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Background: It was reported that 35.5% of tuberculosis (TB) cases reported in 2003 in Taipei City had no recorded pre- treatment body weight and that among those who had, inconsistent dosing of anti-TB drugs was frequent. Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have taken actions to strengthen dosing of anti-TB drugs among general practitioners. Prescribing practices of anti-TB drugs in Taipei City in 2007-2010 were investigated to assess whether interventions on dosing were effective. Methodology/Principal Findings: Lists of all notified culture positive TB cases in 2007-2010 were obtained from National TB Registry at Taiwan CDC. A medical audit of TB case management files was performed to collect pretreatment body weight and regimens prescribed at commencement of treatment. Dosages prescribed were compared with dosages recommended. The proportion of patients with recorded pre-treatment body weight was 64.5% in 2003, which increased to 96.5% in 2007-2010 (p<0.001). The proportion of patients treated with consistent dosing of a 3-drug fixed-dose combination (FDC) increased from 73.9% in 2003 to 87.7% in 2007-2010 (p<0.001), and that for 2- drug FDC from 76.0% to 86.1% (p = 0.024), for rifampicin (RMP) from 62.8% to 85.5% (p<0.001), and for isoniazid from 87.8% to 95.3% (p<0.001). In 2007-2010, among 2917 patients treated with either FDCs or RMP in single-drug preparation, the dosage of RMP was adequate (8-12 mg/kg) in 2571(88.1%) patients, too high in 282(9.7%), too low in 64(2.2%). In multinomial logistic regression models, factors significantly associated with adequate dosage of RMP were body weight and preparations of RMP. Patients weighting ,40kg (relative risk ratio (rrr) 6010.5, 95% CI 781.1-46249.7) and patients weighting 40-49 kg (rrr 1495.3, 95% CI 200.6-11144.6) were more likely to receive higher-than-recommended dose of RMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study conducted by the authors on influenza A (H1N1) infection among health care workers (HCWs) of a children's hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Serum samples were taken from 150 HCWs before and after the pandemic. HCWs who came in direct contact with H1N1 during work were at designated as high risk group. It reports that 12 percent showed either serological or virological evidence of the disease and concludes that it was moderate in HCWs and not higher than general population.

The article highlights the first Taiwan International Symposium on Forensic Engineering that was held in Taipei, Taiwan from January 19-20, 2007. The event was held under the observation of the Public Construction Commission. The symposium's sponsors include the Taiwan Construction Research Institute, the Taipei Professional Civil Engineers Association and the Department of Civil Engineering of the National Taiwan University.

Some cardiovascular diseases are associated with seasonal or meteorological factors. We tried to identify the relationship between meteorological parameters and the requirement for a permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation for advanced sinus node dysfunction (SND) and atrioventricular block (AVB). This study enrolled 656 patients (67% male, age = 76 ± 11 years) who underwent a PPM implantation due to SND or AVB from January 2004 to December 2008. Using daily temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and daylight hour records from Taipei, we evaluated the effect of these meteorological parameters within different time periods on the occurrence of SND and AVB. There were 355 patients in the SND group and 301 in the AVB group. In the AVB group, more patients presented in the spring than in other seasons ( P = 0.003). In the SND group, there was no relationship with the seasons ( P = 0.137). The proportion of patients with AVB did not depend on the average temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, or daylight hours within 3, 7, and 14 days prior to admission ( P = NS). A temperature change of greater than 11°C within 30 days prior to admission was associated with a significantly higher proportion of patients with advanced AVB compared to those with advanced SND ( P = 0.009). Extreme change in temperature was the most independent predictor of the development of advanced AVB. The peak occurrence of advanced AVB was in the spring. The occurrence of advanced AVB was associated with extreme temperature changes within 30 days, especially in the spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate and position the perceptions of importance and performance of municipal solid waste management aspects and criteria. The study results propose dependence relations among four aspects and 33 criteria pertaining to metropolitan Taipei. Evaluation was based on linguistically described preferences and multiple aspects and criteria analysis; in particular, applied fuzzy set theory was used to evaluate linguistic vagueness, and the analytic network process was applied for dependence relations among the aspects and criteria. In order to compile managerial implications and concluding remarks, importance-performance analysis was conducted, using several mathematical techniques applied to the objectives as well as the participation and input of professionals and academicians. Overall results and concluding remarks are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the newly arrived immigrant respond to the news that an identity already awaits him ? How does an African American hip-hop artist translate his struggles and triumphs across oceanic divides? What significance do American demographic shifts have in a global context? Hsu's essay examines what happens once individuals or identities migrate beyond the contexts that first produced them. He explores a variety of circuits : the satellite communities of Asian immigrant students who arrived on American university campuses in the late 1960s ; enduring debates about a "post-city" identity, spurred by advances in cheap, efficient, world-shrinking communication technologies ; and the new affinities and categories of self-identification made possible by a present-day culture that prizes inter-activity and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients frequently report that weather changes trigger headache or worsen existing headache symptoms. Recently, the method of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) has been used to delineate temporal relationships in certain diseases, and we applied this technique to identify intrinsic weather components associated with headache incidence data derived from a large-scale epidemiological survey of headache in the Greater Taipei area. Methodology/Principal Findings: The study sample consisted of 52 randomly selected headache patients. The weather time-series parameters were detrended by the EMD method into a set of embedded oscillatory components, i.e. intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Multiple linear regression models with forward stepwise methods were used to analyze the temporal associations between weather and headaches. We found no associations between the raw time series of weather variables and headache incidence. For decomposed intrinsic weather IMFs, temperature, sunshine duration, humidity, pressure, and maximal wind speed were associated with headache incidence during the cold period, whereas only maximal wind speed was associated during the warm period. In analyses examining all significant weather variables, IMFs derived from temperature and sunshine duration data accounted for up to 33.3% of the variance in headache incidence during the cold period. The association of headache incidence and weather IMFs in the cold period coincided with the cold fronts. Conclusions/Significance: Using EMD analysis, we found a significant association between headache and intrinsic weather components, which was not detected by direct comparisons of raw weather data. Contributing weather parameters may vary in different geographic regions and different seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The reported cases with varicella have not decreased and outbreaks of varicella among vaccinated children continue to be reported 9 years after the public vaccination program in Taipei. We investigated an outbreak to determine varicella vaccine coverage and effectiveness. Methods: An outbreak occurred in an elementary school which located in southern Taipei from April 2007 through May 2007. A retrospect cohort study was performed by using a self-administered questionnaire for parents. Results: Ten out of sixteen varicella cases were vaccinated. Overall vaccine coverage was 71.2%. The common reasons for not receiving varicella vaccine were that varicella vaccine was unavailable because the student didn't live in Taipei (29.4%) or the children could not be vaccinated due to certain illnesses (23.5%). The sensitivity and specificity of self-reported vaccination status was 0.900 (95% CI: 0.864, 0.935) and 0.611 (95% CI: 0.514, 0.701). The vaccine effectiveness was 69.3%-100.0% against any disease severity of varicella. Overall vaccine effectiveness against moderate or severe varicella was 85.5%. Attending cram school was associated with the risk of developing the varicella illness (RR: 13.39; 95% CI: 5.38, 33.31). Unvaccinated students tended to show moderate to severe (>50 lesions) afflictions of the disease (RR: 4.17; 95% CI: 1.15, 15.14). Conclusions: Because of the low vaccination coverage, varicella outbreaks continue to be reported in Taipei. Increasing vaccine coverage and second dose vaccination for increasing vaccine effectiveness may be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the first report of rust disease in Plumeria rubra, an ornamental tree, caused by Coleosporium plumeriae in Taipei, Taiwan. In December 2003, stages of a rust fungus were found on leaves of Plumeria rubra growing at the Taipei Botanical Garden. The rust generated orange to yellow sori in leaves, and, in severe infections, caused early leaf abscision. The morphology of the stages of the specimens seen on P. rubra is similar to previous descriptions of Coleosporium plumeriae.

The Taipei basin in northern Taiwan is located in a high seismicity region and was affected by several earthquakes in the past ( on 1909 April 15; on 1986 November 15; the Chi-Chi earthquake on 1999 September 21 and on 2002 March 31). The main characteristic of the Taipei basin is its complex shape with a deep western and shallow eastern part. The uppermost Sungshan formation with its low shear wave velocities (90-200 m s) is also a distinct feature of the basin. Based on the large data base of earthquake records obtained from the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program network, many studies on ground motion within the Taipei basin exist. However, the influence of the various subsurface structures on the observed ground motions as well as the variability of ground motion with respect to earthquake location is not fully understood. We apply a 3-D finite-difference method to simulate wave propagation up to 1 Hz for a small earthquake close to the basin in order to resolve these open questions. By varying source and structural parameters, we explore the variability of ground motion. Our study includes a subsurface model that is based on recent studies on the basin structure and on the crustal structure of Taiwan. From our simulations we find a good fit between simulated and observed waveforms and peak ground accelerations for the considered small earthquake near the basin. We also explore the influence of fault plane orientation, hypocentre location, deep basin structure and soft soil surface layers of the Sungshan formation by varying the subsurface structure and earthquake position. Our studies reveal that the basin structure produces an amplification factor of about 4 compared to hard rock conditions. Additionally, the soft soil Sungshan formation produce amplification of a factor of 2. This results in a maximum amplification of the basin structure of about 8, which is in good comparison with amplification values larger than 5 found from the analysis of observed earthquakes. These values clearly exceed the amplification values of about 2-3 obtained when applying standard 1-D site effect analysis. Our simulations for different earthquake positions show that ground motion depends strongly on earthquake location and fault orientation. Therefore, the application of average values of spectral amplification obtained from the analysis of recorded data from distant earthquakes with different azimuths and fault planes may significantly underestimate future ground motions of possible earthquakes on known faults close to the Taipei basin. The simulation of a small earthquake near the Taipei basin presented in this study will help to set up adequate simulation parameters for a possible large earthquake close to the Taipei basin. Such a simulation of a scenario earthquake close to the Taipei basin would allow to significantly improve hazard assessment as no observations of strong earthquakes in the vicinity of the basin exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For daily syndromic surveillance to be effective, an efficient and sensible algorithm would be expected to detect aberrations in influenza illness, and alert public health workers prior to any impending epidemic. This detection or alert surely contains uncertainty, and thus should be evaluated with a proper probabilistic measure. However, traditional monitoring mechanisms simply provide a binary alert, failing to adequately address this uncertainty. Methods and Findings: Based on the Bayesian posterior probability of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits, the intensity of outbreak can be directly assessed. The numbers of daily emergency room ILI visits at five community hospitals in Taipei City during 2006-2007 were collected and fitted with a Bayesian hierarchical model containing meteorological factors such as temperature and vapor pressure, spatial interaction with conditional autoregressive structure, weekend and holiday effects, seasonality factors, and previous ILI visits. The proposed algorithm recommends an alert for action if the posterior probability is larger than 70%. External data from January to February of 2008 were retained for validation. The decision rule detects successfully the peak in the validation period. When comparing the posterior probability evaluation with the modified Cusum method, results show that the proposed method is able to detect the signals 1-2 days prior to the rise of ILI visits. Conclusions: This Bayesian hierarchical model not only constitutes a dynamic surveillance system but also constructs a stochastic evaluation of the need to call for alert. The monitoring mechanism provides earlier detection as well as a complementary tool for current surveillance programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an asthma continuing education program on pharmacists’ knowledge and attitudes related to asthma pharmaceutical care. Subjects and Methods: A 20-hour continuing education program was conducted by the joint efforts of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Association of Asthma Education and Taipei Medical University Wan Fang Hospital, in a series of 4 days afternoon sessions from June 26 to July 4, 2004. One hundred and twenty-five pharmacists participated. The Asthma Knowledge Test in Mandarin and the Asthma Attitude Scale in Mandarin were developed by adapting the scale used to evaluate the impact of pharmacist continuing education programs on diabetic care. The results before and after the intervention were compared to evaluate the impact of the program. Results: Of the 125 participants, 105 returned both the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, for a response rate of 84.0%. The total score of the attitude section increased significantly from 40.04 ± 3.35 to 42.54 ± 2.98 (full score = 50, p < 0.001). The total score of the knowledge section also increased significantly from 7.18 ± 1.31 to 7.56 ± 1.15 (p = 0.008). Improvement in the attitude score was found in 70 (67.0%) subjects, and in the knowledge score in 45 (43.5%) subjects. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that attitude and knowledge toward asthma care improved after the continuing education program. Further study of long-term impact and direct changes in asthma pharmaceutical care practice will be necessary. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Two single-well and group-well pumping tests in the gravel formation of the Taipei basin were conducted to investigate the hydraulic parameters of the gravel formation and to understand the characteristics of the drawdown at both the construction and remote sites. As the base of the gravel formation at the construction site was unknown, the wells were assumed to be partial penetration wells. A simple method was developed to derive the hydraulic parameters from the pumping test results, taking into account the site-specific influencing factors. The parameters obtained were verified by the group-well pumping test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study was conducted to investigate the diagnostic performance of infrared (IR) imaging of the breast using an interpretive model derived from a scoring system. Methods: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our hospital. A total of 276 women (mean age = 50.8 years, SD 11.8) with suspicious findings on mammograms or ultrasound received IR imaging of the breast before excisional biopsy. The interpreting radiologists scored the lesions using a scoring system that combines five IR signs. The ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve and AUC (area under the ROC curve) were analyzed by the univariate logistic regression model for each IR sign and an age-adjusted multivariate logistic regression model including 5 IR signs. The cut-off values and corresponding sensitivity, specificity, Youden's Index (Index = sensitivity+specificity-1), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) were estimated from the age-adjusted multivariate model. The most optimal cut-off value was determined by the one with highest Youden's Index. Results: For the univariate model, the AUC of the ROC curve from five IR signs ranged from 0.557 to 0.701, and the AUC of the ROC from the age-adjusted multivariate model was 0.828. From the ROC derived from the multivariate model, the sensitivity of the most optimal cut-off value would be 72.4% with the corresponding specificity 76.6% (Youden's Index = 0.49), PPV 81.3% and NPV 66.4%. Conclusions: We established an interpretive age-adjusted multivariate model for IR imaging of the breast. The cutoff values and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity can be inferred from the model in a subpopulation for diagnostic purpose. Trial Registration: NCT00166998. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study analyzing epidemiological characteristics of the sampled acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) cases from the multi-channel mass risk communications program launched by Taipei City in Taiwan. It is mentioned that the launch of communication-based intervention proved effective at preventing a dangerous spike in AHC and was able to bring this high-risk disease under control. It is recommended to public health officials to incorporate similar methods into existing guidelines for preventing pandemic influenza and other emerging infectious diseases.

Based on the task-to-performance chain, this study seeks to investigate the implications and consequences of government employee performance via information systems. Data was collected from 847 employees of the Taipei City government through the stratified proportion sampling method. In addition, the multiple regression method is used to investigate factors that influence employee performance. The results indicate that three factors affect performance: task-technology fit, computer self-efficacy, and utilization. Utilization was found to have the greatest positive effect on performance. In addition to verifying prior empirical findings, this study presents factors that influence employee performance and information systems development work in the context of e-government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable change in the romantic and sexual behaviors of Asian young people may be occurring as traditionally Confucian societies modernize and increase outside contacts. This study explores the dimensions and context of this change in three sites at different stages in the process of modernization: Hanoi (early), Shanghai (intermediate), and Taipei (later stage). A survey was conducted of 17,016 males and females aged 15-24 in urban and rural settings in three large metropolitan areas. Survival analysis and Cox regressions were performed to explore ages of respondents at key transitions and the significance of differences between two age cohorts: 15-19 and 20-24. Significant differences are found in levels of sexual and other transitions, even within the narrow time span reflected by the age cohorts. The findings highlight the differential impact of modernization on adolescent sexual behavior as traditional societies undergo social change, and they underline the importance of context in exploring youthful transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Buffer analyses have shown that air pollution is associated with an increased incidence of asthma, but little is known about how air pollutants affect health outside a defined buffer. The aim of this study was to better understand how air pollutants affect asthma patient visits in a metropolitan area. The study used an integrated spatial and temporal approach that included the Kriging method and the Generalized Additive Model (GAM). Results: We analyzed daily outpatient and emergency visit data from the Taiwan Bureau of National Health Insurance and air pollution data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration during 2000-2002. In general, children (aged 0-15 years) had the highest number of total asthma visits. Seasonal changes of PM[sub10], NO[sub2], O[sub3] and SO[sub2] were evident. However, SO[sub2] showed a positive correlation with the dew point (r = 0.17, p < 0.01) and temperature (r = 0.22, p < 0.01). Among the four pollutants studied, the elevation of NO[sub2] concentration had the highest impact on asthma outpatient visits on the day that a 10% increase of concentration caused the asthma outpatient visit rate to increase by 0.30% (95% CI: 0.16% 0.45%) in the four pollutant model. For emergency visits, the elevation of PM[sub10] concentration, which occurred two days before the visits, had the most significant influence on this type of patient visit with an increase of 0.14% (95% CI: 0.01% 0.28%) in the four pollutants model. The impact on the emergency visit rate was non-significant two days following exposure to the other three air pollutants. Conclusion: This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of an integrated spatial and temporal approach to assess the impact of air pollution on asthma patient visits. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the correlation of air pollution with asthma patient visits and demonstrate that NO[sub2] and PM[sub10] might have a positive impact on outpatient and emergency settings respectively. Future research is required to validate robust spatiotemporal patterns and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather plays a critical role in outdoor agricultural production; therefore, climate information can help farmers to arrange planting and production schedules, especially for urban agriculture (UA), providing fresh vegetables to partially fulfill city residents' dietary needs. General weather information in the form of timely forecasts is insufficient to anticipate potential occurrences of weather types and features during the designated time windows for precise cultivation planning. In this research, we intended to use a self-organizing map (SOM), which is a clustering technique with powerful feature extraction ability to reveal hidden patterns of datasets, to explore the represented spatiotemporal weather features of Taipei city based on the observed data of six key weather factors that were collected at five weather stations in northern Taiwan during 2014 and 2018. The weather types and features of duration and distribution for Taipei on a 10-day basis were specifically examined, indicating that weather types #2, #4, and #7 featured to manifest the dominant seasonal patterns in a year. The results can serve as practical references to anticipate upcoming weather types/features within designated time frames, arrange potential/further measures of cultivation tasks and/or adjustments in response, and use water/energy resources efficiently for the sustainable production of smart urban agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at several issues concerning the mass rapid transit system in Taipei, Taiwan. Delegates from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan have visited New York City in the summer of 2004. The delegates compared the subways in New York with Taipei's Jie-yun, which literally means Rapid Transit. Several Taiwanese scholars have criticized Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC) for pursuing a sanitized and aesthetic look which adheres to middle-class lifestyles and desires. Other people commented that the aggressive campaign of TRTC to educate passengers was paternalistic at best and authoritarian and undemocratic at worst.

The data collected from the five air quality monitoring stations established by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (TEPA) in Taipei City were analyzed to assess the changes in air quality. The analyses reveal that the air quality in Taipei City improved over the last decade from 1994 to 2003, as evidenced by the significant downward trends of the various primary air pollutant concentrations, such as CO, NOX, SO2, and PM10. An air pollution fee was collected by TEPA in 1995, and several air pollution control measures were likewise taken to improve the air quality in Taiwan. However, although the extreme daily maximum O3 concentrations occurred more frequently in earlier years and showed a downward trend, its moderately high concentrations increased annually in recent years. It implied that after the reduction of various primary pollutant concentrations, the effective reduction of O3 pollution still remains an important issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This study compared consistency of age- and gender-specific self-reported height and weight and calculated body mass index among a sample of high school students in Taipei County, Taiwan to reference values for Taiwanese school-aged youth obtained through national studies. Taipei high school students provided self-reports of height and weight that were similar to national reference values. Use of self-reported height and weight in this sample appeared warranted and may reliably be used to calculate aggregate indices of body mass, overweight, and obesity. This study compared prevalence of overweight and obesity in the current sample with other adolescent populations using international criteria (International TaskForce on Obesity). Using these criteria, 17.6% of boys and 9.4% of girls met the definition of overweight and 3.7% of boys and 1.6% of girls met the definition of obesity. While use of self-reported height and weight appears justified in this sample, researchers should not assume self-report measures will always be accurate. Researchers considering use of self-reported height and weight should compare their results to normative reference values when possible to increase confidence in using self-report measures of height and weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three mold strains isolated from soil in the Taipei area of Taiwan were compared with a commercial strain of Aspergillus oryzae for their proteolytic activities in an 18% NaCl aqueous solution system. Among these strains, the one subsequently identified and designated as Aspergillus sp. FC-10 produced protease with superior saline tolerance. In aflatoxin tests, this strain did not generate detectable aflatoxin after growing on steamed grain polished rice substrate for 24 days. Two types of extracellular proteases were preliminary fractionated by column chromatography on DEAE Sepharose CL-6B. Proteolytic activity of the nonadsorbed protease (P-I) was reduced to 9.4% in the 18% NaCl solution compared to its original activity determined in the buffer solution. However, the adsorbed protease (P-II) was particularly salt tolerant and stable, with 50% proteolytic activity retained throughout the 6-h stability test in 18% NaCl solution. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2001) 26, 230–234. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium shaoi from Taipei County in northern Taiwan. Etymology; Comparison with other freshwater prawns species.

Seasonal variation in the level of extractive nitrogenous components was investigated in the muscle of puffer Takifugu rubripes cultured in two different areas of Taiwan. There were no seasonal and regional variations in the proximate composition of the fish. Of the free amino acids (FAA) in the muscle of puffer, the predominant one was taurine, followed by glycine, lysine, and alanine. Among nucleotide-related compounds, inosine monophosphate (IMP) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP) were the most prominent compounds. The total nucleotide-related com-pounds in the muscle of puffer were higher in July and November than those in the other months. The level of total taste-active components including glycine, alanine, arginine, GMP, IMP, and adeno-sine 5-monophosphate was much higher in the muscle of puffer collected from July to January. Therefore, the puffer is probably more palatable in these periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a numerical method to evaluate the frequency-dependent impedance of the third rail used in the traction power systems of the Taipei Rapid Transit Systems in Taipei, Taiwan. Influence of the skin effect upon variations of rail resistance and inductance; Calculation of rail impedances; Distribution of current at different harmonic frequency.

Wargames have been promoted by local governments in Taiwan since 2009, as they require far fewer resources than full-scale exercises. Previously, wargame scenarios were divulged before their launch, enabling participants to formulate response plans in advance, which made them ineffective. Currently, wargames in which scenarios are not shared in advance require a common platform for debriefing players regarding their planned actions. Owing to its geographical location, Taiwan is prone to significant flooding disasters. To assist in making countermeasures, we created a 3D GIS-based Flood Wargame Assistance Platform (FWGAP) for conducting rapid spatial analyses. Flooded areas are estimated in the FWGAP in three ways: (1) using a digital terrain model (DTM) with designated flood center and depth; (2) applying historical flooding spots; and (3) potential flooding maps. A FWGAP can estimate affected and vulnerable populations and has functions for locating resources such as shelters and hospitals near the flooded areas. Its integrated use of closed-circuit televisions, Google Street View maps, and 3D buildings to display flooded areas realistically ensures greater fidelity. This study reports on the city- and the district-level applications of the FWGAP. The results of the survey undertaken indicates that 56% of the participants agreed that the FWGAP enables disaster relief resources to be located on a GIS map. About half of the participants believed that a no-script flooding wargame using a FWGAP could help to identify problems in standard operation procedures and promote greater horizontal coordination among departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Route maps, common in public transportation systems, refer to thematic maps drawn according to topological concepts. To simplify complex route information, a transport network is represented using primary graphic elements. First used in 1931 with topological concepts, the octilinear design has influenced the compositions of traffic route maps to this day. The current study involved cognitive mapping research on a representative route map in Taiwan: the Metro Taipei Route Map. Through two task experiments, this study analyzed users' cognitive behavior when using the route map and alternative route map representations. The results indicated that the route map composed of all curves resulted in higher user performance than maps using a hybrid system and the conventional octilinear system. The route map based on the hybrid system, which included a route in the shape of a perfect circle, was highly evaluated and subjectively preferred by the users. Thus, the addition of appropriate curves in route maps is beneficial for improving usability, cognitive memory, and subjective evaluation. Finally, adding travel time information to a route map effectively enhances users' decision-making during route planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to develop an efficient future game participation strategy for teenaged athletes based on an analysis of the 2019 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour game expenditure efficiency and prize-winning efficiency. Methods: In this research, Chinese Taipei (TPE) players served as the main research subjects. The input and output categories were determined through a literature analysis. A two-stage efficiency process of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Boston consulting group (BCG) matrix were applied in this study to facilitate the calculation. Results: Based on a slack variable analysis, local travel expenses are the key elements impacting efficiency. The game recommendation order was based on a BCG matrix. The top seven recommended games were the Japan Open, Czech Open, Australian Open, Bulgarian Open, Austrian Open, China Open, and German Open. Conclusion: The results of this current study provide efficient game participation recommendations for teenaged athletes. Long-term follow-up records of game participation information should be developed to provide teenaged athletes with a precise efficiency analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tour traffic prediction is very important in determining the capacity of public transportation and planning new transportation devices, allowing them to be built in accordance with people's basic needs. From a review of a limited number of studies, the common methods for forecasting tour traffic demand appear to be regression analysis, econometric modeling, time-series modeling, artificial neural networks, and gray theory. In this study, a two-step procedure is used to build a predictive model for public transport. In the first step of this study, regression analysis is used to find the correlations between two or more variables and their associated directions and strength, and the regression function is used to predict future changes. In the second step, the regression analysis and artificial neural network methods are assessed and the results are compared. The artificial neural network is more accurate in prediction than regression analysis. The study results can provide useful references for transportation organizations in the development of business operation strategies for managing sustainable smart cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passengers were unsatisfied with the navigation signs in Taipei station based on the Report on the Taiwan Railway Passenger Survey. This study conducted two experiments. Experiment 1 involved 14 participants using the present Taipei Main Station floor map to wayfinding, plan routes, and provide route descriptions for four specified destinations in the station. All participants were requested to recall the route that had just been taken and draw a cognitive map. In Experiment 2, 14 other participants were asked to perform the same tasks as Experiment 1 but with the new map. This study's results showed that the codes used by the participants in Experiment 1 revealed the differences in walking route distance and number of turns. Escalators and stairs that connected floors were often used as reference landmarks for wayfinding. In Experiment 2, the overall wayfinding performance of the participants was improved by using the new map. The wayfinding time was reduced and the time spent in wayfinding among users was more uniform, and their route planning strategies used became consistent. The new map that facilitates consistent action strategies among users and corresponds perfectly to the actual environment is able to create useful spatial knowledge for users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Neuro-Ophthalmology Symposium of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan held on November 30, 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan. Various topics discussed in the meetings including the relationship of myopia, optic disc, and peripapillary structures; neuroretinitis and steroid treatment in non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION).

Sitting toilets are preferred globally because they afford a relatively comfortable posture. However, squat toilets are among the most common toilets in numerous public areas because of their advantages, including personal hygiene, easy cleaning, and health benefits. This study attempted to determine optimal toilet design parameters and recruited 50 Taiwanese and 50 Southeast Asian women and collected span between feet (SBF) data for participants squatting in their most comfortable posture, and also surveyed maximum outer width (MOW) data of 28 public squat toilets in Taipei. Finally, we compared the squatting stability levels of 40 female participants (20 Taiwanese and 20 Southeast Asians) who squatted for 2 min at comfortable SBF and MOW-based SBF values. The results revealed that the minimum and maximum SBFs of Taiwanese were 14.52 cm and 18.40 cm, and that of Southeast Asians were 15.64 cm and 20.40 cm, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the SBFs between the two groups was observed. The mean (range) MOW of the surveyed toilets was 27.7 (27–29) cm. Analysis of variance results showed no difference in stability between the two SBFs. This implies that the comfortable SBF (i.e., 16 cm between the participants' heels) was narrower than the MOW, as commonly used, indicating that the comfortable SBF can be considered as an optimal toilet width parameter because of its constant stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many people use smartphone cameras to record their living environments through captured images, and share aspects of their daily lives on social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These platforms provide volunteered geographic information (VGI), which enables the public to know where and when events occur. At the same time, image-based VGI can also indicate environmental changes and disaster conditions, such as flooding ranges and relative water levels. However, little image-based VGI has been applied for the quantification of flooding water levels because of the difficulty of identifying water lines in image-based VGI and linking them to detailed terrain models. In this study, flood detection has been achieved through image-based VGI obtained by smartphone cameras. Digital image processing and a photogrammetric method were presented to determine the water levels. In digital image processing, the random forest classification was applied to simplify ambient complexity and highlight certain aspects of flooding regions, and the HT-Canny method was used to detect the flooding line of the classified image-based VGI. Through the photogrammetric method and a fine-resolution digital elevation model based on the unmanned aerial vehicle mapping technique, the detected flooding lines were employed to determine water levels. Based on the results of image-based VGI experiments, the proposed approach identified water levels during an urban flood event in Taipei City for demonstration. Notably, classified images were produced using random forest supervised classification for a total of three classes with an average overall accuracy of 88.05%. The quantified water levels with a resolution of centimeters (<3-cm difference on average) can validate flood modeling so as to extend point-basis observations to area-basis estimations. Therefore, the limited performance of image-based VGI quantification has been improved to help in flood disasters. Consequently, the proposed approach using VGI images provides a reliable and effective flood-monitoring technique for disaster management authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taipei University of Technology, under contract from the Taipei City Government, completed a study on porous asphalt (PA) and permeable interlocking concrete brick (PICB) pavement performance with respect to stormwater runoff reduction and surface temperature mitigation. Additionally, the variation of infiltration rates against time of these pavements was monitored. The results show the following: (a) Runoff peak reduction ranged from 16% for large, intense storms to 55% for small, long-duration storms. Rainfall volume reduction ranged from 16% to 77% with an average of 37.6%; (b) Infiltration rate: for PICB, it decreased by 25% to 50% over a 15-month monitoring period, but the rate at one location increased significantly after cleaning; for PA, the rate remained high at one location, but decreased by 70%–80% after 10 months at two other locations, due mainly to clogging problems; (c) Surface temperature: during storm events, porous concrete bricks had on average lower temperatures compared to regular concrete with a maximum difference of 6.6 °C; for porous asphalt the maximum drop was 3.9 °C. During dry days, both PA and PICB showed a tendency of faster temperature increase as the air temperature rose, but also faster temperature decreases as the air cooled when compared to regular pavements. On very hot days, much lower surface temperatures were observed for porous pavements (for PA: 17.0 °C and for PICB: 14.3 °C) than those for regular pavements. The results suggest that large-scale applications of porous pavements could help mitigate urban heat island impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article lists various activities and new members at the Physical Society located in Taipei, Taiwan which includes Chung-Yu Mou as the professor in the Department of Physics, 2012 Physics Annual Conference in National Chung Cheng University and the Taiwan Night event.

The article offers information on the "Fourth Biennial Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival" which was held from September 28-October 2, 2007 in Taipei, Taiwan. Indigenous films from the U.S., China, Nepal, Madagascar, and Taiwan were the main focus of the festival. The indigenous filmmakers Victor Masayesva of the Native American Hopi and Mayaw Biho of the Taiwanese tribe of Pangcah received special commendations and showed some of their work.

This study evaluates the effects of opening new segments of mass rapid transit (MRT) lines on housing prices near the MRT stations in Tucheng District and Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The effect of proximity to each MRT station is estimated separately with difference-in-differences regressions integrated with spatial econometrics with heteroscedasticity-robust standard errors. The opening of the new segment of the Blue Line, also known as Bannan Line of the Taipei Metro, does not significantly influence housing prices within 600-metre road network distance of the MRT stations, compared to prices outside the distance range. In contrast, and also unlike the findings of prior studies, although the segment and the stations are underground structures, the opening of the new segment of the Orange Line, also known as the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line of the Taipei Metro, significantly decreases housing prices within 600-metre road network distance of the MRT stations, compared to prices outside the distance range, perhaps because the opening of the stations is delayed about one and a half years to be used as a temporary storage area for MRT trains. The findings have implications for homebuyers, investors, mortgage lending institutions and tax assessment authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]