste, which accounted for 76.9%-79.4% of total medical waste. Infectious industrial waste accounted for 19.3%-21.9% of total medical waste. After the SARS event in Taiwan, the amount of infectious waste reached 19,350 tons in 2004, an increase over the previous year of 4000 tons. Waste minimization was a common consideration for all types of waste treatment. In this study, we summarize the percentage of plastic waste in flammable infectious industrial waste generated by medical units, which, in Taiwan was about 30%. The EPA and Taiwan Department of Health have actively promoted different recycling and waste reduction measures. However, the wide adoption of disposable materials made recycling and waste reduction difficult for some hospitals. It has been suggested that enhancing the education of and promoting communication between medical units and recycling industries must be implemented to prevent recyclable waste from entering the incinerator.« less

Progress and Prospect of Physics Research and Education in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raynien Kwo, J.

2010-03-01

Started about two decades ago, the global trend of shifting industrial manufacture power from western developed countries toward developing countries in Asia has in turn become the impetus in building up physical science and research in these areas. A very good example is the remarkable progress of physical research and education in Taiwan, in terms of quantity and quality. The continuous elevation of Taiwan's high education into graduate level plus the government's strong commitment to research and development on a level of 2.62 % GDP have led to an impressive physics program with an annual budget ˜32 million USD from National Science Council in supporting 568 PIs. The investigation scope encompasses high energy and astrophysics, nano and condensed matter, and semiconductor, optoelectronic physics, etc. The former is vigorously conducted via international collaborative efforts of LHC, KEK, ALMA, Pan-STARRS, etc. The latter is driven by vital Taiwan high tech industry mostly semiconductor IC and optoelectronics flourished during this period. The early trend of outflows of BS physics majors to western world for advanced studies has reversed dramatically. Nearly 80% of the BS students continue their MS and PhD degrees in Taiwan, attracted by lucrative job markets of high tech industry. In addition, healthy inflow of high-quality science manpower of well trained PhDs and senior scholars returning to homeland has strengthened the competitiveness. Overall, the physics community in Taiwan is thriving. The annual Physical Society meeting is expanding at a rate of 6%, reaching ˜1800 attendants and 1200 papers, and dedicated to promotions of female physicists and students. The publication quantity of Taiwan in top journals of PRs and PRL is ranked among top 20^th for all fields of physics, and ranked the 6^th in APL. Clearly Taiwan has now emerged as a strong power in applied science, not limited by its population size. Concerted efforts on scientific exchanges are being

[The parenting practices of transnational marriage mothers in Taiwan].

PubMed

Chuang, Li-Yu; Shu, Bih-Ching; Huang, Chiung-Chen

2013-02-01

Childhood experience is a cornerstone of personality development. A child's cognitive function, self-concept, and behavioral development relate significantly to parental attitudes as well as to the way they were treated during childhood. The literature suggests a significant association between parenting practices and the mental health of the parents, temperament of the child, and socio-cultural factors. Raising children is typically central to the life of transnational marriage women living in Taiwan. They view parenting children as a life transforming experience. However, they must invest more effort than local mothers to survive in Taiwan. Thus, it is worth investigating the parenting practices of this significant subset of Taiwan's population. This paper applied parenting concepts to describe the condition and possible problems of immigrant women in parenting children. Based on study results, we summarize transnational marriage and its impact on parenting practices. The authors hope this paper provides information useful to identifying parenting difficulties faced by immigrant mothers so that healthcare professionals can provide relevant information and assistance to improve overall parenting practices and benefit the development of Taiwan's youngest generation.

From subduction to collision: results of French POP2 program on Taiwan-Philippine festoon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blanchet, R.; Stephan, J.F.; Rangin, C.

1986-07-01

A sea-beam, seismic, magnetic, and gravimetric survey was conducted with the R/V Jean-Charcot in three key regions off the Taiwan-Philippine festoon in the western Pacific: (1) Ryukyu active margin and its junction with Taiwan; (2) northern part of the Manila Trench and its junction with the Taiwan tectonic prism; and (3) southern termination of Manila Trench in front of Mindoro Island. Transitions between active subduction along the Manila Trench and collision of Taiwan and Mindoro, and relations between active subduction and extension in the Okinawa-Ryukyu and the northeastern Taiwan systems are particularly studied.

Climate change impacts in Zhuoshui watershed, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Yi-Chiung; Liu, Pei-Ling; Cheng, Chao-Tzuen; Li, Hsin-Chi; Wu, Tingyeh; Chen, Wei-Bo; Shih, Hung-Ju

2017-04-01

There are 5.3 typhoons hit Taiwan per year on average in last decade. Typhoon Morakot in 2009, the most severe typhoon, causes huge damage in Taiwan, including 677 casualty and roughly NT 110 billion (3.3 billion USD) in economic loss. Some researches documented that typhoon frequency will decrease but increase in intensity in western North Pacific region. It is usually preferred to use high resolution dynamical model to get better projection of extreme events; because coarse resolution models cannot simulate intense extreme events. Under that consideration, dynamical downscaling climate data was chosen to describe typhoon satisfactorily. One of the aims for Taiwan Climate Change Projection and Information Platform (TCCIP) is to demonstrate the linkage between climate change data and watershed impact models. The purpose is to understand relative disasters induced by extreme rainfall (typhoons) under climate change in watersheds including landslides, debris flows, channel erosion and deposition, floods, and economic loss. The study applied dynamic downscaling approach to release climate change projected typhoon events under RCP 8.5, the worst-case scenario. The Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability (TRIGRS) and FLO-2D models, then, were used to simulate hillslope disaster impacts in the upstream of Zhuoshui River. CCHE1D model was used to elevate the sediment erosion or deposition in channel. FVCOM model was used to asses a flood impact in urban area in the downstream. Finally, whole potential loss associate with these typhoon events was evaluated by the Taiwan Typhoon Loss Assessment System (TLAS) under climate change scenario. Results showed that the total loss will increase roughly by NT 49.7 billion (1.6 billion USD) in future in Zhuoshui watershed in Taiwan. The results of this research could help to understand future impact; however model bias still exists. Because typhoon track is a critical factor to consider regional

Influence of Asian dust storms on air quality in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liu, Chung-Ming; Young, Chea-Yuan; Lee, Yen-Chih

2006-09-15

In each year, dust storms triggered by cold air masses passing through northern China and Mongolia enhance the PM10 concentration over Taiwan region during winter and spring. On average, there are four to five dust events and 6.1 dust days in a year in Taiwan. Each event lasts for 1 day or even longer. A procedure to identify a dust event is rationalized and exercised on data collected during 1994-2005. Also, a ranking method named as the dust intensity rank (DIR) is developed to distinguish the intensity of each event affecting the local air quality. About 86% of dust days belong to ranks 1 and 2. In general, poorer air quality is associated with higher ranks. Ranks 4 and 5 correspond to a PSI (Pollution Standard Index) larger than 100. Linking DIR with the popular PSI is useful for both the public and the official forecasting system. It is also useful for inter-comparison between dust influences on air quality at different downstream regions in Taiwan. Composite analyses of the temporal and spatial variation of the hourly PM10 level indicate that dust particles usually arrive 12 h before the time of the peak PM10 concentration and last for 36 h at northern Taiwan, while the time of the peak concentration at eastern or western Taiwan, due to the evolution of the synoptic weather system, is about 3-12 h later. It is noted that the increase of PM10 level at the western side of Taiwan results from a mixture of upstream Asian dust inputs and local pollutants.

A Re-Examination of the Suicide Rates in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuang, Hwei-Lin; Huang, Wei-Chiao

2007-01-01

This paper examines the suicide rates of 23 cities and counties in Taiwan from 1983 to 2001. We found that a combination of economic and social variables can significantly account for the tremendous variations in suicide rates across Taiwan's cities and counties over the last two decades. The level of income per capita in a region appears as the…

Plate Tectonics and Taiwan Orogeny based on TAIGER Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, F. T.; Kuochen, H.; McIntosh, K. D.

2014-12-01

Plate tectonics framework is usually complex in a collision zone, where continental lithosphere is involved. In the young Taiwan orogeny, with geologic understanding and large new geodetic and subsurface datasets now available an environment has been created for testing tectonic hypotheses regarding collision and orogeny. Against the background of the commonly accepted view of Taiwan as a southward propagating, self-similar 2-D orogen, a fully 3-D structure is envisaged. Along the whole length of the island the convergence of the Eurasian plate (EUP) the Philippine Sea plate (PSP) takes shape with different plate configurations. In northern Taiwan the convergence occurs with simultaneous collision of the oceanic PSP with continental EUP and the northward subduction of the PSP; in the south, EUP, in the guise of the South China Sea rifted Eurasian continent, subducts toward the east; in central Taiwan collision of oceanic PSP with continental EUP dominates. When relocated seismicity and focal mechanisms are superposed on subsurface P and Vp/Vs velocity images the configurations and the kinematics of the PSP and EUP collision and subduction become clear. While in northern Taiwan the subduction/collision explains well the high peaks and their dwindling (accompanied by crustal thinning) toward the north. In the south, mountains rise above the east-dipping EUP subduction zone as the Eurasian continental shelf veers toward the southwest, divergent from the trend of the Luzon Arc - calling into question the frequently cited arc-continent collision model of Taiwan orogeny. High velocity anomaly and Benioff seismicity coexist in the south. Going north toward Central Taiwan the high velocity anomaly persists for another 150 km or so, but it becomes seismically quiescent. Above the quiescent section the PSP and EUP collide to build the main part of the Central Range and its parallel neighbor the eastern Coastal Range. Key implications regarding orogeny include: 1) Significant

A Sketch of the Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility.

PubMed

You, May-Su; Jiang, Yun-Jin; Yuh, Chiou-Hwa; Wang, Chien-Ming; Tang, Chih-Hao; Chuang, Yung-Jen; Lin, Bo-Hung; Wu, Jen-Leih; Hwang, Sheng-Ping L

2016-07-01

In the past three decades, the number of zebrafish laboratories has significantly increased in Taiwan. The Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility (TZCF), a government-funded core facility, was launched to serve this growing community. The Core Facility was built on two sites, one located at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI, called Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility at NHRI or TZeNH) and the other is located at the Academia Sinica (Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility at AS a.k.a. TZCAS). The total surface area of the TZCF is about 180 m(2) encompassing 2880 fish tanks. Each site has a separate quarantine room and centralized water recirculating systems, monitoring key water parameters. To prevent diseases, three main strategies have been implemented: (1) imported fish must be quarantined; (2) only bleached embryos are introduced into the main facilities; and (3) working practices were implemented to minimize pathogen transfer between stocks and facilities. Currently, there is no health program in place; however, a fourth measure for the health program, specific regular pathogen tests, is being planned. In March 2015, the TZCF at NHRI has been AAALAC accredited. It is our goal to ensure that we provide "disease-free" fish and embryos to the Taiwanese research community.

Stockpile Model of Personal Protective Equipment in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Ju; Cheng, Yu-Hsin; Huang, Chun-Wei; Kao, Hui-Yun; Chang, Chih-Kai; Huang, Hsun-Miao; Liu, Pei-Yin; Wang, Jen-Hsin; Chih, Yi-Chien; Chou, Shu-Mei; Yang, Chin-Hui; Chen, Chang-Hsun

2017-01-01

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has established a 3-tier personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiling framework that could maintain a minimum stockpile for the surge demand of PPE in the early stage of a pandemic. However, PPE stockpiling efforts must contend with increasing storage fees and expiration problems. In 2011, the Taiwan CDC initiated a stockpile replacement model in order to optimize the PPE stockpiling efficiency, ensure a minimum stockpile, use the government's limited funds more effectively, and achieve the goal of sustainable management. This stockpile replacement model employs a first-in-first-out principle in which the oldest stock in the central government stockpile is regularly replaced and replenished with the same amount of new and qualified products, ensuring the availability and maintenance of the minimum stockpiles. In addition, a joint electronic procurement platform has been established for merchandising the replaced PPE to local health authorities and medical and other institutions for their routine or epidemic use. In this article, we describe the PPE stockpile model in Taiwan, including the 3-tier stockpiling framework, the operational model, the components of the replacement system, implementation outcomes, epidemic supports, and the challenges and prospects of this model. PMID:28418743

Impact of Excellence Programs on Taiwan Higher Education in Terms of Quality Assurance and Academic Excellence, Examining the Conflicting Role of Taiwan's Accrediting Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Angela Yung-chi

2012-01-01

Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT) was established in 2005 and began to accredit 76 four-year comprehensive universities and colleges in Taiwan in 2006. Commissioned officially with a dual mission, HEEACT has been encouraged to conduct various ranking research projects, including global and national ones…

[The internationalization of the nursing profession in Taiwan].

PubMed

Chuang, Hsiao-Ling; Wang, Cheng-Ching; Kuo, Pi-Chao

2011-06-01

Globalization, nursing manpower migration, and the multinational nature of the medical industry have increased the level of internationalization in Taiwan's nursing profession. In nursing practice, competencies for the general nursing list (Taiwan version) and ICNP (International Classification for Nursing Practice) have been clinically tested and revised. In academic nursing, significant effort is invested toward achieving the three general objectives of internationalized teaching, internationalized campuses, and international academic exchanges. We should further test and revise Taiwan's competencies for the general nursing list, and the ICNP should be continually tested and revised. Additionally, nursing personnel should strengthen foreign language competencies, appreciate different nursing practice cultures, participate in international exchange activities, and place increasing emphasis on international cooperation in research and nursing education accreditation. Such should further enhance and strengthen international cooperation, which should further encourage internationalization in the domestic nursing profession.

Geotransects in the Taiwan region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, T. P.; Yeh, Yih-Hsing

The Republic of China National Committee for the Inter-Union Commission on the Lithosphere organized an ad hoc working group in 1988 for compilation and construction of geotransects in the Taiwan region, a region considered by the scientific world as a classic example of collision and subduction of plates.Three geotransects have been constructed, with insufficient data: geotransect N along latitude 24°30‧N, geotransect M along latitude 23°30‧, and geotransect S along latitude 22°30‧N. The data used in the constructions are mainly scattered in publications on the geology and geophysics of Taiwan. The purpose of the study is to promote further investigation of the mechanism of plate motion in terms of geology and geophysics, to improve interpretation of the geotectonics of the region.

Interdisciplinary, interinstitutional and international collaboration of family medicine researchers in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Yi-Hsuan; Tseng, Yen-Han; Chang, Hsiao-Ting; Lin, Ming-Hwai; Tseng, Yen-Chiang; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Hwang, Shinn-Jang

2015-01-01

The family medicine researches flourished worldwide in the past decade. However, the collaborative patterns of family medicine publications had not been reported. Our study analyzed the collaborative activity of family medicine researchers in Taiwan. We focused on the types of collaboration among disciplines, institutions and countries. We searched "family medicine" AND "Taiwan" in address field from Web of Science and documented the disciplines, institutions and countries of all authors. We analyzed the collaborative patterns of family medicine researchers in Taiwan from 2010 to 2014. The journal's impact factor of each article in the same publication year was also retrieved. Among 1,217 articles from 2010 to 2014, interdisciplinary collaboration existed in 1,185 (97.3%) articles, interinstitutional in 1,012 (83.2%) and international in 142 (11.7%). Public health was the most common collaborative discipline. All international researches were also interdisciplinary and interinstitutional. The United States (75 articles), the United Kingdom (21) and the People's Republic of China (20) were the top three countries with which family medicine researchers in Taiwan had collaborated. We found a high degree of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaboration of family medicine researches in Taiwan. However, the collaboration of family medicine researchers in Taiwan with family medicine colleagues of other domestic or foreign institutions was insufficient. The future direction of family medicine studies could focus on the promotion of communication among family medicine researchers.

Extrusional Tectonics over Plate Corner: an Example in Northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Chia-Yu; Lee, Jian-Cheng; Li, Zhinuo; Lee, Ching-An; Yeh, Chia-Hung

2016-04-01

In northern Taiwan, contraction, transcurrent shearing, block rotation and extension are four essential tectonic deformation mechanisms involved in the progressive deformation of this arcuate collision mountain belt. The neotectonic evolution of the Taiwan mountain belt is mainly controlled not only by the oblique convergence between the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate but also the corner shape of the plate boundary. Based on field observations and analyses, and taking geophysical data (mostly GPS) and experimental modelling into account, we interpret the curved belt of northern Taiwan as a result of of contractional deformation (with compression, thrust-sheet stacking & folding, back thrust duplex & back folding) that induced vertical extrusion, combined with increasing transcurrent & rotational deformation (with transcurrent faulting, bookshelf-type strike-slip faulting and block rotation) that induced transcurrent/rotational extrusion and extension deformation which in turn induced extensional extrusion. As a consequence, a special type of extrusional folds was formed in association with contractional, transcurrent & rotational and extensional extrusions subsequently. The extrusional tectonics in northern Taiwan reflect a single, albeit complicated, regional pattern of deformation. The crescent-shaped mountain belt of Northeastern Taiwan develops in response to oblique indentation by an asymmetric wedge indenter, retreat of Ryukyu trench and opening of the Okinawa trough.

Extrusional Tectonics at Plate Corner: an Example in Northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, C. Y.; Lee, J. C.; Li, Z.; Yeh, C. H.; Lee, C. A.

2015-12-01

In northern Taiwan, contraction, transcurrent shearing, block rotation and extension are four essential tectonic deformation mechanisms involved in the progressive deformation of this arcuate collision mountain belt. The neotectonic evolution of the Taiwan mountain belt is mainly controlled not only by the oblique convergence between the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate but also the corner shape of the plate boundary. Based on field observations and analyses, and taking geophysical data (mostly GPS) and experimental modelling into account, we interpret the curved belt of northern Taiwan as a result of of contractional deformation (with compression, thrust-sheet stacking & folding, back thrust duplex & back folding) that induced vertical extrusion, combined with increasing transcurrent & rotational deformation (with transcurrent faulting, bookshelf-type strike-slip faulting and block rotation) that induced transcurrent/rotational extrusion and extension deformation which in turn induced extensional extrusion. As a consequence, a special type of extrusional folds was formed in association with contractional, transcurrent & rotational and extensional extrusions subsequently. The extrusional tectonics in northern Taiwan reflect a single, albeit complicated, regional pattern of deformation. The crescent-shaped mountain belt of Northeastern Taiwan develops in response to oblique indentation by an asymmetric wedge indenter and opening of the Okinawa trough at plate corner.

Taiwan's Travel and Border Health Measures in Response to Zika.

PubMed

Ho, Li-Li; Tsai, Yu-Hui; Lee, Wang-Ping; Liao, Szu-Tsai; Wu, Li-Gin; Wu, Yi-Chun

Zika virus has recently emerged as a worldwide public health concern. Travel and border health measures stand as one of the main strategies and frontline defenses in responding to international epidemics. As of October 31, 2016, Taiwan has reported 13 imported cases, 5 of which were detected through routine entry screening and active monitoring at international airports. This article shares Taiwan's disease surveillance activities at designated points of entry and travel and border health measures in response to Zika. The Taiwan government collaborates with its tourism industry to disseminate information about precautionary measures and encourages tour guides to report suspected individuals or events to activate early response measures. Taiwan also engages in vector control activities at points of entry, including targeting aircraft from countries where vector-borne diseases are endemic, implementing mosquito sweep measures, and collecting vector surveillance data. In future emerging and reemerging disease events, entry surveillance at designated points of entry may enable early detection of diseases of international origin and more rapid activation of public health preparedness activities and international collaboration. Taiwan will continue to maximize border and travel health measures in compliance with IHR (2005) requirements, which rely on continued risk assessment, practical implementation activities, and engagement with all stakeholders.

Taiwan's Travel and Border Health Measures in Response to Zika

PubMed Central

Ho, Li-Li; Tsai, Yu-Hui; Lee, Wang-Ping; Liao, Szu-Tsai; Wu, Li-Gin

2017-01-01

Zika virus has recently emerged as a worldwide public health concern. Travel and border health measures stand as one of the main strategies and frontline defenses in responding to international epidemics. As of October 31, 2016, Taiwan has reported 13 imported cases, 5 of which were detected through routine entry screening and active monitoring at international airports. This article shares Taiwan's disease surveillance activities at designated points of entry and travel and border health measures in response to Zika. The Taiwan government collaborates with its tourism industry to disseminate information about precautionary measures and encourages tour guides to report suspected individuals or events to activate early response measures. Taiwan also engages in vector control activities at points of entry, including targeting aircraft from countries where vector-borne diseases are endemic, implementing mosquito sweep measures, and collecting vector surveillance data. In future emerging and reemerging disease events, entry surveillance at designated points of entry may enable early detection of diseases of international origin and more rapid activation of public health preparedness activities and international collaboration. Taiwan will continue to maximize border and travel health measures in compliance with IHR (2005) requirements, which rely on continued risk assessment, practical implementation activities, and engagement with all stakeholders. PMID:28418744

Population Structure and Historical Demography of the Oriental River Prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chu, Ta-Jen; Wang, Daryi; Lee, Ying-Chou; Tzeng, Tzong-Der

2015-01-01

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is a non-obligatory amphidromous prawn, and it has a wide distribution covering almost the entire Taiwan. Mitochondrial DNA fragment sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA were combined and used to elucidate the population structure and historical demography of oriental river prawn in Taiwan. A total of 202 individuals from six reservoirs and three estuaries were separately collected. Nucleotide diversity (π) of all populations was 0.01217, with values ranging from 0.00188 (Shihmen Reservoir, SMR, northern Taiwan) to 0.01425 (Mingte Reservoir, MTR, west-central Taiwan). All 76 haplotypes were divided into 2 lineages: lineage A included individuals from all sampling areas except SMR, and lineage B included specimens from all sampling locations except Chengching Lake Reservoir (CLR) and Liyu Lake Reservoir (LLR). All F ST values among nine populations were significantly different except the one between Jhonggang River Estuary (JGE, west-central Taiwan) and Kaoping River Estuary (KPE, southern Taiwan). UPGMA tree of nine populations showed two main groups: the first group included the SMR and Tamsui River Estuary (TSE) (both located northern Taiwan), and the second one included the other seven populations (west-central, southern and eastern Taiwan). Demographic analyses implied a population expansion occurred during the recent history of the species. The dispersal route of this species might be from China to west-central and west-southern Taiwan, and then the part individuals belonging to lineage A and B dispersed southerly and northerly, respectively. And then part individuals in west-central Taiwan fell back to and stay at estuaries as the sea level rose about 18,000 years ago. PMID:26716687

Population Structure and Historical Demography of the Oriental River Prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Po-Cheng; Shih, Chun-Han; Chu, Ta-Jen; Wang, Daryi; Lee, Ying-Chou; Tzeng, Tzong-Der

2015-01-01

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is a non-obligatory amphidromous prawn, and it has a wide distribution covering almost the entire Taiwan. Mitochondrial DNA fragment sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA were combined and used to elucidate the population structure and historical demography of oriental river prawn in Taiwan. A total of 202 individuals from six reservoirs and three estuaries were separately collected. Nucleotide diversity (π) of all populations was 0.01217, with values ranging from 0.00188 (Shihmen Reservoir, SMR, northern Taiwan) to 0.01425 (Mingte Reservoir, MTR, west-central Taiwan). All 76 haplotypes were divided into 2 lineages: lineage A included individuals from all sampling areas except SMR, and lineage B included specimens from all sampling locations except Chengching Lake Reservoir (CLR) and Liyu Lake Reservoir (LLR). All FST values among nine populations were significantly different except the one between Jhonggang River Estuary (JGE, west-central Taiwan) and Kaoping River Estuary (KPE, southern Taiwan). UPGMA tree of nine populations showed two main groups: the first group included the SMR and Tamsui River Estuary (TSE) (both located northern Taiwan), and the second one included the other seven populations (west-central, southern and eastern Taiwan). Demographic analyses implied a population expansion occurred during the recent history of the species. The dispersal route of this species might be from China to west-central and west-southern Taiwan, and then the part individuals belonging to lineage A and B dispersed southerly and northerly, respectively. And then part individuals in west-central Taiwan fell back to and stay at estuaries as the sea level rose about 18,000 years ago.

Establishment of a Taiwan Marine cable hosted observatory (Ma-Cho project)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C.; Hsu, S.; Shin, T.

2006-12-01

Taiwan is located in a junction corner between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate. Because of the active convergence, numerous earthquakes have occurred in and around Taiwan. On average, there are about two earthquakes greater than magnitude 6 each year and 80% of earthquakes occurred in the offshore area. Because of the subduction of Philippine Sea Plate beneath the western end of the Ryukyu Arc and northern Taiwan, both the tectonics and seismic activity are intensive. The 2004 Sumatra earthquake has induced giant tsunami attacking coastal countries of South Asia. Due to a similar geodynamic context, the Sumatra event has aroused the attention of Taiwan government. Soon, specialists from Taiwan earth scientists and ocean engineers have teamed up to discuss the potential and mitigation of natural hazards from the western end of the Ryukyu subduction zone. The constructing a submarine cable observatory off eastern Taiwan (Ma-Cho project) was suggested. Ma-Cho means a sea goddess who protects people at sea. The purpose of Ma-Cho project has several folds. Firstly, the extension of seismic stations on land to offshore area can increase the resolution of earthquake locating. Secondly, the extension of seismic stations may obtain tens of second before the destructing seismic waves arrive on land or tens of minute before the arrival of giant tsunami, which is helpful for earthquake or tsunami warning. Thirdly, the seafloor scientific station can monitor the active volcanoes in the Okinawa Trough, which is directly adjacent to the Ilan plain in northeastern Taiwan. Fourthly, the seafloor observatory can be used to continuously study the Kurosho current, off eastern Taiwan. The Ma- Cho project has been granted for the first year. From 2007, we will start with a submarine route survey and a construction of the submarine cable land station. The main submarine cable frame and the connection of scientific instruments to cable nodes will be finished in 2009.

Disease burden and related medical costs of rotavirus infections in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lu, Chun-Yi; Lauderdale, Tsai-Ling; Fang, Yin-Hua; Wang, Chung-Yi; Ho, Yu-Huai; Hung, Che-Lun; Chang, Luan-Yin; Lee, Chin-Yun; Huang, Li-Min

2006-01-01

Background The disease burden and associated medical costs of rotavirus infections in inpatient and outpatient sectors in Taiwan were examined in anticipation of the availability of new rotavirus vaccines. Methods The yearly national case number and medical costs for all for inpatients and outpatients with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) were extracted from the Bureau of National Health Insurance database in Taiwan according to ICD-9-CM codes. A retrospective study was also performed using records of children with AGE seen at three hospitals in Taiwan in 2001 to identify laboratory confirmed rotavirus infection cases. The annual incidence and related medical costs of AGE due to rotavirus infection were then estimated. Results Children <5 years old comprised 83.6% of inpatient and 62.0% of outpatient pediatric AGE cases in Taiwan in 2001. Rotavirus was the most common agent detected among AGE patients in this age group in the three hospitals, and was detected in 32.9% (221/672) of inpatient and 24% (23/96) of outpatient stool specimens tested for microbial etiologies. An estimated 277,400 to 624,892 cases of rotavirus infections sought medical care in Taiwan in 2001, equaling one in 2 to 5 children <5 years old required medical care due to rotavirus infection. The incidence of hospitalization due to rotavirus infections was 1,528–1,997/100,000 for children <5 years old. The total associated medical costs due to rotavirus infection were estimated at US $10–16 millions in Taiwan in 2001. Although the per-capita medical cost of rotavirus infection was lower in Taiwan than in the United States or Hong Kong, the personal economic burden was similar among the three places when normalized for gross national incomes per capita. Conclusion Infections caused by rotavirus constitute an important human and economic burden among young children in Taiwan. A safe and effective vaccine is urgently needed. PMID:17173677

Comparison study of postdischarge care provided to suicide patients by family members in East and South Taiwan.

PubMed

Sun, Fan-Ko; Ko, Chen-Ju; Chang, Shing-Ling; Chiang, Chun-Ying

2012-03-01

Care provided by the families of those who have attempted suicide affects their healing and recovery process. Data on care provided by families to suicidal individuals in different areas of Taiwan are extremely limited. This study explored care provided by families living in eastern and southern Taiwan to relatives admitted to hospitals and subsequently discharged after a suicide attempt. The study used a grounded theory approach. Interviews were conducted in two distinct geographical areas in 3 years and included two sample groups. Group 1 comprised suicidal participants (n = 15) and family caregivers (n = 15) in East Taiwan. Group 2 comprised suicidal participants (n = 15) and family caregivers (n = 15) in South Taiwan. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The East Taiwan group was less prosperous than the South Taiwan group. Suicide attempt methods were more lethal in eastern than in southern Taiwan. Alcohol and family violence were more important factors in suicides in eastern than in southern Taiwan. Consequently, families in East Taiwan focused less on protecting the safety of suicidal family members than families in South Taiwan. Participants in East Taiwan received less support from their families than those in South Taiwan. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: Suicidal participants in East Taiwan received less care from family caregivers than did participants in South Taiwan. However, all families require education to provide optimal care for suicidal relatives. Study results may help promote more appropriate education for clinical nursing professionals with a responsibility to care for suicidal patients.

Hospital-Owned Apps in Taiwan: Nationwide Survey

PubMed Central

Liu, Hao-Yen; Sun, Ying-Chou; Fen, Jun-Jeng; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Chou, Li-Fang; Hwang, Shinn-Jang

2018-01-01

Background Over the last decade, the use of mobile phone apps in the health care industry has grown rapidly. Owing to the high penetration rate of Internet use in Taiwan, hospitals are eager to provide their own apps to improve the accessibility of medical care for patients. Objective The aims of this study were to provide an overview of the currently available hospital-owned apps in Taiwan and to conduct a cross-hospital comparison of app features. Methods In May 2017, the availability of apps from all 414 hospitals in Taiwan was surveyed from the hospital home pages and the Google Play app store. The features of the downloaded apps were then examined in detail and, for each app, the release date of the last update, download frequency, and rating score were obtained from Google Play. Results Among all the 414 hospitals in Taiwan, 150 (36.2%) owned Android apps that had been made available for public use, including 95% (18/19) of the academic medical centers, 77% (63/82) of the regional hospitals, and 22.0% (69/313) of the local community hospitals. Among the 13 different functionalities made available by the various hospital-owned apps, the most common were the doctor search (100%, 150/150), real-time queue monitoring (100%, 150/150), and online appointment scheduling (94.7%, 142/150) functionalities. The majority of apps (57.3%, 86/150) had a rating greater than 4 out of 5, 49.3% (74/150) had been updated at some point in 2017, and 36.0% (54/150) had been downloaded 10,000 to 50,000 times. Conclusions More than one-third of the hospitals owned apps intended to increase patient access to health care. The most common app features might reflect the health care situation in Taiwan, where the overcrowded outpatient departments of hospitals operate in an open-access mode without any strict referral system. Further research should focus on the effectiveness and safety of these apps. PMID:29339347

Risk and Outbreak Communication: Lessons from Taiwan's Experiences in the Post-SARS Era.

PubMed

Hsu, Yu-Chen; Chen, Yu-Ling; Wei, Han-Ning; Yang, Yu-Wen; Chen, Ying-Hwei

In addition to the impact of a disease itself, public reaction could be considered another outbreak to be controlled during an epidemic. Taiwan's experience with SARS in 2003 highlighted the critical role played by the media during crisis communication. After the SARS outbreak, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) followed the WHO outbreak communication guidelines on trust, early announcements, transparency, informing the public, and planning, in order to reform its risk communication systems. This article describes the risk communication framework in Taiwan, which has been used to respond to the 2009-2016 influenza epidemics, Ebola in West Africa (2014-16), and MERS-CoV in South Korea (2015) during the post-SARS era. Many communication strategies, ranging from traditional media to social and new media, have been implemented to improve transparency in public communication and promote civic engagement. Taiwan CDC will continue to maintain the strengths of its risk communication systems and resolve challenges as they emerge through active evaluation and monitoring of public opinion to advance Taiwan's capacity in outbreak communication and control. Moreover, Taiwan CDC will continue to implement the IHR (2005) and to promote a global community working together to fight shared risks and to reach the goal of "One World, One Health."

Risk and Outbreak Communication: Lessons from Taiwan's Experiences in the Post-SARS Era

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Ling; Wei, Han-Ning; Yang, Yu-Wen; Chen, Ying-Hwei

2017-01-01

In addition to the impact of a disease itself, public reaction could be considered another outbreak to be controlled during an epidemic. Taiwan's experience with SARS in 2003 highlighted the critical role played by the media during crisis communication. After the SARS outbreak, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) followed the WHO outbreak communication guidelines on trust, early announcements, transparency, informing the public, and planning, in order to reform its risk communication systems. This article describes the risk communication framework in Taiwan, which has been used to respond to the 2009-2016 influenza epidemics, Ebola in West Africa (2014-16), and MERS-CoV in South Korea (2015) during the post-SARS era. Many communication strategies, ranging from traditional media to social and new media, have been implemented to improve transparency in public communication and promote civic engagement. Taiwan CDC will continue to maintain the strengths of its risk communication systems and resolve challenges as they emerge through active evaluation and monitoring of public opinion to advance Taiwan's capacity in outbreak communication and control. Moreover, Taiwan CDC will continue to implement the IHR (2005) and to promote a global community working together to fight shared risks and to reach the goal of “One World, One Health.” PMID:28418746

SWOT Analysis on Educational Systems on the Two Sides of the Taiwan Strait

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, I-Ming; Shieh, Chich-Jen

2005-01-01

It was an important, historic phenomenon for Taiwan to separate from mainland China in 1949. Mainland China and Taiwan were originally a unified country, using the same language and same alphabet characters. Now there are still similarities in many aspects; the differences are primarily governmental. Taiwan has become more Westernized and more…

Delineation of typhoon-induced shoreline changes in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yun-Bin; Chiang, Jie-Lun

2010-05-01

Taiwan, an island country located at the southwestern Pacific Ocean, has a coast line of 1,355 km long. And only 55% proportion of the coast line remains natural. The maximum daily accumulated rainfall over 1000 mm brought by the typhoon Mindulle in 2004 generated huge disaster, including a broad flood-prone area and a sick sedimentation, in the littoral zones of the low-latitude part of Taiwan. The event resulted in the official definition of the coastal area, which is a 9 km wide belt area surrounding Taiwan island and is composed of one third land area and two third sea area. And human constructions are restricted in the proposed coast area to prevent or reduce the possible disaster in the future. Not only the sea level rising induced by the global climate warming may seriously affect the littoral zones, but also the extreme climate accompanying with the global climate warming, such as typhoons and storms, can heavily disturb the coastal environment in Taiwan. In the storm area, the wave and the storm surge may induce the coast erosion. But even being outside the storm area, the coastal environment is still regularly influenced by the sediment transportation triggered by the storm in the Cainozoic zones in the central part of Taiwan. Therefore, the continuous and regular monitoring of shoreline changes is essential for the disaster management in Taiwan. The two dimensional Morlet wavelet analysis is used to detect edges on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. And a block tracing algorithm and an active contour model are integrated for the final shorelines auto-delineation in the study. The SAR image that is climate unaffected and is free of visible light can provide reliable information. The Morlet wavelet function has the smallest window size and is directional. Therefore, the Morlet wavelet function is more flexible and efficient in extracting specific information from image signals. The shoreline changes induced by the typhoon Mindulle were studied. The

Completeness and timeliness of tuberculosis notification in Taiwan

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a notifiable disease by the Communicable Disease Control Law in Taiwan. Several measures have been undertaken to improve reporting of TB but the completeness and timeliness of TB notification in Taiwan has not yet been systemically evaluated. Methods To assess completeness and timeliness of TB notification, potential TB cases diagnosed by health care facilities in the year 2005-2007 were identified using the reimbursement database of national health insurance (NHI), which has 99% population coverage in Taiwan. Potential TB patients required notification were defined as those who have TB-related ICD-9 codes (010-018) in the NHI reimbursement database in 2005-2007, who were not diagnosed with TB in previous year, and who have been prescribed with 2 or more types of anti-TB drugs. Each potential TB case was matched to the national TB registry maintained at Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) by using national identity number or, if non-citizen, passport number to determine whether the patients had been notified to local public health authorities and Taiwan CDC. The difference in the number of days between date of anti-tuberculosis treatment and date of notification was calculated to determine the timeliness of TB reporting. Results Of the 57,405 TB patients who were prescribed with 2 or more anti-tuberculosis drugs, 55,291 (96.3%) were notified to National TB Registry and 2,114 (3.7%) were not. Of the 55,291 notified cases, 45,250 (81.8%) were notified within 7 days of anti-tuberculosis treatment (timely reporting) and 10,041(18.2%) after 7 days (delayed reporting). Factors significantly associated with failure of notification are younger age, previously notified cases, foreigner, those who visited clinics and those who visited health care facilities only once or twice in 6 months. Conclusion A small proportion of TB cases were not notified and a substantial proportion of notified TB cases had delayed reporting, findings with implication for

Characteristics of Heavy Summer Rainfall in Southwestern Taiwan in Relation to Orographic Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Ching-Sen; Chen, Wan-Chin; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2004-01-01

On the windward side of southwestern Taiwan, about a quarter to a half of all rainfall during mid-July through August from 1994 to 2000 came from convective systems embedded in the southwesterly monsoon flow. k this study, the causes of two heavy rainfall events (daily rainfall exceeding 100 mm day over at least three rainfall stations) observed over the slopes and/or lowlands of southwestern Taiwan were examined. Data from European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts /Tropical Ocean- Global Atmosphere (EC/TOGA) analyses, the rainfall stations of the Automatic Rainfall and Meteorological Telemetry System (ARMTS) and the conventional surface stations over Taiwan, and the simulation results from a regional-scale numerical model were used to accomplish the objectives. In one event (393 mm day on 9 August 1999), heavy rainfall was observed over the windward slopes of southern Taiwan in a potentially unstable environment with very humid air around 850 hPa. The extreme accumulation was simulated and attributed to orographic lifting effects. No preexisting convection drifted in from the Taiwan Strait into western Taiwan.

GIS Adoption among Senior High School Geography Teachers in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lay, Jinn-Guey; Chen, Yu-Wen; Chi, Yu-Lin

2013-01-01

This article explores the adoption of geographic information system (GIS) knowledge and skills through in-service training for high school geography teachers in Taiwan. Through statistical analysis of primary data collected from a census of Taiwan's high school geography teachers, it explores what motivates these teachers to undertake GIS…

The Keelung Submarine volcanoes and gas plumes in the nearshore of northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J. C.; Tsia, C. H.; Hsu, S. K.; Lin, S. S.

2016-12-01

Taiwan is located in the collision zone between Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate. The Philippine Sea Plate subducts northward beneath the Ryukyu arc system while the Eurasian Plate subducts eastward beneath the Luzon arc system. The Taiwan mountain building started at 9 My ago and the most active collision has migrated to middle Taiwan. In consequence, the northern Taiwan has changed its stress pattern from forms a series of thrust faults to normal faults. The stress pattern change has probably induced the post-collisional extension and volcanism in and off northern Taiwan. Under such a tectonic environment, the volcanism and gas plumes are widespread in northern Taiwan and its offshore area. Among the volcanoes of the northern Taiwan volcanic zone, the Tatun Volcano Group is the most obvious one. In this study, we use sub-bottom profiler, EK500 echo sounder, and multibeam echo sounder to study the geophysical structure of a submarine volcano in the nearshore of northern Taiwan. We have analyzed the shallow structures and identified the locations of the gas plumes. The identification of the gas plumes can help us understand the nature of the submarine volcano. Our results show that the gas plumes appear near the Kanchiao Fault and Keelung islet. Some intrusive volcanoes can be observed in the subbottom profiler data. Finally, according to the observations, we found that the Keelung Submarine Volcano is still active. We need the monitor of the active Keelung Submarine Volcano to avoid the volcanic hazard. Additionally, we need to pay attention to the earthquakes related to the Keelung Submarine Volcano.

Two-dimensional seismic velocity models of southern Taiwan from TAIGER transects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh, K. D.; Kuochen, H.; Van Avendonk, H. J.; Lavier, L. L.; Wu, F. T.; Okaya, D. A.

2013-12-01

We use a broad combination of wide-angle seismic data sets to develop high-resolution crustal-scale, two-dimensional, velocity models across southern Taiwan and the adjacent Huatung Basin. The data were recorded primarily during the TAIGER project and include records of thousands of marine airgun shots, several land explosive sources, and ~90 Earthquakes. Both airgun sources and earthquake data were recorded by dense land arrays, and ocean bottom seismographs (OBS) recorded airgun sources east of Taiwan. This combination of data sets enables us to develop a high-resolution upper- to mid-crustal model defined by marine and explosive sources, while also constraining the full crustal structure - with depths approaching 50 km - by using the earthquake and explosive sources. These data and the resulting models are particularly important for understanding the development of arc-continent collision in Taiwan. McIntosh et al. (2013) have shown that highly extended continental crust of the northeastern South China Sea rifted margin is underthrust at the Manila trench southwest of Taiwan but then is structurally underplated to the accretionary prism. This process of basement accretion is confirmed in the southern Central Range of Taiwan where basement outcrops can be directly linked to high seismic velocities measured in the accretionary prism well south of the continental shelf, even south of Taiwan. These observations indicate that the southern Central Range begins to grow well before there is any direct interaction between the North Luzon arc and the Eurasian continent. Our transects provide information on how the accreted mass behaves as it approaches the continental shelf and on deformation of the arc and forearc as this occurs. We suggest that arc-continent collision in Taiwan actually develops as arc-prism-continent collision.

New Genotypes of Orientia tsutsugamushi Isolated from Humans in Eastern Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lin, Chin-Hui; Chen, Tren-Yi; Chen, Li-Kuang

2012-01-01

Scrub typhus, an acute febrile illness, is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. In our study, O. tsutsugamushi was rapidly detected and typed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 56-kDa type-specific antigen (TSA) gene. To investigate the genotypes of clinical variants of O. tsutsugamushi, we collected 3223 blood samples from eastern Taiwanese patients with suspected scrub typhus from 2002 to 2008. In total, 505 samples were found to be positive for scrub typhus infection by PCR, and bacteria were isolated from 282 of them. Four prototype genotype strains (Karp, Kato, Kawasaki and Gilliam) and eleven different Taiwanese genotype isolates (Taiwan-A, -B, -C, -D, -E, -G, -H, -J, -N, -O and -P) were identified by RPLF analysis. Taiwan-H, the major genotype in eastern Taiwan, exhibited prevalence and isolation rates of 47.3% (239/505) and 42.6% (120/282), respectively. We also assessed the genetic relatedness of the 56-kDa TSA gene among eight Taiwan-H isolates, thirteen other Taiwanese isolates and 104 DNA sequences deposited in the GenBank database using MEGA version 5.0 and PHYLIP version 3.66. We found that the Taiwan-H isolates formed into a new cluster, which was designated the Taiwan Gilliam-variant (TG-v) cluster to distinguish it from the Japanese Gilliam-variant (JG-v) cluster. According to Simplot analysis, TG-v is a new recombinant strain among Gilliam, Ikeda and Kato. Moreover, the Gilliam-Kawasaki cluster had the highest percentage of RFLP cases and was the most frequently isolated type in eastern Taiwan (50.1%, 253/505; 44.0%, 124/282). These findings shed light on the genetic evolution of O. tsutsugamushi into different strains and may be useful in vaccine development and epidemic disease control in the future. PMID:23071693

[Japanese who affected modern medicine in Taiwan: obstetrics and gynecology].

PubMed

Wang, Ming-Tung

2009-12-01

This text describes the leaders who established the modem obstetrics and gynecology for Taiwan. during the Japan-colonizing period (1895-1945). These leaders are Mr. Kawasoye, M., Mr. Mukae K., and Mr. Magara M. The lives of these leaders were different, but they all strongly contributed to the development of modem obstetrics and gynecology in Taiwan. With regard to the passage of time, Mr. Kawasoye contributed the initial efforts, Mr. Mukae worked during the flourishing period of the clinic; and Mr. Magara worked during the mature period, emphasizing research. These three periods are closely correlated with the course of the development of modem obstetrics and gynecology in Taiwan.

Education of biomedical engineering in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Kang-Ping; Kao, Tsair; Wang, Jia-Jung; Chen, Mei-Jung; Su, Fong-Chin

2014-01-01

Biomedical Engineers (BME) play an important role in medical and healthcare society. Well educational programs are important to support the healthcare systems including hospitals, long term care organizations, manufacture industries of medical devices/instrumentations/systems, and sales/services companies of medical devices/instrumentations/system. In past 30 more years, biomedical engineering society has accumulated thousands people hold a biomedical engineering degree, and work as a biomedical engineer in Taiwan. Most of BME students can be trained in biomedical engineering departments with at least one of specialties in bioelectronics, bio-information, biomaterials or biomechanics. Students are required to have internship trainings in related institutions out of campus for 320 hours before graduating. Almost all the biomedical engineering departments are certified by IEET (Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan), and met the IEET requirement in which required mathematics and fundamental engineering courses. For BMEs after graduation, Taiwanese Society of Biomedical Engineering (TSBME) provides many continue-learning programs and certificates for all members who expect to hold the certification as a professional credit in his working place. In current status, many engineering departments in university are continuously asked to provide joint programs with BME department to train much better quality students. BME is one of growing fields in Taiwan.

Operations: A Comparative Study of the United States and Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Cheng-Yao; Becker, Jerry; Byun, Mi-Ran; Yang, Der-Ching; Huang, Tsai-Wei

2013-01-01

This study examined (a) the differences in preservice teachers’ procedural knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, (b) the differences in preservice teachers’ conceptual knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, and (c) correlation in preservice teachers’ conceptual…

Comparison of electrocardiographic findings and associated risk factors between Taiwan Chinese and US White adults.

PubMed

Wu, Chih-Cheng; Yeh, Wen-Ting; Crow, Richard S; Bai, Chyi-Huey; Pan, Wen-Harn

2008-08-18

Electrocardiographic (ECG) findings are known to differ by race, however, systematic comparisons of findings between eastern and western countries are rare. To compare the ECG findings and associated coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors between Taiwan Chinese and US White adults aged >or=40 years. We compared the prevalence rate of Minnesota Code criteria based ECG findings and associated CHD risk factors by using data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT, 1993-1996). Examining all the ECG findings collectively, we observed a higher prevalence of major Minnesota Code findings in Taiwan Chinese women than in US White women (15.0% vs. 10.5%), particularly ST segment depression (5.4% vs. 2.4%) and T wave abnormalities (10.8% vs. 4.8%). The prevalence of major Minnesota Code findings was similar in both Taiwan Chinese and US White men (22.7% vs. 19.6%). Taiwan Chinese men had a higher prevalence of ST segment elevation (13.7% vs. 0.9%). Taiwan Chinese also had a higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy with repolarization change than US Whites in both sexes (2.7% vs. 1.4% for men, 4.3% vs. 1.3% for women). Taiwan Chinese had more favorable CHD risk factor profiles than US Whites, including lipid profile, obesity, central obesity, and smoking status. The prevalence of hypertension was similar between the two groups, however, a lower percentage of Taiwan Chinese received treatment. Taiwan Chinese men had a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus than US White men, whereas Taiwan Chinese women had a higher prevalence than US White women. These results suggest that substantial differences in ECG findings exist between Taiwan Chinese and US Whites which cannot be entirely explained by CHD risk factors alone.

A numerical study of the acid rain in northern Taiwan in winter season

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Ching-Sen; Deng, Zen-Sing

1996-12-31

Two-thirds of the land mass of Taiwan island is covered by mountains. In winter precipitation could occur in northern Taiwan when the prevailing wind was from northeastern direction. In northern Taiwan the acid rain (pH value less than 5.0) in winter time could contribute about 30 rain in the whole year. A three-dimensional numerical model with terrain following coordinated system was used to simulate the precipitation system and the characteristics of acid rain. A smooth terrain was assumed in the model. A mean sounding was used to initialize the numerical model when acid rain occurred in northern Taiwan during wintermore » time from 1991 to 1993. Investigations of the effect of pollutions from abroad on the acid rain in northern Taiwan in winter are considered for the future.« less

A Comprehensive View Of Taiwan Orogeny From TAIGER Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, F. T.; Kuochen, H.; McIntosh, K. D.; Okaya, D. A.; Lavier, L. L.

2012-12-01

Arc-continent collision is one of the basic mechanisms for building continental masses. Taiwan is young and very active. Based on known geology a multi-disciplinary geophysical experiment was designed to image the orogeny in action. Logistics for R/V Langseth, OBS and PASSCAL instruments was complex; nevertheless the field works were completed within the project period. The resulting dataset allows us to map the structures of the shallow crust and the upper mantle. The amount of data gathered is large; some key observations and current interpretations are: (I) Observation: Crustal roots on both Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates, with a high velocity rise in between. Interpretation: Deformation throughout lithosphere on both sides of the initial suture; shortening of lithosphere near plate boundary produce high velocity rise. (II) Observation: Upper mantle high velocity anomaly coincides with a steep east-dippping Wadati-Benioff seismicity in southern Taiwan; the anomaly continues part of the way to central Taiwan but it is aseismic; under northern Taiwan the anomaly is very weak and disorganized. Interpretation: Active subduction in the south (up to 22.8°N) and may be eclogitization in the lower crust and delamination in central Taiwan. (III) Observation: Low Vp/Vs, low resistivity in the core of Central Range. Interp: dry, felsic rocks at relatively high temper (up to 750OC). (IV) Obs: Strong SKS splitting (~2 sec) with trend-parallel fast axis. Interp: Shearing throughout uppermost mantle. Preliminary 2-D geodynamic modeling produces the primary observed features from simple initial model of an arc impinging on continental margin.

Stress tensor analysis in the Taiwan area from focal mechanisms of earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yih-Hsiung, Yeh; Eric, Barrier; Cheng-Horng Lin; Jacques, Angelier

1991-12-01

We produce a map of the stress pattern in and around Taiwan based on 200 earthquake focal mechanism solutions. These solutions were determined by using data from Taiwan Telemetered Seismographic Network, microearthquake surveys and WWSSN. The stresses are derived through a minimization of angles between the slip vector and the shear stress on each nodal plane considered as a fault, employing appropriate weighting factors. The whole set of focal mechanisms is divided into several groups, mainly according to apparent clustering of the event locations. The results show that the direction of maximum principal stress in Taiwan area is nearly horizontal and SE-NW on average. This is in good agreement with the direction of relative motion between the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate. In western Taiwan, the fan-shaped distribution of the maximum principal stress is consistent with the direction of Philippine Sea-Eurasian plate convergence through a simple model of viscous material indented by a rigid wedge. In the northeastern part of Taiwan, a nearly horizontal minimum principal stress oriented N-S is found for shallow depths; it occurs in a region of low seismic velocities, probably related to the back-arc activity of the Okinawa Trough. Down-dip compressional and down-dip extensional stresses have been identified in different depth ranges within the subducting slab of the Philippine Sea plate in the northern Taiwan; this may reflect the slab characteristics in this area. A complex stress pattern prevails in the Hualien area, at the junction between the Ryukyu subduction system and the Taiwan collision zone.

78 FR 72629 - Certain Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From Taiwan: Rescission of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-03

... Brightening Agents From Taiwan: Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2011-2013 AGENCY... the antidumping duty order on certain stilbenic optical brightening agents (OBAs) from Taiwan for the... antidumping duty order on OBAs from Taiwan for the period of review November 3, 2011, through April 30, 2013...

The impact of the cigarette market opening in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wen, C; Cheng, T; Eriksen, M; Tsai, S; Hsu, C

2005-01-01

Objective: To assess the effect of the opening of the Taiwanese cigarette market on cigarette consumption, changes in market share, and the effects on tobacco control efforts. Methods: With the use of key word "Taiwan", the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library of the University of California, San Francisco, was searched for internal documents related to smuggling activities, promotion of light cigarettes, and market share analyses in Taiwan. Age adjusted smoking rates and cigarette and betel quid consumption before and after market opening were compared. Results: By 2000, the market share of imported cigarettes increased from less than 2% in 1986 to nearly 50%, and per capita cigarette consumption increased 15% following market opening. Because of the sharp increase in smuggling, with contraband cigarettes being as popular as legal imports, and the rapid proliferation of retail outlets, such as betel quid stalls, the market penetration by foreign tobacco companies was greater in Taiwan than among the other Super 301 Asian countries. Aggressive cigarette marketing strategies were associated with a 6% increase in adult male smoking prevalence, and with a 13% increase in the youth rate, within three years after market opening. The market opening also had an incidental effect on increasing the popularity of betel quid. Betel quid chewing has since become a major public health problem in Taiwan. Conclusion: The opening of the cigarette market in 1987 had a long lasting impact on Taiwan. It increased smoking prevalence and the market has become dominated by foreign companies. The seriousness of smuggling and its associated loss of revenue by the government, the extent of increased youth smoking and its associated future health care costs, and the increased use of betel quid and the associated doubling of oral cancer mortality rates each pose significant problems to Taiwan. However, the market opening galvanised anti-smoking sentiment and forced the government to initiate and

The impact of the cigarette market opening in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wen, C P; Cheng, T Y; Eriksen, M P; Tsai, S P; Hsu, C C

2005-06-01

To assess the effect of the opening of the Taiwanese cigarette market on cigarette consumption, changes in market share, and the effects on tobacco control efforts. With the use of key word "Taiwan", the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library of the University of California, San Francisco, was searched for internal documents related to smuggling activities, promotion of light cigarettes, and market share analyses in Taiwan. Age adjusted smoking rates and cigarette and betel quid consumption before and after market opening were compared. By 2000, the market share of imported cigarettes increased from less than 2% in 1986 to nearly 50%, and per capita cigarette consumption increased 15% following market opening. Because of the sharp increase in smuggling, with contraband cigarettes being as popular as legal imports, and the rapid proliferation of retail outlets, such as betel quid stalls, the market penetration by foreign tobacco companies was greater in Taiwan than among the other Super 301 Asian countries. Aggressive cigarette marketing strategies were associated with a 6% increase in adult male smoking prevalence, and with a 13% increase in the youth rate, within three years after market opening. The market opening also had an incidental effect on increasing the popularity of betel quid. Betel quid chewing has since become a major public health problem in Taiwan. The opening of the cigarette market in 1987 had a long lasting impact on Taiwan. It increased smoking prevalence and the market has become dominated by foreign companies. The seriousness of smuggling and its associated loss of revenue by the government, the extent of increased youth smoking and its associated future health care costs, and the increased use of betel quid and the associated doubling of oral cancer mortality rates each pose significant problems to Taiwan. However, the market opening galvanised anti-smoking sentiment and forced the government to initiate and intensify a series of tobacco control

Establishment of Vespa bicolor in Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

PubMed

Sung, I-Hsin; Lu, Sheng-Shan; Chao, Jung-Tai; Yeh, Wen-Chi; Lee, Wei-Jie

2014-01-01

The establishment of a hornet, Vespa bicolor F., in Taiwan was confirmed based on successful field collection of adults of both sexes and two subterranean colonies. Information on nesting habitat, nest measurement, and colony composition of this species are provided in this article. V. bicolor is the ninth hornet species ever recorded from Taiwan. Possible pathway for the introduction of this alien species is also discussed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

Negotiating for Change: Women's Movements and Education Reform in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Shu-Ching

2011-01-01

The dramatic changes during the past 20 years in Taiwan offer a good example of how gender policy in education is facilitated by a combination of interrelated economic, political and social forces. Taiwan's policy on gender education emerged from the interaction of state, education, academic and non-academic feminist positions in reforms. This…

Watershed management for disaster mitigation and sustainable development in Taiwan

Treesearch

J. D. Cheng; H. K. Hsu; Way Jane Ho; T. C. Chen

2000-01-01

Heavy torrential rains during the typhoon season, steep topography, young and weak geologic formations, erodible soils and improper land uses are factors contributing to disasters associated with erosion, landslides, debris flows, and floods in Taiwan. With steady public and government support over the past 5 decades, Taiwan's watershed management program in which...

Climate variability of heat wave and projection of warming scenario in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, C. Y.; Chien, Y. Y.; Su, C. J.

2017-12-01

This study examined the climate variability of heat wave (HW) according to air temperature and relative humidity to determine trends of variation and stress threshold in three major cities of Taiwan, Taipei (TP), Taichung (TC) and Kaohsiung (KH), during in the past four decades (1971-2010). According to data available, the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) heat stress for the three studied cities was also calculated for the past (2003-2012) and simulated under the projected warming scenario for the end of this century (2075-2099) using ECHAM5/MPIOM-WRF (ECW) dynamic downscaling 5-km resolution Analysis showed that past decade (2001-2010) saw increase not only in number of HW days in all three cities but also the duration of each HW event in TP and KH. Simulation results revealed that ECW captures well the characteristics of data distribution in these three cities during 2003-2012. Under the A1B projection, ECW yielded higher WBGT in all three cities for 2075-2099. The WBGT in TP indicated that the heat stress for 50% of the days in July and August by 2075-2099 will be at danger level (WBGT ³ 31 °C). Even the median WBGT in TC and KH (30.91°C and 30.88°C, respectively), are close to 31°C. Hence, the heat stress in all three cities will either exceed or approach the danger level by the end of this century. Such projection under the global warming trend would necessitate adaptation and mitigation, and the huge impact of dangerous heat stress on public health merits urgent attention for Taiwan.

Comparison of the landslide susceptibility models in Taipei Water Source Domain, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WU, C. Y.; Yeh, Y. C.; Chou, T. H.

2017-12-01

Taipei Water Source Domain, locating at the southeast of Taipei Metropolis, is the main source of water resource in this region. Recently, the downstream turbidity often soared significantly during the typhoon period because of the upstream landslides. The landslide susceptibilities should be analysed to assess the influence zones caused by different rainfall events, and to ensure the abilities of this domain to serve enough and quality water resource. Generally, the landslide susceptibility models can be established based on either a long-term landslide inventory or a specified landslide event. Sometimes, there is no long-term landslide inventory in some areas. Thus, the event-based landslide susceptibility models are established widely. However, the inventory-based and event-based landslide susceptibility models may result in dissimilar susceptibility maps in the same area. So the purposes of this study were to compare the landslide susceptibility maps derived from the inventory-based and event-based models, and to interpret how to select a representative event to be included in the susceptibility model. The landslide inventory from Typhoon Tim in July, 1994 and Typhoon Soudelor in August, 2015 was collected, and used to establish the inventory-based landslide susceptibility model. The landslides caused by Typhoon Nari and rainfall data were used to establish the event-based model. The results indicated the high susceptibility slope-units were located at middle upstream Nan-Shih Stream basin.

An intensive effort to reduce fertility in Taoyuan County, Taiwan: 1973 intermediate report.

PubMed

Sun, T H

1974-08-01

From 1951 to 1973, the crude birthrate in Taiwan declined more than 50%; there is still work to be done to reduce the annual growth rate to less than 1%. This reduction was due to a change in the age composition of the population, an increase in the age at marriage, and reduced marital fertility (contraception and induced abortion). Further reductions will rely mainly on further reductions in marital fertility. An intensive family planning program, reaching 60% of eligible couples and concentrating on the pill, loop, and condom methods, has been active since 1964. Fertility will decline when the ideal family size lowers and when son preference is eliminated. 2 high fertility counties, Taipei and Taoyuan, were selected for intensified activity in 1972. Imp roved activities included: 1) systematic home visits and use of a control card system, 2) strengthened supervision of workers, 3) improved training and publicity programs, 4) use of incentives for loop referrals, and 5) encouragement of word-of-mouth publicity by satisfied contraceptors. Schedules and targets were met or exceeded. The long-range results cannot be measured yet. Reasons for the greater success of the project in Taoyuan than in Taipei are examined. Lessons learned from the project are enumerated. It can be seen that intensive local government operations can be successful, particularly when more and better paid workers are used.

Comparison of illegal drug use pattern in Taiwan and Korea from 2006 to 2014.

PubMed

Feng, Ling-Yi; Yu, Wen-Jing; Chang, Wei-Ting; Han, Eunyoung; Chung, Heesun; Li, Jih-Heng

2016-09-23

Illegal drug use has long been a global concern. Taiwan and Korea are geographically adjacent and both countries have experienced the illegal use problems of methamphetamine, a predominant prototype of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). NPS, a term coined by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in recent years, have not been scrutinized for their safety and may become a new threat to public health and security worldwide. To conduct evidence-based drug policy, it is imperative to estimate the trend and pattern of illegal drug use. Therefore, this study aims to analyze and compare the current status of drug-related seizures, arrests and illegal drug use, with a focus on methamphetamine and NPS, between Taiwan and Korea. Data of illegal drug (including NPS)-related seizures and arrests were collected via anti-drug related agencies of both countries from 2006 through 2014.Since listing of NPS as controlled substances was a result of NPS abuse liability through official evaluation, the items of controlled NPS were used as an indicator of emerging use. These data obtained from Taiwan and Korea was then compared. The results showed that while methamphetamine remained as a predominant drug in both Taiwan and Korea for decades, different illegal drug use patterns have been observed in these two countries. In Taiwan, the major illegal drugs were methamphetamine, heroin, and ketamine, whereas in Korea those were methamphetamine and cannabis. By comparison of per capita illicit drug seizures, the illegal drug use situation in Taiwan was at a higher stake than that in Korea. In terms of NPS use, ketamine has been a major drug in Taiwan, but it was seldom found in Korea. Besides ketamine, the major type of NPS was synthetic cathinones in Taiwan whereas it was synthetic cannabinoids and phenethylamines in Korea. The difference in the numbers of controlled NPS items between Taiwan (23) and Korea (93) may be due to the implementation of temporary control on NPS in

Legionella prevalence in wastewater treatment plants of Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, S W; Hsu, B M; Ma, P H; Chien, K T

2009-01-01

Legionella is a bacterium that is ubiquitous in natural and artificial aquatic environments. Some species of Legionella are recognized as opportunistic potential human pathogens. We investigated the distribution of Legionella at seventeen WWTPs throughout Taiwan. Legionella were detected in 10 of the 17 WWTPs (58.8%) and 25 of 41 samples (61.0%). In the integrated, hospital, industrial and domestic wastewater systems were 13/18 (72.2%), 7/12 (58.3%), 2/7 (28.6%) and 3/4 (75.0%) of the samples were positive for Legionella, respectively. The most frequently encountered species were L. donaldsonii and uncultured L. spp., which were both found in 10 samples (24.4% of all samples), then followed by L. lytica (4.9%) and L. pneumophila (4.9%). L. anisa was detected in one sample (2.4%). The results of this survey confirm that Legionella are ubiquitous in WWTPs in Taiwan. Therefore, long-term investigations should be conducted to evaluate the overall occurrence of Legionella in WWTPs in Taiwan.

Temporal trend and nationwide utility for hysterectomies in Taiwan, 1997-2010.

PubMed

Huang, Wei-Yi; Huang, Kuo-How; Chang, Wen-Chun; Wu, Shiao-Chi

2016-10-01

This study investigates the nationwide utilization and temporal trend of hysterectomies in Taiwan. The present study used the National Health Insurance Research Database that included claims of nearly the entire population in Taiwan since the inception of the National Health Insurance program in 1995. We analyzed age-adjusted rates of hysterectomies in Taiwan from 1997 through to 2010 and compared with the rates in 16 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. We also examined the utilization of various types of hysterectomies in Taiwan during this period. There was a cross-country variation in the age-standardized rate of hysterectomy: 105 per 100,000 females in Spain, 156 per 100,000 females in Taiwan, 179 per 100,000 females in 16 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and 325 per 100,000 females in the United States in 2008. The trend of the age-standardized rate of hysterectomy in Taiwan declined from 222.3 per 100,000 women in 1998 to 145.2 per 100,000 women in 2010. The most common type of hysterectomy during this period was total abdominal hysterectomy (51.2%). Subtotal hysterectomies increased by 117% (r 2 =0.89; p<0.01), from 672 in 1997 to 1458 in 2010; however, total hysterectomies decreased by 3.5% (r 2 =0.43; p=0.01), from 20,966 in 1997 to 20,230 in 2010. Laparoscopically assisted procedures (laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy and laparoscopic hysterectomy) increased 4.98-fold (r 2 =0.23; p=0.09), from 1453 in 1997 to 8684 in 2010. By contrast, the proportion of conventional open hysterectomies (total abdominal hysterectomy, and subtotal or supracervical abdominal hysterectomy) decreased by 36.5% (r 2 =0.59; p<0.01), from 17,327 in 1997 to 10,994 in 2010. The proportion of vaginal hysterectomies decreased by 29.7% (r 2 =0.72; p<0.01), from 2858 in 1997 to 2010 in 2010. As in most Western countries, hysterectomy rates in Taiwan declined by year. There was a marked shift in the types of

Introgression between cultivars and wild populations of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liao, Pei-Chun; Tsai, Chi-Chu; Chou, Chang-Hung; Chiang, Yu-Chung

2012-01-01

The landrace strains of Momordica charantia are widely cultivated vegetables throughout the tropics and subtropics, but not in Taiwan, a continental island in Southeast Asia, until a few hundred years ago. In contrast, the related wild populations with smaller fruit sizes are native to Taiwan. Because of the introduction of cultivars for agricultural purposes, these two accessions currently exhibit a sympatric or parapatric distribution in Taiwan. In this study, the cultivars and wild samples from Taiwan, India, and Korea were collected for testing of their hybridization and evolutionary patterns. The cpDNA marker showed a clear distinction between accessions of cultivars and wild populations of Taiwan and a long divergence time. In contrast, an analysis of eight selectively neutral nuclear microsatellite loci did not reveal a difference between the genetic structures of these two accessions. A relatively short divergence time and frequent but asymmetric gene flows were estimated based on the isolation-with-migration model. Historical and current introgression from cultivars to wild populations of Taiwan was also inferred using MIGRATE-n and BayesAss analyses. Our results showed that these two accessions shared abundant common ancestral polymorphisms, and the timing of the divergence and colonization of the Taiwanese wild populations is consistent with the geohistory of the Taiwan Strait land bridge of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Long-term and recurrent introgression between accessions indicated the asymmetric capacity to receive foreign genes from other accessions. The modern introduction of cultivars of M. charantia during the colonization of Taiwan by the Han Chinese ethnic group enhanced the rate of gene replacement in the native populations and resulted in the loss of native genes.

Introgression Between Cultivars and Wild Populations of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Liao, Pei-Chun; Tsai, Chi-Chu; Chou, Chang-Hung; Chiang, Yu-Chung

2012-01-01

The landrace strains of Momordica charantia are widely cultivated vegetables throughout the tropics and subtropics, but not in Taiwan, a continental island in Southeast Asia, until a few hundred years ago. In contrast, the related wild populations with smaller fruit sizes are native to Taiwan. Because of the introduction of cultivars for agricultural purposes, these two accessions currently exhibit a sympatric or parapatric distribution in Taiwan. In this study, the cultivars and wild samples from Taiwan, India, and Korea were collected for testing of their hybridization and evolutionary patterns. The cpDNA marker showed a clear distinction between accessions of cultivars and wild populations of Taiwan and a long divergence time. In contrast, an analysis of eight selectively neutral nuclear microsatellite loci did not reveal a difference between the genetic structures of these two accessions. A relatively short divergence time and frequent but asymmetric gene flows were estimated based on the isolation-with-migration model. Historical and current introgression from cultivars to wild populations of Taiwan was also inferred using MIGRATE-n and BayesAss analyses. Our results showed that these two accessions shared abundant common ancestral polymorphisms, and the timing of the divergence and colonization of the Taiwanese wild populations is consistent with the geohistory of the Taiwan Strait land bridge of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Long-term and recurrent introgression between accessions indicated the asymmetric capacity to receive foreign genes from other accessions. The modern introduction of cultivars of M. charantia during the colonization of Taiwan by the Han Chinese ethnic group enhanced the rate of gene replacement in the native populations and resulted in the loss of native genes. PMID:22754378

The Formation of Gender Education Policies in Taiwan, 1995-1999

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao-Chin, Hsieh; Shu-Ching, Lee

2014-01-01

This article discusses the formation of gender equity education policies in Taiwan between 1995 and 1999. The first part of the article presents a general description of Taiwan's women's movement, the education reform movement, and the development of women's/gender studies after the lifting of martial law in 1987. The second part of the article…

Social Context, Parental Exogamy and Hakka Language Retention in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jan, Jie-Sheng; Kuan, Ping-Yin; Lomeli, Arlett

2016-01-01

The Hakka people, the largest ethno-linguistic minority group in Taiwan, have found their ethnic language retention diminishing. Using the data collected by the Taiwan Education Panel Survey and Beyond in 2010, we are the first to study its reason for decrease. Results indicate that out-marriage amongst Hakka people and losing ethnic concentration…

Overview of Taiwan's indigenous ethnopharmacology in the perspective of traditional knowledge protection.

PubMed

Guo, Jing-jing; Pan, Wei; Chen, Mei-wan; Wang, Chun-ming; Wang, Yi-tao

2015-12-01

Ethnopharmacology, the study of ethnic use of drugs, opens up the crucial gateway to understanding and promoting traditional medicine in the new age. Taiwan is a unique region where traditional medicine and herbal therapeutics have been benefiting its people of multiple races for centuries. This article overviews Taiwan's indigenous traditional medicine and the emerging status of ethnopharmacology study, and outlines the global scenario of the inheritance and development of traditional medicine. In such a scope of knowledge protection, this article particularly highlights the challenges with bioprospecting and biopiracy, and summarizes the current measures for protection of traditional knowledge in Taiwan. Finally, based upon these analyses, we propose rational strategies for promoting Taiwan's ethnopharmacology, from multiple angles of resource, economy, policy and law. We conclude that four measures, namely (1) protecting the natural environment of biodiversity, (2) avoiding unnecessary conflicts caused by bioprospecting and biopiracy, (3) strengthening the international collaboration, and (4) upgrading the legal system of traditional intelligence, would be the right paths for Taiwan to protect its invaluable heritage of traditional medicine and the knowledge of ethnopharmacology therein.

On summer stratification and tidal mixing in the Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jia; Hu, Jianyu; Liu, Zhiyu

2013-06-01

On continental shelves, a front that separates the sea into well-mixed and stratified zones is usually formed in warm seasons due to spatial variations of tidal mixing. In this paper, using eight years of in situ hydrographic observations, satellite images of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll- a (Chl- a) concentration, and results of a tidal model, we investigate summer stratification in the Taiwan Strait and its dependence on tidal mixing, upwelling, and river diluted water plumes. In most regions of the strait the dominant role of tidal mixing in determining the thermohaline structure is confirmed by the correlation between the two; there are some regions, however, where thermohaline structure varies in different ways owing to significant influences of upwelling and river diluted water plumes. The well-mixed regions are mainly distributed on the Taiwan Bank and in the offshore regions off the Dongshan Island, Nanao Island, and Pingtan Island, while the northern and central Taiwan Strait and the region south of the Taiwan Bank are stratified. The critical Simpson-Hunter parameter for the region is estimated to be 1.78.

Aboriginal fractions: enumerating identity in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liu, Jennifer A

2012-01-01

Notions of identity in Taiwan are configured in relation to numbers. I examine the polyvalent capacities of enumerative technologies in both the production of ethnic identities and claims to political representation and justice. By critically historicizing the manner in which Aborigines in Taiwan have been, and continue to be, constructed as objects and subjects of scientific knowledge production through technologies of measuring, I examine the genetic claim made by some Taiwanese to be "fractionally" Aboriginal. Numbers and techniques of measuring are used ostensibly to know the Aborigines, but they are also used to construct a genetically unique Taiwanese identity and to incorporate the Aborigines within projects of democratic governance. Technologies of enumeration thus serve within multiple, and sometimes contradictory, projects of representation and knowledge production.

Perceptions of Clostridium difficile infections among infection control professionals in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hung, Yuan-Pin; Lee, Jen-Chieh; Lin, Hsiao-Ju; Chiu, Chun-Wei; Wu, Jia-Ling; Liu, Hsiao-Chieh; Huang, I-Hsiu; Tsai, Pei-Jane; Ko, Wen-Chien

2017-08-01

High Clostridium difficile colonization and infection rates among hospitalized patients had been noted in Taiwan. Nevertheless, the cognition about clinical diagnosis and management of CDI among infection control professionals in Taiwan is not clear. A 24-item survey questionnaire about the diagnosis, therapy, or infection control policies toward CDI was distributed in the annual meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of Taiwan (IDST) in October 2015 and Infectious Control Society of Taiwan (ICST) in April 2016. Totally 441 individuals responded to the survey, and 280 (63.5%) participants would routinely monitor the prevalence of CDI and 347 (78.7%) reported the formulation of infection control policies of CDI in their hospital, including contact precaution (75.7%), wearing gloves (88.9%) or dressing (80.0%) at patient care, single room isolation (49.7%), preference of soap or disinfectant-based sanitizer (83.2%) and avoidance of alcohol-based sanitizer (63.3%), and environmental disinfection with 1000 ppm bleach (87.1%). For the timing of contact precaution discontinuation isolation for CDI patients, most (39.9%) participants suggested the time point of the absence of C. difficile toxin in feces. To treat mild CDI, most (61.9%) participants preferred oral metronidazole, and for severe CDI 26.1% would prescribe oral vancomycin as the drug of choice. There were substantial gaps in infection control polices and therapeutic choices for CDI between international guidelines and the perceptions of medical professionals in Taiwan. Professional education program and the setup of guideline for CDI should be considered in Taiwan. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Crustal gravitational potential energy change at the convergent plate boundary near Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, C.; Hsu, S.

2003-12-01

The Taiwan orogen has formed due to the convergence between the Philippine Sea plate and Eurasian plate. Numerous earthquakes are occurring along the active convergent plate boundary in eastern Taiwan. To the northeast, the Philippine Sea plates is subducting northwards beneath the Ryukyu Arc. To the south, the Eurasian plate is subducting eastwards beneath the Luzon Arc. The plate interaction has caused crustal deformation and produced earthquakes. The earthquakes have caused radial permanent displacement of the crust and have altered the crustal gravitational potential energy. Here we use the earthquake source mechanisms, determined by the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATs) from 1995 to 2003, to calculate the crustal gravitational potential energy (GPE) change and discuss their tectonic implication along the convergent plate boundary. In Ilan Plain, the westernmost Okinawa Trough, it shows a crustal GPE loss. It is related to the crustal subsidence because of the backarc extension of the Okinawa Trough. In contrast, due to the Philippine Sea plate subucting northwards beneath Eurasian Plate, the Ryukyu convergent boundary shows systematic crustal GPE gain. Near Taiwan, the crustal GPE change is gained, indicating the collisional convergence of the Luzon Arc. To the south of Taiwan, along the Luzon Arc the crustal GPE is also gain, representing the initial uplifting of the Taiwan mountain belt.

Internet Service Cognition and Use, and Their Promotion of Quality of Life in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Te-Hsin

2011-01-01

The "e-Taiwan Program" implemented by Taiwan government is aimed at showing the e-advantage in people's life and bring about essential benefits. This research follows the e-Life indicators of the Quality of Life measurement system developed by "e-Taiwan Program", which including four major dimensions of e-Daily Life,…

A Taiwan Study Abroad Program on Aging, Culture, and Healthcare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Su-I

2018-01-01

This article introduces a Taiwan Study Abroad program on aging, culture, and healthcare. The program is a short-term academic summer program (6 credits) to bring U.S. students to Taiwan. During 2011 ~ 2015, a total of four groups including over 54 students and faculty members participated. This program partnered with multiple universities,…

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use, expenditure, and outcomes in taiwan from 2000 to 2010.

PubMed

Hsu, Chiao-Po; Lee, Wui-Chiang; Wei, Hsiu-Mei; Sung, Shih-Hsien; Huang, Chun-Yang; Shih, Chun-Che; Lu, Tse-Min

2015-01-01

No study to date has systematically examined use, expenditure, and outcomes associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to examine ECMO use, expenditure, and outcomes during an 11-year period in Taiwan. Claims data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for patients who received ≥1 ECMO treatment between January 2000 and December 2010. Measurements included demographics, indications for ECMO use, length of hospital stay, outcome, and expenditure. A total of 3969 patients received ECMO during the study period (median age: 54.6 years). The number of patients receiving ECMO increased from 52 in 2000 to 1045 in 2010. The major indication for ECMO was cardiovascular disease (68.7%), followed by respiratory disease (17.9%). Median length of hospital stay was 13 days in 2000 and 17 days in 2010. Median expenditure (New Taiwan dollars) was $604 317 in 2000 and $673 888 in 2010. Some variables significantly differed by age, sex, hospital setting, calendar year, and indication for ECMO, and were associated with in-hospital and after-discharge mortality. ECMO use has increased dramatically in Taiwan over the last decade. The high mortality rate of ECMO users suggested that ECMO may be being used in Taiwan for situations in which it provides no added benefit. This situation may be a reflection of the current reimbursement criteria for National Health Insurance in Taiwan. Refinement of the indications for use of ECMO is suggested.

The continuous field measurements of soluble aerosol compositions at the Taipei Aerosol Supersite, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Shih-Yu; Lee, Chung-Te; Chou, Charles C.-K.; Liu, Shaw-Chen; Wen, Tian-Xue

The characteristics of ambient aerosols, affected by solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and gas-aerosol interaction, changed rapidly at different spatial and temporal scales. In Taipei Basin, dense traffic emissions and sufficient solar radiation for typical summer days favored the formation of secondary aerosols. In winter, the air quality in Taipei Basin was usually affected by the Asian continental outflows due to the long-range transport of pollutants carried by the winter monsoon. The conventional filter-based method needs a long time for collecting aerosols and analyzing compositions, which cannot provide high time-resolution data to investigate aerosol sources, atmospheric transformation processes, and health effects. In this work, the in situ ion chromatograph (IC) system was developed to provide 15-min time-resolution data of nine soluble inorganic species (Cl -, NO 2-, NO 3-, SO 42-, Na +, NH 4+, K +, Mg 2+ and Ca 2+). Over 89% of all particles larger than approximately 0.056 μm were collected by the in situ IC system. The in situ IC system is estimated to have a limit of detection lower than 0.3 μg m -3 for the various ambient ionic components. Depending on the hourly measurements, the pollutant events with high aerosol concentrations in Taipei Basin were associated with the local traffic emission in rush hour, the accumulation of pollutants in the stagnant atmosphere, the emission of industrial pollutants from the nearby factories, the photochemical secondary aerosol formation, and the long-range transport of pollutants from Asian outflows.

Infant Cancer in Taiwan: Incidence and Trends (1995-2009)

PubMed Central

Hung, Giun-Yi; Horng, Jiun-Lin; Yen, Hsiu-Ju; Lee, Chih-Ying

2015-01-01

Background Current information about cancer incidence patterns among infants in East Asia is rare. The objective of this study was to report the first population-based cancer surveillance of infants in Taiwan. Methods Cancer frequencies and incidence rates among subjects aged <1 year for the period 1995-2009 were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Types of cancers were grouped according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer. Rates and trends were analyzed by sex and disease groups and further compared with that of other countries. Results A total of 900 infants were diagnosed with cancers, giving an incidence rate of 250.7 per million person-years from 1995 to 2009. The male-to-female incidence rate ratio was 1.22. Overall, leukemias (56.3 per million) were the most common cancer, followed by germ cell neoplasms (43.2) and neuroblastomas (41.8). The incidence increased by 2.5% annually during the 15-year study period and was predominantly contributed by male infants (3.5%). Compared with other countries, the rate of hepatoblastoma in Taiwan was second to that from Beijing (China) and 2 to 5 times greater compared with the US, France, the North of England and Osaka (Japan). The rates of germ cell neoplasms were 2 to 4 times greater in Taiwan. Conclusions The current data suggests that cancer incidence rate among male infants was rising in Taiwan. The factors associated with higher rates of hepatoblastoma and germ cell neoplasms warrant further investigation on similar ethnic groups of different areas to elucidate the potential environmental impacts while controlling for race. PMID:26110595

Occupational Neurotoxic Diseases in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Liu, Chi-Hung; Huang, Chu-Yun

2012-01-01

Occupational neurotoxic diseases have become increasingly common in Taiwan due to industrialization. Over the past 40 years, Taiwan has transformed from an agricultural society to an industrial society. The most common neurotoxic diseases also changed from organophosphate poisoning to heavy metal intoxication, and then to organic solvent and semiconductor agent poisoning. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable to toxic agents because of its high metabolic rate. Neurological manifestations may be transient or permanent, and may range from cognitive dysfunction, cerebellar ataxia, Parkinsonism, sensorimotor neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction to neuromuscular junction disorders. This study attempts to provide a review of the major outbreaks of occupational neurotoxins from 1968 to 2012. A total of 16 occupational neurotoxins, including organophosphates, toxic gases, heavy metals, organic solvents, and other toxic chemicals, were reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles related to the electrophysiology, neuroimaging, treatment and long-term follow up of these neurotoxic diseases were also obtained. The heavy metals involved consisted of lead, manganese, organic tin, mercury, arsenic, and thallium. The organic solvents included n-hexane, toluene, mixed solvents and carbon disulfide. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide were also included, along with toxic chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, organophosphates, and dimethylamine borane. In addition we attempted to correlate these events to the timeline of industrial development in Taiwan. By researching this topic, the hope is that it may help other developing countries to improve industrial hygiene and promote occupational safety and health care during the process of industrialization. PMID:23251841

A trend analysis of ergonomic research themes in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Chih-Long

2015-01-01

This paper examines the development of ergonomics in Taiwan by analysing 1404 scientific articles published by 113 permanent members of the Ergonomics Society of Taiwan (EST). Each article was classified by key words and abstract content. Each article was also coded by period of publication (1971-1992 (first period), 1993-1997 (second period), 1998-2002 (third period), 2003-2007 (fourth period), and 2008-2012 (fifth period), and against 13 topic categories. The results show that rate of publication has increased by approximately 100 articles every five years since 1993.The most popular topic was ergonomics assessment and analysis techniques in the first period, force exertion-related research in the second period, product design and evaluation in the third period, occupational safety and health in the fourth period and human-computer interface in the fifth period. Each of these is highly relevant to current contemporary issues around the world. Finally, potential areas for future ergonomics research in Taiwan are discussed. This study investigates the trends in academic papers published by members of the EST. Over time, topics have shifted from ergonomics evaluation methods to occupational safety and health, and human–computer interaction. The findings should be considered as important references for planning the future of ergonomics in Taiwan.

Predictors of Burnout Among Nurses in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lee, Huan-Fang; Yen, Miaofen; Fetzer, Susan; Chien, Tsair Wei

2015-08-01

Nurse burnout is a crucial issue for health care professionals and impacts nurse turnover and nursing shortages. Individual and situational factors are related to nurse burnout with predictors of burnout differing among cultures and health care systems. The predictors of nurse burnout in Asia, particularly Taiwan, are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of burnout among a national sample of nurses in Taiwan. A secondary data analysis of a nationwide database investigated the predictors of burnout among 1,846 nurses in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analysis determined the relationship between predictors and burnout. Predictors of Taiwanese nurse burnout were age, physical/psychological symptoms, job satisfaction, work engagement, and work environment. The most significant predictors were physical/psychological symptoms and work engagement. The variables explained 35, 39, and 18 % of the emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization variance for 54 % of the total variance of burnout. Individual characteristics and nurse self-awareness, especially work, engagement can impact Taiwanese nurses' burnout. Nurse burnout predictors provide administrators with information to develop strategies including education programs and support services to reduce nurse burnout.

Historical overview of Taenia asiatica in Taiwan.

PubMed

Ooi, Hong Kean; Ho, Chau-Mei; Chung, Wen-Cheng

2013-02-01

An overview of the epidemiological, biological, and clinical studies of Taenia and taeniasis in Taiwan for the past century is presented. The phenomenal observations that led to the discovery of Taenia asiatica as a new species, which differ from Taenia solium and Taenia saginata, are described. Parasitological surveys of the aborigines in Taiwan revealed a high prevalence of taeniasis, which might be due to the culture of eating raw liver of hunted wild boars. Chemotherapeutic deworming trials involving many patients with taeniasis were discussed. Praziquantel was found to be very effective, but sometimes complete worms could not be recovered from the feces after treatment, probably due to the dissolution of the proglottids. Atabrine, despite some side effects, can still be used, in properly controlled dosages, as the drug of choice for human T. asiatica infection if we need to recover the expelled worms for morphological examinations. Research results on the infection of T. asiatica eggs from Taiwan aborigines in experimental animals were also noted. Since the pig serve as the natural intermediate host of T. asiatica and the predilection site is the liver, a differential comparison of other parasitic pathogens that might cause apparently similar lesions is also presented.

Fatal occupational injuries in Taiwan, 1994-2005.

PubMed

Ho, Shu-Chen; Wang, Li-Yu; Ho, Chi-Kung; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2010-04-01

This study examines the trends in rates of fatal occupational injuries in Taiwan by demographic group and occupation for 1994-2005. Data on deaths due to injuries at work from 1994 through 2005 were obtained from the Department of Health which is responsible for the death registration system in Taiwan. Employment data, which were used as the denominators of fatality rates in this study, were retrieved from the Directorate-General of Budget and Accounting Statistics 'Employment and Earnings' database. A Poisson regression model was used to examine the trends in rates of fatal occupational injuries in various occupations while controlling for demographic characteristics. Overall fatal occupational injury rates declined during the study period among all demographic groups and occupations. Adjusted annual changes in rates of fatal injuries ranged from a decrease of 13.6% a year in machine operators/related workers to a decrease of 35.9% in clerks. The annual decrement was faster for males than for females and for older workers compared to young workers. Despite declining rates, the number of fatal occupational injuries in Taiwan remains significant because of the growing work force. Future research should focus on the disparities in fatal injury trends.

Burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan: a survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Volunteers in Taiwan complement the delivery of health services by paid health professionals. However, in doing so, community health volunteers experience burdens associated with their activities. The reasons for these burdens and degree to which they are experienced are explored in this paper. Our study adds to international research regarding the burden experienced by volunteers. This project is the first to assess how community health volunteers in Taiwan experience burden. Methods The 20 item Burden on Community Health Volunteer (BCHV) instrument, specifically designed for this project, was administered to 435 volunteers attached to Community Health Promotion Development Centres in northern Taiwan. Results The overall burden experienced by volunteers is relatively low. However, a multivariate adjusted regression analysis revealed significant differences in volunteer burden depending on the number of people each volunteer served on average per week, as well as the volunteer’s marital status and their perceptions about personal health. Volunteers who served many people and who perceived their own health as poor experienced a higher level of burden. Those who were a widow or a widower felt less burdened than others. Conclusions The results of the study identify areas where burden is high and where strategies can be developed to reduce the level of burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan. Community health volunteers in Taiwan complement the role of nurses and other health care providers so their retention is important to ongoing service delivery. PMID:23687966

Genetic diversity and stock identification of small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) in Taiwan and Japan

PubMed Central

Hsu, Te-Hua; Gwo, Jin-Chywan

2017-01-01

Small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) is a commercially valuable species for both fisheries and aquaculture. The production of annual farmed small abalone in Taiwan, once the highest in the world, has dramatically decreased in the past 15 years, and currently, the industry is close to collapse. Understanding the genetic diversity of small abalone and developing stock identification methods will be useful for genetic breeding, restoring collapsed stocks, managing stocks, and preventing illegal trade. We investigated 307 cultured and wild individuals from Taiwan, Japan, and Bali Island (Indonesia) by using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Network analysis of mtDNA COI gene sequences revealed that the individuals collected from Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia could be identified, and showed significant genetic divergence. In addition, the Indonesian population (Haliotis diversicolor squamata) was significantly different from the other populations and might need to be considered a separate species. We discovered a single nucleotide polymorphism marker in the mtDNA COI gene that can be used to distinguish the Taiwan population from the Japan population. We also developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for rapid detection. Furthermore, we could identify the cultured stocks, wild population, and hybrid stocks by using 6 microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism. This study contributes useful tools for stock identification and the production of high-disease resistant small abalone strains (Japan × Taiwan or Taiwan × Japan). Efforts should be made to avoid unintentional random genetic mixing of the Taiwan population with the Japan population and subsequent breakdown of population differentiation, which impair local adaptation of the Taiwan wild population. Molecular markers revealed a split between the Taiwan and Japan populations, and the existence of a possible barrier to the free

Genetic diversity and stock identification of small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) in Taiwan and Japan.

PubMed

Hsu, Te-Hua; Gwo, Jin-Chywan

2017-01-01

Small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) is a commercially valuable species for both fisheries and aquaculture. The production of annual farmed small abalone in Taiwan, once the highest in the world, has dramatically decreased in the past 15 years, and currently, the industry is close to collapse. Understanding the genetic diversity of small abalone and developing stock identification methods will be useful for genetic breeding, restoring collapsed stocks, managing stocks, and preventing illegal trade. We investigated 307 cultured and wild individuals from Taiwan, Japan, and Bali Island (Indonesia) by using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Network analysis of mtDNA COI gene sequences revealed that the individuals collected from Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia could be identified, and showed significant genetic divergence. In addition, the Indonesian population (Haliotis diversicolor squamata) was significantly different from the other populations and might need to be considered a separate species. We discovered a single nucleotide polymorphism marker in the mtDNA COI gene that can be used to distinguish the Taiwan population from the Japan population. We also developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for rapid detection. Furthermore, we could identify the cultured stocks, wild population, and hybrid stocks by using 6 microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism. This study contributes useful tools for stock identification and the production of high-disease resistant small abalone strains (Japan × Taiwan or Taiwan × Japan). Efforts should be made to avoid unintentional random genetic mixing of the Taiwan population with the Japan population and subsequent breakdown of population differentiation, which impair local adaptation of the Taiwan wild population. Molecular markers revealed a split between the Taiwan and Japan populations, and the existence of a possible barrier to the free

78 FR 48651 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan; Preliminary Results of Antidumping...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan; Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2011... duty order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET Film) from Taiwan. The period of.... (SMTC) (collectively, Shinkong), producer and exporter of PET Film from Taiwan. The Department...

Species of the genus Euseius Wainstein (Acari: Phytoseiidae: Amblyseiinae) from Taiwan.

PubMed

Liao, Jhih-Rong; Ho, Chyi-Chen; Ko, Chiun-Cheng

2017-01-26

The six mite species of the genus Euseius Wainstein from Taiwan are reviewed, including E. ovalis (Evans), E. daluensis sp. nov., E. macaranga sp. nov., E. paraovalis sp. nov., and two species recorded for the first time in Taiwan, E. aizawai (Ehara & Bhandhufalck) and E. circellatus (Wu & Li). Measurements of these species and an identification key for adult females of the six Euseius species from Taiwan are provided.

Strategic planning of developing automatic optical inspection (AOI) technologies in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, K. C.; Hsu, C.

2005-01-01

In most domestic hi-tech industries in Taiwan, the automatic optical inspection (AOI) equipment is mostly imported. In view of the required specifications, AOI consists of the integration of mechanical-electrical-optical-information technologies. In the past two decades, traditional industries have lost their competitiveness due to the low profit rate. It is possible to promote a new AOI industry in Taiwan through the integration of its strong background in mechatronic technology in positioning stages with the optical image processing techniques. The market requirements are huge not only in domestic need but also in global need. This is the main reason to promote the AOI research for the coming years in Taiwan. Focused industrial applications will be in IC, PCB, LCD, communication, and MEMS parts. This paper will analyze the domestic and global AOI equipment market, summarize the necessary fish bone technology diagrams, survey the actual industrial needs, and propose the strategic plan to be promoted in Taiwan.

Seismogenic patterns in the Taiwan region: insights from source parameter inversion of BATS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Honn; Jian, Pei-Ru

2001-04-01

We systematically invert source parameters of 96 earthquakes that occurred in the Taiwan region between July 1995 and June 1998, using waveforms recorded by the newly established Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS). The results are utilized to delineate the seismogenic patterns associated with the regional tectonic processes between the Eurasia and Philippine Sea plates. In general, high seismicity is observed at five locations, including the Nan-ao basin (∼24°N, ∼122.4°E), near the Hualien area (∼24.2°N, ∼121.7°E), east of the Longitudinal Valley and within the Philippine Sea plate, the forearc region to the west of Lanshu, and the Okinawa trough. Events with focal depths less than 25 km scatter across a wide region from the Taiwan Strait to the Ryukyu and Luzon arcs, whereas events between 25 and 50 km concentrate offshore east of Taiwan. Most earthquakes that occurred beneath the Nan-ao basin are consistent with the northward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the plate interface. Events offshore east of the Longitudinal Valley and within the Philippine Sea plate are dominated by a compressional regime along the NW/NWW directions, whereas the Lanshu-Lutao forearc is characterized by E-W compression. Normal faults showing N-S extension are observed in the Okinawa trough where we observed a successive rotation of T-axes from N-S to NW-SE as the epicenters approach Taiwan, indicating a possible interaction between the extensional and compressional strain regimes there. Most events between 50 and 65 km depth within the subducted Philippine Sea plate beneath Ryukyu are in downdip extension with lateral compression approximately parallel to the strike of the slab. The depth where the state of strain switches from downdip extension to downdip compression is constrained at 110-125 km for the southernmost Ryukyu slab. Based on our results, we propose that the subducted Philippine Sea plate beneath NE Taiwan plays a significant role in

76 FR 47540 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-05

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review... on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET Film) from Taiwan. The [[Page 47541..., Shinkong), and Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Ltd. (Nan Ya), producers and exporters of PET Film from Taiwan...

75 FR 49902 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-16

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review... antidumping duty order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET Film) from Taiwan. This...), producers and exporters of PET Film from Taiwan. The Department preliminarily determines that sales of PET...

76 FR 18519 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Amended Final Results of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-04

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Review AGENCY: Import... duty administrative review of polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET Film) from Taiwan... amended (the Act). \\1\\ See Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of...

Nitrates in drinking water and risk of death from rectal cancer in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Hsin-Wei; Wu, Trong-Neng; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2007-10-01

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and rectal cancer development has been inconclusive. A matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between mortality attributed to rectal cancer and drinking-water nitrate exposure in Taiwan. All deaths due to rectal cancer of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair matched to the cancer cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for rectal cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 1.22 (0.98-1.52) and 1.36 (1.08-1.70), respectively. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of nitrates in drinking water in the etiology of rectal cancer in Taiwan.

Influencing Factors of the Body Mass Index of Elementary Students in Southern Taiwan.

PubMed

Chou, Li-Na; Chen, Min-Li

2017-02-23

The body mass index (BMI) of school children in Taiwan is markedly increasing. According to statistical data from the Taiwan Ministry of Education, the prevalence of obesity in school children from the southern part of the country is the highest in Taiwan. Thus, exploring the factors influencing BMI in elementary school children from southern Taiwan is crucial. This study investigated the influencing factors including physical activity levels, sedentary behaviors, dietary habits, and perceived body shape on the BMIs of elementary school children from southern Taiwan. A cross-sectional design was used, and the participants consisted of 3251 fifth-grade students (1628 boys, 50.1%; 1623 girls, 49.9%). The average BMI values for boys and girls were 19.69 and 18.70 (kg/cm) respectively. Statistically significant associations were observed between BMI and sex, 31-60 min of daily vigorous or moderate physical activities levels, length of time spent watching television, time spent on video games or the computer, and intake of vegetable or meat gravy with rice ( p < 0.001). Perceived body shape also affected the BMI of school children. The results of this study enable educational institutions in Taiwan to understand the factors affecting the BMI of school children and use this information as the basis for future healthy body weight policies.

Teacher-Parent Interactions in Taiwan: A Qualitative Investigation of Teachers' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Pi-Ju

2015-01-01

Because the importance of parental involvement in education has been emphasized recently in Taiwan, the nature of teacher-parent interactions has changed. The current study describes teacher-parent interactions from teacher perspectives in grades 1-12 in Taiwan. Data were collected from 50 teachers using open-ended questionnaires. Thematic…

Career Adapt-Abilities Scale--Taiwan Form: Psychometric Properties and Construct Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tien, Hsiu-Lan Shelley; Wang, Yu-Chen; Chu, Hui-Chuang; Huang, Tsu-Lun

2012-01-01

The present study tested the reliability and validity of the Career Adapt-Ability Scale--Taiwan Form (CAAS-Taiwan Form). The CAAS consists of four scales, each with six items, which measure concern, control, curiosity, and confidence as psychosocial resources for managing occupational transitions, developmental tasks, and work traumas. Internal…

Seasonal Prediction of Taiwan's Streamflow Using Teleconnection Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chia-Jeng; Lee, Tsung-Yu

2017-04-01

Seasonal streamflow as an integrated response to complex hydro-climatic processes can be subject to activity of prevailing weather systems potentially modulated by large-scale climate oscillations (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation, ENSO). To develop a seamless seasonal forecasting system in Taiwan, this study assesses how significant Taiwan's precipitation and streamflow in different seasons correlate with selected teleconnection patterns. Long-term precipitation and streamflow data in three major precipitation seasons, namely the spring rains (February to April), Mei-Yu (May and June), and typhoon (July to September) seasons, are derived at 28 upstream and 13 downstream catchments in Taiwan. The three seasons depict a complete wet period of Taiwan as well as many regions bearing similar climatic conditions in East Asia. Lagged correlation analysis is then performed to investigate how the precipitation and streamflow data correlate with predominant teleconnection indices at varied lead times. Teleconnection indices are selected only if they show certain linkage with weather systems and activity in the three seasons based on previous literature. For instance, the ENSO and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, proven to influence East Asian climate across seasons and summer typhoon activity, respectively, are included in the list of climate indices for correlation analysis. Significant correlations found between Taiwan's precipitation and streamflow and teleconnection indices are further examined by a climate regime shift (CRS) test to identify any abrupt changes in the correlations. The understanding of existing CRS is useful for informing the forecasting system of the changes in the predictor-predictand relationship. To evaluate prediction skill in the three seasons and skill differences between precipitation and streamflow, hindcasting experiments of precipitation and streamflow are conducted using stepwise linear regression models. Discussion and suggestions for coping

Field survey of dental manpower in Taiwan's hospitals.

PubMed

Cher, Tsang-Lie; Lai, Eddie Hsiang-Hua; Huang, Chiung-Shing; Lin, Chun-Pin

2012-06-01

In Taiwan, dental manpower in hospitals plays an important role in dental education other than clinical service. Questionnaires, as well as a field survey, were conducted to understand the situation of dental manpower in 2007 and 2008. During the period from 2007 to 2008, questionnaires about dental administration, clinical dental practice, dental education, dental manpower and dental facilities were mailed to the dental departments of 165 hospitals located around Taiwan; 134 completed the questionnaire and mailed it back. The field survey was also carried out by visiting hospitals, to collect and gather information at the local level. There were 102 hospitals within the 134 hospitals which accepted the field survey; the rate was 62.0%. In 2008, the number of dentists working in the hospitals was 1,421, which was approximately 13% of the number of total dentists in Taiwan (9672). Within the 1,421 dentists, 675 were attending staffs and 745 dentists were training residents. Within the 675 attending dentists, 510 (75.6%) had dental specialist certificates and 272 (40.3%) had teaching positions in dental schools. There were 382 dental interns (6(th) year undergraduate students) taking the training programs in hospitals, most of whom were trained in medical centers (342/382, 89.5%). Moreover, there were 888 dental assistants, 338 of whom were nurses and the other 550 were hospital self-trained personnel. Comparing the dental manpower of different types of hospitals in Taiwan, the medical center was the best, followed by the regional hospital and the district hospital was last. When comparing 2008 with 2002, the numbers of both dentists and auxiliary personnel in Taiwan's hospitals increased with years. Although there were still only 13% dentists working in the hospital, they were responsible for teaching young dentists and doing research in hospitals. In other words, the quality of clinical service, teaching, and research in hospitals would influence the development of

Kindergartener's Technology Education in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Chun-Chin

According to the American Association for Advancement of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) and its Technology for All Americans Project (TfAAP), technology education should begin in kindergarten. Educators in Taiwan have also advocated beginning technology education in…

Prediction of Meiyu rainfall in Taiwan by multi-lead physical-empirical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yim, So-Young; Wang, Bin; Xing, Wen; Lu, Mong-Ming

2015-06-01

Taiwan is located at the dividing point of the tropical and subtropical monsoons over East Asia. Taiwan has double rainy seasons, the Meiyu in May-June and the Typhoon rains in August-September. To predict the amount of Meiyu rainfall is of profound importance to disaster preparedness and water resource management. The seasonal forecast of May-June Meiyu rainfall has been a challenge to current dynamical models and the factors controlling Taiwan Meiyu variability has eluded climate scientists for decades. Here we investigate the physical processes that are possibly important for leading to significant fluctuation of the Taiwan Meiyu rainfall. Based on this understanding, we develop a physical-empirical model to predict Taiwan Meiyu rainfall at a lead time of 0- (end of April), 1-, and 2-month, respectively. Three physically consequential and complementary predictors are used: (1) a contrasting sea surface temperature (SST) tendency in the Indo-Pacific warm pool, (2) the tripolar SST tendency in North Atlantic that is associated with North Atlantic Oscillation, and (3) a surface warming tendency in northeast Asia. These precursors foreshadow an enhanced Philippine Sea anticyclonic anomalies and the anomalous cyclone near the southeastern China in the ensuing summer, which together favor increasing Taiwan Meiyu rainfall. Note that the identified precursors at various lead-times represent essentially the same physical processes, suggesting the robustness of the predictors. The physical empirical model made by these predictors is capable of capturing the Taiwan rainfall variability with a significant cross-validated temporal correlation coefficient skill of 0.75, 0.64, and 0.61 for 1979-2012 at the 0-, 1-, and 2-month lead time, respectively. The physical-empirical model concept used here can be extended to summer monsoon rainfall prediction over the Southeast Asia and other regions.

Evaluation of environmental fate and sinks of PCDD/Fs during specific extreme weather events in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Kai Hsien; Lin, Chuan-Yao; Ou Yang, Chang-Feng; Hsu, Shih Chieh; Chen, Ya Fang; Luo, Shangde; Kao, Shuh Ji

2013-11-01

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are formed and released unintentionally from anthropogenic sources. The high persistence of PCDD/Fs results in the concentrations of these contaminants in environment decreasing only very slowly. Two transport pathways, air and water, carry PCDD/Fs into all regions of the world. Recently, more frequent extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, have been projected to occur as a result of global warming. Extreme weather events have a documented impact on the remobilization and subsequent bioavailability of POPs. In this study, three specific episodes, namely winter monsoon, southeast biomass burning and tropical cyclone (typhoon) events, which influence the environmental fate and transport of PCDD/Fs in Taiwan, were evaluated based on a climate change scenario. During the winter (northeast) monsoon period, the temperature and relative humidity observed in northern Taiwan decreases sharply. During this time, the quantity of PCDD/Fs adsorbed onto suspended particles, as observed at background sites, was found to increase from 300 ± 127 to 630 ± 115 pg I-TEQ g-TSP-1, which is even higher than that measured in Taipei City (438 ± 80 pg I-TEQ g-TSP-1). Hence, the winter monsoon not only brings cold air but also transports air pollutants and dust over long distances from mainland China to Taiwan. During the 2010 Southeast Asia biomass burning events (2010/3/22-3/28), the level of atmospheric PCDD/Fs were measured in central Taiwan (Mt. Lulin) and in the source region of northern Thailand (Chiang Mai); this revealed that the variations in atmospheric PCDD/F concentrations at these two sites followed a similar pattern. On 25 March 2010, the atmospheric PCDD/F concentration increased dramatically from 1.43 to 6.09 fg I-TEQ m-3 at Mt. Lulin and from 7.64 to 12.1 fg I-TEQ m-3 in northern Thailand. However, the atmospheric PCDD

75 FR 23667 - Antidumping Duty Orders: Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Indonesia, Taiwan, and the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-04

... Antidumping Duty Orders: Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Socialist Republic... carrier bags (PRCBs) from Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam). On April 26... Department of Commerce is issuing the antidumping duty orders on PRCBs from Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam...

Characterization of Cryptocaryon irritans, a parasite isolated from marine fishes in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yambot, Apolinario V; Song, Yen-Ling; Sung, Hung-Hung

2003-03-31

The ciliated protozoan parasite Cryptocaryon irritans infecting marine fishes in Taiwan is described. Developmental characteristics and sequences of the ribosomal DNA regions such as part of 18 S, the entire first internal transcribed spacer, and part of 5.8 S of various Taiwan isolates of C. irritans were investigated. A total of 5 isolates was obtained from different fish-host species and localities, the majority from cultured fish species. C. irritans from Taiwan is able to shift its developmental characteristics, i.e. from non-adherent to adherent tomonts, from individualistic to aggregate-forming tomonts, from infection of the gills only to infection of the gills and body. Thus, it is not possible to classify strains of C. irritans on the basis of these parameters. Premature tomonts that developed from dead fishes were able to produce theronts that could infect fish host. Isolates from Pingtung and the USA had identical nucleotide sequences while an isolate from Malaysia was identical to an Israel isolate. Percentage variation among pairs of Taiwan isolates showed a higher degree of variation than isolate sequences listed in GenBank. Sequence analysis revealed highly aberrant isolates in Taiwan, and a phylogenetic tree distinguished a marine and a low-salinity variant. C. irritans from marine fishes in Taiwan, therefore, display some characteristics not previously reported. Since manipulation of salinity in brackishwater ponds and marine cage sites is not feasible, there is a need to develop new strategies for the control and prevention of cryptocaryoniasis.

Comparing and decomposing differences in preventive and hospital care: USA versus Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsiou, Tiffany R; Pylypchuk, Yuriy

2012-07-01

As the USA expands health insurance coverage, comparing utilization of healthcare services with countries like Taiwan that already have universal coverage can highlight problematic areas of each system. The universal coverage plan of Taiwan is the newest among developed countries, and it is known for readily providing access to care at low costs. However, Taiwan experiences problems on the supply side, such as inadequate compensation for providers, especially in the area of preventive care. We compare the use of preventive, hospital, and emergency care between the USA and Taiwan. The rate of preventive care use is much higher in the USA than in Taiwan, whereas the use of hospital and emergency care is about the same. Results of our decomposition analysis suggest that higher levels of education and income, along with inferior health status in the USA, are significant factors, each explaining between 7% and 15% of the gap in preventive care use. Our analysis suggests that, in addition to universal coverage, proper remuneration schemes, education levels, and cultural attitudes towards health care are important factors that influence the use of preventive care. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The service industry strategy-A case study of tourism hotel in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Chunwei; Huang, Jui-Chan; Wen, Hao-Ming; Hairui, Ji

2017-06-01

Regarding to raising living standard in Taiwan, service industry had stand more than 65% GDP and manufacturing is around 35% recently. The data from Council for Economic Planning and Development of Taiwan, in 2015, the service industry stand more than 73% of GDP, and the tourism industry has played one of the most important rules. In service industry, recently, the policy of Taiwan government encourages overseas tourists come to Taiwan for resort and it made many new tourism hotels built, and they also had to do the overall reform to satisfy their customers of global, especially respecting on Eastern Asia. In this study, experts and scholars in the fields of industry academia were interviewed. Survey were issued to the object companies and a comparative case study was conducted to analyze the influencing factors and extent to which differences on the competitive edge and strategies of Taiwan tourism hotels and those which benefit most or least from business operation current situation that conducted with governments' support and internal management. By primary data and literature reviews, this study hope that an effective reference for improving industrial competitiveness and models of competitiveness could be available for the governments and the companies.

Spatial distribution of non volcanic tremors offshore eastern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, X. S.; Lin, J. Y.; Hsu, S. K.; Lee, C. H.; Liang, C. W.

2012-04-01

Non-volcanic tremor (NVT), originally identified in the subduction zone of the southwest Japan, have been well studied in the circum-Pacific subduction zones and the transform plate boundary in California. Most studies related NVT to the release of fluids, while some others associated them with slow-slip events, and can be triggered instantaneously by the surface waves of teleseismic events. Taiwan is located at a complex intersection of the Philippines Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. East of Taiwan, the Philippine Sea plate subducts northward beneath the Ryukyu arc. The major part of the island results from the strong convergence between the two plates and the convergent boundary is along the Longitudinal Valley. Moreover, an active strike-slip fault along the Taitung Canyon was reported in the offshore eastern Taiwan. In such complicate tectonic environments, NVT behavior could probably bring us more information about the interaction of all the geological components in the area. In this study, we analyze the seismic signals recorded by the Ocean bottom Seismometer (OBS) deployed offshore eastern Taiwan in September 2009. TAMS (Tremor Active Monitor System) software was used to detect the presence of NVT. 200 tremor-like signals were obtained from the 3 weeks recording period. We use the SSA (Source-Scanning Algorithm) to map the possible distribution of the tremor. In total, 180 tremors were located around the eastern offshore Taiwan. The tremors are mainly distributed in two source areas: one is along the Taitung Canyon, and the other is sub-parallel to the Ryukyu Trench, probably along the plate interface. Many tremors are located at depth shallower than 5 km, which suggests a possible existence of a weak basal detachment along the sea bottom. Other tremors with larger depth may be related to the dehydration of the subducting sea plate as suggested by the former studies. Limited by the short recording period of the OBS experiment, we could not obtain any

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Use, Expenditure, and Outcomes in Taiwan From 2000 to 2010

PubMed Central

Hsu, Chiao-Po; Lee, Wui-Chiang; Wei, Hsiu-Mei; Sung, Shih-Hsien; Huang, Chun-Yang; Shih, Chun-Che; Lu, Tse-Min

2015-01-01

Background No study to date has systematically examined use, expenditure, and outcomes associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to examine ECMO use, expenditure, and outcomes during an 11-year period in Taiwan. Methods Claims data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for patients who received ≥1 ECMO treatment between January 2000 and December 2010. Measurements included demographics, indications for ECMO use, length of hospital stay, outcome, and expenditure. Results A total of 3969 patients received ECMO during the study period (median age: 54.6 years). The number of patients receiving ECMO increased from 52 in 2000 to 1045 in 2010. The major indication for ECMO was cardiovascular disease (68.7%), followed by respiratory disease (17.9%). Median length of hospital stay was 13 days in 2000 and 17 days in 2010. Median expenditure (New Taiwan dollars) was $604 317 in 2000 and $673 888 in 2010. Some variables significantly differed by age, sex, hospital setting, calendar year, and indication for ECMO, and were associated with in-hospital and after-discharge mortality. Conclusions ECMO use has increased dramatically in Taiwan over the last decade. The high mortality rate of ECMO users suggested that ECMO may be being used in Taiwan for situations in which it provides no added benefit. This situation may be a reflection of the current reimbursement criteria for National Health Insurance in Taiwan. Refinement of the indications for use of ECMO is suggested. PMID:25797598

77 FR 9701 - Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan And Vietnam

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-17

...)] Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan And Vietnam Determinations On the basis of the record \\1... injured by reason of imports from Taiwan and Vietnam of steel wire garment hangers, provided for in... the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) and steel wire garment hangers from Vietnam that are...

Towards a Millennial Time-scale Vertical Deformation Field in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordovaos, P. A.; Johnson, K. M.

2015-12-01

Pete Bordovalos and Kaj M. Johnson To better understand the feedbacks between erosion and deformation in Taiwan, we need constraints on the millennial time-scale vertical field. Dense GPS and leveling data sets in Taiwan provide measurements of the present-day vertical deformation field over the entire Taiwan island. However, it is unclear how much of this vertical field is transient (varies over earthquake cycle) or steady (over millennial time scale). A deformation model is required to decouple transient from steady deformation. This study takes a look at how the 82 mm/yr of convergence motion between the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate is distributed across the faults on Taiwan. We build a plate flexure model that consists of all known active faults and subduction zones cutting through an elastic plate supported by buoyancy. We use horizontal and vertical GPS data, leveling data, and geologic surface uplift rates with a Monte Carlo probabilistic inversion method to infer fault slip rates and locking depths on all faults. Using our model we examine how different fault geometries influence the estimates of distribution of slip along faults and deformation patterns.

An Island of Learning: Academeocracy in Taiwan. An Inquiry into Non-Traditional and Traditional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Douglas C.

Traditional and nontraditional education in Taiwan are considered, based on interviews with educators and scholars in Taiwan, observations, and research materials. To provide a picture of the evolution of academe in the Chinese-Taiwan setting, attention is directed to philosophy, history, academic ethics and excellence, methodology, and policy…

Progress of liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wu, Cheng-Chung

2017-05-01

Taiwan is a well-known endemic area of hepatitis B. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has consistently been the first or second highest cause of cancer death over the past 20 years. This review article describes the progress of liver resection for HCC in Taiwan in the past half century. The mortality rate for HCC resection was 15-30% in Taiwan in the 1970s. The rate decreased to 8-12% in the early 1990s, and it declined to <1-3% recently. The development of new operative instruments, and surgical techniques, increased knowledge of liver anatomy and pathophysiology after hepatectomy, and more precise patient selection have contributed to this improvement. The use of intermittent hepatic inflow blood occlusion, a restrictive blood transfusion policy and intraoperative ultrasonography, have also led to substantial improvements in resectability and safety for HCC resection in Taiwan. Advances in non-operative modalities for HCC treatment have also helped to improve long-term outcomes of HCC resection. Technical innovations have allowed the application of complex procedures such as mesohepatectomy, unroofing hepatectomy, major portal vein thrombectomy, hepatic vein reconstruction in resection of the cranial part with preservation of the caudal part of the liver, and inferior vena cava and right atrium tumor thrombectomy under cardiopulmonary bypass. In selected patients, including patients with end-stage renal failure, renal graft recipients, patients with portal hypertension, hypersplenic thrombocytopenia and/or associated gastroesophageal varices, octogenarian, ruptured HCC, recurrent HCC and metastatic HCC can also be resected with satisfactory survival benefits. We conclude that the results of liver resection for HCC in Taiwan are improving. The indications for HCC resection continue extending with lower the surgical risks and increasing the long-term survival rate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e

78 FR 64248 - Notice Pursuant to The National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993; DVD Copy Control...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

..., Shenzhen, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA; Smart Electronics Manufacturing Service Philippine, Calamba City, Laguna, PHILIPPINES; SoJean International Co., Ltd., His-Chih City, Taipei Hsien, TAIWAN; and YuCha (Hong...; CyberLink Corporation, Shindian City, Taipei, TAIWAN; D&M Holdings Inc., Chuo-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN; Daesung...

Psychometric integrity of the Chinese Happiness Inventory among retired older people in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiang, Hui-Hsun; Lin, Lin; Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien

2016-07-01

Happiness is an important indicator of mental and physical health. It has been emphasized as one kind of well-being, and its definition varies from culture to culture. The main objective of the present study was to examine the psychometric integrity and dimensions of the Chinese Happiness Inventory (CHI) in relation to scores on Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale among retired older people in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was carried out at social service centers in Taipei, Taiwan. Retired adults gave informed consent from September to November 2010, and completed a package of structured questionnaires measuring happiness and psychological well-being. Internal consistency, the factor structure of the CHI and criterion validity were assessed. Results from an exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor solution for the CHI. These factors were named Positive Affect, Life Satisfaction and Interpersonal Relationships. Internal consistency coefficients were 0.95 (Positive Affect), 0.91 (Life Satisfaction), 0.85 (Interpersonal Relationships) and 0.97 (total scale). The results of a canonical correlation analysis showed the presence of a strong relationship between CHI and Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (r = 0.69), and that two canonical variates could be derived from the relationship between them. The results show that the CHI is a three-dimensional scale with high reliability and validity. The construct of happiness emphasizes relationships in relation to others and environment rather than autonomy in this sample. Although the components of happiness might be similar for Positive Affect and Life Satisfaction, their weights for Interpersonal Relationships should be considered when measuring happiness in different cultures. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 865-872. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

International Ranking of Infant Mortality Rates: Taiwan Compared with European Countries.

PubMed

Liang, Fu-Wen; Lu, Tsung-Hsueh; Wu, Mei-Hwan; Lue, Hung-Chi; Chiang, Tung-Liang; Huang, Ya-Li; Chen, Lea-Hua

2016-08-01

Rankings of infant mortality rates are commonly cited international comparisons to assess the health status of individual countries. We compared the infant mortality rate of Taiwan with those of European countries for 2004 according to two definitions. First, the countries were ranked on the basis of crude infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality rates. The countries were then ranked according to the mortality rates calculated after exclusion of live births with a known birth weight of <1000 g, which is the definition set by the World Health Organization. Taiwan was ranked 11(th), 12(th), and 15(th) among 26 high-income countries for crude infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality rates, respectively. The ranks were 12(th), 16(th), and 15(th), respectively, for mortality rates, excluding live births with a birth weight of <1000 g. However, in only seven, four, and 10 countries were the mortality rate ratios statistically significantly lower than Taiwan in infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality, respectively, according to the second definition. The ranking of Taiwan was similar (11(th) vs. 12(th)) according the two definitions. However, after consideration of the confidence interval, only six countries (Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, and Germany) had infant mortality rates statistically significantly lower than those of Taiwan in 2004. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Early Childhood Inclusion in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Hua-Fang; Wu, Pei-Fang

2017-01-01

In accordance with the Special Education Act that indicates that young children with special needs must have individualized educational plans and receive education with their typically developing peers in the general education setting, Taiwan implemented an experimental preschool inclusion program in 1989. Subsequently, during the 1990s, there was…

Early Childhood Education in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barclay, Lisa K.

1989-01-01

Describes early childhood education in Taiwan, focusing on living patterns and child care arrangements, the position of the individual within the family and community, and the application of cultural norms to early childhood education. Compares the behavior of Chinese preschool children to that of American preschool children. (RJC)

The lifetime cost of hepatocellular carcinoma : a claims data analysis from a medical centre in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lang, Hui-Chu; Wu, Jaw-Ching; Yen, Sang-Hue; Lan, Chung-Fu; Wu, Shi-Liang

2008-01-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cancer in Taiwan. For males in Taiwan, it is the most dangerous cancer, with both the highest incidence and mortality rate. To determine cancer-related medical care costs for long-term survivors of HCC. The estimation of the lifetime cost was based on the insurer perspective and adopted an incidence-based approach. Data was sourced from the 1999-2002 cancer registry statistics of patients with HCC and the claims data of Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH). In total there were 2873 HCC patients at TVGH. In addition to this data, the research used population National Health Insurance claims data from the National Health Research Institutes (1996-2002) as the comparison group. The probabilities of survival, dying of cancer or dying of other causes were estimated using cancer registry statistics. To estimate lifetime (10-year) cost, we divided the disease process into three phases: initial, continuing and terminal. The cost of HCC was calculated as the sum of the average cost of each phase. The expected lifetime cost for treatment of an HCC patient was estimated by incorporating the phase-specific costs with the survival and mortality rates. The results showed that 895 patients survived <1 year, and treatment for each of these patients cost on average New Taiwan dollars ($NT) 206 573 ($US 1 = $NT 33, year 2002 value) over this period. For those who survived > or =1 year, the terminal phase of treatment resulted in the highest costs, $NT 237 032. On average, for each patient, the initial phase cost was $NT 140 403 and the monthly cost for the continuing phase was $NT 8687. For the average HCC patient, the 10-year lifetime cost was $NT 418 554 (in nominal $NT). Our study showed that the terminal phase cost the most out of the three treatment phases. The aggregate lifetime cost of HCC is useful for health policy making and clinical decision making.

Reflections on Internationalisation of Higher Education in Taiwan: Perspectives and Prospects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, William Yat Wai

2009-01-01

This paper aims to investigate the possible framework for encouraging the presence of local dimensions in an internationalised and globally competitive system by using Taiwan's higher education system as a case. It begins by discussing the notion of internationalisation and its implications for higher education. It then turns to look at Taiwan's…

Ficus (Moraceae) and fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Bain, Anthony; Tzeng, Hsy-Yu; Wu, Wen-Jer; Chou, Lien-Siang

2015-12-01

Although Ficus-associated wasp fauna have been extensively researched in Australasia, information on these fauna in Taiwan is not well accessible to scientists worldwide. In this study, we compiled records on the Ficus flora of Taiwan and its associated wasp fauna. Initial agronomic research reports on Ficus were published in Japanese in 1917, followed by reports on applied biochemistry, taxonomy, and phenology in Chinese. On the basis of the phenological knowledge of 15 species of the Ficus flora of Taiwan, recent research has examined the pollinating and nonpollinating agaonid and chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Updating records according to the current nomenclature revealed that there are 30 taxa (27 species) of native or naturalized Ficus with an unusually high proportion of dioecious species (78%). Four species were observed to exhibit mutualism with more than one pollinating wasp species, and 18 of the 27 Ficus species were reported with nonpollinating wasp species. The number of nonpollinating wasp species associated with specific Ficus species ranges from zero (F. pumila) to 24 (F. microcarpa). Approximately half of the Taiwanese fig tree species have been studied with basic information on phenology and biology described in peer-reviewed journals or theses. This review provides a solid basis for future in-depth comparative studies. This summary of knowledge will encourage and facilitate continuing research on the pollination dynamics of Ficus and the associated insect fauna in Taiwan.

Coal consumption and economic growth in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, H.Y.

2000-03-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causality issue between coal consumption and economic growth for Taiwan. The co-integration and Granger's causality test are applied to investigate the relationship between the two economic series. Results of the co-integration and Granger's causality test based on 1954--1997 Taiwan data show a unidirectional causality from economic growth to coal consumption with no feedback effects. Their major finding supports the neutrality hypothesis of coal consumption with respect to economic growth. Further, the finding has practical policy implications for decision makers in the area of macroeconomic planning, as coal conservation is a feasiblemore » policy with no damaging repercussions on economic growth.« less

Gender differences in postneonatal infant mortality in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, W S; Knöbel, H H; Chen, C J

1996-11-01

Numerous studies have indicated that gender discrimination influencing child survival is widespread in Asia. Therefore, we have investigated gender and cause-specific postneonatal mortality in Taiwan. Mortality data derived from death certificates and demographic statistics in Taiwan between 1981 and 1990 were analyzed. Postneonatal mortality decreased from 9.4 per 1000 live births to 5.5 per 1000 live births for males, and from 8.3 to 5.0 for females. The trends for cause-specific mortality for male and female infants were similar during the study period. The male-to-female ratio of overall death rates was 1.11. It was slightly higher in cities and lower in rural areas, and lowest in the least developed eastern region of Taiwan. Mortality from congenital diseases had the lowest male-to-female ratio, specifically in the North, the cities and areas of indigenous people. Infectious disease mortality showed low male-to-female ratios in the rural areas and in the eastern region. The place of death from infectious diseases as a measure for the use of sophisticated medical care showed that more female than male deaths occurred at home in the rural areas, cities, and central regions. It was concluded that a high level of socio-economic development created conditions of gender equality, whereas in situations of low socio-economic development males were favoured. The tendency to discriminate according to gender is very subtle in Taiwan, much less so than in other regions of Asia, including Thailand and India.

The Active Fault Parameters for Time-Dependent Earthquake Hazard Assessment in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y.; Cheng, C.; Lin, P.; Shao, K.; Wu, Y.; Shih, C.

2011-12-01

Taiwan is located at the boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, with a convergence rate of ~ 80 mm/yr in a ~N118E direction. The plate motion is so active that earthquake is very frequent. In the Taiwan area, disaster-inducing earthquakes often result from active faults. For this reason, it's an important subject to understand the activity and hazard of active faults. The active faults in Taiwan are mainly located in the Western Foothills and the Eastern longitudinal valley. Active fault distribution map published by the Central Geological Survey (CGS) in 2010 shows that there are 31 active faults in the island of Taiwan and some of which are related to earthquake. Many researchers have investigated these active faults and continuously update new data and results, but few people have integrated them for time-dependent earthquake hazard assessment. In this study, we want to gather previous researches and field work results and then integrate these data as an active fault parameters table for time-dependent earthquake hazard assessment. We are going to gather the seismic profiles or earthquake relocation of a fault and then combine the fault trace on land to establish the 3D fault geometry model in GIS system. We collect the researches of fault source scaling in Taiwan and estimate the maximum magnitude from fault length or fault area. We use the characteristic earthquake model to evaluate the active fault earthquake recurrence interval. In the other parameters, we will collect previous studies or historical references and complete our parameter table of active faults in Taiwan. The WG08 have done the time-dependent earthquake hazard assessment of active faults in California. They established the fault models, deformation models, earthquake rate models, and probability models and then compute the probability of faults in California. Following these steps, we have the preliminary evaluated probability of earthquake-related hazards in certain

Sensitivity of Typhoon Track Predictions in a Regional Prediction System to Initial and Lateral Boundary Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

123, 93–109. ——, T.-H. Yen, Y.-H. Kuo, and W. Wang, 2002: Rainfall simu- lation associated with Typhoon Herb (1996) near Taiwan . Part I: The topographic...Bureau, Taipei, Taiwan MELINDA S. PENG Marine Meteorology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California DER-SONG CHEN, KANG-NING HUANG, AND...TIEN-CHIANG YEH Central Weather Bureau, Taipei, Taiwan (Manuscript received 13 May 2008, in final form 25 December 2008) ABSTRACT Tropical cyclone

Historical Overview of Taenia asiatica in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Ho, Chau-Mei; Chung, Wen-Cheng

2013-01-01

An overview of the epidemiological, biological, and clinical studies of Taenia and taeniasis in Taiwan for the past century is presented. The phenomenal observations that led to the discovery of Taenia asiatica as a new species, which differ from Taenia solium and Taenia saginata, are described. Parasitological surveys of the aborigines in Taiwan revealed a high prevalence of taeniasis, which might be due to the culture of eating raw liver of hunted wild boars. Chemotherapeutic deworming trials involving many patients with taeniasis were discussed. Praziquantel was found to be very effective, but sometimes complete worms could not be recovered from the feces after treatment, probably due to the dissolution of the proglottids. Atabrine, despite some side effects, can still be used, in properly controlled dosages, as the drug of choice for human T. asiatica infection if we need to recover the expelled worms for morphological examinations. Research results on the infection of T. asiatica eggs from Taiwan aborigines in experimental animals were also noted. Since the pig serve as the natural intermediate host of T. asiatica and the predilection site is the liver, a differential comparison of other parasitic pathogens that might cause apparently similar lesions is also presented. PMID:23467308

Development of Ocean-Bottom Seismograph in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, H.; Jang, J. P.; Chen, P.; Lin, C. R.; Kuo, B. Y.; Wang, C. C.; Kim, K. H.; Lin, P. P.

2016-12-01

Yardbird-20s, one type of Ocean-Bottom Seismograph (OBS), is fabricated by Taiwan Ocean Research Institute (TORI), the Institute of Earth Science of Academia Sinica and the Institute of Undersea Technology of the National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan. Yardbirds can be deployed up to 5000m deep for up to 15 months. The total weight with anchor in the air is about 170Kg. The rising and sinking rate is about 0.8 m/s. We utilized ultra-low power micro control unit (MCU) and SD card to design a data logger. The sensors are three of 4.5Hz geophones that were extended the lower frequency response to 20 sec. The sensor module also includes the leveling system, which is design by dual-axis DC motor-driven module to level the vertical component to be less than 0.1 degree with respect to the gravity. Yardbirds have been successfully deployed and recovered in several research cruises in Taiwan and Korea. In this study, we'll also display the data quality and power spectral density (PSD) calculations, probability density function (PDF) plots and from the Yardbirds that deployed and recovered in the East Sea near sough-east of Korea.

Influencing Factors of the Body Mass Index of Elementary Students in Southern Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chou, Li-Na; Chen, Min-Li

2017-01-01

The body mass index (BMI) of school children in Taiwan is markedly increasing. According to statistical data from the Taiwan Ministry of Education, the prevalence of obesity in school children from the southern part of the country is the highest in Taiwan. Thus, exploring the factors influencing BMI in elementary school children from southern Taiwan is crucial. This study investigated the influencing factors including physical activity levels, sedentary behaviors, dietary habits, and perceived body shape on the BMIs of elementary school children from southern Taiwan. A cross-sectional design was used, and the participants consisted of 3251 fifth-grade students (1628 boys, 50.1%; 1623 girls, 49.9%). The average BMI values for boys and girls were 19.69 and 18.70 (kg/cm) respectively. Statistically significant associations were observed between BMI and sex, 31–60 min of daily vigorous or moderate physical activities levels, length of time spent watching television, time spent on video games or the computer, and intake of vegetable or meat gravy with rice (p < 0.001). Perceived body shape also affected the BMI of school children. The results of this study enable educational institutions in Taiwan to understand the factors affecting the BMI of school children and use this information as the basis for future healthy body weight policies. PMID:28241506

Research of Helium Isotopes in Taiwan: The Legacy of Dr. Tsanyao Frank Yang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Tsanyao Frank; Lan, Tefang; Lee, Hsiao-Fen; Fu, Ching-Chou; Chuang, Pei-Chuan; Hong, Wei-Li; Walia, Vivek; Chen, Hsuan-Wen; Wen, Hsin-Yi; Chen, Ai-Ti; Chen, Hsiao-Chi; Chiu, Chun-Ming; Cheng, Chun-Yuan; Wu, Nian-Ru; Cheng, Yu-Chen; Chuang, Jin-Lun; Kao, Li-Hsin; Chen, Cheng-Hong; Sano, Yuji

2016-04-01

Helium isotope systematics is a powerful proxy to distinguish fluid origins and conveys fruitful geological information. In the past several decades, this robust isotope systematics had offered pivotal knowledge on many key issues in Earth and planetary sciences. It revealed essential geological information of Taiwan as well. Taiwan is located on the junction of two subduction systems-Ryukyu Arc and Luzon Arc. The geotectonic setting is complex and intriguing. Dr. Tsanyao Frank Yang was the pioneer of gas geochemistry studies in Taiwan. He established the first gas geochemistry laboratory in National Taiwan University in 1998 and started exploring all possible research topics on and around this tectonic-active island. In the past two decades, his research covered volcanic/hydrothermal gas studies, volcanic activity monitoring, gas hydrate exploration, soil gas as a tool to locate fault traces, soil gas flux measurement, earthquake precursory, mud volcanoes, low-temperature geochronology and many more. He died of pancreas cancer in March 2015. He was a warm and enthusiastic mentor, a prolific scientist and a great friend. He will always be remembered. Here we present Dr. Yang's achievement on helium isotopes studies in Taiwan throughout his research career. We integrate all the research results from his team and summarize the observations. We will show the distribution of helium isotope ratios in Taiwan and its implications on tectonic settings.

Persistence Probability Analyzed on the Taiwan STOCK Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, I.-Chun; Chen, Hung-Jung; Tseng, Hsen-Che

We report a numerical study of the Taiwan stock market, in which we used three data sources: the daily Taiwan stock exchange index (TAIEX) from January 1983 to May 2006, the daily OTC index from January 1995 to May 2006, and the one-min intraday data from February 2000 to December 2003. Our study is based on numerical estimates of persistence exponent θp, Hurst exponent H2, and fluctuation exponent h2. We also discuss the results concerning persistence probability P(t), qth-order price-price correlation function Gq(t), and qth-order normalized fluctuation function fq(t) among these indices.

Principal Leadership in Taiwan Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shouse, Roger C.; Lin, Kuan-Pei

2010-01-01

During the past two decades, Taiwan's Ministry of Education has responded to globalization by restructuring school curricular, instructional, and decision making practices along western lines in an attempt to attain legitimacy on the world stage. As a result, Taiwanese principals, once kings within their schools, now must share power with other…

Effect of participating in Taiwan Quality Indicator Project on hospital efficiency in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chu, Hsuan-Lien; Wang, Chen-Chin; Shiu, Shu Fen

2009-01-01

To examine the effect of participating in Taiwan Quality Indicator Project (TQIP) on hospital efficiency and investigate why hospitals participate in TQIP. Our sample consists of 417 private not-for-profit hospitals in Taiwan during the 2001-2007 period. A simultaneous-equation model was performed to examine if hospitals that participated in TQIP were more efficient than hospitals that did not and investigate which variables affected the probabilities of hospitals' participation in the project. Our findings indicate that participating hospitals are more efficient than hospitals not participating in TQIP. In addition, hospital efficiency, hospital size, teaching status, and hospital age are positively related to participation in the project. These empirical results can be used as supporting evidence of success in improving performance through creating quality for hospitals that have participated in the project and offer insights into the value and strengths of the project. In addition, in recent years, reimbursement systems worldwide have partly moved payment methods to a pay-for-performance mechanism. In an attempt to control costs and improve quality, the policy makers should consider participating in Quality Indicator Project (QIP) as being one of the criteria to be reimbursed for performance.

MSW management for waste minimization in Taiwan: The last two decades

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, L.-T.; Hsiao, T.-Y.; Shang, N.-C.

2006-07-01

Taiwan is the second most densely populated country in the world; its 22.604 million residents (2002) live in an area of 35,967 km{sup 2} (628 people/km{sup 2}). Taiwan's economy has grown rapidly during the last 20 years, resulting in a corresponding increase in the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study describes and evaluates the municipal solid waste management system in Taiwan. The study's results indicate that the amount of MSW began to decline after 1997, when the government enforced aggressive MSW management policies. By 2002, total MSW production had dropped by 27%, and the average daily per capitamore » weight of MSW had fallen from 1.14 kg in 1997 to 0.81 kg in 2002. Summarizing the successful experience of MSW reduction in Taiwan, the most important factor was the government's combining of the MSW collection system with reduction/recycling programs. The second most important factor was the policy of extended producer responsibility, which laid a foundation of recycling by producers and retailers and promoted public recycling.« less

76 FR 9745 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-22

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review AGENCY... review of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene terephthalate film (PET Film) from Taiwan. See Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty...

Taiwan: improving radiography through application of Six Sigma techniques.

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Kwang; Lin, Jerry; Chang, Cheng-Chang

2005-01-01

The healthcare industry has shown significant recent growth potential in Taiwan. Associated financial problems have grown considerably since 1995, when national health insurance was implemented. Taiwan's healthcare bureau began to change the primary quantity-based healthcare expense payment method to a case-based payment model. Hospitals are now challenged to minimize healthcare waste. This article examines the application of manufacturing-based Six Sigma methods to an X-ray radiography improvement project to reduce the defect ratio of films for a teaching hospital in Taiwan. It was determined that (1) analysis of customer satisfaction data helped the Six Sigma improvement team identify critical quality elements; (2) the Six Sigma Level in this healthcare project is Lower than that in the manufacturing industry; (3) the improvement opportunity and the time required for the project had a direct correlation to the importance ascribed to the project and the cooperation received; and (4) process change can be made more quickly in the healthcare industry than in the manufacturing industry.

Creating comprehensive Mandarin training model for Taiwanese industry: An anticipation of Taiwan ‘Southbound policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Y.; Mursitama, T. N.; Sofi; Anggreani, L.

2018-03-01

The study discusses the effort of preparing human resources in mastering Mandarin for Taiwan industry as the anticipation of Southbound policy created by Taiwan government. In this point, the Southbound policy represents Taiwan’s government strategy in 2016-2020 which encourages multilateral and bilateral cooperation with ASEAN and South Asian countries. One of the most important elements in the program centers as the Internship Scholarship Program in Taiwan. Utilizing qualitative research methods, researchers collected secondary data from various available official resources. The publications, documents, books, and websites contain the policy and mechanism of the internship scholarship program. On the other hand, this study conducted interviews with senior high school and vocational high school stakeholders to create synergy in the program. This study offers a model of cooperation between junior high school/vocational school and the candidates of the employer in the Taiwan industry. The contribution of this research is to create a comprehensive cooperative model that includes preparing human resources before leaving for Taiwan, providing teachers and supplying training materials that are relevant to the needs of industry players in Taiwan eventually.

75 FR 43921 - Certain Polyester Staple Fiber From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-27

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-583-833] Certain Polyester Staple... certain polyester staple fiber from Taiwan. The period of review is May 1, 2008, through April 30, 2009... polyester staple fiber (PSF) from Taiwan. See Certain Polyester Staple Fiber From Taiwan: Preliminary...

Collaboration with Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan (EPAT)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Through this partnership, U.S. and Taiwan environmental authorities have developed a strong capacity to reduce pollution and manage the environment through joint projects, innovate research, and knowledge exchange.

Ethical attitudes on human cloning among professionals in Taiwan and the policy implications for regulation.

PubMed

Yang, Che-Ming; Chung, Chun-Chih; Lu, Meei-Shiow; Lin, Chiou-Fen; Chen, Jiun-Shyan

2005-01-01

This research focused on understanding the attitudes toward human cloning in Taiwan among professionals in healthcare, law, and religion. The study was conducted utilizing a structured questionnaire. 220 healthcare professionals from two regional hospitals located in Taipei, 351 religious professionals in the northern Taiwan and 711 legal professionals were selected by to receive questionnaires. The valid response rate is 42.1% The questions were generated by an expert panel and represented major arguments in the human cloning debate. There were a total of six Likert scaled questions in the questionnaire. The responses were coded from 1 to 5 with 1 representing strong opposition to human cloning, 3 representing a neutral attitude; and 5 representing a strong favorable attitude toward human cloning. Healthcare professionals had the highest overall average score of 2.14 and the religious professionals had the lowest average at 1.58. All three categories of respondents' attitude toward cloning ranged from mild opposition to strong opposition to human cloning. The religious professionals were more strongly opposed to cloning. Age, education, and religion significantly influenced attitudes toward cloning. Professionals between fifty-one and sixty years old, those with less education, and Roman Catholic professionals were more strongly opposed to cloning. Religious professionals were more strongly opposed to human cloning than professionals in healthcare or law. Younger professionals as an age group demonstrated less opposition to human cloning. Regulation of human cloning will be influenced by professionals in healthcare, law, and religion, and the regulatory environment chosen now will play a pivotal role in influencing the acceptance of human cloning in the future.

Lyssavirus in Japanese Pipistrelle, Taiwan.

PubMed

Hu, Shu-Chia; Hsu, Chao-Lung; Lee, Ming-Shiuh; Tu, Yang-Chang; Chang, Jen-Chieh; Wu, Chieh-Hao; Lee, Shu-Hwae; Ting, Lu-Jen; Tsai, Kwok-Rong; Cheng, Ming-Chu; Tu, Wen-Jane; Hsu, Wei-Cheng

2018-04-01

A putative new lyssavirus was found in 2 Japanese pipistrelles (Pipistrellus abramus) in Taiwan in 2016 and 2017. The concatenated coding regions of the virus showed 62.9%-75.1% nucleotide identities to the other 16 species of lyssavirus, suggesting that it may be representative of a new species of this virus.

Reconstructing Transition Knowledge in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Chen-chen

2012-01-01

Taking a post-colonial stand and using school to work transition as an example, the author re-examines the special education discourses in Taiwan and attempts to construct alternate understandings of transition from sociological and cultural perspectives. A review of past transition literature and a survey of the educational background of the…

77 FR 73424 - Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan: Antidumping Duty Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-10

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-583-849] Steel Wire Garment Hangers... ``ITC''), the Department is issuing an antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from Taiwan... antidumping duty investigation of steel wire garment hangers from Taiwan.\\1\\ On November 29, 2012, the ITC...

Values and Context: Taiwan Principal Preparation and Practice from an American Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Linda R.

2015-01-01

This qualitative study explores the preparation and practice of school leaders in Taiwan based on indepth interviews and observations with six Taiwan school directors serving geographically diverse student populations. The journey leading to school leadership and the challenges that this representative group of educational leaders face are…

76 FR 19788 - Carbon Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-08

...)] Carbon Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand Determinations On... fittings from Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand would be likely to lead to continuation or... Pipe Fittings from Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand: Investigation Nos. 731-TA-308-310 and...

75 FR 14423 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet and Strip from Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-25

... Film, Sheet and Strip from Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty... the antidumping duty order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet and strip from Taiwan for the... antidumping order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet and strip from Taiwan was for the period of...

Use of Facebook by Hospitals in Taiwan: A Nationwide Survey.

PubMed

Yang, Po-Chin; Lee, Wui-Chiang; Liu, Hao-Yen; Shih, Mei-Ju; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Chou, Li-Fang; Hwang, Shinn-Jang

2018-06-06

Background : Social media advertising has become increasingly influential in recent years. Because Facebook has the most active users worldwide, many hospitals in Taiwan have created official Facebook fan pages. Our study was to present an overview of official Facebook fan pages of hospitals in Taiwan. Methods : All 417 hospitals were surveyed about their use of Facebook fan pages in December 2017. The last update time, posts in the past 30 days, number of “Likes”, and other features were analyzed and stratified according to the accreditation statuses of the hospitals. Results : In Taiwan, only 51.1% ( n = 213) of the hospitals had an official Facebook fan page. Among these hospitals, 71.8% ( n = 153) had updated their pages in the past 30 days, although 89.2% ( n = 190) provided online interactions. Academic medical centers tended to have more “Likes” than regional and local community hospitals (on average 5947.4, 2644.8, and 1548.0, respectively). Conclusions : In spite of the popularity of Facebook among the general population, most hospitals in Taiwan do not seem to make good use of this kind of social media. The reasons for the use and nonuse of Facebook on the part of both hospitals and patients deserve further investigation.

A study of assessment indicators for environmental sustainable development of science parks in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Han-Shen; Chien, Li-Hsien; Hsieh, Tsuifang

2013-08-01

This study adopted the ecological footprint calculation structure to calculate the ecological footprints of the three major science parks in Taiwan from 2008 to 2010. The result shows that the ecological footprints of the Hsinchu Science Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park, and the Southern Taiwan Science Park were about 3.964, 2.970, and 4.165 ha per capita. The ecological footprint (EF) of the Central Taiwan Science Park was the lowest, meaning that the influence of the daily operations in the Central Taiwan Science Park on the environment was rather low. Secondly, the population density was relatively high, and the EF was not the highest of the Hsinchu Science Park, meaning that, while consuming ecological resources, the environmental management done was effective. In addition, the population density in Southern Taiwan Science Park is 82.8 units, lower than that of Hsinchu Science Park, but its ecological footprint per capita is 0.201 units, higher than Hsinchu, implying its indicator management has space for improvement. According to the analysis result above, in the science parks, the percentages of high-energy-consuming industries were rather high. It was necessary to encourage development of green industries with low energy consumption and low pollution through industry transformation.

Successful implementation of a P&T-approved therapeutic interchange program of angiotensin II receptor blockers in a medical center in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lee, Yen-Ying; Hsiao, Paul; Lin, You-Meei; Yen, Yu-Hsuan; Chen, Hsiang-Yin

2012-01-01

Therapeutic interchange is not a common practice in the medical society in Asia. We used clinic blood pressure readings, patients' tolerance, and cost saving as measures to evaluate the impact of a therapeutic interchange program implemented at a medical center in Taiwan. Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital initiated a therapeutic interchange program involving angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). Data were retrospectively collected for 444 outpatients who were converted from other ARBs to candesartan. Evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, adverse effects associated with therapy, and drug costs was conducted before and after the program implementation. Patients whose treatment was converted to candesartan experienced no statistically significant differences in blood pressure, and the average number of antihypertensive agents used per patient remained unchanged. A direct cost savings of US$62,237 was estimated for the 444 patients studied. Only 3.15% of the patients developed adverse drug reactions potentially related to candesartan, and none required hospitalization. Based on the results of this retrospective chart review, the present ARB therapeutic interchange program was successfully developed and implemented. This is the first study to establish the positive impact of a well-run ARB therapeutic interchange program in Taiwan. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 9668 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-11

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2010-2011... administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene terephthalate film (PET Film) from Taiwan.\\1...), producers and exporters of PET Film from Taiwan. Based on the results of our analysis of the comments...

75 FR 81308 - Stainless Steel Sheet And Strip From Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, And Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-27

...)] Stainless Steel Sheet And Strip From Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, And Taiwan AGENCY: United States... and strip from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan. SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives... strip from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan would be likely to lead to continuation or...

75 FR 59744 - Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip From Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-28

...)] Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip From Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan AGENCY: United States... duty orders on stainless steel sheet and strip from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan... stainless steel sheet and strip from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan would be likely to...

Chinese Economic Coercion Against Taiwan: A Tricky Weapon to Use

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

View document details For More Information Purchase this document Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution Support RAND This PDF...is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2007 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any...Taiwan Statistical Year- book , 1995, pp. 192–193, cited in Zhao, 1999, pp. 24, 28. 84 Chinese Economic Coercion Against Taiwan: A Tricky Weapon to Use

The Prospects for the Implementation of School-Based Financial Management in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Hsuan-fu

2010-01-01

The current approach to solving educational problems in Taiwan is to adopt policies employed in Western countries. However, given the very different cultural and educational environment of Asia, not all policies effective in Western countries are necessarily applicable to schools in Taiwan. Therefore, an examination of the feasibility and…

76 FR 30967 - Certain Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

... Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan Determinations On the basis of the record \\1... is a reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of imports from China and Taiwan of certain stilbenic optical brightening agents, provided for in subheadings...

The Development of Educational Gerontology in Taiwan: An Interpretive and Critical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chin-Shan

2010-01-01

Educational gerontology is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Taiwan, a small island in the western Pacific Ocean, has responded to its aging population with the development of the studies and practices of educational gerontology. This study, first, traces the development of educational gerontology in Taiwan, based on Peterson's definition…

Lyssavirus in Japanese Pipistrelle, Taiwan

PubMed Central

Hu, Shu-Chia; Hsu, Chao-Lung; Lee, Ming-Shiuh; Tu, Yang-Chang; Chang, Jen-Chieh; Wu, Chieh-Hao; Lee, Shu-Hwae; Ting, Lu-Jen; Tsai, Kwok-Rong; Cheng, Ming-Chu; Tu, Wen-Jane

2018-01-01

A putative new lyssavirus was found in 2 Japanese pipistrelles (Pipistrellus abramus) in Taiwan in 2016 and 2017. The concatenated coding regions of the virus showed 62.9%–75.1% nucleotide identities to the other 16 species of lyssavirus, suggesting that it may be representative of a new species of this virus. PMID:29553328

The off-shore Transport of China Coastal Current over Taiwan Bank in Winter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, E.; Yan, X. H.; Oey, L. Y.; Jiang, Y.

2016-12-01

In winter, an off-shore flow of China Coastal Current can be inferred from satellite and in-situ data over the Taiwan Bank. The dynamics related to this off-shore flow have not been previously explained and are examined here using observations and model. Influenced by southward wind stress and opposing pressure gradient, currents over the Taiwan Bank can be classified into three regimes. The southward China Coastal Current flows pass the Taiwan Bank when the wind stress is stronger than a critical value which depends on the opposite pressure gradient force. The coastal current turns northward under a weak wind stress. Two opposite currents converge over the bank and a branch of the coastal current then turns into the northward warm current when these two forces are in balance. Analysis of the vorticity balance shows that the cross-isobath movement is related to a negative bottom stress curl over the Taiwan Bank. Both bottom Ekman transport and shear and curvature vorticity related to the weak bottom slope over the Taiwan Bank contribute to the bottom stress curl. Composite analyses using observations tend to support the model results.

An Integrated Syndromic Surveillance System for Monitoring Scarlet Fever in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wu, Wan-Jen; Liu, Yu-Lun; Kuo, Hung-Wei; Huang, Wan-Ting; Yang, Shiang-Lin; Chuang, Jen-Hsiang

2013-01-01

Objective To develop an integrated syndromic surveillance system for timely monitoring and early detection of unusual situations of scarlet fever in Taiwan, since Hong Kong, being so close geographically to Taiwan, had an outbreak of scarlet fever in June 2011. Introduction Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by group A streptococcus (GAS). The clinical symptoms are usually mild. Before October, 2007, case-based surveillance of scarlet fever was conducted through notifiable infectious diseases in Taiwan, but was removed later from the list of notifiable disease because of improved medical care capacities. In 2011, Hong Kong had encountered an outbreak of scarlet fever (1,2). In response, Taiwan developed an integrated syndromic surveillance system using multiple data sources since July 2011. Methods More than 99% of the Taiwan population is covered by National Health Insurance. We first retrospectively evaluated claims data from the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) by comparing with notifiable diseases reporting data from Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (TCDC). The claims data included information on scarlet fever diagnosis (ICD-9-CM code 034.1), date of visits, location of hospitals and age of patients from outpatient (OPD), emergency room (ER) and hospital admissions. Daily aggregate data of scarlet fever visits or hospitalizations were prospectively collected from BNHI since July 2011. Over 70% of the deaths in Taiwan are reported to the Office of Statistics of Department of Health electronically. We obtained daily data on electronic death certification data and used SAS Enterprise Guide 4.3 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) for data management and analysis. Deaths associated with scarlet fever or other GAS infections were identified by text mining from causes of death with keywords of traditional Chinese ‘scarlet fever’, ‘group A streptococcus’ or ‘toxic shock syndrome’ (3). Results From January 2006 to September 2007, the

Taiwan’s Transition to Democracy

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-03-01

hard authoritarianism established by Chiang-Kai Shek’s regime allowed the institutions of private property and free enterprise to promote economic ... stability . Rapid growth followed and Taiwan transitioned from an agrarian based economy to a modem industrialized nation. The pressures from economic

A study on fire spreading model for the safety distance between the neighborhood occupancies and historical buildings in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C. H.; Chien, S. W.; Ho, M. C.

2015-08-01

Cultural heritages and historical buildings are vulnerable against severe threats from fire. Since the 1970s, ten fire-spread events involving historic buildings have occurred in Taiwan, affecting a total of 132 nearby buildings. Developed under the influence of traditional Taiwanese culture, historic buildings in Taiwan are often built using non-fire resistant brick-wood structure and located in proximity to residential occupancies. Fire outbreak in these types of neighborhood will lead to severe damage of antiquities, leaving only unrecoverable historical imagery. This study is aimed to investigate the minimal safety distance required between a historical building and its surroundings in order to reduce the risk of external fire. This study is based on literature analysis and the fire spread model using a Fire Dynamics Simulator. The selected target is Jingmei Temple in Taipei City. This study explored local geography to identify patterns behind historical buildings distribution. In the past, risk reduction engineering for cultural heritages and historical buildings focused mainly on fire equipment and the available personnel with emergency response ability, and little attention was given to external fire risks and the affected damage. Through discussions on the required safety distance, this research provides guidelines for the following items: management of neighborhoods with historical buildings and consultation between the protection of cultural heritages and disaster prevention, reducing the frequency and extent of fire damages, and preserving cultural resource.

Development and implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Taiwan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liou, M.-L.; Yu, Y.-H

2004-04-01

Taiwan is one of the few Asian countries to have officially adopted Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as one important means towards the achievement of environmental conservation and sustainable development. Despite implementation almost a decade ago, SEA remains premature in its development. This paper analyzes the progress and characteristics of SEA in Taiwan and, through examination of its limited case studies, reveals the positive and apparent influence of SEA on policy making. This paper also identifies the barriers hindering SEA's advancement and concludes with recommendations on strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Neonatal outcomes of extremely preterm infants from taiwan: comparison with Canada, Japan, and the USA.

PubMed

Su, Bai-Horng; Hsieh, Wu-Shiun; Hsu, Chyong-Hsin; Chang, Jui-Hsing; Lien, Reyin; Lin, Chyi-Her

2015-02-01

This study compared the current trend in survival rates and morbidity for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in five Medical Training Centers of Prematurity for the Premature Baby Foundation of Taiwan (PBFT), with the outcomes from the USA, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (NICHD NRN), the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), and the Neonatal Research Network of Japan (NRNJ). The survival rates of VLBW infants according to gestational age (GA) and major morbidities were compared between networks (Taiwan, USA, Canada, and Japan). Taiwanese data for VLBW infants of GA ≤28 weeks between 2007 and 2012 were obtained from the "PBFT Annual Conferences of Premature Care" reports defining survival rate as neonates that survived to the time of discharge. Major morbidities included severe neurological injury (Grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia), bronchopulmonary dysplasia, severe retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, and patent ductus arteriosus. The survival rates of VLBW infants of GA ≤28 weeks from the PBFT (Taiwan), NICHD NRN (USA), CNN (Canada), and NRNJ (Japan) were 77% (1323/1718), 72% (6859/9575), 82% (2353/2872), and 89% (4489/5069), respectively. The annual survival rates in Taiwan from 2007 to 2012 were 72%, 76%, 76%, 74%, 77%, and 78%, respectively. When GA from ≤23 weeks to 28 weeks was assessed in Taiwan, the survival rates of VLBW infants according to each week were 22%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 88%, and 92%, respectively. The survival rate, especially at lower GAs, was highest in the NRNJ (Japan). The major difference between Taiwan and Japan was attributed to the lower survival rates at lower GA (≤26 weeks) in Taiwan. Japan had the lowest rates of major morbidities among the four countries. The survival rate of VLBW infants has improved over the past 6 years in Taiwan. It is higher than the USA, but lower than Canada and Japan. However, the

An Investigation of Taiwan's Education Regulations and Policies for Pursuing Environmental Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Wen-Tien

2012-01-01

With the rapid industrialization and economic development in the past decades, heavy environmental loads caused some serious environmental scenarios in Taiwan, an island country with a dense population and only limited natural resources. As a result, environmental education in Taiwan has been a leading tool to promote sustainable development since…

Applying a Proposal Guideline in Mentoring English Major Undergraduate Researchers in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Ya-Hui

2011-01-01

Many colleges and universities in Taiwan have implemented research courses into the school curriculum in an effort to meet the demands of higher education and requirements of graduation. However, not many researchers have proposed a guideline in mentoring English major undergraduates in their research proposal writing in Taiwan. Furthermore, to…

Seismotetonics of the Eastern Taiwan offshore area from OBS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, S.; Lin, J.

2013-12-01

Located at the arc-continental collision region between the Eurasian (EU) and Philippine Sea Plate (PSP), Taiwan is characterized by a complex tectonic environment, especially the eastern part of the island. Based on geodetic, geological and geophysical data, the tectonic structures in the eastern Taiwan have been well studied by several former works. However, the seismotectonic structures in the offshore area of eastern Taiwan are still poorly understood, because most seismic stations are inland and the earthquakes occur offshore cannot be located accurately. To understand the seismic activities in the offshore area of the eastern Taiwan, we deployed 8 OBSs (Ocean Bottom Seismometer) from Jul. 9th to Aug. 3rd, 2012 to record the seismic signal. The continuous waveform data recorded by the CWB (Central Weather Bureau) land stations were also used to increase the precision of the hypocenter determination. Seismic events were detected manually and the Antelope software and the global velocity model iasp91 (Kennett and Engdahl, 1991) were used for the initial localization. As a result, a total of 714 events were located in the previous 17-day data. Because of the complexity of the crustal structures around Taiwan, a 1-D seismic velocity model is not accurate sufficiently for a reliable hypocenter determination. For improving the precision of the location, we relocated the earthquakes with the HypoDD relocation method (Waldhauser and Ellsworth, 2000) which could minimize errors result from the velocity structure without the use of station corrections. Finally, 306 events were relocated successfully. Compared with the earthquakes determined by the Taiwanese seismic network (CWB and BATS- Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology), our preliminary result has a similar seismic pattern with these two catalogs but contains much more offshore earthquakes in the same time period. The relocated earthquakes show an east-dipping seismic zone in the southern part of eastern Taiwan

Perforated peptic ulcer in southeastern Taiwan.

PubMed

Li, Chin-Hsien; Chang, Wen-Hsiung; Shih, Shou-Chuan; Lin, Shee-Chan; Bair, Ming-Jong

2010-09-01

No studies focus on the population with perforated peptic ulcer in southeastern Taiwan. The present study aimed to assess the differences between the different races and the risk factors related to mortality and morbidity in postoperative patients in southeastern Taiwan. The medical records of 237 patients were reviewed retrospectively. The following factors were analyzed: patient profiles, coexisting illnesses, diagnostic method, fever, preoperative shock, clinical data at emergency room, delay operation, site of perforation, operative method, positive ascites culture, species of microbes in ascites culture, postoperative complications, death and the length of hospital stay. Aborigines were significantly different from non-aborigines in the ratio of female cases and in the habits of alcohol drinking and betel nut chewing. There were also four significantly different variables between them: fever, hemoglobin value, site of perforation and operative method. Total postoperative complication rate was 41.3% and 39 patients (16.6%) died. In multivariate analysis, age > or = 65 years, lipase > upper normal limit and preoperative shock were independent predictors of mortality. Significant risk factors associated with morbidity were NSAIDs use, creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL and preoperative shock. Aborigines were different from non-aborigines in several categories. In southeastern Taiwan, NSAIDs use, creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL and preoperative shock were independent risk factors of morbidity, and age > or = 65 years, lipase > upper normal limit and preoperative shock were independent risk factors of mortality in postoperative perforated peptic ulcer. Lipase > upper normal limit is needed for further research on the influence on mortality.

Ecology and control of dengue vector mosquitoes in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Y R; Hwang, J S; Guo, Y J

1994-12-01

Due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and social changes in recent years, the use of packing materials and tires has dramatically increased in the Taiwan area. What is more is that some parts of southern Taiwan are short of water resources and water preservation with huge containers becomes part of custom in those areas. Storage water containers, waste vessels and tires are good habitats for Aedes. Meanwhile, some persons traveling to dengue endemic countries bring the dengue disease back to Taiwan. Surveys taken since 1988 show that dengue occurs mainly in the urban and coastal areas where Aedes aegypti is prevalent. This species is the most important, if not the only, vector of dengue in Taiwan. It appears that the types of Aedes breeding have changed quickly. In dengue fever epidemic areas, the most popular breeding sites are ornamental containers (38.8%), storage water containers (30.1%), discarded containers (25.4%), receptacles (3.3%) and water collection in the basement (2.2%). In dengue fever epidemic areas, those building basements, huge water containers, waste vessels and waste tires in open fields are most difficult to clean up and manage and become the most popular Aedes habitats. We established a waste recycling system and promoted a breeding site reduction campaign for waste management, including the application of Temephos in containers to kill larvae. For the drinking water management, fish were released in water containers to prevent larval breeding. It should be mentioned that with the integrated pest control and regular inspections of Aedes larvae in Taiwan the density figures 1, 2-5, and 6 or above for Aedes aegypti were 38.7%, 42.9%, and 18.4%, respectively, in 1988, and in 1993 were 90.8%, 9.2% and 0%. The incidence of dengue fever cases has 98% decreased since 1988. In 1990 and 1993, there was no indigenous cases. We have concluded that integrated pest control is the best and most effective method for dengue fever control, including

Tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from birds in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Chi-Chien; Lin, Yi-Fu; Yao, Cheng-Te; Shih, Han-Chun; Chung, Lo-Hsuan; Liao, Hsien-Chun; Hsu, Yu-Cheng; Wang, Hsi-Chieh

2017-11-25

A variety of human diseases transmitted by arthropod vectors, including ticks, are emerging around the globe. Birds are known to be hosts of ticks and can disperse exotic ticks and tick-borne pathogens. In Taiwan, previous studies have focused predominantly on mammals, leaving the role of birds in the maintenance of ticks and dissemination of tick-borne pathogens undetermined. Ticks were collected opportunistically when birds were studied from 1995 to 2013. Furthermore, to improve knowledge on the prevalence and mean load of tick infestation on birds in Taiwan, ticks were thoroughly searched for when birds were mist-netted at seven sites between September 2014 and April 2016 in eastern Taiwan. Ticks were identified based on both morphological and molecular information and were screened for potential tick-borne pathogens, including the genera Anaplasma, Babesia, Borrelia, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia. Finally, a list of hard tick species collected from birds in Taiwan was compiled based on past work and the current study. Nineteen ticks (all larvae) were recovered from four of the 3096 unique mist-netted bird individuals, yielding a mean load of 0.006 ticks/individual and an overall prevalence of 0.13%. A total of 139 ticks from birds, comprising 48 larvae, 35 nymphs, 55 adults and one individual of unknown life stage, were collected from 1995 to 2016, and 11 species of four genera were identified, including three newly recorded species (Haemaphysalis wellingtoni, Ixodes columnae and Ixodes turdus). A total of eight tick-borne pathogens were detected, with five species (Borrelia turdi, Anaplasma sp. clone BJ01, Ehrlichia sp. BL157-9, Rickettsia helvetica and Rickettsia monacensis) not previously isolated in Taiwan. Overall, 16 tick species of five genera have been recorded feeding on birds, including nine species first discovered in this study. Our study demonstrates the paucity of information on ticks of birds and emphasizes the need for more research on ticks of birds

The occurrence and geochemistry of arsenic in groundwaters of Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W.; Lu, H.; Liu, T.

2008-12-01

Blackfoot disease caused by digesting water with high concentration (>0.3 mg/L) of arsenic from deep wells affected thousands of people in Chianan of Taiwan during 1930 to 1960. Drinking water with arsenic, even in a lower concentration (0.1-0.01 mg/L) increase risk of cancer that had been demonstrated by a number of studies on Taiwan. By concerning the effects of long-term chronic exposure to arsenic, the EPA of United States had revised the regulatory limit of arsenic for drinking water from 0.05 to 0.01 mg/L in 2006. Many researches have investigated on the occurrence and chemistry of the arsenic-contained groundwater and its health effects in Chianan of Taiwan. However, there are only a few studies on the other groundwater basins of Taiwan that providing about one third of water supplies for a population of 21 million. In this study, we investigate the occurrence and redox geochemistry of arsenic in nine major groundwater basins of Taiwan. The values and concentrations of pH, Eh, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, iron, methane, sulfide, bicarbonate and ammonium in groundwaters were determined with a total of 610 monitoring wells in 2006. More than 60% of wells in the GW6 basin with a concentration of arsenic exceed 0.05 mg/L. The groundwaters in GW6 basin also have the highest average arsenic concentration. The exceeding percent (>0.05 mg/L) of wells for GW7, GW5, GW9 and GW8 basins are 30%, 20%, 18% and 8%, respectively. All of arsenic concentrations in groundwaters of GW1 to GW4 basins are lower than 0.05 mg/L, but some samples are higher than 0.01 mg/L. The exceeding percent of samples for arsenic 0.01 mg/L in GW3, GW1, GW2 and GW4 basins are 28%, 24%, 23% and 6%, respectively. Our results suggest that the concentrations of arsenic as well as iron in groundwaters of Taiwan were elevated by the iron-reducing process in aquifers. Samples, especially those with higher concentration of bicarbonate (> 400 mg/L) and oversaturated methane, mostly in the GW6 basin

Predictive susceptibility analysis of typhoon induced landslides in Central Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Keh-Jian; Lin, Zora

2017-04-01

Climate change caused by global warming affects Taiwan significantly for the past decade. The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, in which concentrated and intensive rainfalls generally cause geohazards including landslides and debris flows. The extraordinary, such as 2004 Mindulle and 2009 Morakot, hit Taiwan and induced serious flooding and landslides. This study employs rainfall frequency analysis together with the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) downscaling estimation to understand the temporal rainfall trends, distributions, and intensities in the adopted Wu River watershed in Central Taiwan. To assess the spatial hazard of the landslides, landslide susceptibility analysis was also applied. Different types of rainfall factors were tested in the susceptibility models for a better accuracy. In addition, the routes of typhoons were also considered in the predictive analysis. The results of predictive analysis can be applied for risk prevention and management in the study area.

Impacts of Climatic Variability on Vibrio parahaemolyticus Outbreaks in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsiao, Hsin-I; Jan, Man-Ser; Chi, Hui-Ju

2016-02-03

This study aimed to investigate and quantify the relationship between climate variation and incidence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Taiwan. Specifically, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models (including autoregression, seasonality, and a lag-time effect) were employed to predict the role of climatic factors (including temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, ocean temperature and ocean salinity) on the incidence of V. parahaemolyticus in Taiwan between 2000 and 2011. The results indicated that average temperature (+), ocean temperature (+), ocean salinity of 6 months ago (+), maximum daily rainfall (current (-) and one month ago (-)), and average relative humidity (current and 9 months ago (-)) had significant impacts on the incidence of V. parahaemolyticus. Our findings offer a novel view of the quantitative relationship between climate change and food poisoning by V. parahaemolyticus in Taiwan. An early warning system based on climate change information for the disease control management is required in future.

Impacts of Climatic Variability on Vibrio parahaemolyticus Outbreaks in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Hsiao, Hsin-I; Jan, Man-Ser; Chi, Hui-Ju

2016-01-01

This study aimed to investigate and quantify the relationship between climate variation and incidence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Taiwan. Specifically, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models (including autoregression, seasonality, and a lag-time effect) were employed to predict the role of climatic factors (including temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, ocean temperature and ocean salinity) on the incidence of V. parahaemolyticus in Taiwan between 2000 and 2011. The results indicated that average temperature (+), ocean temperature (+), ocean salinity of 6 months ago (+), maximum daily rainfall (current (−) and one month ago (−)), and average relative humidity (current and 9 months ago (−)) had significant impacts on the incidence of V. parahaemolyticus. Our findings offer a novel view of the quantitative relationship between climate change and food poisoning by V. parahaemolyticus in Taiwan. An early warning system based on climate change information for the disease control management is required in future. PMID:26848675

Current Status and Future Prospects of Upper-Secondary Vocational Education in Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lung-Sheng Steven

The current status and prospects of upper secondary vocational education (USVE) in Taiwan were reviewed. The following were among the key findings: (1) in Taiwan, USVE is offered in all vocational high schools (VHS), the occupational programs in all comprehensive high schools (CHS), and some senior high schools (SHS); (2) students in VHS…

Remapping Englishness--the Impact of Globalization on College English Instruction in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jade Tsui-yu

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of globalization upon the college-level instruction of English/American literature in Taiwan. The examination will be centered upon the subject of Englishness as demonstrated in the courses of English/American Literature taught in Taiwan. By focusing on the term "Englishness," the paper…

Comparison of professional values between nursing students in Taiwan and China.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Hua; Li, Jie; Shieh, Show-Ing; Kao, Chia-Chan; Lee, I; Hung, Shu-Ling

2016-03-01

People in both Taiwan and China originally descended from the Han Chinese, but the societies have been separated for approximately 38 years. Due to different political systems, variations exist in healthcare and nursing education systems in Taiwan and China. The purpose of this study was to examine the professional values of nursing students in Taiwan and China. A cross-sectional design was applied in this study. The Nursing Professional Value Scale-Revised was used to measure the professional values of the students. The questionnaire was distributed to eligible undergraduate students in a classroom setting. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the first investigator's university. Participants were informed that completion and return of the questionnaire was voluntary, and confidentiality was ensured by keeping the responses anonymous. A convenience sample included 292 Taiwanese students and 654 Chinese students. A total of 11 individual Nursing Professional Value Scale-Revised items showed significant differences between the two groups. These results reflect the differences in the perceived importance of these items between the groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the mean overall scores for the Nursing Professional Value Scale-Revised (p = .766) and three subscales (all p > .05). There are some differences in professional values between nursing students in Taiwan and China. Given the increasingly frequent and close interactions between Taiwan and China and the globalization of nursing, understanding these differences may help nursing educators identify students' perceptions of their professional values and support the development of strategies to improve weaknesses in professional values. © The Author(s) 2014.

Defining the ecological hydrology of Taiwan Rivers using multivariate statistical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Fi-John; Wu, Tzu-Ching; Tsai, Wen-Ping; Herricks, Edwin E.

2009-09-01

SummaryThe identification and verification of ecohydrologic flow indicators has found new support as the importance of ecological flow regimes is recognized in modern water resources management, particularly in river restoration and reservoir management. An ecohydrologic indicator system reflecting the unique characteristics of Taiwan's water resources and hydrology has been developed, the Taiwan ecohydrological indicator system (TEIS). A major challenge for the water resources community is using the TEIS to provide environmental flow rules that improve existing water resources management. This paper examines data from the extensive network of flow monitoring stations in Taiwan using TEIS statistics to define and refine environmental flow options in Taiwan. Multivariate statistical methods were used to examine TEIS statistics for 102 stations representing the geographic and land use diversity of Taiwan. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed high multicollinearity between the TEIS statistics. Watersheds were separated into upper and lower-watershed locations. An analysis of variance indicated significant differences between upstream, more natural, and downstream, more developed, locations in the same basin with hydrologic indicator redundancy in flow change and magnitude statistics. Issues of multicollinearity were examined using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with the first three components related to general flow and high/low flow statistics, frequency and time statistics, and quantity statistics. These principle components would explain about 85% of the total variation. A major conclusion is that managers must be aware of differences among basins, as well as differences within basins that will require careful selection of management procedures to achieve needed flow regimes.

Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of Mesoscale Eddies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-31

Services, 183 Oyster Pond Road, Fenno MS #39 Woods Hole, MA 02543-1531 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S...Kuroshio and the southward-flowing Mindanao Current and (2) how westward-propagating mesoscale eddies that arrive east of Taiwan from the ocean ...of Taiwan from the ocean interior affect Kuroshio variability. This will establish the advective versus the eddy- driven contributions to Kuroshio

Marital role attitudes and expected role behaviors of college youth in mainland China and Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsieh, K H; Burgess, R L

1994-09-01

Mainland China and Taiwan have been politically and physically segregated since 1949, and it was not until the late 1980s that limited contacts and cultural exchanges between the two societies began to take place. During their period of segregation, the two societies adopted different approaches toward gender roles. While gender equality was actively promoted in mainland China, the government in Taiwan lacked the theoretical guidance on how to achieve such equality. Gender egalitarianism in Taiwan therefore remains at the abstract or philosophical level with no specification of what gender equality means in concrete terms. Testing the hypothesis that people in mainland China have become more egalitarian than have people in Taiwan with respect to the division of marital roles, the authors investigated the differences in marital role attitudes and expected behavior among selected college students in mainland China and Taiwan. Survey responses were obtained from 185 male and 154 female students from Taiwan and 150 male and 138 female students from mainland China of different years and majors on four dimensions of marital role attitudes and six areas of traditional husband and wife role behaviors. The dimensions were determined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The data indicate that although most of the hypothesized societal differences are supported, some are not. The authors speculate that possible regressive changes in mainland China and progressive changes in Taiwan during the past decade were responsible for the discrepancy between hypotheses and results.

Historical context for the growth of medical professionalism and curriculum reform in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiu, Chiung-Hsuan; Arrigo, Linda Gail; Tsai, Duujian

2009-09-01

Medical school curricular reform to address humanism is now a prominent issue in Taiwan. Taiwan's community of medical professionals have for the last 100 years played a leading role in the nation's modernization and democratization. With the democratic opening of 1990, they took up the cause of humanistic reform of medical education. Although the reform has not sufficiently specified the depth and breadth of professionalism to be achieved through the medical school curriculum, it points at least to the most desired professionalism goals. Collaboration with the international community, particularly with Taiwanese-American medical educators and researchers who bring their experience back to Taiwan, has been a potent force for the advancement of the humanities and professionalism in medical education. This paper presents the definition of professionalism and the history of the medical profession from the perspective of medical education in Taiwan, and discusses recent transitions.

Review: Progress in rotational ground-motion observations from explosions and local earthquakes in Taiwan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, William H K.; Huang, Bor-Shouh; Langston, Charles A.; Lin, Chin-Jen; Liu, Chun-Chi; Shin, Tzay-Chyn; Teng, Ta-Liang; Wu, Chien-Fu

2009-01-01

Rotational motions generated by large earthquakes in the far field have been successfully measured, and observations agree well with the classical elasticity theory. However, recent rotational measurements in the near field of earthquakes in Japan and in Taiwan indicate that rotational ground motions are 10 to 100 times larger than expected from the classical elasticity theory. The near-field strong-motion records of the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake suggest that the ground motions along the 100 km rupture are complex. Some rather arbitrary baseline corrections are necessary in order to obtain reasonable displacement values from double integration of the acceleration data. Because rotational motions can contaminate acceleration observations due to the induced perturbation of the Earth’s gravitational field, we started a modest program to observe rotational ground motions in Taiwan.Three papers have reported the rotational observations in Taiwan: (1) at the HGSD station (Liu et al., 2009), (2) at the N3 site from two TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) explosions (Lin et al., 2009), and (3) at the Taiwan campus of the National Chung-Cheng University (NCCU) (Wu et al., 2009). In addition, Langston et al. (2009) reported the results of analyzing the TAIGER explosion data. As noted by several authors before, we found a linear relationship between peak rotational rate (PRR in mrad/sec) and peak ground acceleration (PGA in m/sec2) from local earthquakes in Taiwan, PRR=0.002+1.301 PGA, with a correlation coefficient of 0.988.

Study on occupational safety and health strategy for Taiwan.

PubMed

Chuang, Kuen-Yuan; Su, Teh-Sheng; Kuo, Chao-Yin; Lin, Chien-Liang; Lin, Han-Yu; Yu, Yi-Chun

2009-12-01

The aim of this study was to establish a set of occupational safety and health (OSH) issues and development policies suitable for adoption in Taiwan. A survey was conducted on a sample of 102 experts and 235 industrial work safety personnel in Taiwan for statistical analysis of the general consensus, with the results showing such consensus in 104 individual policy indicators. Our results reveal that the most appropriate targets were considered to be annual 10% reductions in the 'occupational accident disability rate', 'occupational accident injury rate' and 'occupational diseases before 2010'. Responding to the specific question of the appropriate method of achieving a reduction in the number of accidents in Taiwan, the primary consideration for 13.4% of the experts and 10.6% of the industry personnel was 'promoting OSH awareness and enhancing the overall safety culture'. As regards the current OSH policy focus, 11.2% of the experts considered 'improving OSH legislation, standards and systems' to be the most important, whilst 8.9% of the industry personnel felt that 'recognizing work stress, overwork and emerging OSH issues' were the most important.

The 2017 Focused Update of the Guidelines of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology (TSOC) and the Taiwan Hypertension Society (THS) for the Management of Hypertension.

PubMed

Chiang, Chern-En; Wang, Tzung-Dau; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Yeh, Hung-I; Liu, Ping-Yen; Cheng, Hao-Min; Chao, Ting-Hsing; Chen, Chen-Huan; Shyu, Kou-Gi; Ueng, Kwo-Chang; Chen, Chung-Yin; Chu, Pao-Hsien; Sung, Shih-Hsien; Wang, Kang-Ling; Li, Yi-Heng; Wang, Kuo-Yang; Chiang, Fu-Tien; Lai, Wen-Ter; Chen, Jyh-Hong; Chen, Wen-Jone; Yeh, San-Jou; Chen, Ming-Fong; Lin, Shing-Jong; Lin, Jiunn-Lee

2017-05-01

Hypertension (HT) is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Over the past 25 years, the number of individuals with hypertension and the estimated associated deaths has increased substantially. There have been great debates in the past few years on the blood pressure (BP) targets. The 2013 European Society of Hypertension and European Society of Cardiology HT guidelines suggested a unified systolic BP target of 140 mmHg for both high-risk and low-risk patients. The 2014 Joint National Committee report further raised the systolic BP targets to 150 mmHg for those aged ≥ 60 years, including patients with stroke or coronary heart disease, and raised the systolic BP target to 140 mmHg for diabetes. Instead, the 2015 Hypertension Guidelines of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology and the Taiwan Hypertension Society suggested more aggressive BP targets of < 130/80 mmHg for patients with diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease with proteinuria, and atrial fibrillation patients on antithrombotic therapy. Based on the main findings from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) and several recent meta-analyses, the HT committee members of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology and the Taiwan Hypertension Society convened and finalized the revised BP targets for management of HT. We suggested a new systolic BP target to < 120 mmHg for patients with coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease with an eGFR of 20-60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 , and elderly patients aged ≥ 75 years, using unattended automated office BP measurement. When traditional office BP measurement is applied, we suggested BP target of < 140/90 mmHg for elderly patients with an age ≥ 75 years. Other BP targets with traditional office BP measurement remain unchanged. With these more aggressive BP targets, it is foreseeable that the cardiovascular events will decrease substantially in Taiwan.

The characteristics of patient safety culture in Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

PubMed

Fujita, Shigeru; Seto, Kanako; Ito, Shinya; Wu, Yinghui; Huang, Chiu-Chin; Hasegawa, Tomonori

2013-01-14

Quality and safety issues are receiving growing attention. Patient safety culture (PSC) plays an important role in patient safety. The characteristics of PSC in various countries, each with a different set of values, have not been determined sufficiently. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of PSC in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Japan and Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on PSC (HSOPS) questionnaire developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Data from Japan and Taiwan were also compared with the U.S. "2010 HSOPS Comparative Database" provided by AHRQ. Valid response rates in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. were 66.5% (6,963/10,466), 85.7% (10,019/11,692) and 35.2% (291,341/827,424), respectively. The proportion of respondents with some experience of event reporting during the past 12 months was highest in Japan. In general, U.S. healthcare workers were likely to evaluate their PSC higher than that in Japan or Taiwan. The attitude of continuous improvement in Japan and event reporting of near misses in Taiwan were rated as low. In the U.S., staffing was rated as high. The results suggest that PSC varies among different countries, and the cultural setting of each country should be given special consideration in the development of effective intervention plans to improve PSC. Additional investigations with improved methodology and a common protocol are required to accurately compare PSCs among countries.

Human Freshwater Demand for Economic Activity and Ecosystems in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferng, Jiun-Jiun

2007-12-01

Freshwater is necessary to economic activity, and humans depend on goods and services generated by water-dependent ecosystems. However, national freshwater management usually focuses on direct use of domestic freshwater. With an increasing scarcity of freshwater, attention has turned to two indirect uses of freshwater by humans. The first indirect use is freshwater used by foreign countries when producing products for export. The second use is freshwater required by local ecosystems: human survival and development depend on goods and services generated in these ecosystems. This work adopted Taiwan as a case study. In addition to two widely recognized ecosystem freshwater demands, evapotranspiration and reversed river flow, this study suggests that freshwater is a constituent of some abiotic components, such as groundwater in aquifers, because excessive withdrawal has already caused significant land subsidence in Taiwan. Moreover, the estimated results show that Taiwan’s net imports of freshwater through trade amounts to approximately 25% of its total freshwater use for economic production. Integrating industrial policy, trade policy, and national freshwater management is a useful approach for developing strategies to limit the growing use of freshwater in Taiwan. Policy implications are then developed by further analyzing withdrawal sources of freshwater (domestic and foreign) for supporting economic production in Taiwan and identifying the factors (domestic final demand and export) driving freshwater-intensive products.

Chromosome numbers of populations of three varieties of Bidens pilosa in Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, Ya-Lun; Kao, Wen-Yuan

2015-12-01

Hairy beggar-ticks (Bidens pilosa L.) is a common invasive plant in tropical and subtropical regions. The Flora of Taiwan listed three varieties of B. pilosa in Taiwan, var. minor, var. pilosa and var. radiata. Among the three varieties, var. radiata was the most recently, in 1970s, introduced into Taiwan. However, after its introduction into Taiwan, var. radiata has become dominant over the other two varieties and is considered a serious invasive plant in lowland of Taiwan. Our previous study showed that var. radiata is self-incompatible and the other two varieties are self-fertile. Could it be possible that different chromosome numbers contribute to the different breeding systems of these three varieties? In addition, the heterogeneities of traits of var. radiata were found higher than those of var. minor and var. pilosa. Is the phenomenon resulting from the hybridization between var. radiata with other varieties? We counted chromosome numbers of populations of these three varieties distributed in Taiwan and conducted hand pollination treatment between var. radiata (as pollen receiver) and var. minor or var. pilosa (as pollen donor) to provide answer for the aforementioned questions. No difference was found in chromosome numbers among populations of the same variety. Forty-eight chromosomes (2n = 48) were counted for var. radiata while 72 (2n = 72) chromosomes for var. minor and var. pilosa. Therefore, var. radiata is tetraploid and var. minor and var. pilosa are hexaploid. No successful hybridization was found between var. radiata and var. minor or between var. radiata and var. pilosa. This study provided the evidence that the invasive plant (B. pilosa var. radiata) has different chromosome numbers from the other two varieties and is unlikely to hybridize with the other two varieties.

Health Expenditure Growth under Single-Payer Systems: Comparing South Korea and Taiwan.

PubMed

Cheng, Shou-Hsia; Jin, Hyun-Hyo; Yang, Bong-Min; Blank, Robert H

2018-05-03

Achieving universal health coverage has been an important goal for many countries worldwide. However, the rapid growth of health expenditures has challenged all nations, both those with and without such universal coverage. Single-payer systems are considered more efficient for administrative affairs and may be more effective for containing costs than multipayer systems. However, South Korea, which has a typical single-payer scheme, has almost the highest growth rate in health expenditures among industrialized countries. The aim of the present study is to explicate this situation by comparing South Korea with Taiwan. This study analyzed statistical reports published by government departments in South Korea and Taiwan from 2001 to 2015, including population and economic statistics, health statistics, health expenditures, and social health insurance reports. Between 2001 and 2015, the per capita national health expenditure (NHE) in South Korea grew 292%, whereas the corresponding growth of per capita NHE in Taiwan was only 83%. We find that the national health insurance (NHI) global budget cap in Taiwan may have restricted the growth of health expenditures. Less comprehensive benefit coverage for essential diagnosis/treatment services under the South Korean NHI program may have contributed to the growth of out-of-pocket payments. The expansion of insurance coverage for vulnerable individuals may also contribute to higher growth in NHE in South Korea. Explicit regulation of health care resource distribution may also lead to more limited provisioning and utilization of health services in Taiwan. Under analogous single-payer systems, South Korea had a much higher growth in health spending than Taiwan. The annual budget cap for total reimbursement, more comprehensive coverage for essential diagnosis and treatment services, and the regulation of health care resource distribution are important factors associated with the growth of health expenditures. Copyright © 2018

Massification of Higher Education in Taiwan: Shifting Pressure from Admission to Employment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Sheng-Ju; Lin, Liang-Wen

2015-01-01

Educational authorities in Taiwan have been expanding the higher education sector since the 1990s to meet the demands of economic transformation and to meet cultural expectations. Consequently, the higher education system of Taiwan has evolved from an elite system to a universal one. The rapid expansion of higher education is also characterized by…

Gestalt Group Dreamwork Demonstrations in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coven, Arnold B.

2004-01-01

The application of Gestalt dreamwork was explored with counselor education students and professors at two Taiwan universities. The literature indicates Asians are reluctant to disclose personal matters or to display emotions. Contrary to expectations, the Taiwanese participants readily enacted roles, were personally open, and expressed intense…

Acidic deposition on Taiwan and associated precipitation patterns

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, N.H.; Chen, C.S.; Peng, C.M.

1996-12-31

The acidic deposition on Taiwan is assessed based on precipitation chemistry observed through a nationwide monitoring network of acid rain. Ten sites have been operated since 1990. These sites were further categorized into five categories, namely, the northern (A), middle (B), southern (C), and eastern (D) Taiwan, and background (E), according to their geographical consideration. As a result, the averages (1990-1994) of pH values for the northern sites were between 4.46-4.63, whereas, the rest sites, excluding a southern site near the industrial area, had their averages greater than 5.0. The average concentrations of sulfate ions for these sites of meanmore » pH < 5.0, ranged between 103 and 148 {mu}eq {ell}{sup -1}. The mean concentrations of nitrate ions for urban sites were about 30-50% of sulfate concentrations. Using these sulfate and nitrate concentrations and rainfall data, the deposition fluxes for these sites were calculated. The overall averages of annual sulfate deposition for five areas (categories A-E) were 118, 60, 64, 60 and 25 kg ha{sup -1}, respectively, which were generally greater than those of 20-40 kg ha{sup -1} observed in the eastern USA. For the nitrate deposition, these five areas had the averages of 59, 38, 33, 40 and 16 kg ha{sup -1}, respectively. One of the important reasons why Taiwan had received higher sulfate and nitrate deposition was due to a great amount of precipitation over this subtropical island. For the northern Taiwan, more than 70% of precipitation events were stratiform and frontal precipitation associated with the northeastern monsoons, and frontal systems during the winter and spring (especially, the Mei-Yu) seasons, respectively. In addition to local effects, the long-range transport of acid substances are thought to play an important role.« less

Prediction of Flood Warning in Taiwan Using Nonlinear SVM with Simulated Annealing Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C.

2013-12-01

The issue of the floods is important in Taiwan. It is because the narrow and high topography of the island make lots of rivers steep in Taiwan. The tropical depression likes typhoon always causes rivers to flood. Prediction of river flow under the extreme rainfall circumstances is important for government to announce the warning of flood. Every time typhoon passed through Taiwan, there were always floods along some rivers. The warning is classified to three levels according to the warning water levels in Taiwan. The propose of this study is to predict the level of floods warning from the information of precipitation, rainfall duration and slope of riverbed. To classify the level of floods warning by the above-mentioned information and modeling the problems, a machine learning model, nonlinear Support vector machine (SVM), is formulated to classify the level of floods warning. In addition, simulated annealing (SA), a probabilistic heuristic algorithm, is used to determine the optimal parameter of the SVM model. A case study of flooding-trend rivers of different gradients in Taiwan is conducted. The contribution of this SVM model with simulated annealing is capable of making efficient announcement for flood warning and keeping the danger of flood from residents along the rivers.

Understanding the Development of School Psychology Services in the Republic of Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yuanyuan; D'Amato, Rik Carl

2013-01-01

School psychology is one of the most important fields within applied psychology, which is closely related to education and as a developing specialty it is important to be considered. Taiwan is an important Western ally and is highly developed in many ways. Taiwan is influenced by both Western and Eastern cultures, and this has inevitably impacted…

Cross-Cultural Learning Approaches in Students from the USA, Japan and Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Michael B.; Aoshima, Megumi; Bolen, Larry M.; Chia, Rosina; Kohyama, Takaya

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between approaches to learning and locus of control of students from the USA, Japan, and Taiwan. The results show that students from the USA utilized more rote memory learning compared to students from Japan and Taiwan, while students from Japan were more likely to be "Achieving"…

Trends of Do-Not-Resuscitate consent and hospice care utilization among noncancer decedents in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan between 2010 and 2014

PubMed Central

Chang, Hsiao-Ting; Lin, Ming-Hwai; Chen, Chun-Ku; Chou, Pesus; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Hwang, Shinn-Jang

2016-01-01

Abstract Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) and hospice care are not only applied to cancer patients but also to patients with noncancer progressive illness. However, the trends of DNR consent and hospice utilization are not well explored for noncancer patients. This study aimed to explore the trends of DNR consent and hospice care utilization among noncancer decedents in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. We analyzed the Death and Hospice Palliative Care Database from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. The Death and Hospice Palliative Care Database contains information including patient sex, major diagnosis, admission date, date of death, age at death, department at discharge, status of DNR consent, and status of hospice care of patients who died in the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Data on patients aged 20 years old or more who died of major terminal noncancer diseases, including brain diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung diseases, heart failure, chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis, and renal failure between 2010 and 2014 were extracted for analysis. A total of 1416 patients aged 20 years or more died of major noncancer diseases in Taipei Veterans General Hospital during the study period. The most common diagnosis was brain diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dementias (n = 510, 36%) followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung diseases (n = 322, 22.7%). Among these noncancer decedents, 1045 (73.8%) had DNR consents, while 134 (9.5%) received hospice care. Patients diagnosed with renal failure had the highest percentage of DNR consent (80%), followed by chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis (77.7%). Patients diagnosed with chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis had the highest percentage of hospice utilization (17.4%), followed by renal failure (15.8%). The percentages of DNR consent and hospice utilization were significantly different across different

Frailty and Its Contributory Factors in Older Adults: A Comparison of Two Asian Regions (Hong Kong and Taiwan).

PubMed

Yu, Ruby; Wu, Wan-Chi; Leung, Jason; Hu, Susan C; Woo, Jean

2017-09-21

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of frailty across three Chinese populations: Hong Kong, Taiwan-urban and Taiwan-rural. Contributing factors to disparities in frailty were also examined. Data were derived from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOs) and Women (MsOs) (Hong Kong) Study ( n = 4000) and the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging ( n = 2392). Frailty was defined as an index calculated from 30 multiple deficits. The ratio of the frailty index to life expectancy at birth (FI/LE) was used as an indicator of compression of morbidity. Frailty was more prevalent in Taiwan-urban (33.1%) and Taiwan-rural (38.1%) compared to Hong Kong (16.6%, p < 0.05) and was higher in women (22.6-49.7%) than in men (10.5-27.5%, p < 0.05). The ratios of FI/LE were higher in Taiwan-urban and Taiwan-rural (both 0.27) compared to Hong Kong (0.20, p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses revealed that older age, being a woman and low levels of physical activity were common risk factors for frailty across the three populations. Alcohol use was inversely associated with frailty in both Hong Kong and Taiwan-urban populations, but not in Taiwan-rural. Living alone was associated with frailty in Hong Kong men, but not in Hong Kong women or Taiwanese people. For all study populations, older age and being a woman constituted the highest attributable factor. This comparison provides useful data to inform government policies.

77 FR 39736 - Certain Circular Welded Pipe and Tube From Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-05

..., Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey Determinations On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject five... circular welded pipe and tube from Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey would be... Pipe and Tube from Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey: Investigation Nos. 701...

76 FR 31940 - Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe From Taiwan: Notice of Rescission of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-02

... Steel Pipe From Taiwan: Notice of Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review AGENCY: Import... review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded non-alloy steel pipe from Taiwan. The period of... review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded non-alloy steel pipe from Taiwan. See Antidumping...

77 FR 50160 - Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan and Vietnam; Scheduling of the Final Phase of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-20

...)] Steel Wire Garment Hangers From Taiwan and Vietnam; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty... States is materially retarded, by reason of subsidized imports from Taiwan of steel wire garment hangers and less- than-fair-value imports from Taiwan and Vietnam of steel wire garment hangers, provided for...

Additional slipper lobsters of the subfamily Scyllarinae Latreille, 1825 (Crustacea, Achelata, Scyllaridae) from Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Chien-Hui; Lin, Chia-Wei; Chan, Tin-Yam

2014-08-15

Five scyllarine lobsters are recorded from Taiwan for the first time. They are Bathyarctus rubens (Alcock & Anderson, 1894), Biarctus sordidus (Stimpson, 1860), Chelarctus aureus (Holthuis, 1963), Crenarctus bicuspidatus (De Man, 1905) and Petrarctus veliger Holthuis, 2002. The distributions of B. rubens, C. aureus and P. veliger are extended northwards to Taiwan. Distinguishing characters of these five species are illustrated and color photographs of all but B. sordidus are provided. Altogether, nine genera and 17 species of scyllarine lobsters are now known from Taiwan. 

78 FR 42041 - Travel and Tourism Trade Mission to Taiwan, Japan, and Korea

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-15

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Travel and Tourism Trade Mission to... Foreign Commercial Service is amending notice for the Travel and Tourism Trade Mission to Taiwan, Japan... executive lead the Travel and Tourism Trade Mission to Taiwan, Japan and Korea, March 10-14, 2014, published...

Health, Healthcare Utilization and Psychiatric Disorder in People with Intellectual Disability in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, J. D.; Yen, C. F.; Li, C. W.; Wu, J. L.

2005-01-01

The aims of the present study were to examine health characteristics and healthcare utilization in relation to people with intellectual disability (ID) having psychiatric disorders in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was employed; study subjects were recruited from the National Disability Registration Database. Taiwan, stratified by administrative…

Constructing a Teleseismic Tomographic Image of Taiwan using BATS Recordings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krajewski, J.; Roecker, S.

2005-12-01

Taiwan is an evolving arc-continent collision located at a complicated part of the plate boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. To better understand the role of the upper mantle in the dynamics of this collision, we reviewed 4 years of data from the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) in Taiwan to construct a teleseismic dataset for tomographic imaging of the subsurface of the island. From an initial selection of approximately 300 events, we used waveform correlation to generate a dataset of 4500 relative arrival times. To calculate accurate travel times in three dimensional wavespeed models over the large lateral distances in our model (~800 km), we solve the eikonal equation directly in a spherical coordinate system. We reduce the influence of smearing of crustal heterogeneity into the deeper mantle, we fix the upper 30 km to a previously determined P wavespeed model for the region. Initial resolution tests suggest a spatial limit on the order of 40 km.

Does the Short-Term Effect of Air Pollution Influence the Incidence of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Different Patient Groups? Big Data Analysis in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chien, Ting-Ying; Ting, Hsien-Wei; Chan, Chien-Lung; Yang, Nan-Ping; Pan, Ren-Hao; Lai, K Robert; Hung, Su-In

2017-12-10

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) has a high mortality rate. Research has demonstrated that the occurrence of sICH is related to air pollution. This study used big data analysis to explore the impact of air pollution on the risk of sICH in patients of differing age and geographic location. 39,053 cases were included in this study; 14,041 in the Taipei region (Taipei City and New Taipei City), 5537 in Taoyuan City, 7654 in Taichung City, 4739 in Tainan City, and 7082 in Kaohsiung City. The results of correlation analysis indicated that there were two pollutants groups, the CO and NO₂ group and the PM 2.5 and PM 10 group. Furthermore, variations in the correlations of sICH with air pollutants were identified in different age groups. The co-factors of the influence of air pollutants in the different age groups were explored using regression analysis. This study integrated Taiwan National Health Insurance data and air pollution data to explore the risk factors of sICH using big data analytics. We found that PM 2.5 and PM 10 are very important risk factors for sICH, and age is an important modulating factor that allows air pollutants to influence the incidence of sICH.

Does the Short-Term Effect of Air Pollution Influence the Incidence of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Different Patient Groups? Big Data Analysis in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chien, Ting-Ying; Ting, Hsien-Wei; Chan, Chien-Lung; Lai, K. Robert; Hung, Su-In

2017-01-01

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) has a high mortality rate. Research has demonstrated that the occurrence of sICH is related to air pollution. This study used big data analysis to explore the impact of air pollution on the risk of sICH in patients of differing age and geographic location. 39,053 cases were included in this study; 14,041 in the Taipei region (Taipei City and New Taipei City), 5537 in Taoyuan City, 7654 in Taichung City, 4739 in Tainan City, and 7082 in Kaohsiung City. The results of correlation analysis indicated that there were two pollutants groups, the CO and NO2 group and the PM2.5 and PM10 group. Furthermore, variations in the correlations of sICH with air pollutants were identified in different age groups. The co-factors of the influence of air pollutants in the different age groups were explored using regression analysis. This study integrated Taiwan National Health Insurance data and air pollution data to explore the risk factors of sICH using big data analytics. We found that PM2.5 and PM10 are very important risk factors for sICH, and age is an important modulating factor that allows air pollutants to influence the incidence of sICH. PMID:29232865

Taiwan Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2016-01-01

Taiwan has very limited domestic energy resources and must rely on oil and coal imports to satisfy the majority of its energy demand. According to Taiwanese official statistics, oil, coal, and natural gas made up 48%, 29%, and 13% of Taiwan’s total primary energy consumption in 2015, respectively, while the remainder was mostly nuclear (7%) and smaller amounts of various renewable energy sources. Total energy import dependence was about 98%, according to the Taiwanese government.

Decadal fluctuations in the western Pacific recorded by long precipitation records in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wan-Ru; Wang, S.-Y. Simon; Guan, Biing T.

2018-03-01

A 110-year precipitation record in Taiwan, located at the western edge of the subtropical North Pacific, depicts a pronounced quasi-decadal oscillation (QDO). The QDO in Taiwan exhibits a fluctuating relationship with the similar decadal variations of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific, known as the Pacific QDO. A regime change was observed around 1960, such that the decadal variation of Taiwan's precipitation became more synchronized with the Pacific QDO's coupled evolutions of SST and atmospheric circulation than before, while the underlying pattern of the Pacific QOD did not change. Using long-term reanalysis data and CMIP5 single-forcing experiments, the presented analysis suggests that increased SST in the subtropical western Pacific and the strengthened western extension of the North Pacific subtropical anticyclone may have collectively enhanced the relationship between the Taiwan precipitation and the Pacific QDO. This finding provides possible clues to similar regime changes in quasi-decadal variability observed around the western Pacific rim.

Arsenic speciation in rice and risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in Taiwan population.

PubMed

Chen, Hsiu-Ling; Lee, Ching-Chang; Huang, Winn-Jung; Huang, Han-Ting; Wu, Yi-Chen; Hsu, Ya-Chen; Kao, Yi-Ting

2016-03-01

This study assessed the total arsenic content and arsenic speciation in rice to determine the health risks associated with rice consumption in various age-gender subgroups in Taiwan. The average total arsenic levels in white rice and brown rice were 116.6 ± 39.2 and 215.5 ± 63.5 ng/g weight (n = 51 and 13), respectively. The cumulative cancer risk among males was 10.4/100,000. The highest fraction of inorganic/total arsenic content in white rice ranged from 76.9 to 88.2 % and from 81.0 to 96.5 % in brown rice. The current study found different arsenic speciation of rice in southern Taiwan, where the famous blackfoot disease has been reported compared with arsenic speciation from other Taiwan areas. Therefore, rice and other grains should be further monitored in southern Taiwan to evaluate whether arsenic contamination is well controlled in this area.

Effect of Floodplain Inundation on River Pollution in Taiwan's Strong Monsoonal Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hester, E. T.; Lin, A. Y. C.

2017-12-01

River-floodplain interaction provides important benefits such as flood mitigation, provision of ecological habitat, and improved water quality. Human actions have historically reduced such interaction and associated benefits by diking, floodplain fill, and river regulation. In response, floodplain restoration has become popular in North America and Europe, but is less practiced in Asia. In Taiwan, unusually strong monsoons and steep terrain alter floodplain dynamics relative to elsewhere around the world, and provide a unique environment for floodplain management. We used numerical models of flow, transport, and reaction in river channels and floodplains to quantify the effect of river-floodplain interaction on water quality in Taiwan's strong monsoon and high topographic relief. We conducted sensitivity analyses of parameters such as river slope, monsoon severity, reservoir operation mode, degree of floodplain reconnection, contaminant reaction rate, and contaminant reaction type on floodplain connectivity and contaminant mitigation. We found significant differences in floodplain hydraulics and residence times in Taiwan's steep monsoonal environment relative to the shallower non-monsoonal environment typical of the eastern USA, with significant implications for water quality. For example, greater flashiness of floodplain inundation in Taiwan provides greater challenges for reconnecting sufficient floodplain volume to handle monsoonal runoff. Yet longer periods when floodplains are reliably dry means that such lands may have greater value for seasonal use such as parks or agriculture. The potential for floodplain restoration in Taiwan is thus significant, but qualitatively different than in the eastern USA.

Comparison of the nutrient-based standards for school lunches among South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

PubMed

Kim, Meeyoung; Abe, Satoko; Zhang, Chengyu; Kim, Soyoung; Choi, Jiyu; Hernandez, Emely; Nozue, Miho; Yoon, Jihyun

2017-01-01

Nutritional standards are important guidelines for providing students with nutritionally-balanced school meals. This study compared nutrient-based school lunch standards regulated by South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. The data were collected from relevant literature and websites of each country during September 2014. The number of classification groups of target students was 8, 5, and 5 for South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, respectively. Gender was considered across all age groups in South Korea but only for high school students in Taiwan. Gender was not considered in Japan. Along with energy, the number of nutrients included in the standards for South Korea, Japan and Taiwan was 9, 12, and 4, respectively. The standards for all three countries included protein and fat among macronutrients. The standards for South Korea and Japan included vitamin A, B-1, B-2, and C, while the standards for Taiwan did not include any vitamins. Calcium was the only mineral commonly included in the three standards. The proportions of recommended daily intakes as reference values for each nutrient differed among the countries. Japan differentiated the proportions among 33%, 40%, or 50%, reflecting the target students' intake status of the respective nutrients. Taiwan differentiated either two-fifths or one-third of the recommended daily intakes. South Korea applied the proportion of recommended daily intake as one-third for all selected nutrients. This study could be valuable information for countries in developing nutrient-based standards for school lunches and for South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan in the process of reforming nutrient-based standards.

77 FR 18206 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip (PET Film) From Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-27

... Film, Sheet, and Strip (PET Film) From Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit for the Preliminary Results of... the antidumping duty order on PET Film from Taiwan covering the period July 1, 2010 through June 30... preliminary results of the administrative review of PET Film from Taiwan within this time limit. The...

Incidence trends of human papillomavirus-related head and neck cancer in Taiwan, 1995-2009.

PubMed

Hwang, Tzer-Zen; Hsiao, Jenn-Ren; Tsai, Chia-Rung; Chang, Jeffrey S

2015-07-15

Recent studies suggested that human papillomavirus (HPV) is an emerging risk factor of head and neck cancer (HNC), particularly for oropharyngeal cancer. Studies from the West showed a rising trend of HPV-related HNC despite a decrease of the overall HNC incidence. In contrast, the overall HNC incidence in Taiwan has continued to rise. It is not clear whether the incidence trends of HPV-related HNC in Taiwan have a similar pattern to those from countries with an overall decreasing incidence of HNC. This study examined the incidence trends of HPV-related and HPV-unrelated HNC in Taiwan using data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Our results showed that the incidence trends of HPV-related and HPV-unrelated HNC in Taiwan both rose during 1995-2009. The incidence of HPV-related HNC (1.3 per 100,000 in 1995 to 3.3 in 2009, annual percentage change (APC) = 6.9, p < 0.0001) rose more rapidly than the incidence of HPV-unrelated HNC (10.4 per 100,000 in 1995 to 21.7 in 2009, APC = 5.0, p < 0.0001). The rising trend of HPV-related HNC was particularly prominent for HNC occurring in tonsil (APC = 8.2, p < 0.0001), in men (APC = 7.5, p < 0.0001), and in those aged between 40 and 50 years (APC = 8.5, p < 0.0001). Although the overall incidence of HNC in Taiwan has continued to increase, the most rapid rise is in the HPV-related HNC. This suggests that similar to the Western world, HPV-related HNC is becoming an important public health issue in Taiwan. © 2014 UICC.

A multicenter surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Serratia marcescens in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liou, Bo-Huang; Duh, Ruay-Wang; Lin, Yi-Tsung; Lauderdale, Tsai-Ling Yang; Fung, Chang-Phone

2014-10-01

Serratia marcescens is an important nosocomial pathogen and the characteristic property of resistance conferred by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase or a novel AmpC cephalosporinase was not unusual in Taiwan. This study investigated the trends in antimicrobial resistance in S. marcescens from a nationwide surveillance in Taiwan. S. marcescens isolates were collected biennially between 2002 and 2010 from medical centers and regional hospitals throughout Taiwan, as part of the Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance program. Minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute reference broth microdilution method. A total of 403 nonduplicate S. marcescens isolates were collected, mostly from respiratory samples (157, 39.0%), followed by the urinary tract samples (90, 22.3%). Overall, 99.3% isolates were susceptible to imipenem, 93.8% to ceftazidime, 89.2% to minocycline, 87.8% to amikacin, 86.8% to cefepime, 82.9% to aztreonam, 73.2% to ceftriaxone, 72.7% to levofloxacin, 63.8% to ciprofloxacin, 60.8% to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), and 59.6% to gentamicin. A significantly increased susceptibility rate after 2004 was observed for the following antibiotics: amikacin (73.8% vs. 97.1%), gentamicin (40.0% vs. 72.4%), ciprofloxacin (53.8% vs. 70.4%), ceftriaxone (53.8% vs. 86.0%), cefepime (74.4% vs. 95.1%), aztreonam (72.5% vs. 89.7%), and TMP/SMX (41.3% vs. 73.7%). In this 8-year study, the susceptibility of S. marcescens to ceftazidime and imipenem remained consistently high in Taiwan. S. marcescens isolates demonstrated relatively higher resistance to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and therefore continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, especially for fluoroquinolone, is warranted. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

High Prevalence of Rickettsia spp. Infections in Small Mammals in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Kuo, Chi-Chien; Shu, Pei-Yun; Mu, Jung-Jung

2015-01-01

Abstract Surveillance for Rickettsia spp. is urgently needed due to the recent emergence of many novel rickettsioses around the globe, but previous studies in Taiwan have been limited to small areas and no investigation of infections in vertebrate hosts has ever been attempted. We surveyed rickettsial infections systematically in small-mammal hosts trapped between 2006 and 2010 throughout Taiwan. Fragments of ompB and gltA genes in the liver, spleen, and kidney of mammals were targeted by nested polymerase chain reaction. We trapped 1375 individuals of 10 species, among which Rattus losea was the most common (54.6%), followed by Suncus murinus (20.6%) and Mus caroli (10.6%). The overall rate of Rickettsia infections in the liver, spleen, or kidney of 309 assayed small mammals was 60.5%, with a rate of infection ≥50% for each mammal species. DNA nucleotide sequences of 184 successfully sequenced genes were most similar to nine Rickettsia species: Rickettsia conorii, R. felis, R. japonica, R. raoultii, R. rickettsii, Rickettsia sp. IG-1, Rickettsia sp. TwKM01, Rickettsia sp. TwKM02, and R. typhi. Our results suggest that several novel Rickettsia spp. are common and widespread across various habitats throughout Taiwan and suggest the need for further study of emerging rickettsioses in Taiwan. PMID:25629776

Establishing a Measurement Tool for a Nursing Work Environment in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Li-Chiu; Lee, Huan-Fang; Yen, Miaofen

2017-02-01

The nursing work environment is a critical global health care problem. Many health care providers are concerned about the associations between the nursing work environment and the outcomes of organizations, nurses, and patients. Nursing work environment instruments have been assessed in the West but have not been considered in Asia. However, different cultures will affect the factorial structure of the tool. Using a stratified nationwide random sample, we created a measurement tool for the nursing work environment in Taiwan. The Nursing Work Environment Index-Revised Scale and the Essentials of Magnetism scale were used to examine the factorial structure. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to examine the hypothesis model and generate a new factorial structure. The Taiwan Nursing Work Environment Index (TNWEI) was established to evaluate the nursing work environment in Taiwan. The four factors were labeled "Organizational Support" (7 items), "Nurse Staffing and Resources" (4 items), "Nurse-Physician Collaboration" (4 items), and "Support for Continuing Education" (4 items). The 19 items explained 58.5% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the model (x2/df = 5.99; p < .05, goodness of fit index [GFI] = .90; RMSEA = .07). The TNWEI provides a comprehensive and efficient method for measuring the nurses' work environment in Taiwan.

Disease burden and epidemiology of herpes zoster in pre-vaccine Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Yung-Hsiu; Huang, Li-Min; Chang, I-Shou; Tsai, Fang-Yu; Lu, Chun-Yi; Shao, Pei-Lan; Chang, Luan-Yin

2010-02-03

Herpes zoster, a common disease, has an important impact on the health of adults, particularly the elderly, and the health system. This study evaluated the disease burden and epidemiological characteristics of herpes zoster in Taiwan. Using herpes zoster-related ICD-9-CM codes used on Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims, we analyzed overall and age group differences in incidence, complications, utilization of healthcare facilities, lengths of stay, and cost of their medical care in Taiwan's population from 2000 to 2005. The overall annual incidence of zoster was 4.97 cases per 1000 people, with women having a significantly higher incidence than men (5.20 per 1000 vs. 4.72 per 1000, p<0.001). The incidence increased stepwise with age, with 5.18 cases per 1000 in people 40-50 years old, 8.36 in those 50-60, 11.09 in those 60-70, and 11.77 in those above 70 years old. The estimated lifetime risk of developing herpes zoster was 32.2%. Zoster-related hospitalizations and medical cost per patient increased with age. In conclusion, about two-thirds of Taiwan's zoster cases occur in adults older than 40 years old and about one-third of the population would develop zoster within their lifetime. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parental Body Mass Index Is Associated With Adolescent Obesity in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Chen-Mei; Lou, Meei-Fang; Gau, Bih-Shya

2016-12-01

Adolescent obesity is a crucial public health concern, and understanding its risk factors can facilitate the establishment of prevention policies. In this study we investigated the prevalence of adolescent obesity in Taiwan, determined the influential factors, and compared the prevalence of obesity in our study population with international indices. The cross-sectional study was an analysis of data from the 2010-2011 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, an anthropometric measurement and questionnaire survey of adolescents aged 11-18 years. Our sample was 1,826 adolescents (910 males and 916 females). Data were analyzed using logistic regression modeling. Based on body mass index standards specific to Taiwan norms, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Taiwan adolescents was 12.4% and 16.8%, respectively. The prevalence was lower when international indices of overweight and obesity were applied. In logistic regression, obesity was linked to male gender, an obese father, overweight or obese mother, poor dietary attitudes, and perceived low dietary benefits. Monitoring and preventing adolescent obesity should focus on both adolescents and their parents. When planning behavioral change and education for adolescent obesity, health professionals and policy-makers should view the family as a unit. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Status of the Taiwan Photon Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuo, C. C.; Wang, J. P.; Chen, J. R.

2010-06-23

NSRRC has been operating a 1.5 GeV synchrotron light source, the Taiwan Light Source (TLS), for over 15 years and has established a large user community. For the future development of synchrotron radiation research in Taiwan, a feasibility study report to construct a 3.0 GeV low-emittance storage ring, the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), was issued in July 2005. The government approval of the TPS project was obtained in December 2007 and the machine will be built at current site of NSRRC. The project has progressed steadily since and reached several major milestones now: the architect firm has finished the sitemore » plan and civil design, the accelerator design has been fixed, and purchase of long-lead items begins its course. The TPS storage ring has a circumference of 518.4 meters with a concentric booster of 496.8 meters. The storage ring adopted a 24-cell double-bend structure with a 1.6 nm-rad natural emittance. There are six 12-m and eighteen 7-m ID straights. For user research, five new beamlines have been selected for the Phase I operations: the micro protein crystallography, the materials sub-micron diffraction, the inelastic soft x-ray scattering, the coherent x-ray scattering, and the nano probe beamlines. The civil construction is getting ready to start. The commissioning of the TPS storage ring is targeted for 2013.« less

The Most Familiar Stranger: The Acculturation of Mainland Chinese Students Studying in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Ren-Fang; Yen, Jih-Rong

2018-01-01

Mainland China and Taiwan have a homogenous macroculture, but a heterogenous microculture. To understand the acculturation of students from mainland China to Taiwan, the present study applies Berry's (1997) two-dimensional model of acculturation, together with the concept of cultural types as its analytical framework, using focus group interviews…

The Mother Tongues as Second Languages: Nationalism, Democracy and Multilingual Education in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupré, Jean-François

2014-01-01

After nearly half a century of authoritarianism characterized by Chinese nationalism and Mandarin promotion, democratization in 1990s Taiwan was accompanied by a Taiwanization movement featuring calls for the revitalization of local languages and the promotion of linguistic equality. To that end, the government began planning for local language…

Short-term population-based non-linear concentration-response associations between fine particulate matter and respiratory diseases in Taipei (Taiwan): a spatiotemporal analysis.

PubMed

Yu, Hwa-Lung; Chien, Lung-Chang

2016-01-01

Fine particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) has been associated with human health issues; however, findings regarding the influence of PM2.5 on respiratory disease remain inconsistent. The short-term, population-based association between the respiratory clinic visits of children and PM2.5 exposure levels were investigated by considering both the spatiotemporal distributions of ambient pollution and clinic visit data. We applied a spatiotemporal structured additive regression model to examine the concentration-response (C-R) association between children's respiratory clinic visits and PM2.5 concentrations. This analysis was separately performed on three respiratory disease categories that were selected from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance database, which includes 41 districts in the Taipei area of Taiwan from 2005 to 2007. The findings reveal a non-linear C-R pattern of PM2.5, particularly in acute respiratory infections. However, a PM2.5 increase at relatively lower levels can elevate the same-day respiratory health risks of both preschool children (<6 years old) and schoolchildren (6-14 years old). In preschool children, same-day health risks rise when concentrations increase from 0.76 to 7.44 μg/m(3), and in schoolchildren, same-day health risks rise when concentrations increase from 0.76 to 7.52 μg/m(3). Changes in PM2.5 levels generally exhibited no significant association with same-day respiratory risks, except in instances where PM2.5 levels are extremely high, and these occurrences do exhibit a significant positive influence on respiratory health that is especially notable in schoolchildren. A significant high relative rate of respiratory clinic visits are concentrated in highly populated areas. We highlight the non-linearity of the respiratory health effects of PM2.5 on children to investigate this population-based association. The C-R relationship in this study can provide a highly valuable alternative for assessing the effects of ambient air

Use of recurrence plot and recurrence quantification analysis in Taiwan unemployment rate time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wei-Shing

2011-04-01

The aim of the article is to answer the question if the Taiwan unemployment rate dynamics is generated by a non-linear deterministic dynamic process. This paper applies a recurrence plot and recurrence quantification approach based on the analysis of non-stationary hidden transition patterns of the unemployment rate of Taiwan. The case study uses the time series data of the Taiwan’s unemployment rate during the period from 1978/01 to 2010/06. The results show that recurrence techniques are able to identify various phases in the evolution of unemployment transition in Taiwan.

Residential environments, alcohol advertising, and initiation and continuation of alcohol consumption among adolescents in urban Taiwan: A prospective multilevel study.

PubMed

Chen, Yen-Tyng; Cooper, Hannah L F; Windle, Michael; Haardörfer, Regine; Crawford, Natalie D; Chen, Wei J; Chen, Chuan-Yu

2016-12-01

Research indicates that place characteristics and the media environment are important contextual determinants of underage drinking behaviors in Western countries, but it is unknown whether these exposures influence adolescent alcohol consumption outside Western contexts, including in Asia׳s emerging global alcohol markets. Guided by the social ecological framework, we prospectively investigated the influences of place characteristics and alcohol advertising on initiation and continuation of alcohol consumption among adolescents in Taipei, Taiwan. Data on individual-level characteristics, including alcohol use behaviors and perceived exposure to alcohol advertising, were obtained from two waves of a longitudinal school-based study through a stratified probability sampling method in 2010 (Grade 7/Grade 8, aged 13-14 years old) and 2011-2012 (Grade 9, aged 15 years old) from 1795 adolescents residing in 22 of 41 districts in Taipei. Data on district-level characteristics were drawn from administrative sources and Google Street View virtual audit to describe districts where adolescents lived at baseline. Hierarchical generalized linear models tested hypotheses about the associations of place characteristics and perceived alcohol advertising with underage drinking, with stratification by baseline lifetime alcohol consumption. Among alcohol-naïve adolescents, lower district-level economic disadvantage, a higher proportion of betel nut kiosks (a relatively unregulated alcohol source) compared to off-premises alcohol outlets, and exposure to television-based alcohol advertising predicted increased likelihood of alcohol initiation at one-year follow-up. Among alcohol-experienced adolescents, greater spatial access to off-premises alcohol outlets, and lower access to metro rapid transportation (MRT) and to temples were found to predict a subsequent increased likelihood of continued alcohol use. Parental drinking moderated the relationship between district-level violent

76 FR 13128 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip (PET Film) From Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-10

... Film, Sheet, and Strip (PET Film) From Taiwan: Extension of Time Limit for the Preliminary Results of... antidumping duty order on PET Film from Taiwan covering the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. See... preliminary results of the administrative review of PET Film from Taiwan within this time limit. Specifically...

78 FR 14266 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Notice of Correction to the Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Notice of Correction to the Final Results of the 2010-2011... film, sheet, and strip (PET Film) from Taiwan.\\1\\ The period of review covered July 1, 2010, through... an incorrect case number associated with PET Film from Taiwan (i.e., incorrect case number A-533-824...

Innovative Design of Agricultural Cross-border E-commerce Management Platform Construction between Hainan and Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jun; Gao, Yanli

2018-02-01

The essay is based on the subject research between Hainan and Tai league, by analyzing the comparison of agricultural development between Hainan and other Chinese areas, finds that Hainan agricultural develops slowly. Meanwhile, by using the experience and technology of Taiwan agricultural development for reference, taking full advantage of modern internet technology, we try to find the complementary opportunity of agricultural technology, experience in agricultural development between Hainan and Taiwan. Therefore, by combining the existing resources of Hainan and Taiwan, following the thoughts of the “Internet+ Agriculture”, the essay tries to work out an innovative designation of agricultural cross-border e-commerce management platform, integrate the resource advantages of Hainan and Taiwan, specify the functions of newly designed management platform.

Magnetic properties as tracers for source-to-sink dispersal of sediments: A case study in the Taiwan Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horng, Chorng-Shern; Huh, Chih-An

2011-09-01

Different lithologies between Taiwan and southeastern China lead to diverse mineralogical composition for weathering products derived from the two shores of the Taiwan Strait. Pyrrhotite and magnetite are respectively the dominant magnetic minerals associated with fluvial sediments from western Taiwan and southeastern China. While magnetite commonly co-exists with pyrrhotite in sediments sourced from Taiwan, pyrrhotite has not been found in sediments sourced from mainland China. Associated with such a distinction are vast differences in magnetic properties, including magnetic susceptibility (χ), SIRM, HIRM and the S-ratio, which can be used to study the provenances of sediments in the Taiwan Strait and adjoining marginal seas. Based on any two of these parameters, the magnetic characteristics of much of the Taiwan Strait sediment can be explained using a two-endmember mixing model. Source-to-sink dispersal of sediments in the Taiwan Strait can then be traced from the distribution of these parameters. The results not only corroborate an earlier study based on radionuclides and particle size distribution ( Huh et al., 2011) but reveal more diagnostic details. Besides spatial distribution based on a large number (216) of surface sediments, we also analyzed temporal variation of magnetic properties in six well-dated cores collected at key sites along the sediment source-to-sink pathways. From profiles of these parameters in cores from the middle of the northern Taiwan Strait, it is calculated that sediment supply from Taiwan has increased substantially in the past five decades, which may very well be related to accelerated land use and increased frequency of intense rainfalls in Taiwan during the same period. The approach described in this work may be extended to other source-to-sink systems around the world and through time, especially the mountainous islands fringing the Pacific and Indian Oceans in southeastern Asia. As with Taiwan, these islands have high

The Quality of Life in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yao, Grace; Cheng, Yen-Pi; Cheng, Chiao-Pi

2009-01-01

The AsiaBarometer survey of 1,006 respondents shows that in Taiwan, people have access to modern utilities and digital media, signs of materialistic achievement, and yet are more concerned with physical security and financial safety than with personal growth. Regardless of their demographic backgrounds and value priorities, the Taiwanese, like…

Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of Mesoscale Eddies

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of...00-00-2013 to 00-00-2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of Mesoscale Eddies 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...COMPLETED In preparation for the field program, Vegan Mensah, a Ph.D. student from NTU, visited the Woods Hole Oceaongraphic Institution (WHOI) for two

Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of Mesoscale Eddies

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of...2012 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2012 to 00-00-2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Kuroshio Transport East of Taiwan and the Effect of...field program, Vegan Mensah, a Ph.D. student from NTU, visited the Woods Hole Oceaongraphic Institution (WHOI) for two weeks in March 2012. M. Andres

Phylogenetic Analysis of the Spike (S) Gene of the New Variants of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea Virus in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiou, H-Y; Huang, Y-L; Deng, M-C; Chang, C-Y; Jeng, C-R; Tsai, P-S; Yang, C; Pang, V F; Chang, H-W

2017-02-01

New variants of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), which emerged in Taiwan in late 2013, have caused a high morbidity and mortality in neonatal piglets. To investigate the molecular characteristics of the spike (S) gene of the emerging Taiwan PEDV strains for a better understanding of the genetic diversity and relationship among the Taiwan new variants and the global PEDVs, full-length S genes of PEDVs from nine 1-7 day-old piglets from three pig farms in the central and southern Taiwan were sequenced and analysed. The result of phylogenetic analysis of the S gene showed that all the Taiwan PEDV strains were closely related to the non-S INDEL strains from US, Canada and China, suggesting a common ancestor for these strains. As compared with the historic PEDVs and CV777-based vaccine strains, the nine Taiwan PEDV variants shared almost the same genetic signatures as the global non-S INDEL strains, including a series of insertions, deletions and mutations in the amino terminal as well as identical mutations in the neutralizing epitopes of the S gene. The high similarity of the S protein among the Taiwan and the globally emerged non-S INDEL PEDV strains suggests that the Taiwan new variants may share similar pathogenesis and immunogenicity as the global outbreak variants. The development of a novel vaccine based on the Taiwan or the global non-S INDEL strains may be contributive to the control of the current global porcine epidemic diarrhoea outbreaks. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Frailty and Its Contributory Factors in Older Adults: A Comparison of Two Asian Regions (Hong Kong and Taiwan)

PubMed Central

Yu, Ruby; Wu, Wan-Chi; Leung, Jason

2017-01-01

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of frailty across three Chinese populations: Hong Kong, Taiwan-urban and Taiwan-rural. Contributing factors to disparities in frailty were also examined. Data were derived from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOs) and Women (MsOs) (Hong Kong) Study (n = 4000) and the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (n = 2392). Frailty was defined as an index calculated from 30 multiple deficits. The ratio of the frailty index to life expectancy at birth (FI/LE) was used as an indicator of compression of morbidity. Frailty was more prevalent in Taiwan-urban (33.1%) and Taiwan-rural (38.1%) compared to Hong Kong (16.6%, p < 0.05) and was higher in women (22.6–49.7%) than in men (10.5–27.5%, p < 0.05). The ratios of FI/LE were higher in Taiwan-urban and Taiwan-rural (both 0.27) compared to Hong Kong (0.20, p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses revealed that older age, being a woman and low levels of physical activity were common risk factors for frailty across the three populations. Alcohol use was inversely associated with frailty in both Hong Kong and Taiwan-urban populations, but not in Taiwan-rural. Living alone was associated with frailty in Hong Kong men, but not in Hong Kong women or Taiwanese people. For all study populations, older age and being a woman constituted the highest attributable factor. This comparison provides useful data to inform government policies. PMID:28934150

Implementing Reflective Portfolios for Promoting Autonomous Learning among EFL College Students in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Ya-Fen

2010-01-01

This article depicts challenges for students and teachers involved in developing a reflective portfolio to promote autonomous learning in Taiwan. One hundred and one students in a Taiwan university completed their individual portfolio projects. A pre-course questionnaire, post-course self-evaluation, and the instructor's field notes were the data…

The Development of International Student Recruitment Policies in Taiwan: A 60-Year Trajectory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Ai-hsuan Sandra

2014-01-01

In recent decades many East Asian countries have initiated ambitious policies to increase their global prominence as education hubs. This article examines the development of Taiwan's international student recruitment policies from 1950 to 2011, exemplifying the case in a non-Western, non-English speaking context. While Taiwan's case is distinctive…

Widespread Rickettsia spp. Infections in Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Chi-Chien; Shu, Pei-Yun; Mu, Jung-Jung; Lee, Pei-Lung; Wu, Yin-Wen; Chung, Chien-Kung; Wang, Hsi-Chieh

2015-09-01

Ticks are second to mosquitoes as the most important disease vectors, and recent decades have witnessed the emergence of many novel tick-borne rickettsial diseases, but systematic surveys of ticks and tick-borne rickettsioses are generally lacking in Asia. We collected and identified ticks from small mammal hosts between 2006 and 2010 in different parts of Taiwan. Rickettsia spp. infections in ticks were identified by targeting ompB and gltA genes with nested polymerase chain reaction. In total, 2,732 ticks were collected from 1,356 small mammals. Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino (51.8% of total ticks), Haemaphysalis bandicota Hoogstraal & Kohls (28.0%), and Ixodes granulatus Supino (20.0%) were the most common tick species, and Rattus losea Swinhoe (44.7% of total ticks) and Bandicota indica Bechstein (39.9%) were the primary hosts. The average Rickettsia infective rate in 329 assayed ticks was 31.9% and eight Rickettsia spp. or closely related species were identified. This study shows that rickettsiae-infected ticks are widespread in Taiwan, with a high diversity of Rickettsia spp. circulating in the ticks. Because notifiable rickettsial diseases in Taiwan only include mite-borne scrub typhus and flea-borne murine typhus, more studies are warranted for a better understanding of the real extent of human risks to rickettsioses in Taiwan. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An analysis of job satisfaction among physician assistants in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liu, Chi-Ming; Chien, Ching-Wen; Chou, Pesus; Liu, Jorn-Hon; Chen, Victor Tze-Kai; Wei, Jeng; Kuo, Ying-Yu; Lang, Hui-Chu

2005-07-01

The physician assistant (PA) is a relatively new medical specialty that developed to manage the shortage of resident physicians and to ensure that patients receive high-quality health care in today's increasingly complex and demanding medical environment. PAs in Taiwan are not governed by laws and regulations, and the absence of legislation to define their roles and responsibilities can lead to confusion in the work environment and potential communication barriers with coworkers and supervising physicians. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the environmental and sociodemographic factors that influence job satisfaction and job-related communication among PAs in Taiwan. The data source, a self-administered mail survey, was sent to 196 PAs working within medical facilities in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. The response rate to the survey was 71.01%. There was a strong correlation between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction among respondents. The PAs' overall position in the hospital, relationships with coworkers (doctors, nurses, and other medical staff), and ability to perform his or her duties while working with the supervising physician were the major environmental factors that influenced job and communication satisfaction. In addition, the number of working years and marital status were important demographic factors influencing job satisfaction. Demographic and environmental factors influencing job satisfaction are analyzed, and ways in which the roles and responsibilities of PAs can be clarified, strengthened, and improved are discussed in an overall effort to provide management strategies for the current PA system in Taiwan.

Molecular and epidemiological study of enterovirus D68 in Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, Yuan-Pin; Lin, Tsuey-Li; Lin, Ting-Han; Wu, Ho-Sheng

2017-08-01

As an immunofluorescence assay for enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is not available in the enteroviruses surveillance network in Taiwan, EV-D68 may be the actual pathogen of untypeable enterovirus-suspected isolates. The untypeable isolates collected from 2007 through 2014 were identified by nucleic acid amplification-based methods and sequencing of the VP1 region to analyze the phylogeny and epidemiology of EV-D68 in Taiwan. Twenty-nine EV-D68 isolates were sequenced, including 15 Cluster 3 and 14 Cluster 1 viruses. Approximately 41% of the patients were children under 5 years of age and their infections peaked in August. The ratio of male to female patients was 1.5 and 3.67 for Cluster 3 and Cluster 1, respectively. Fever and respiratory symptoms were commonly reported in EV-D68-infected patients. The results of phylogenetic analyses showed that EV-D68 isolates between 2007 and 2014 belonged to different clusters and existed for years, indicating that endemic circulation of EV-D68 existed in Taiwan. This study showed that EV-D68 has been endemic in Taiwan for some years despite a small number of positive cases. The continuous monitoring and efforts towards the improvement of diagnostic techniques are required to complete the surveillance system. This study provided the genetic and epidemiological information which could contribute to understanding the etiology and epidemiology of EV-D68. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A Comparison Study of Summer Season Raindrop Size Distribution Between Palau and Taiwan, Two Islands in Western Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seela, Balaji Kumar; Janapati, Jayalakshmi; Lin, Pay-Liam; Reddy, K. Krishna; Shirooka, Ryuichi; Wang, Pao K.

2017-11-01

Raindrop size distribution (RSD) characteristics in summer season rainfall of two observational sites (Taiwan (24°58'N, 121°10'E) and Palau (7°20'N, 134°28'E)) in western Pacific are studied by using five years of impact type disdrometer data. In addition to disdrometer data, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and ERA-Interim data sets are used to illustrate the dynamical and microphysical characteristics associated with summer season rainfall of Taiwan and Palau. Taiwan and Palau's raindrop spectra showed a significant difference, with a higher concentration of middle and large drops in Taiwan than Palau rainfall. RSD stratified on the basis of rain rate showed a higher mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) and a lower normalized intercept parameter (log10Nw) in Taiwan than Palau rainfall. Precipitation classification into stratiform and convective regimes showed higher Dm values in Taiwan than Palau. Furthermore, for both the locations, the convective precipitation has a higher Dm value than stratiform precipitation. The radar reflectivity-rain rate relations (Z = A*Rb) of Taiwan and Palau showed a clear variation in the coefficient and a less variation in exponent values. Terrain-influenced clouds extended to higher altitudes over Taiwan resulted with higher Dm and lower log10Nw values as compared to Palau.

Genetic diversity and variation of Chinese fir from Fujian province and Taiwan, China, based on ISSR markers

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu; Peng, Zhuqing; Wu, Chao; Ma, Zhihui; Ding, Guochang; Cao, Guangqiu; Ruan, Shaoning; Lin, Sizu

2017-01-01

Genetic diversity and variation among 11 populations of Chinese fir from Fujian province and Taiwan were assessed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers to reveal the evolutionary relationship in their distribution range in this report. Analysis of genetic parameters of the different populations showed that populations in Fujian province exhibited a greater level of genetic diversity than did the populations in Taiwan. Compared to Taiwan populations, significant limited gene flow were observed among Fujian populations. An UPGMA cluster analysis showed that the most individuals of Taiwan populations formed a single cluster, whereas 6 discrete clusters were formed by each population from Fujian. All populations were divided into 3 main groups and that all 5 populations from Taiwan were gathered into a subgroup combined with 2 populations, Dehua and Liancheng, formed one of the 3 main groups, which indicated relative stronger relatedness. It is supported by a genetic structure analysis. All those results are suggesting different levels of genetic diversity and variation of Chinese fir between Fujian and Taiwan, and indicating different patterns of evolutionary process and local environmental adaption. PMID:28406956

Genetic diversity and variation of Chinese fir from Fujian province and Taiwan, China, based on ISSR markers.

PubMed

Chen, Yu; Peng, Zhuqing; Wu, Chao; Ma, Zhihui; Ding, Guochang; Cao, Guangqiu; Ruan, Shaoning; Lin, Sizu

2017-01-01

Genetic diversity and variation among 11 populations of Chinese fir from Fujian province and Taiwan were assessed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers to reveal the evolutionary relationship in their distribution range in this report. Analysis of genetic parameters of the different populations showed that populations in Fujian province exhibited a greater level of genetic diversity than did the populations in Taiwan. Compared to Taiwan populations, significant limited gene flow were observed among Fujian populations. An UPGMA cluster analysis showed that the most individuals of Taiwan populations formed a single cluster, whereas 6 discrete clusters were formed by each population from Fujian. All populations were divided into 3 main groups and that all 5 populations from Taiwan were gathered into a subgroup combined with 2 populations, Dehua and Liancheng, formed one of the 3 main groups, which indicated relative stronger relatedness. It is supported by a genetic structure analysis. All those results are suggesting different levels of genetic diversity and variation of Chinese fir between Fujian and Taiwan, and indicating different patterns of evolutionary process and local environmental adaption.

Nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from pancreatic cancer in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Chun-Yuh; Tsai, Shang-Shyue; Chiu, Hui-Fen

2009-01-01

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and risk of pancreatic cancer development remains inconclusive. A matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between mortality attributed to pancreatic cancer and nitrate exposure from Taiwan's drinking water. All pancreatic cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 2000 through 2006 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) levels of drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios and confidence limits for pancreatic cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 1.03 (0.9-1.18) and 1.1 (0.96-1.27), respectively. The results of the present study show that there was no statistically significant association between the levels of nitrate in drinking water and increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer.

Quality assessment and improvement of nationwide cancer registration system in Taiwan: a review.

PubMed

Chiang, Chun-Ju; You, San-Lin; Chen, Chien-Jen; Yang, Ya-Wen; Lo, Wei-Cheng; Lai, Mei-Shu

2015-03-01

Cancer registration provides core information for cancer surveillance and control. The population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry was implemented in 1979. After the Cancer Control Act was promulgated in 2003, the completeness (97%) and data quality of cancer registry database has achieved at an excellent level. Hospitals with 50 or more beds, which provide outpatient and hospitalized cancer care, are recruited to report 20 items of information on all newly diagnosed cancers to the central registry office (called short-form database). The Taiwan Cancer Registry is organized and funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The National Taiwan University has been contracted to operate the registry and organized an advisory board to standardize definitions of terminology, coding and procedures of the registry's reporting system since 1996. To monitor the cancer care patterns and evaluate the cancer treatment outcomes, central cancer registry has been reformed since 2002 to include detail items of the stage at diagnosis and the first course of treatment (called long-form database). There are 80 hospitals, which count for >90% of total cancer cases, involved in the long-form registration. The Taiwan Cancer Registry has run smoothly for >30 years, which provides essential foundation for academic research and cancer control policy in Taiwan. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Spatial Temporal Dynamics and Molecular Evolution of Re-Emerging Rabies Virus in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Yung-Cheng; Chu, Pei-Yu; Chang, Mei-Yin; Hsiao, Kuang-Liang; Lin, Jih-Hui; Liu, Hsin-Fu

2016-03-17

Taiwan has been recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health as rabies-free since 1961. Surprisingly, rabies virus (RABV) was identified in a dead Formosan ferret badger in July 2013. Later, more infected ferret badgers were reported from different geographic regions of Taiwan. In order to know its evolutionary history and spatial temporal dynamics of this virus, phylogeny was reconstructed by maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods based on the full-length of glycoprotein (G), matrix protein (M), and nucleoprotein (N) genes. The evolutionary rates and phylogeographic were determined using Beast and SPREAD software. Phylogenetic trees showed a monophyletic group containing all of RABV isolates from Taiwan and it further separated into three sub-groups. The estimated nucleotide substitution rates of G, M, and N genes were between 2.49 × 10(-4)-4.75 × 10(-4) substitutions/site/year, and the mean ratio of dN/dS was significantly low. The time of the most recent common ancestor was estimated around 75, 89, and 170 years, respectively. Phylogeographic analysis suggested the origin of the epidemic could be in Eastern Taiwan, then the Formosan ferret badger moved across the Central Range of Taiwan to western regions and separated into two branches. In this study, we illustrated the evolution history and phylogeographic of RABV in Formosan ferret badgers.

Team care of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Chih-Yuan; Yu, Neng-Chun; Sheu, Wayne Huey-Herng; Tsai, Shih-Tzer; Tai, Tong-Yuan

2014-12-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health-care and national policy issue. As fluctuating glycemic control in diabetes often results in serious complications, we must encourage the diabetes educators' efforts at long-term follow-up among patients with T2DM. Therefore, certified diabetes educators (CDEs) play the most pivotal roles as life-long protectors for patients with T2DM. In the past 15 years, more than 4,000 CDEs have been trained and qualified, including health professionals such as physicians, nurses, dieticians, and pharmacists. The most important initiation of diabetes share care in Taiwan was originated in I-Lan County. Initiated to provide regional diabetes care, the name of this program is the Lan-Yang Diabetes Shared Care System. In 2006, the Taiwanese Association of Diabetes Educators (TADE) carried out a nationwide survey to evaluate the status of diabetes control in Taiwan, focusing on the "ABC" goal (A: HbA1c <7.0%, B: blood pressure <130/80 mmHg, C: LDL-cholesterol <100 mg/dl/total cholesterol <160 mg/dl). The results revealed that the percentage of patients with diabetes who fulfilled all ABC goals was only 4.1%. Five years later, in 2011, TADE compared two nationwide surveys and found total ABC attainment rates of 4.1% and 8.6%, respectively. The team-care approach to T2DM has been underway for over 20 years in Taiwan. Future interventions and treatment algorithms with team-based education should aim at preventing acute and chronic complications, which remains a long-term challenge in Taiwan. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ambulance traffic accidents in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiu, Po-Wei; Lin, Chih-Hao; Wu, Chen-Long; Fang, Pin-Hui; Lu, Chien-Hsin; Hsu, Hsiang-Chin; Chi, Chih-Hsien

2018-04-01

Ambulance traffic accidents (ATAs) are the leading cause of occupation-related fatalities among emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. We aim to use the Taiwan national surveillance system to analyze the characteristics of ATAs and to assist EMS directors in developing policies governing ambulance operations. A retrospective, cross-sectional and largely descriptive study was conducted using Taiwan national traffic accidents surveillance data from January 1, 2011 to October 31, 2016. Among the 1,627,217 traffic accidents during the study period, 715 ATAs caused 8 deaths within 24 h and 1844 injured patients. On average, there was one ATA for every 8598 ambulance runs. Compared to overall traffic accidents, ATAs were 1.7 times more likely to result in death and 1.9 times more likely to have injured patients. Among the 715 ATAs, 8 (1.1%) ATAs were fatal and 707 (98.9%) were nonfatal. All 8 fatalities were associated with motorcycles. The urban areas were significantly higher than the rural areas in the annual number of ATAs (14.2 ± 7.3 [7.0-26.7] versus 3.1 ± 1.9 [0.5-8.4], p = 0.013), the number of ATA-associated fatalities per year (0.2 ± 0.2 [0.0-0.7] versus 0.1 ± 0.1 [0.0-0.2], p = 0.022), and the annual number of injured patients (who needed urgent hospital visits) in ATAs (19.4 ± 7.3 [10.5-30.9] versus 5.2 ± 3.8 [0.9-15.3], p < 0.001). The ATA-associated fatality rate in Taiwan was high, and all fatalities were associated with motorcycles. ATAs in a highly motorcycle-populated area may require further investigation. An ambulance traffic accident reporting system should be built to provide EMS policy guidance for ATA reduction and outcome improvements. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The association of hospital governance with innovation in Taiwan.

PubMed