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In 2011, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education issued a policy on the internationalisation of schooling. The policy assumes that being 'international' has become necessary in order to maintain economic competitiveness in a globalising world. It was published in two languages: Mandarin, the official language in Taiwan, and English, presupposed as a "lingua franca." Treating 'policy as discourse', the article analyses internationalism and its performativity through the publication and specific textual construction of this policy. The analysis considers the layout, target readerships, conceptual translation, and spatial representation and construction of 'Chineseness' in the two policy texts. This attempt at internationalisation is related to the very specific historical and geopolitical conditions of Taiwan and its liminal position in the globe. The significance of the article rests in expanding ideas of 'translation' in education policy studies and in the analysis of the specific geopolitics of East Asia.

This research investigated the hydrogen production and energy conversion from automobile shredder residues (ASRs) and paper mill sludge (PMS) co-gasified in a full-scale fluidized bed gasification plant. The results obtained from full-scale tests provided important information on the feasible assessment of ASRs-to-energy and the selection of alternative technologies for ASRs. Based on the analysis results of produced gas composition, H 2 , CO, and CH 4 composition produced from paper-mill sludge gasified were 4.17%–6.01%, 3.08%–4.32%, 1.71%–2.4%, respectively. Another C 2 gas composition ranged from 2.9% to 3.59%. The heating value of produced gas ranged between 1.64 MJ/Nm3 and 2.18 MJ/Nm3. In the case of 10% ASR addition, the heating value of produced gas was slightly increased to 1.84 MJ/Nm3-2.34 MJ/Nm3. The dioxin emission concentration of flue gas was approximately 0.064 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. It can comply with Taiwan regulation thresholds. The dioxin leaching concentrations of residues derived from gasification were also in compliance with regulation limits by the TCLP test. Meanwhile, in the case of 10% ASRs addition, the dioxin equivalence concentration of gasified residue was nearly 0.002 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. It was far below the current regulation standard limit. In summary, the results of this research have proved the performance of ASRs-to-energy by co-gasified with paper mill sludge using a full-scale gasification plant. The results obtained from this research also provided the information for selecting ASRs alternative technologies and operating full-scale gasifiers in the future. [Display omitted] • This study has confirmed the feasibility of co-gasification of calcium-rich PMS and chlorine-rich ASRs. • Adding 5%–15% of ASRs can maintain the regular operation of the full-scale commercial gasifier. • The synthesis gas has a composition of 4.91 vol% H 2 and 2.06 vol% CO, with a LHV of 1.93 MJ/Nm3. • The HCl emission could comply with regulation thresholds in co-gasification. • Dioxin reformation reduced significantly in co-gasification of PMS and ASRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygroscopicity affects the chemical and physical stabilities of paper-based historical relics. In this research, the moisture sorption behavior of naturally aged bamboo paper dating from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and artificially aged and untreated modern bamboo paper was investigated using dynamic vapor sorption analysis (DVS). The results were fitted by sorption models to analyze the regularities of changes in the moisture absorption of aged bamboo paper. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the chemical and physical structures of aged bamboo paper. It was found that untreated and aged bamboo paper showed similar moisture sorption isotherms at 25 °C, indicating that aging did not alter the sorption mechanism of paper. Guggenheim Anderson de Boer (GAB) and Hailwood Horrobin (H–H) models provided good fits to the experimental data and meaningful physical parameters regarding the effective sorption surface area (S GAB), monolayer water content (W 0), and multilayer water content (W s), showing that the S GAB , W 0 , and W s of naturally and artificially aged bamboo paper were decreased. Results of FTIR demonstrated that the levels of hydrophilic groups decreased, causing a reduction in the effective adsorption sites of naturally and artificially aged bamboo paper, which was the principal reason for a decrease in their hygroscopicity. The fiber structure damage of naturally and artificially aged bamboo paper was observed through microscopic morphology, which has different influences on the capillary adsorption of paper depending on the extent of degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publications in Renal Failure in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) between 1992 and 2021 were analyzed. Six publication indicators: total, independent, collaborative, first author, corresponding author, and single author publications as well as their related citation indicators, were used to compare performances of countries, institutes, and authors. Comparison of the highly cited papers and journal's impact factor (IF) contributors was discussed. In addition, the main research topics in the journal were presented. Results show that China published the most total articles and reviews, as well as the first-author papers and corresponding-author papers in the journal. The Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan ranked the top in five publication indicators: total, single-institution, inter-institutionally collaborative, first author, and corresponding-author papers. A low percentage of productive authors emerged as a journal IF contributor. Similarly, only a limited relationship between highly cited papers and IF contributing papers was found. Publications related to hemodialysis, chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injury were the most popular topic, while meta-analysis was new focus in the last decade in the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice-paper plant, Tetrapanax papyrifer is a woody plant native to Taiwan and widely distributed in western Japan. Due to its low commercial value, little is known about its interactions with microorganisms. Here, we isolated Neofusicoccum parvum, a known causal agent of grape stem rot and mango stem-end rot, from leaf blight on T. papyrifer. Compared to mango isolate, N. parvum from rice-paper plant showed comparable virulence on grape stem and mango fruit. N. parvum strains exhibited pathogenicity on a variety of common weeds, which may act as disease reservoirs and boost N. parvum prevalence in commercially grown mango and grape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper cultural relics such as double-sided printed newspapers and periodicals represent modern cultural heritage. Severe damage such as embrittlement, decay, and dreg generally occur to paper; hence, it urgently needs conservation and restoration. Therefore, herein, a new reinforcement method for the fragile double-sided printed paper cultural relics is proposed with cotton mesh and adhesive PVA217 as reinforcement materials. Using a computer measured and controlled folding endurance tester, a pendulum tensile strength tester, pH meter, pulp viscosimeter, and other instruments, the physical properties of newspaper samples before and after aging were evaluated. In addition, the mechanical properties, chromatic aberration and surface morphology of simulated samples before and after the cotton mesh reinforcement and Japanese washi paper reinforcement were assessed. The experimental results indicate that this new reinforcement method could effectively improve the physical strength, chromatic aberration and durability of the simulated samples. Widespread applications of this cotton mesh reinforcement method for the reinforcement and protection of the red revolutionary cultural relics such as double-sided printed newspaper and periodicals during the Republic of China era are foreseeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mudstone soils (MS) are widely distributed in southern Taiwan and have an inherent proclivity to geological damages and failures. However, the use of traditional and non-traditional techniques to treat MS remains a challenge and is an area relatively unexplored due to the soils' distinct and sophisticated features. This study examined the hydromechanical performance of reconstituted MS treated with colloidal nanosilica (CN), fiber (f), and combinations thereof (CN-f) via a series of laboratory tests, including the unconfined compressive strength tests, 3D volumetric shrinkage tests, free swell tests, 1D consolidation tests, and filter paper tests. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were also used to inspect the geochemical composition and microstructure of the untreated and treated MS. Results suggest that CN-f treatment can significantly improve the peak and postpeak strengths and ductility of MS while achieving satisfactory improvements in swelling control, shrinkage limits, and volumetric strains. Following treatment with 15% CN and 1% f for 28 days, the MS showed an optimal 527% improvement in Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and satisfactory residual strain. Finally, the FTIR and SEM images revealed enhanced interlocking between the MS particles and the formation of marginal C–S–H and viscous gels, supporting the improved performance in MS. This study provides comprehensive analyses that offer insights into the synergistic effects of CN-f on the hydromechanical performance of MS. The findings will be valuable to engineers exploring innovative and ecofriendly alternatives for treating MS with a robust design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five Gram-stain-positive strains (M1-10 T , M1-13, M1-21 T , M2-14 T and S1-1 T ) were isolated from paper mulberry ( Broussonetia papyrifera ) in Taiwan. Cells were rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative, and did not exhibit catalase and oxidase activities. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that these novel strains belonged to the genus Fructobacillus . On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the type strains of Fructobacillus fructosus and Fructobacillus durionis were the closest neighbours to strains M1-10 T , M1-13, M1-21 T , M2-14 T and S1-1 T . Sequence analyses of concatenated two partial housekeeping genes, the RNA polymerase beta subunit ( rpoC ) and recombinase A ( recA ) also indicated that the novel strains belonged to the genus Fructobacillus . The 16S rRNA and concatenated rpoC and recA gene sequence similarities between strains M1-10 T and M1-13 were 100 %, respectively. The average nucleotide identity values of M1-10 T , M1-21 T , M2-14 T and S1-1 T with F. fructosus and F. durionis were 75.1-78.9% and 76.5-77.5 %, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values were 19.7-21.5% and 19.6-20.4 %, respectively. Phenotypic and genotypic test results demonstrated that these strains represent four novel species of the genus Fructobacillus , for which the names Fructobacillus papyriferae sp. nov., Fructobacillus papyrifericola sp. nov., Fructobacillus broussonetiae sp. nov. and Fructobacillus parabroussonetiae sp. nov. are proposed with the type strains M1-10 T (=BCRC 81237 T =NBRC 114433 T ), M1-21 T (=BCRC 81239 T =NBRC 114435 T ), M2-14 T (=BCRC 81240 T =NBRC 114436 T ) and S1-1 T (=BCRC 81241 T =NBRC 114437 T ), respectively.

Background: Among sarcomas, which are rare cancers, many types are exceedingly rare; however, a definition of ultra‐rare cancers has not been established. The problem of ultra‐rare sarcomas is particularly relevant because they represent unique diseases, and their rarity poses major challenges for diagnosis, understanding disease biology, generating clinical evidence to support new drug development, and achieving formal authorization for novel therapies. Methods: The Connective Tissue Oncology Society promoted a consensus effort in November 2019 to establish how to define ultra‐rare sarcomas through expert consensus and epidemiologic data and to work out a comprehensive list of these diseases. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was based on the 2020 World Health Organization classification, The incidence rates were estimated using the Information Network on Rare Cancers (RARECARENet) database and NETSARC (the French Sarcoma Network's clinical‐pathologic registry). Incidence rates were further validated in collaboration with the Asian cancer registries of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Results: It was agreed that the best criterion for a definition of ultra‐rare sarcomas would be incidence. Ultra‐rare sarcomas were defined as those with an incidence of approximately ≤1 per 1,000,000, to include those entities whose rarity renders them extremely difficult to conduct well powered, prospective clinical studies. On the basis of this threshold, a list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was defined, which comprised 56 soft tissue sarcoma types and 21 bone sarcoma types. conclusions: Altogether, the incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas. This confirms that the challenges inherent in ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas, defined as those sarcomas with an incidence ≤1 per 1,000,000, comprises 56 soft tissue sarcoma and 21 bone sarcoma types. The incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas, confirming that challenges inherent to ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that can predict factors affecting student recycling behavior. The theoretical model was based on motivation, place attachment, environmental concern and interpersonal altruism. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted with college students in Taiwan using self-report questionnaires. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 523 were completed (response rate of 65.4%) and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to test the models and hypotheses. Findings: The results showed that environmental concern, motivation, interpersonal altruism and place attachment have significant positive effects on recycling behavior and motivation and place attachment have significant positive effects on interpersonal altruism. This research contributes to the existing literature by discriminating between two sorts of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented. Originality/value: Few studies have linked motivation, interpersonal altruism, environmental concern and place attachment to recycling behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these relationships, specifically as they affect college students' behavior. This paper anticipates that increased knowledge about recycling behavior could be used to support the wider adoption of recycling practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change induced partly by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) is an urgent issue worldwide, calling for advanced methods of carbon sequestration. Since CO2-emitting industries often generate alkaline waste, sequestrating CO2 by mineral carbonation of alkaline waste is promising both for carbon capture and utilization, and for preventing waste disposal. Here we review the principles of mineral carbonation and we discuss mineral carbonation of alkaline waste and byproducts in Taiwan. We focus on wastes such as iron and steel slag, cement and concrete waste, incineration ash, coal combustion ash, and paper waste. We evaluate the CO2 reduction potential to reveal promising materials and industries. We found that 4.2 Mt CO2 can be directly sequestered annually. Moreover, the use of alternative materials in the cement and concrete industries can indirectly facilitate CO2 sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pineapples are an important agricultural economic crop in Taiwan. Considerable human resources are required to protect pineapples from excessive solar radiation, which could otherwise lead to overheating and subsequent deterioration. Note that simple covering all of the fruit with a paper bag is not a viable solution, due to the fact that it makes it impossible to determine whether the fruit is ripe. This paper proposes a system by which to automate the detection of ripe pineapples. The proposed deep learning architecture enables detection regardless of lighting conditions, achieving accuracy of more than 99.27% with error of less than 2% at distances of 300 ~ 800 mm. This proposed system using an Nvidia TX2 is capable of 15 frames per second, thereby making it possible to mount the device on machines that move at walking speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oyster Farming is one of important fisheries and aquaculture industries in Taiwan. Each year, approximately 4000–5000 tons of discarded bamboo scaffolding (BS) used in oyster farming, are generated, so the treatment and utilization of BS should be taken seriously. This study evaluates the suitability of BS for pulp and papermaking by assessing the chemical compositions, microstructural, and fiber morphology. The pulping properties is investigated by soda pulping. The chemical composition of BS shows the potential for application in pulping. The BS microstructure shows that can enhance pulping reactions, while the fiber morphology indicates the possibility of producing high-strength paper. Through the pulping experiment, it demonstrated that BS is suitable for pulping with lower NaOH dosage and longer digestion time. The condition at 170 °C with 14% NaOH dosage for 90 min digestion has the highest yield. After refining the highest pulping yield BS pulp, it can improve the handsheet strength and bulk of the OCC-BS mixed pulp, which can achieve the strength property required for industrial paper. In summary, BS exhibits the potential for pulping application and produces a better paper strength than OCC pulp, exhibiting the feasibility of enhancing the circular utilization value of BS in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On behalf of the editorial office of Neurospine, we would like to extend our appreciation to all the readers who have supported the journal throughout the year. Neurospine was established in March 2018 through a collaboration of 3 leading spinal neurosurgery societies from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Since then, Neurospine has continued to enhance its academic impact, serving as a platform for sharing knowledge and information related to the management of spinal diseases. In this article, we aim to present the bibliometrics of Neurospine, including the submission and publication of manuscripts and the peer review process. We are looking forward to continued growth and serving the academic community to the best of our ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are ample national, transnational, and international geopolitical conflicts around the world, the two most prominent likely being the current ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, and the conflict between Taiwan (the Republic of China) and China (the People's Republic of China). To avoid criticism or the label of political bias, academics might refrain from using the term Taiwan or might not refer to it as a country. Similarly, they might not know whether they should refer to Crimea or the Donbas as being Ukrainian or Russian. Authors currently have little guidance and are somewhat left to their own devices when it comes to referring to these and other locations and territories, uncertain of the names that should be used to indicate them. They might also observe disclaimers on publishers' websites, in the footer of editorial board pages, or even as a small notice in their own manuscripts placed there by the publisher that distance the publisher from geopolitical conflicts and/or territorial claims, claiming neutrality, independent of whether those papers mention those conflicts, or not. Such disclaimers might be perceived as self-serving, placing the onus of responsibility of the choice of territorial term on authors' shoulders, so publishers should offer clearer advice to authors and editors on how to better handle this issue, that is, how to accurately name locations in geopolitically sensitive areas. There is a risk that papers that are insufficiently sensitive to such issues may be labelled as erroneous, and subjected to correction or retraction, or the authors may be subjected to public criticism or humiliation, so resolving this issue falls within the realm of academic publishing ethics. Currently, very little advice exists for geopolitical issues in the Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Ethics ethics-related publishing guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, as of January 2023, there have been over 670 million cases and more than 6.8 million deaths worldwide. Infections can cause inflammation in the lungs and decrease blood oxygen levels, which can lead to breathing difficulties and endanger life. As the situation continues to escalate, non-contact machines are used to assist patients at home to monitor their blood oxygen levels without encountering others. This paper uses a general network camera to capture the forehead area of a person's face, using the RPPG (remote photoplethysmography) principle. Then, image signal processing of red and blue light waves is carried out. By utilizing the principle of light reflection, the standard deviation and mean are calculated, and the blood oxygen saturation is computed. Finally, the effect of illuminance on the experimental values is discussed. The experimental results of this paper were compared with a blood oxygen meter certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan, and the experimental results had only a maximum error of 2%, which is better than the 3% to 5% error rates in other studies The measurement time was only 30 s, which is better than the one minute reported using similar equipment in other studies. Therefore, this paper not only saves equipment expenses but also provides convenience and safety for those who need to monitor their blood oxygen levels at home. Future applications can combine the SpO2 detection software with camera-equipped devices such as smartphones and laptops. The public can detect SpO2 on their own mobile devices, providing a convenient and effective tool for personal health management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phosphorus (P) is the limiting nutrient in many mature tropical forests. The ecological significance of declining P stocks as soils age is exacerbated by much of the remaining P being progressively sequestered. However, the details of how and where P is sequestered during the ageing in tropical forest soils remains unclear. Results: We examined the relationships between various forms of the Fe and Al sesquioxides and the Hedley fractions of P in soils of an incipient ferralitic chronosequence on an altitudinal series of gently sloping benches on Green Island, off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. These soils contain limited amounts of easily exchangeable P. Of the sesquioxide variables, only Fe and Al crystallinities increased significantly with bench altitude/soil age, indicating that the ferralisation trend is weak. The bulk of the soil P was in the NaOH and residual extractable fractions, and of low lability. The P fractions that correlated best with the sesquioxides were the organic components of the NaHCO3 and NaOH extracts. Conclusions: The amorphous sesquioxides, Feo and Alo, were the forms that correlated best with the P fractions. A substantial proportion of the labile P appears to be organic and to be associated with Alo in organic-aluminium complexes. The progression of P sequestration appears to be slightly slower than the chemical and mineralogical indicators of ferralisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the potential for collaboration between China and Pakistan in the healthcare field, specifically in terms of research and publications. While China has made significant progress in medical research and publications, there are concerns about unethical publication practices that regulatory bodies are addressing. The Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences has been receiving research papers from China for the past twenty years, but the acceptance rate has remained low due to a commitment to maintaining standards and intellectual integrity. The author recently visited China to promote academic collaboration and met with faculty members from hospitals in Shanghai and Changsha. The article emphasizes the importance of following ethical guidelines and provides tips for Chinese researchers to improve their chances of acceptance. Overall, the article highlights the potential for collaboration while acknowledging the challenges and the importance of maintaining quality and ethical standards in research and publications. [Extracted from the article]

In the past, scholars of academic dependency have tended to focus their discussions on social sciences while treating other fields as separate. They suggest that in order to escape dependency, alternative discourse and autonomy should be developed. In this paper, we examine the Public Health Liberation (PHL) movement in Taiwan and theorize on the marketization and medicalization of the healthcare system since the 1980s as a dependency syndrome. The PHL was initiated by a group of public health scholars—with the second author of this paper being one of its key protagonists—and frontline public health practitioners after the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003. Inspired by the mass mobilization model in public health in Asian and Latin American countries, particularly China, the Philippines, and Nicaragua, PHL trains grassroots public health educators, nurtures critical research, and has built a network of activists for radical public health reform in Taiwan. Based on participatory action research, this paper analyzes the emergence of this influential public health movement and situates it within the global context of neoliberal health reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the threat of global warming to human beings has gradually received attention, this article introduces the terror management theory to explain whether health risk awareness will affect their willingness to accept smart green buildings and that relationship is positively regulated by death anxiety. In addition, this article introduces the concept of materialismto propose that consumers will also accept smart green buildings due to the influence of materialism. This article interviewed two consumers and two professors in Taiwan, and verified the three hypotheses of this article through qualitative coding analysis. This article also used quantitative research methods to verify the theoretical model. This article not only introduces the cross-cutting contributions between terrormanagement theory, materialism and smart green buildings, but also helps the construction industry develop strategies to attract consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an action research project investigating a Global Englishes course offered at a Taiwanese university, in the context of Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy. The study aimed to address the issue of English being viewed as a foreign language in Taiwan, and native speakers being stereotypically considered as the custodians of the language and culture. To address these problems, the researcher implemented a course called Learning Englishes and Cultures Through Movies based on the Global Englishes paradigm. 14 secondyear undergraduate English majors fully participated in the course during the second semester of the 2020–2021 academic year. Qualitative data were collected from biweekly reflections provided by the students and analysed through content analysis. The findings showed that the course helped students develop more global attitudes and perceptions, and supported the effectiveness of the materials and tasks included in the course. The results offer guidance for future cycles of action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to explore customer value-driven factors and evaluated competitive positioning to formulate the sustainable business strategy for theme parks in Taiwan. We employed Borda count to obtained the customer value-driven factors. This paper further developed a hybrid quantified SWOT analysis to identify the competitive positioning for the four major theme parks in Taiwan, The findings in this paper were: (1) There are nine customer value-driven factors attributed into the three dimensions of park characteristics, service characteristics, and exogenous characteristics, which are significant important for theme park sustainable survive; (2) Lihpao Resort is located in the first (SO) quadrant with its internal strengths and external opportunities simultaneously but it has less external opportunities; (3) Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is located in the third (WT) quadrant with its internal weakness and external threats, which has the worst performance compared with other theme parks in this paper; (4) Leafoo Village Theme Park is located in the first (SO) quadrant with its internal strengths and external opportunities, which has less internal strengths compared with Lihpao Resort; and (5) Janfusun Fancy World is located in the fourth (TS) quadrant with its the external threats and internal strengths. Conclusions and suggestions are also discussed. Plain Language Summary: Label the Competitive positioning for Theme Parks In a time where consumers are increasingly informed, adopting a customer-focused marketing approach is crucial for long-term business success. This means that effective marketing strategies can not only benefit customers but also enhance the competitiveness of the theme park industry. This paper presents a methodology to discover customer value-driven factors and assess the competitive position of theme parks. It highlights areas for improvement in each park, serving as a valuable guide for operators aiming to strengthen their competitive edge. However, it's important to note a limitation of this study, which arises from collecting data during a specific period in Taiwan, namely, the summer vacation. This restricts the generalizability of the findings. To enhance external validity, future studies should consider gathering a more diverse sample from various time periods. Additionally, exploring whether there are cultural differences in customer value-driven factors and competitive positioning through replication of this study presents an intriguing avenue for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'grey zone' indicates a state actor's actions up to the point of armed conflict and is increasingly associated with China's foreign policy. China has harnessed Western social media to defend its national interests, drawing international attention to its discourse of war and its often-hostile rhetoric. This paper analyses Chinese state-sponsored tweets about Taiwan, a focal point for Chinese grey zone activity. Empirical topic modelling techniques to aggregate narratives in large-scale social media data were leveraged to interpret them from a doctrinal understanding of Chinese influence operations. Additionally, the authors used statistical methods to examine the relationship between China's information and military operations toward Taiwan. This paper finds that China uses its state-sponsored accounts to coordinate and amplify social media messaging around military campaigns with strategic importance. Additionally, the presence of a multipronged approach using social media to support military campaigns may indicate an escalation in conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States brought many financial institutions to the brink of bankruptcy. Securities firms were not immune to such issues, given their prominence in the financial market. Consequently, evaluating the performance of securities companies' post-recession is important when determining how to confront market-shaking macroeconomic problems. Consequently, this paper employs a non-radial model of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the performance of revival on Taiwan's securities industry. The research findings suggest that Tachan Securities (TCS) outperformed its peers in the operational period immediately after the global financial crisis, while Capital Securities (CAPITAL) is the best performer in the profit-making period. This paper applies the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix to analyze strategic positioning and trajectory on the basis of the efficiency value of the two-stage of non-radial DEA model. In order to validate any variances between the efficiencies of different stages after the global financial crisis, this paper conducts non-parametric statistical analysis to examine the variances in the efficiency values of the single-stage and the two-stage model. Finally, the purpose is to understand the impact of the post-crisis environmental variables on the efficiency of the securities industry. The empirical findings can serve as a reference for industry management on the assessment of operating performances and profitability by the characteristic of radial efficiency. Decision-makers in the industry may also refer to the findings as a benchmarking tool for the evaluation of business performance after the global financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper complicates the classic security dilemma by considering the notions of ontological security and relational deterrence. It studies how the ontological security dilemma has emerged between the US, China, and Taiwan from the relational perspective and how these spiral chains will further develop in the future. The paper incurs the literature on relational analysis to expound on how different ontological security concerns allude to relational deterrence between the three actors. Taiwan's separatism is more of a threat to China's relational self than to physical security because the separatist does not belong to any already agreed relationship. A geometric model and a few simulations yield three unconventional findings. 1) The less advantaged the US military is over China, the less likely armed unification will occur. 2) The US anti-Chinese tendency is irrelevant in determining the probability of armed unification. 3) What may escalate the spiral are China's anti-Taiwan independence and Taiwan's anti-unification. Case sensitivity indicates the ontological sensibilities of a security dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation examines English proficiency levels across Taiwanese primary education, revealing a significant divergence in skills characterized by an M-shaped distribution among students in the fifth and sixth grades. To address this disparity, the study employs a performance evaluation method that combines importance–performance analysis (IPA) and the refined Kano model, aiming to identify and improve upon the current deficiencies in English language teaching. Further analytical depth is provided by applying a three-factor theory, which re-evaluates the traditional five-factor framework of the Kano model, informed by a survey of 443 respondents. The analysis identified that, out of twenty evaluative items, four are critical and demand targeted enhancement efforts. The paper has identified four items for enhancement to improve English language instruction quality. Specifically, it suggests that two items from the importance–performance analysis are critically under resourced and require immediate intervention. Additionally, the paper recognizes two items from the Kano model that also need focused improvement. The study recommends swift and targeted actions to address these areas, with the goal of raising the overall standard of teaching. Based on these findings, the study proposes a set of practical recommendations aimed at increasing the overall effectiveness of teaching and fostering an environment that enhances student motivation. The ultimate goal of this study is to support English teachers in primary schools by providing strategic insights that can lead to the enhancement of teaching practices and the amelioration of English language education deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), as coating materials, possess oil-resistant and waterproof properties. However, their persistency and toxicity have caused concerns. This study developed a method for determining five types of 20 PFASs with ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, and measured seven categories of 32 commercial samples of oil-resistant food packaging in Taiwan. The assay was validated according to the specification of Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA). Samples of 100 cm² were cut into pieces and were ultra-sonicated in 20-mL methanol at 50 °C for 45 minutes. The extracts were concentrated to 1 mL for instrumental analysis. Most matrix effect factors and extraction efficiencies of the analytes were 50%e80% and 52%e99%, respectively. Most limits of detection and limits of quantification were between 0.07e11.3 ng/dm² and 0.17e18.3 ng/dm², respectively. Most recoveries ranged from 70% to 117% at three tested levels, and the precisions (%RSD) were lower than 19%. Microwave popcorn paper contained more types and higher levels of PFASs than other packaging, with perfluoroalkyl acids at 8.3e1960 ng/dm² and fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) at 9.7e7188 ng/dm². High concentrations of FTOHs were also observed in one oil-proof paper bag at 454¡2595 ng/dm² and in one French fries paper bag at 22.4e167 ng/dm². [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses military-grade AI initiatives by the United States (US) and China in the cyber domain. It sheds light on these nations’ strategic priorities and implications for the ever-changing landscape of AI-driven cybersecurity. Since 1949, with evolving dynamics among China, the US, and Taiwan, marked by the unresolved civil war and the inception of the Taiwan Relations Act, China has emerged as a potential rival and the US as a possible ally. Understanding the disparity in their AI interests is now vital for Taiwan. Do so to avoid a lag in the swiftly advancing realm of AI-driven cybersecurity. Recognising this urgency, Taiwan should contemplate strategic adjustments to bridge the gap between China and the US in this domain. Our analysis reveals that the US and China prioritise addressing supply chain vulnerabilities but differ in their secondary priorities for various reasons. For the US, the secondary focus lies in enhancing defence capabilities, whereas China emphasises augmenting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). These commonalities and differences in direction are discussed in the context of the two nations’ respective national strategies and current situations. Thus, this paper contributes to Taiwan’s proactive consideration of information to help shape its cybersecurity strategy and ensure Taiwan remains competitive in an increasingly AI-centric world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Wen-jen Hsieh, National Cheng Kung University: b This paper presents an overall picture of Taiwan's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, from its efforts to curb the coronavirus from spreading to its population and the relevant impacts of the pandemic to its domestic economy. As COVID-19 is a rather new and complicated issue, this paper is valuable in terms of introducing Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control disease prevention strategies to the international community, as many of the countries and regions around the world may be still suffering badly from the pandemic. [Extracted from the article]

With the rise of cultural and creative industries, cultural creativity has gradually become an important factor to promote the value of design in the future, and it is also a trend to integrate "cultural elements" into the design of products. At present, the cultural and creative industries in Western countries and Taiwan are the mainstay of their economic development. We should actively absorb their successful experiences and, with the support of national policies, carry out effective and lasting development of them, as well as continuously improve the quality of cultural and creative products. In today's steady economic development, the emotionalization of cultural and creative consumption has gradually formed a new consumption trend. When cultural and creative consumers buy stationery, they will inevitably have three situations: purchasing instinct, purchasing behavior, and reflection. Therefore, this paper adopts the method based on machine learning to conduct in-depth research on the users of cultural and creative products of "Forbidden Day and Night Set Gift Box." Through the research on the cultural and creative consumption intention of "Forbidden Day and Night Set Gift Box," it can effectively promote the development of domestic cultural and creative enterprises, and then promote the customer satisfaction of cultural and creative enterprises. This paper makes a detailed analysis of it from the perspectives of data processing, feature engineering, classification prediction models, and future development directions. By studying the cultural and creative behavior of users, a deep learning model based on neural network is established. The feature extraction, feature preprocessing, feature selection, and asymmetric data collection in the process of data processing are discussed in depth. In order to further improve the prediction accuracy and conduct more in-depth research, this paper establishes a deep learning prediction model based on depth. This model is experimentally validated and it can be observed that the model is 10% more efficient than the traditional model, so the model can learn data better from the user's behavior in several aspects, and the proposed and practice of this model has good practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Psychological insulin resistance is a common barrier to initiation and persistence with insulin therapy that affects approximately 42.7% of people living with type II diabetes mellitus, which may negatively impact self‐management. This study aimed to assess patients' levels of psychological insulin resistance and to identify factors associated with self‐management in patients with type II diabetes mellitus treated with insulin therapy. Methods: We adopted a cross‐sectional design. Subjects from the metabolism and endocrinology outpatient departments of a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan were recruited by consecutive sampling. Patients were assessed for psychological insulin resistance and self‐management using the barriers to insulin treatment questionnaire and the partners in health scale. Results: A total of 222 patients with type II diabetes mellitus were recruited. Patients had an average psychological insulin resistance score of 3.14 (maximum of 8). Positive self‐management was associated with insulin therapy injection by patient, fewer expectations regarding positive insulin‐related outcomes, no diabetes‐related complications, less fear of injection and self‐testing, no hypoglycaemia within the previous year, and younger age. Conclusion: Insulin therapy injection by patient and no diabetes‐related complications were the most common factors associated with overall self‐management and with each domain of self‐management in patients with type II diabetes mellitus treated with insulin therapy. Insulin therapy education should be offered to improve patients' beliefs about insulin therapy and enhance patients' ability to perform self‐management. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Psychological insulin resistance is a common psychological barrier to initiation and persistence with insulin therapy.Psychological insulin resistance causes poor glycaemic control and diabetes‐related complications.Psychological insulin resistance may negatively impact self‐management in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. What is the contribution of this paper? Positive self‐management was associated with insulin therapy injection by patient, fewer expectations regarding positive insulin‐related outcomes, no diabetes‐related complications, less fear of injection and self‐testing, no hypoglycaemia within the previous year, and younger age.Insulin therapy injection by patient and no diabetes‐related complications were the most common factors associated with overall self‐management and with each domain of self‐management in patients with type II diabetes mellitus treated with insulin therapy.Patients with poor self‐management had statistically significantly higher levels of overall psychological insulin resistance, fear of injections and self‐testing, expectations regarding positive insulin‐related outcomes, and stigmatization by insulin injections, compared to those with appropriate self‐management. What are the implications of this paper? Knowing in advance the factors associated with diabetes self‐management will allow healthcare professionals prevent psychological insulin resistance in patients with type II diabetes mellitus treated with insulin therapy.Healthcare professionals can design and provide patient‐centred diabetes education based on education level to enhance self‐management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic entomology as the study and ordering of insect biodiversity is a material-based practice that relies on insect bodies as a resource. Especially large amounts of insect specimens were collected and traded globally in the decades surrounding the turn of the twentieth century, often relying on colonial infrastructures. Taking colonial-era Taiwan as a case study, this paper asks under which circumstances specific places became collecting sites. It takes a series of articles on the insect fauna of the island as a point of departure, titled H. Sauter's Formosa-Ausbeute after the German naturalist who sent the specimens around the world in the early twentieth century. It explores how collecting specimens was entangled with colonial infrastructure projects, insect policies, and forest-based industries. After Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, newly constructed railways, including push car lines and logging trains, gave naturalists access to inner frontiers. Conversely, insects moved into the spotlight by disrupting these same infrastructures. A rush into the mountains was brought on by the island's abundance in old growth forests, as evergreen trees such as camphor laurels became valuable export resources. The location of insect collecting sites was determined not just by ecological factors but by forest-based industries and colonial policies as well. As ancient trees were felled and aboriginal peoples violently displaced, insect collectors followed colonial infrastructures into the mountains, resulting in what a German entomologist called the "mass fabrication" of articles about Taiwan's insect fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an improved one-line evolution formulation is proposed and derived for the dynamic shoreline planforms of embayed beaches. Although embayed sandy beaches can perform several functions, serving as leisure spots and areas of coastal protection, shoreline advances and retreats occur continuously as a result of many natural forces, such as winds, waves, currents, tides, etc. The one-line evolution formulation for dynamic shoreline planforms based on the polar coordinate can be adopted to simulate high-planform-curvature shorelines and achieve better stability and simplicity in comparison with other description coordinates. While the polar coordinate and rectangular control volume are adopted to derive the one-line evolution formulation for dynamic shoreline planforms, the difference between the radial direction of the polar coordinate and the normal direction of the shoreline segment may result in inaccurate predictions of shoreline movements. In this study, a correction coefficient, which can adjust the influence of these two misaligned directions, is derived and included in the one-line evolution formulation, which is based on the polar coordinate. Thus, by considering the correction coefficient, an improved one-line evolution formulation for dynamic shoreline planforms of crenulate-shaped bays is proposed in this paper. Some numerical examples are provided to verify the merits of the proposed improved one-line evolution formulation. Moreover, the proposed numerical approach is applied to simulate the dynamic movements of the shoreline in Taitung—the southeastern part of Taiwan—and the effectiveness of the proposed formulation in solving realistic engineering applications is evidently verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career building can be challenging for young surgeons, especially when topics such as lifestyle, work–life balance and subspecialization arise. Suggestions and advice from senior colleagues is very valuable but many young surgeons do not have such opportunities or are limited to a few senior surgeons. The International Microsurgery Club (IMC), in collaboration with the World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, organized a combined webinar for this topic and invited world renowned microsurgery masters polled by the IMC members to join, including Prof. Peter Neligan (Emeritus from University of Washington, United States), Prof. Raja Sabapathy (Ganga Hospital, India), Dr. Gregory Buncke (The Buncke Clinic, United States), Prof. Isao Koshima (Hiroshima University Hospital, Japan), Prof. David Chwei-Chin Chuang (Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan), and Prof. Eric Santamaria (Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez, Mexico) on May 1, 2022. Prof. Joon-Pio Hong (Asan Medical Center, South Korea) and Prof. Fu-Chan Wei (Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan) were also selected but unfortunately could not make it and were therefore invited to another event in April 2023, summarized in a recently published paper. There is ample literature reporting on different aspects of developing a microsurgical career but the goal of this session was to offer an opportunity for direct exchange with experienced mentors. Moreover, insights from experienced microsurgeons from different part of the world were more likely to offer different perspectives on aspects such as career building, failure management, and team culture. This webinar event was moderated by Dr. Jung-Ju Huang (Taiwan), Dr. Susana Heredero (Spain), and Dr. Wei F. Chen (United States). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of the environmental conditions during the first half of the 2020 mei-yu season (Y20) and the southwest vortex (SWV), as well as their interaction, on heavy precipitation in southern Taiwan during late May 2020, based on a quantitative approach through ensemble simulations. The control experiment successfully replicates observed heavy precipitation in southern and central Taiwan and reveals a positive spatial correlation between precipitation occurrence probabilities and mean accumulated precipitation, emphasizing continuous rainfall accumulation over intermittent extreme events. Comparative analyses with sensitivity experiments elucidate that the Y20, featuring an extended western North Pacific subtropical high, intensify pressure gradients and southwesterly flow near Taiwan, favoring precipitation in windward regions but hindering it in the east. The SWV creates a moist and vortical environment near Taiwan, amplifying moisture supply and westerly winds, promoting precipitation in southern Taiwan, and enhancing frontal activity. The interaction between the SWV and the Y20, though limited in its impact on providing favorable wind and moisture conditions for precipitation southwest of Taiwan, significantly contributes to precipitation in southern Taiwan. The reason is that although the SWV primarily enhances moisture and the Y20 predominantly boost southwesterly flow, creating favorable conditions for rainfall, substantial precipitation occurs only when both factors converge in a nonlinear interaction. The interaction increases frontal activity over the Taiwan Strait and influences the movement and strength of the SWV, enhancing southwesterly flow and moisture flux in southwestern Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a 50G passive optical network (PON) low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoder, decoding performance and area efficiency must be balanced. This paper adopts a layered decoder method to improve the area efficiency of the decoder. By parallel processing of three submatrices and storage reuse of node information, optimizing the matrix partitioning and processing order of the 50G-PON standard, the throughput of 1235 bps was reached under 100 MHz circuit frequency in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation, and 9.864 Gbps was achieved based on Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company (TSMC) 65 nm synthesis with 800 MHz circuit frequency in an area of 2.61 mm 2 by proposing a mechanism of spare decision storage to avoid errors caused by quantization overflow of the decoder and using full verification to terminate decoding in advance to improve performance. Finally, at an input bit error rate (BER) of 2.3 × 10 − 2 (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of about 3.72 dB), the output BER was lower than 10 − 12 , and the throughput area rate (TAR) also increased by 2 to 4 times compared with other papers. In conclusion, an area-efficient LDPC decoder without sacrificing decoding performance is made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing pressure to cut carbon emissions and develop sustainability plans, companies need carbon credits to offset emissions that cannot be eliminated from their operations, new global carbon exchange to launch in Singapore by 2021 end, the high-quality credit can bridge this gap and play an important role in the overall climate change mitigation strategy. The purpose of this research is to use the production data (including carbon emissions) of paper-making companies in Taiwan to establish a circular economy mathematical programming model and the concept based on the activity cost method (ABC) to explore the impact of different carbon emissions costs (such carbon tax, carbon cap-and-trade, etc.) on the company's production structure and profitability impact. The research results show that different carbon emission cost models have different effects on the company's optimal product-mix and profitability. The managerial implication is to combine the extensive application of the carbon emission credit mechanism, which can offset the carbon emissions in the production process and have a significant impact on the company's sustainable competitiveness. In addition, this study can also enable decision makers to understand the impact of different carbon emission cost models on the profitability of the company's product mix, which can be used as a reference for production planning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates how parliamentary efforts to represent the interests of female electorates influence the legislators' re-election chances. Taiwan is chosen as the case study and, for empirical analysis, I utilise an original bill co-sponsorship dataset that consists of roughly 400,000 cosponsors for all bills submitted between 1992 and 2016. The findings, based on regression analyses, show that making more legislative effort on women's issues – by prioritising them over other issues – results in electoral losses, and this negative effect is more pronounced among female legislators. The paper contributes to the gender politics literature by theorising and testing a hitherto underexplored relationship between two representational processes: how the substantive representation women by female legislators affects their descriptive representation. It also contributes to legislative and electoral studies by demonstrating that legislators' policy-vote trade-offs are policy-sensitive and gendered, thus calling for a more nuanced approach to be taken in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a project on Chinese Malaysians' educational mobility across the Chinese-speaking world, this paper highlights their reasons for attending university in Taiwan while examining their subjective formations as ethnic Chinese vis-à-vis transnational processes. Resulting from ethnographic and interview-based research conducted in 2019–2021, the findings demonstrate that the students' choices for higher education are, to a great extent, culturally driven and historically contingent. Thus they provide an alternative view to the dominant paradigm of international student mobility that emphasises economic and future career incentives. By focusing on three factors—state racism, historical connections, and Sinophone cultural consumption—that motivated them to leave Malaysia and go to Taiwan, this paper moreover draws attention to the transnational infrastructures (e.g. policy, media, interpersonal networks) that have continually reproduced and transformed a long-existing migration pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the importance of non-state actors in international relations is now widely acknowledged, formal state-to-state ties remain an essential measure of a state's strength in the international community. When traditional components of sovereignty are eroded, what options remain open to states seeking to forestall international isolation? Drawing on a case study of Taiwan, this paper explores the potential and the pitfalls of using paradiplomacy as a substitute for traditional diplomacy. I argue that Taiwan uses paradiplomacy for three primary purposes: as a 'hedge' against weakness in the central-level US-Taiwan relationship; as a tool for developing long-term relationships with rising political stars; and as a performative strategy for asserting Taiwan's statehood by showing others that it acts like a state. While paradiplomacy enables Taiwan to strengthen ties to US policymakers, these efforts have become increasingly complicated as mainland Chinese influence on local US politics increases. This paper thus sheds light on paradiplomacy in the US-Taiwan relationship, but also on the ways in which American federalism can complicate US foreign policy toward East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question remains how to integrate the core service proposals within a smart tourism platform setting for further facilitating tourist value co-creation behaviours in sustainable ways. This paper investigates the paradigm of smart tourism service (STS) platforms within the context of an ecosystem space. It conceptualizes concepts by laying a reasonable theoretical foundation (service-dominant logic) and proposing a scale for smart services. Applying sequential mixed methods to an exploratory research design, with seven interlocking stages and data from Fuzzy Delphi experts and tourist surveys in Taipei City, a smart city in Taiwan, this paper proposes a second-order scale with six dimensions, comprising smart services of attractions, transportation, accommodation, diet, purchase, and payment. The final 32-item STS scale is thoroughly developed and subsequently validated in different contexts (i.e. travellers in different phases of travel, pre-travel and during the trip, respectively). The scale significantly reveals the tourist-operated technologies for the provision of STS, determining the development of conceptual STS platforms in this paper. Next, the platforms disclose the locus between ICT functions, information-related services, tourist applications and behaviours, and sustainable value co-creation. The potential path of "STS → behaviour → sustainable value co-creation" explored herein is helpful for illustrating the conceptualization of STS platforms. Moreover, predictions from the platforms of tourists' smart behaviours make it practically relevant in assessing demands about smart services for tourism. In the end, this paper describes the theoretical implications and managerial implications for tourism practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]