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Cultural translation: Horse racing, greyhound racing, and Jai Alai in modern Shanghai: Ning Jennifer Chang , Taipei: Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, 2019. Chang focuses on three cases of horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai in modern Shanghai society to demonstrate the multi-tiered process of cultural translation. Chang's book expands our knowledge of spectator sports in modern China by focusing on its societal dimension in contrast to the conventional political perspective. [Extracted from the article]

The 2019 International Symposium on Remote Sensing (ISRS-2019) took place in Taipei, Taiwan from 17 to 19 April 2019. ISRS is one of the distinguished conferences on the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences, especially in East Asia. More than 220 papers were presented in 37 technical sessions organized at the conference. This Special Issue publishes a limited number of featured peer-reviewed papers extended from their original contributions at ISRS-2019. The selected papers highlight a variety of topics pertaining to innovative concepts, algorithms and applications with geospatial sensors, systems, and data, in conjunction with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine leaning and advanced spatial analysis algorithms. The topics of the selected papers include the following: the on-orbit radiometric calibration of satellite optical sensors, environmental characteristics assessment with remote sensing, machine learning-based photogrammetry and image analysis, and the integration of remote sensing and spatial analysis. The selected contributions also demonstrate and discuss various sophisticated applications in utilizing remote sensing, geospatial data, and technologies to address different environmental and societal issues. Readers should find the Special Issue enlightening and insightful for understanding state-of-the-art remote sensing and spatial information science research, development and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian cities have promoted TOD to increase MRT use and decrease private vehicle use. A crucial factor in achieving this goal is improving the pedestrian environment, which can increase people's willingness to walk to MRT stations. This paper analyses how Asian cities have improved the pedestrian environment around MRT stations and the factors influencing walking willingness by reviewing literature and taking Taipei as the empirical area. The results demonstrated that reducing obstacles in pedestrian space, evening the pavement, using transparent window displays in stores along the pavement, and constructing rain shelters can increase people's willingness to walk. The simulations of improved environments can provide references for countries improving the pedestrian environment. The contribution and innovation are to point out the differences in the motivation and goals of TOD in Asian and Western cities and propose improvements to increase people's willingness to walk to achieve TOD's goals. [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]

The finite element method is commonly used to conduct the excavation project and to ensure the safety of the adjacent building. Hence, the analysis method should be rigorous, and the soil parameters used in the analysis should be carefully determined. In this paper, a small strain stiffness model was performed to assess the influence of small-strain soil behavior on ground movement induced by deep excavation in soft clays. The results revealed that when the stiff soil is far away from the excavation base, the hardening small strain model should be used to obtain a better prediction. On the other hand, the ground movement is restrained by the stiff soil when the location of stiff soil is near the excavation base. Under such conditions, the results from hardening soil and hardening small strain models are similar. In addition, this paper also provides a method to determine the small strain parameters (shear modulus and shear strain). Furthermore, the analysis method was verified through several case histories in Taipei and San Francisco. The results from case studies concluded that the small strain parameter should be determined by considering soil conditions and construction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary evacuation systems, the evacuation sign typically points fixedly towards the nearest emergency exit, providing guidance to evacuees. However, this static approach may not effectively respond to the dynamic nature of a rapidly evolving fire situation, in particular if the closest emergency exit is compromised by fire. This paper introduces an intelligent evacuation sign control mechanism that leverages smoke and temperature sensors to dynamically adjust the direction of evacuation signs, ensuring evacuees are guided to the quickest and safest emergency exit. The proposed mechanism is outlined through a rigorous mathematical formulation, and an ESP heuristic is devised to determine temperature-safe, smoke-safe, and congestion-aware evacuation paths for each sign. This algorithm then adjusts the direction light on the evacuation sign to align with the identified evacuation path. To validate the effectiveness of this approach, fire simulations using FDS software 6.7.1 were conducted in the Taipei 101 shopping mall. Temperature and smoke data from sensor nodes were utilized by the ESP algorithm, demonstrating superior performance compared to that of the existing FEL algorithm. Specifically, the ESP algorithm exhibited a notable increase in the probability of evacuation success, surpassing the FEL algorithm by up to 34% in methane fire scenarios and 14% in PVC fire scenarios. The significance of this improvement is more pronounced in densely congested evacuation scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a path loss model based on path profile in urban propagation environments for 5G systems. Although deep learning approaches are indeed powerful in tasks involving prediction or classification, they often lack transparency and suffer from high computational complexity. The proposed model combines the log‐distance path loss model for line‐of‐sight propagation scenarios and a machine‐learning‐based model for non‐line‐of‐sight (NLOS) cases. This paper uses the principal component analysis algorithm to extract relevant features out of some selected attributes of the path profile for NLOS cases. Then, the path loss model can be constructed based on the approach of polynomial regression. Simulation results show that the proposed model outperforms the conventional models when operating in the 3.5 GHz frequency band. The standard deviation of prediction error was reduced by about 22.2–37.2% dB when compared to the conventional models. Furthermore, the prediction performance was also evaluated in a non‐standalone 5G New Radio network in the urban environment of Taipei city. The real‐world measurements show that the standard deviation of prediction error can be reduced by 3.33–6.13 dB when compared to the conventional models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is widely used to evaluate the performance of a group of homogeneous decision making units (DMUs). Considering the uncertainty, interval DEA has been introduced to fit into more situations. In this paper, an interval efficiency method based on slacks-based measure is proposed to solve the uncertain problems in DEA. Firstly, the maximum and minimum efficiency values of the evaluated DMU are calculated by the furthest and closest distance from the evaluated DMU to the projection points on the Pareto-efficient frontier, respectively. Then, the AHP method is used for the full ranking of DMUs. The paper uses the pairwise comparison relationship between each pair of DMUs to construct the interval multiplicative preference relations (IMPRs) matrix. If the matrix does not meet the consistency condition, a method to obtain consistency IMPRs is introduced. According to the consistency judgment matrix, the full ranking of DMUs can be obtained. Finally, we apply our method to the performance evaluation of 12 tourist hotels in Taipei in 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant heat-related casualties underlie the urgency of establishing a heat-health warning system (HHWS). This paper presents an evidence-based pilot HHWS developed for Taipei City, Taiwan, through a co-design process engaging stakeholders. In the co-design process, policy concerns related to biometeorology, epidemiology and public health, and risk communication aspects were identified, with knowledge gaps being filled by subsequent findings. The biometeorological results revealed that Taipei residents were exposed to wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) levels of health concern for at least 100 days in 2016. The hot spots and periods identified using WBGT would be missed out if using temperature, underlining the importance of adopting an appropriate heat indicator. Significant increases in heat-related emergency were found in Taipei at WBGT exceeding 36°C with reference-adjusted risk ratio (RaRR) of 2.42, taking 30°C as the reference; and residents aged 0–14 had the highest risk enhancement (RaRR = 7.70). As for risk communication, occurring frequency was evaluated to avoid too frequent warnings, which would numb the public and exhaust resources. After integrating knowledge and reconciling the different preferences and perspectives, the pilot HHWS was co-implemented in 2018 by the science team and Taipei City officials; accompanying responsive measures were formulated for execution by ten city government departments/offices. The results of this pilot served as a useful reference for establishing a nationwide heat-alert app in 2021/2022. The lessons learnt during the interactive co-design processes provide valuable insights for establishing HHWSs worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Surgical correction of stenotic nares, one component of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), is not referenced as often in cats as it is in dogs. Similar to dogs, stenotic nares emerge as a significant contributor in the development of BOAS in cats. In this study, we propose that stenotic nares in brachycephalic cats arise from an elongated dorsal lateral nasal cartilage. The aim of this paper is to illustrate a novel surgical technique to alleviate stenosis‐associated clinical signs by performing full‐thickness bilateral wedge resection of the excessive cartilage. Animals: Seven cats that underwent rhinoplasty with full‐thickness bilateral wedge resection along the dorsal lateral nasal cartilage between 2019 and 2022 at Pan‐Asia Veterinary Clinic in Taipei, Taiwan. Methods: Clinical data of all cats included in the study were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical procedures were recorded. A full‐thickness bilateral wedge resection was made along the dorsal lateral nasal cartilage adjacent to the non‐hairy area. The full‐thickness wedge resection was then apposed and closed, resulting in the abduction of the wing of the nostrils. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated according to follow‐up sessions by the authors, and an owner survey was conducted at least 6 months post‐surgery. Results: All cats included in this study had a favourable outcome with no complications reported following surgery. The degree of nostril stenosis was improved, and relapse of clinical signs was not reported. Overall, the quality of life of cats that underwent rhinoplasty was significantly improved. Clinical relevance: The results support that the innovative procedure described in this study is highly promising and holds great potential in restoring quality of life and halting disease progression of cats with BOAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a review of the capacity-building program of the Integrated Research for Disaster Reduction International Centre of Excellence at Taipei (IRDR ICoE Taipei) for disaster risk reduction (DRR) since 2011. We present the reasoning, motivation, organizing philosophy, and framework on why and how we have created and run this program, before illustrating its content, including workshop or training course (i.e., Advanced Institute (AI)), seed grant project, follow-up special session of conferences, special issue for publication, and online Master Forum series during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also highlight the efforts, notable results, and achievements of the ICoE Taipei on its long-term capacity-building program on DRR, including 14 in-person (in and outside of Taiwan) and 4 online AIs and 31 seed grant projects in 2011-2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The branding process of a creative industry cluster is not solely embedded in a local spatial association between place and creative products; increasingly, trans‐local branding is being developed at different regional marketplaces through state participation in building trans‐local networks. However, the role of state strategy in the trans‐local branding of a creative industry cluster remains relatively unexplored. When globalisation presents the uneven geographic differentiation of creative production and consumption in an interconnected world, how does the state strategically facilitate the trans‐local branding of a creative industry cluster to articulate a trans‐local network? This paper aims to explore this issue through a case study of the product design industry in Taipei. Based on 65 semi‐structured interviews with product design companies and government officers, this paper argues that the trans‐local branding of a product design industry cluster creates a firm‐event nexus as the spatial outcome; this outcome is underpinned by three state‐led strategic practices: strategic anchoring, coupling, and curating. The role of state strategy is presented as brand curation, in which the state no longer operates as an economic regulator but as a brand curator. This implies that geo‐political and geo‐economic calculations are also revealed in state strategy‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to developing the spatiality of institutional entrepreneurship as an analytical framework and using the framework to explore the case of Taipei's financial technology (FinTech) industry. It argues that FinTech start-ups leverage multiple spatialities to engage in strategic involvement with the four forms of institutional change. Meanwhile, Taipei's FinTech industry displays a dual-track institutional entrepreneurship strategy: conforming with the state–finance regime to gain legitimacy by being in the FinTech space and building the FinTech scene by developing local and translocal project networks. These dual strategic–institutional practices are central to changing existing financial service institutions, markets and regulations in a latecomer city context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealing with the packet-routing problem is challenging in the V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) network environment, where it suffers from the high mobility of vehicles and varied vehicle density at different times. Many related studies have been proposed to apply artificial intelligence models, such as Q-learning, which is a well-known reinforcement learning model, to analyze the historical trajectory data of vehicles and to further design an efficient packet-routing algorithm for V2X. In order to reduce the number of Q-tables generated by Q-learning, grid-based routing algorithms such as the QGrid have been proposed accordingly to divide the entire network environment into equal grids. This paper focuses on improving the defects of these grid-based routing algorithms, which only consider the vehicle density of each grid in Q-learning. Hence, we propose a Software-Defined Directional QGrid (SD-QGrid) routing platform in this paper. By deploying an SDN Control Node (CN) to perform centralized control for V2X, the SD-QGrid considers the directionality from the source to the destination, real-time positions and historical trajectory records between the adjacent grids of all vehicles. The SD-QGrid further proposes the flows of the offline Q-learning training process and the online routing decision process. The two-hop trajectory-based routing (THTR) algorithm, which depends on the source–destination directionality and the movement direction of the vehicle for the next two grids, is proposed as a vehicle node to forward its packets to the best next-hop neighbor node in real time. Finally, we use the real vehicle trajectory data of Taipei City to conduct extensive simulation experiments with respect to four transmission parameters. The simulation results prove that the SD-QGrid achieved an over 10% improvement in the average packet delivery ratio and an over 25% reduction in the average end-to-end delay at the cost of less than 2% in average overhead, compared with two well-known Q-learning grid-based routing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world are opening new fields of study in Political Science and International Relations. The need to constantly maintain and enlarge its international space has led Taiwan to develop innovative ways to showcase its response to the pandemic, as well as its willingness to assist other countries. To do that, different instruments associated with types of non-traditional diplomacy have been used. This paper suggests that in the case of Mexico, some features of public and parliamentary diplomacy can be identified in the implementation of the "Taiwan Can Help" Campaign. Through the analysis of the multiple donations of groceries and medical supplies to different communities in Mexico, one of the countries in Latin America with no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, this paper presents how the campaign has been carried through cooperation projects between representatives of the island and lawmakers in the host country. This pattern replicates the strategy followed by Taiwan in nations with mature economies, forging closer ties with parliamentarians in countries with democratic systems, as a way to advance a positive image consisting in shared values and a common future. By focusing on the implementation of this type of public diplomacy during the pandemic, this paper seeks to contribute to a much larger debate around the state of international relations in a post-COVID-19 world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 2nd Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)International Conference on Multimedia Big Data (BigMM 2016) held in Taipei, Taiwan from April 20-22, 2016.

The benefits and services of urban gardens (UGs) in urbanized areas are being increasingly recognized, leading to widespread enhancement of efforts in protection and provision. At present, several types of UGs created under the policy of "The Garden City Initiative" (GCI) exist in Taipei City, Taiwan, and four types of UGs, namely Allotment Garden (AG), Happy Garden (HG), Rooftop Garden (RG), and School Garden (SG), have been created using vacant lots and rooftop spaces developed via GCI. To clarify the characteristics of UGs in Taipei City, this paper first analyzes the changes in the number and surface area of each type of UG during 2015–2019. Second, using the 2019 data on all 201 UGs (18 AGs, 107 HGs, and 76 RGs) and excluding SGs that are only accessible by school students, this paper clarifies the spatial distribution of UGs in each district of Taipei City and the accessibility of UGs to locals and non-locals using a geographic information system. Furthermore, correlations between the accessibility of UGs to both locals and non-locals and their surface areas were evaluated. As a result, positive correlation was observed between the accessibility of UGs to locals and non-locals in seven districts, suggesting that both locals and non-locals have equal access to UGs. Lastly, the characteristics of UGs realized in Taipei City under GCI and their accessibility to locals and non-locals are discussed and conclusions are drawn on the implications for the utilization of vacant lots and rooftop spaces as UGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting the model of neoclassical realism and elements of the American-centric nationalist paradigm, the paper examines both systemic factors stemming from the Sino-American power rivalry and internal ones referring to the populist traditions of American foreign policy. The main goal of America regarding Taiwan was to use its relationship with the island in its policy of containment of China by emphasizing Taiwan’s right to decide its future and preventing China from taking over the island by force. Along with deepening bilateral cooperation, the administration used multilateral mechanisms to promote the concept of peace and security across the Taiwan Strait as an essential element of the global order, which increased the number of countries interested in maintaining the status quo. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine heightened concerns about the possibility of PRC’s attack on Taiwan, prompting the Biden administration to intensify pressure on Taipei to accelerate military reform. However, the accentuation of closer relations between Washington and Taipei was interpreted by China as a provocative crossing of more “red lines,” leading to an intensification of repressive measures against Taiwan and the consolidation of bellicose rhetoric directed against both Washington and Taipei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical discussion of the relationship between place and creative production. Drawing on interviews with creative workers and ethnography conducted in two governmental places, Hong Kong's Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre and Taipei's Treasure Hill Village, the paper demonstrates how individual creative work are linked to three particularities of place: physical elements, live-work arrangements and government's approach to the place. Interdisciplinary analyses have identified working practice as a critical factor in developing creative industries, but little attention has been paid to individual creative work processes at local level. The paper argues that place with live-work provisions facilitates creative production by fostering social exchange useful to artists, while orientation and milieu of place shaped by government impacts on the manifestation of creativity. The empirical findings have implications for the development of creative industries by showing how place can be central to creative production in specific ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on urban air rights, property rights for the ownership, development and trading of the airspace above land parcels. A three-fold contribution is made to the study of urban financialization. First, urban air rights are explicated as a new empirical terrain for research into urban financialization. Second, air rights are conceptualized as 'market devices' that enable market-making processes and are deployed by an activist state to facilitate regulatory and socio-technical conditions for urban financialization. Third, case studies of urban Taipei show air rights take subtly different forms across financialized processes of infrastructure provision and urban renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the analysis of the rainfall-induced slope failure was assumed to be under saturated condition. Nevertheless, lots of colluvium slopes are unsaturated in the normal condition in Taiwan. Unsaturated slopes have matric suction, contributing to their high slope stabilities in the dry season. With the rainfall infiltration, the decrease of matric suction may lead to the failure of the slope. This paper presents the numerical analysis of a case located in Wenshan Dist., Taipei City, Taiwan. The slope collapsed during Typhoon Jangmi in September 2008. Since the remediation program was urgent then, there was not enough time to comprehensively figure out the failure mechanism of the case. Consequently, this study conducts the site investigation and performs the numerical analysis to better understand the real failure mechanism of this slope. Results reveal that the failure is shallow and progressive. Additionally, the toe of colluvium was the most susceptible part of the whole slope during infiltration. Furthermore, the critical volumetric water content existed, when the slope collapsed. Accordingly, the monitoring system ought to be set in the toe of the colluvium and the volumetric water content may be considered as an index parameter for the early warning system of landslide disasters in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad is the property of Frontiers Journal, Inc and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a methodology for robust design optimization of braced excavations in soft clay with response surface methodology based on the pareto-optimal trade-off between system performance and cost. As prediction of maximum ground settlement induced by excavation is generally accompanied by an implicit numerical model, the response surface methodology is employed to build the performance function with respect to both design parameters and uncertain geotechnical parameters. Then a pareto-optimal performance-based robust design framework of braced excavations in soft clay is formulated to find the optimal design that meets the design requirements while optimizing the system performance and construction cost. With the aid of a multi-objective optimization approach, trade-off relationship between performance robustness and cost efficiency are developed to help identify the most robust design based on the targeted performance levels. A design example of braced excavation in Taipei soft clay is used to illustrate the significance of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe rainfall has become increasingly frequent and intense in the Taipei metropolitan area. A complex thunderstorm in the Taipei Basin on 14 June 2015 produced an extreme rain rate (>130 mm h-1 ), leading to an urban flash flood. This paper presents storms’ microphysical and dynamic features during the organizing and heavy rain stages, mainly based on observed polarimetric variables in a Doppler radar network and ground-based raindrop size distribution. Shallower isolated cells in the early afternoon characterized by big raindrops produced a rain rate >10 mm h-1, but the rain showers persisted for a short time. The storm’s evolution highlighted the behavior of merged convective cells before the heaviest rainfall (exceeding 60 mm within 20 min). The columnar features of differential reflectivity (ZDR) and specific differential phase (KDP) became more evident in merged cells, which correlated with the broad distribution of upward motion and mixed-phase hydrometeors. The KDP below the environmental 0°C level increased toward the ground associated with the melted graupel and resulted in subsequent intense rain rates, showing the contribution of the ice-phase process. Due to the collision–breakup process, the highest concentrations of almost all drop sizes and smaller mass-weighted mean diameter occurred during the maximum rainfall stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an empirical account of the case of Taiwan in her innovative efforts in the herbal medicine sector through scientific and technological development. This study aims to propose a network analysis approach, which is typically found in innovation studies, to illustrate the sociological dimensions of actor network theory. The sector is of interest from a social studies of science perspective due to the collision between traditional knowledge philosophies, which are well accepted in East Asian communities, and scientific regulatory standards, that have raised issues regarding the legitimacy and safety of the products. This study considers the actor network linkages between universities, government and industry which act as indicators of knowledge diffusion and collaboration. Relevant records were captured using a heuristic search string and was used to visualize: (i) the number of researchers (agglomeration denoted by the size of bubbles), (ii) organizational linkages through co-authorship (connectedness indicated by the presence of lines between organizations), and (iii) position of the organization (centrality in relation to other organizations). The case presented in this study takes a snapshot of how an advanced economy such as Taiwan, has developed a productive innovation system for herbal medicine. The development of the actor network has evolved mainly from productive working relationships in a close-knit community of researchers that mainly interact through the research organizations in Taipei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Curriculum Studies / Kecheng Yanjiu is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In discussions on urban food security and healthy aging, urban agriculture is described in the context of changing approaches to sustainable urban development under crises. Space planning-related urban agriculture practices, such as edible landscaping combing design and small-scale crop production, are the primary active strategies and environmental policy tools. This paper addresses urban food security and health aging by practicing campus agriculture and community gardens around National Taiwan University. In particular, this study adopts participatory action research, participatory observation, and semi-structured, in-depth interviews as the research method. We examined the challenges and benefits of implementing urban agriculture in Taipei. Further, we proposed that urban agricultural space building and planning based on a social support network of urban agriculture can effectively address food supply and healthy aging for an aging urban society to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University reputation and destination image are key factors shaping the choice to study in developed Western countries. While East Asia is emerging as a new contender in the international higher education market, little is known about how international students perceive and are attracted to the higher education institutions in this region. Moreover, while the destination image was represented by the host country image in most studies, the effect of city image on study destination choice should be given more attention due to the geographic and social embeddedness of universities in cities. This study drew the survey data from a flagship university in Taipei to examine the impact of university reputation and city image on international student destination choice, and employed factor analysis to identify the dimensions of university reputation and city image. The analysis confirms university reputation and city image as important elements in international student destination choice in the Asian context. It further identifies four factors creating discrepant weighting of these two elements in study destination choice: degree/non-degree program, level of study, type of international student identity, and region of origin. Theoretical and policy implications of findings are discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically studied how Airbnb supply and business cycles affected the price elasticity of room demand (PED) in the hotel industry. Economic theory points out that demand becomes more elastic as there exist more close substitutes in the market. Moreover, market elasticities can vary either procyclically or countercyclically across the business cycles. Using monthly operation data of Taipei's international tourist hotels (ITHs) from 2009 (debut of Airbnb in Taipei) to 2016 and exploiting a Markov regime-switching model, this study finds that total listings of Airbnb were positively associated with PED during the peaks (i.e. high price elasticity of demand). Thus, the Airbnb supply posed a substitution threat to the hotel industry in Taipei. For the effect of business cycles, this study found that elasticities of room demand exhibited a countercyclical nature in the Taipei ITH market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presents a case study of cultural policy in Taipei as a 'not so global' city. • Emphasises the importance of regional geographies of power and sub-state actors in shaping cultural strategy in Taipei. • Conceptualises Songshan creative park as a spatial para -diplomatic modality conveying national values and identity. Through a case study of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Xinyi District, Taipei (Taiwan), this paper contributes to debates in creative city building by emphasising the importance of regional power-dynamics in shaping such spaces; and conceptualising the resulting entities as para -diplomatic modalities. The paper is based on a synthesis of policy documentation and academic accounts; and qualitative interviews and ethnographic data collected between 2016 and 2024. The main argument of the paper is that the logics that underpin the development of creative cities should not be solely understood through the language of neoliberal globalization as has so often been the case elsewhere. Rather we provide an explanation that contextualises Taiwan's economic liberalisation, democratic ideals and cultural policy as emerging out of an absence of sovereign recognition, with particular reference to mainland China. We draw particular attention to the spatialisation of particular national values and identity in the development and operation of Songshan as a symbolic cultural space. In doing so we show how the park acts as a para -diplomatic modality managed by sub-state actors to spatialise and communicate values referring to cosmopolitanism, paternalism, and internationalism. We conclude by reiterating the explanatory power (and limits) of geo-politics when trying to understand the spatialisation of creative city agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public transportation users increase as the population grows. In Taipei, Taiwan, this tendency is observed by analyzing historical data from the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and economy-shared bicycle (known as YouBike) riders. While this trend exists, the Taipei City government promotes green transportation by providing discounts to users who transfer from MRT or bus to YouBike within a particular period. Therefore, this study focuses on analyzing the patterns of users in order to identify possible clusters. Clusters of customers can be considered fundamental and competitive factors for the Ministry of Transportation to encourage the use of green transportation and promote a sustainable environment. Based on big data smart card information, this paper proposes using the RFM and K-means clustering algorithm to analyze and construct mode-switching traveller profiles on MRT and YouBike riders. As a result, three distinct clusters of MRT-YouBike riders have been identified: potential, vulnerable, and loyal. There are also suggestions regarding the most profitable groups, which customers to focus on, and to whom give special offers or promotions to foster loyalty among transit travellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst an extensive body of literature exists on the environmental justice implications of urban greening in North America, Europe and to an extent Australasia, there are fewer analogous studies for tropical zone Asian city contexts. Given increasing global interest in the potential for urban greenspace to contribute to resilience in the face of environmental change and the higher vulnerability of Asian cities to environmental shocks, this is a notable gap. In response, this paper evaluates the contours of environmental justice debates within urban greenspace planning for one subtropical Asian city—Taipei. Through analysis of newspaper reporting on urban greenspace planning within Taipei, the potential and limitations of greenspace planning in contributing to equitably delivering benefits from urban greenspace towards resilience are assessed. Findings suggest that claims to environmental injustice in greenspace debates within Taipei follow broadly similar lines to controversies in Europe and North America. Nevertheless, the need for specific knowledge to understand the different ecosystem services provided by tropical zone ecosystems, and the potential for conflicts over greenspace versus development to be heightened in dense Asian city settings, are highlighted as potential areas where environmental justice debates in an Asian urban greening context may differ from Western cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper probes the underlying motives behind the adoption of the 'creative city' policies in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. It argues that while the global appeal of the creative city is commonly attributed to urban entrepreneurialism, this reason alone is insufficient in explaining the so-called 'cultural turn' in these three cities, because none of them ascribe to the conventional format of the post-industrial 'entrepreneurial' city. In order to identify other major forces driving the adoption of creative city initiatives in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei, this work delves into the ways in which the idea of the creative city is reworked within the context of global city making. The study found that in addition to urban entrepreneurialism, the inherited cultural policy agenda, which largely stems from national interests, also plays a significant role in directing (and changing) the 'global cultural city' making process. By looking into different roles attached to the 'imported' policy discourse of the creative city in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei, this study not only contributes to the understanding of urban cultural policies within the Chinese-speaking world and East Asia more generally, but also lends some insights to the developing field of cultural policy mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Taiwan Economic Forecast & Policy is the property of Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Taiwan Economic Forecast & Policy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Resistance from bureaucrats affected by the reforms is an often-cited challenge and it is important to know what influences their support for reform. Based on theories of organizational change, this paper examines how bureaucrats' perceptions of reform benefits and risks, process and context influence their support for a structural reform in Taipei city government. Interviews of key informants were conducted to identify potential risks and benefits involved in the reform. An online survey was used to collect data to test the relationship between reform benefits, risks, process, context and reform support. The analysis confirms a positive relationship between individual efficiency gains and reform support, and of a negative relationship between risk of decision-making quality and reform support. The context of reform, demonstrated by the level of red tape, also enhances bureaucrats' support for reform. This study provides important evidence of public sector reform beyond the U.S. context. Implications for future practices and research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on historical research and on-site fieldwork, this paper probes the historic preservation of Treasure Hill Village, which takes place along with the reproduction of the space of Taipei city and the process of society-making in Taiwan. We argue that culture has been implemented as a contested approach through squatter settlements, which can be successfully preserved as a heritage site. On the one hand, the heritage politics of squatter settlements coincide with Taiwan's turn to polarised politics, which adopts the preservation of a counterhegemonic community to validate the legitimacy of a transitional governance authority from below. On the other hand, Treasure Hill Village, as an artist village in the urban sphere, reveals that neoliberal capitalism has dominated the narrative of urban development for the sake of economic initiatives. Even if art and activism have together attempted to preserve the history of ignored people and reshape the 'lived' cultures under the threat of house dismantlement, we should be alert to the paradoxical rhetoric of culture, as it might damage the declining and marginalised residents' access to heritage. The cultural struggle for the right to Taipei city indicates that the question of 'whose heritage?' remains an unfinished project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface wave tomography usually adds a smooth term into the objective function to make the edge smoothing. This paper will make an improvement on the inversion method under Gaussian probability distribution condition during the iterative process of near-surface inversion, which is based on ray tracing, using the sensitivity parameters in G matrix as spatial smoothing constraints. We try to select self-adapted parameters, following the laws of physics. These parameters include damping factor, model deviation, smoothing factor, and sensitivity parameters. Improved inverse algorithm will be used in numerical simulation and real data, from ambient noise of Taipei Basin of Taiwan, to achieve the near-surface shear wave velocity structure. Compared with the earlier research results in this region, we find the same points and differences. By the process above, we verify the reasonability of the selection of the self-adaption parameters, validity of the improved inverse algorithm and the reliability of the code. The improved algorithm provides a fast, self-adapted, less empirical and universal tool and method to study the near-surface shear wave velocity structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictions of excavation responses frequently differ from monitoring data due to geotechnical uncertainties. This paper proposes an efficient Bayesian updating approach for excavation responses that considers the uncertainties of soil properties and the calculation model. To evaluate the depth-dependent characteristic of model uncertainty, the model factor is quantified by a constant part and a trending component. Bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural networks are constructed to act as a substitute for the finite-element method to achieve higher computational efficiency. An excavation project in Taipei, Taiwan, is used in this study to illustrate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the BiLSTM successfully learns the mapping between soil parameters and deflection responses. The uncertainties of key soil parameters and model factors are significantly reduced when observed deflections at multiple points are incorporated on a stage-by-stage basis. The trending component of the model factor plays an essential role in the early stages, but its impact decreases as the excavation progresses. The prediction intervals using the updated parameters generally cover the monitoring data. The proposed method can rapidly update and improve the predictions of subsequent responses once the monitoring data is obtained. This means early remedial actions can be taken and construction safety ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 2013 Asia-Pacific Radio Science Conference (AP-RASC) to be held at the Howard International House in Taipei, Taiwan on September 3-7, 2013, which calls for submission of papers on topics including electromagnetic metrology, radio astronomy, and fields and waves.

This article presents a report on APNOMS 2011, which was held September 21-23, 2011 in Taipei, Taiwan. The theme of APNOMS 2011 was 'Managing Clouds, Smart Networks and Services.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the three-dimensional finite element modeling of barrette piles in clayey and sandy soils, in which the piles are subjected to statically compressive and uplift loads. Load displacement curves and load transfers were monitored and compared to solutions from one-dimensional finite difference analysis. Capacities of the barrette piles were examined by interpretation methods and bearing capacity equations. Pile load test data of barrette piles located in Xingyi District, Taipei Basin was used for simulation. It was found that the conventional bearing capacity equations are applicable to barrette piles. The interface elements between pile and soils were found to significantly affect the results. Finite element analysis can provide more complete solutions when compared with finite difference analysis. It was also found that the soil frictions due to pile uplift in soft clays at Taipei Basin were underestimated when using common strength reduction ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse how the actors and context interacted in the case of a name rectification referendum for the Olympic team of the Republic of China (Taiwan/ROC) based on a strategic relations approach. Through an analysis of supplemental documents and in-depth interviews involving actors and their strategic actions at different levels, three stages/junctures in relation to this case are addressed. The first is a critical event - the referendum proposal submission process. The second is a critical process - the referendum proposal establishment process. The third is a critical outcome - the failure of the referendum. From these three interlinked discussions, this study shows the strategic historical contexts among the stakeholders, which are used to interpret the strategic calculation. The case itself portrays how the outcome of every stage becomes the subsequent strategic knowledge and contexts and can transform into another selective context in relevant cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Health Promotion & Health Education is the property of National Taiwan Normal University, Department of Health Promotion & Health Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper applies a deep learning approach to model the mechanism of path loss based on the path profile in urban propagation environments for 5G cellular communication systems. The proposed method combines the log-distance path loss model for line-of-sight propagation scenarios and a deep-learning-based model for non-line-of-sight cases. Simulation results show that the proposed path loss model outperforms the conventional models when operating in the 3.5 GHz frequency band. The standard deviation of prediction error was reduced by 34% when compared to the conventional models. To explain the internal behavior of the proposed deep-learning-based model, which is a black box in nature, eight relevant features were selected to model the path loss based on a linear regression approach. Simulation results show that the accuracy of the explanatory model reached 72% when it was used to explain the proposed deep learning model. Furthermore, the proposed deep learning model was also evaluated in a non-standalone 5G New Radio network in the urban environment of Taipei City. The real-world measurements show that the standard deviation of prediction error can be reduced by 30–43% when compared to the conventional models. In addition, the transparency of the proposed deep learning model reached 63% in the realistic 5G network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chemical Society located in Taipei is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its inception. We launch a special issue dedicated to this important occasion. In this special issue, we invite chemists from Taiwan across a broad range of disciplines and expertise to showcase the diversity and activity of chemical research carried out in Taiwan There are 13 review papers and 21 research articles, covering a variety of topics such as catalysis, biochemistry, synthesis, and materials chemistry. Please join us to find out more interesting research in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]