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Aim: As invasive plants are often in a non‐equilibrium expansion state, traditional species distribution models (SDMs) are likely underestimating their suitable habitat. New methods are necessary to identify potential invasion risk areas. Location: Tropical monsoon rainforest and subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forest regions in China. Methods: We took Parthenium hysterophorus as a case study to predict its potential invasion risk using climate, terrain, and human activity variables. First, a generalized joint attribute model (GJAM) was constructed using the occurrence of P. hysterophorus and its 27 closely related species in Taiwan, given it is widely distributed in Taiwan. Based on the output correlation values, two positively correlated species (Cardiospermum halicacabum and Portulaca oleracea) and one negatively correlated species (Crassocephalum crepidioides) were selected as indicator species. Second, the distributions of P. hysterophorus and its indicator species in the study area were predicted separately using an ensemble model (EM). Third, when selecting indicator species to construct indicator SDMs, two treatments (indicator species with positive correlation only, or both positive and negative correlation) were considered. The indicator species' EM predictions were overlaid using a weighted average method, and a better indicator SDMs prediction result was selected by comparison. Finally, the EM prediction result of P. hysterophorus was used to optimize the indicator SDMs result by a maximum overlay. Results: The optimized indicator SDMs prediction showed an expanded range beyond the current geographic range compared to EM and the thresholds for predicting key environmental variables were wider. It also reinforced the human activities' influence on the potential distribution of P. hysterophorus. Main Conclusions: For invasive plants with expanding ranges, information about indicator species distribution can be borrowed as a barometer for areas not currently invaded. The optimized indicator SDMs allow for more efficient potential invasion risk prediction. On this basis, invasive plants can be prevented earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of economic status and the educational expectations of significant others on early university aspirations and actual university attainment. The study analyzed two-wave longitudinal data collected from 1,595 Taiwanese students in their 9th grade in middle school and in their freshman year at universities. The results revealed that economic status affected neither university aspirations nor university attainment. Among the significant others studied, parental expectations fundamentally affected university aspirations and teacher expectations consistently affected university aspirations and attainment. After considering economic status and educational expectations, early university aspirations remained strongly related to actual university attainment. Future research directions and practical educational approaches are recommended based on the aforementioned results.

The growing tension between mainland China and Taiwan has a cultural aspect closely related to national identity. We focus on recent history curriculum changes in the mainland and in Taiwan and find that education authorities on both sides have implemented master narratives for content selection in and organization of history textbooks. In mainland China, the master narrative of pluralist unity constructs a geographically consistent Chinese nation throughout history, which bolsters the state's current claim to a territorial integrity including Taiwan. In Taiwan, the master narrative of multiculturalism becomes the essence of Taiwanese identity, and weakens Sinocentrism in Taiwanese official historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eddy‐mean flow interactions have always been of interest to researchers because they are among the causes of energy cascades. Different from most previous studies, this research concentrates on the Kuroshio Current's effect on an eddy during multiple independent elliptical eddy‐Kuroshio interactions. Eddy deformation during the eddy‐Kuroshio interaction is applied as the statistical criterion to select the typical eddies that interact with the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. There are 9 anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and 15 cyclonic eddies (CEs) that satisfy the criteria from the 1993 to 2018 satellite altimeter data. The blocking effect caused by the anti‐phase velocity at the contact interface of the CE and Kuroshio results in the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) at the CE edge being obviously inhomogeneous, while the AE does not result in the same effect. Moreover, the temporal variation in EKE during the eddy‐Kuroshio interaction precedes the AE/CE deformation by approximately 0.55/0.27 interaction cycles. The Kuroshio has different modulation mechanisms for different eddy polarities. Barotropic and baroclinic instabilities contribute to the generation of EKE, with barotropic instabilities providing more than 10 times as much as baroclinic instabilities for the AE and 4 times as much for the CE. The advection effect of the AE on the Kuroshio is in anti‐phase with the effect of the Kuroshio on the AE, which eventually makes the AE shrink. They are in phase for the CE and lead the CE to eventually become meandering. Plain Language Summary: From the plane perspective, an eddy can be regarded as an ellipse, which reflects its anisotropic characteristics. During eddy‐Kuroshio interaction, if the eddy best‐fit elliptic eccentricity temporal variation has a monotonic trend, then this eddy is selected as a typical eddy, and the interaction between a typical eddy and the Kuroshio is defined as a typical event. We mainly focus on the kinetic energy variation and deformation of typical eddies that interact with the Kuroshio. In this process, eddy kinetic energy (EKE) variation precedes eddy deformation. When an anticyclonic eddy interacts with the Kuroshio, EKE is mainly generated by barotropic instability. When a cyclonic eddy interacts with the Kuroshio, EKE is generated by both barotropic and baroclinic instability. The distribution of EKE at the cyclonic eddy edge is uneven, which is due to the blocking effect of the Kuroshio caused by the cyclonic eddy. The difference in the polarity of the advection effect between the Kuroshio and different eddies results in different eddy evolution processes. The anticyclonic eddy gradually shrinks until it disappears, while the cyclonic eddy becomes meandering with its opening toward the Kuroshio. Key Points: Individual typical eddies that interact with the Kuroshio are selected by using elliptical eddy deformation with the Mann‐Kendall testCyclonic eddy: uneven distribution of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) at the edge; EKE is caused by barotropic and baroclinic instability; it turns into a meanderingAnticyclonic eddy: even distribution of EKE at the edge; EKE is mainly caused by barotropic instability; it shrinks and disappears [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium (Sr), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) in vent fluids are important for understanding the water–rock interaction and hydrothermal flux in hydrothermal systems. We have analyzed the Sr, H and O isotopic compositions of seawater, vent fluid and hydrothermal plume samples in the Kueishantao hydrothermal field, as well as their calcium (Ca), total sulfur (S), Sr, arsenic (As), stibium (Sb), chlorine (Cl) and manganese (Mn) concentrations for understanding the origin and processes of fluids. The results suggest that most As, Sb and Mn are leached from andesitic rocks into the fluids, and most Ca and Cl remained in the deep reaction zone during the fluid–andesitic rock interaction. The ranges of 87Sr/86Sr, δDV-SMOW and δ18OV-SMOW values in the yellow spring, white spring and plumes are small. The 87Sr/86Sr, δDV-SMOW and δ18OV-SMOW values of fluids and plumes are like those of ambient seawater, indicating that the Sr, H and O of vent fluids and hydrothermal plumes are derived primarily from seawater. This suggests that the interaction of andesite and subseafloor fluid is of short duration and results in the majority of As, Sb and Mn being released into fluids, while most Ca and Cl remained in the deep reaction zone. In addition, there was no significant variation of Sr, H and O isotopic compositions in the upwelling fluid, keeping the similar isotopic compositions of seawater. There are obvious correlations among the pH values, As and Sb concentrations, and H isotopic compositions of the vent fluids and hydrothermal plumes, implying that the As and Sb concentrations and H isotopic compositions can trace the dispersion of plumes in the ambient seawater. According to the Sr concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr values, the water/rock ratios are 3076~8124, which is consistent with the idea that the interaction between fluid and andesite at the subseafloor is of short duration. The hydrothermal flux of Sr discharged from the yellow spring into the seawater is between 2.06 × 104 and 2.26 × 104 mol/yr, and the white spring discharges 1.18 × 104~1.26 × 104 mol/yr Sr if just andesites appear in the reaction zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of medical professionals toward Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All 401 medical professionals were surveyed using an anonymous with an investigator using the Questionnaire star APP. The participants answered 14 questions; of the 401 participants, 55.2% agreed with the statement "TCM can be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19," 40.4% remained neutral, and 4.4% disagreed. Moreover, 75.3% agreed with the statement "There is no specific drug for COVID-19," 67% agreed with the statement "TCM can develop immunity to COVID-19" and 62.1% agreed with "TCM can alleviate the symptoms of patients with COVID-19." Meanwhile, 69.1% were aware that TCM has been recommended for COVID-19 by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Regarding the selection of sources of knowledge on whether "TCM can be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19," There were 277, 123, 82, 369, and 17 participants selected sources from "Hospital training," "Academic journals," "Academic Conferences," "Social media platforms (such as WeChat)" and "Others," respectively. Further, 358 participants will take TCM for the prevention of COVID-19. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, major and received TCM treatment within the last five years were independent factors affecting the participants' attitudes. In the absence of specific drugs for COVID-19, more than half of the participants agreed that TCM could be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and most participants are willing to take TCM to prevent COVID-19, although unsure about its effectiveness. The main information sources on TCM for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 were social platforms and hospital training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of economic status and the educational expectations of significant others on early university aspirations and actual university attainment. The study analyzed two-wave longitudinal data collected from 1,595 Taiwanese students in their 9th grade in middle school and in their freshman year at universities. The results revealed that economic status affected neither university aspirations nor university attainment. Among the significant others studied, parental expectations fundamentally affected university aspirations and teacher expectations consistently affected university aspirations and attainment. After considering economic status and educational expectations, early university aspirations remained strongly related to actual university attainment. Future research directions and practical educational approaches are recommended based on the aforementioned results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the comparative operating efficiencies of 23 international tourist hotels in Taipei by means of data envelopment analysis (DEA). A game cross-efficiency extension of the original DEA method is applied to provide reliable and comprehensive evaluation results. The main advantage of this approach is that it not only assesses hotel efficiency effectively based on self- and peer evaluation but also takes the competition among decision-making units (DMUs) into account. A star-rating system is also proposed to rate the performance of the international hotels under study based on their DEA efficiency scores over different periods. The results reveal that the mode of hotel operation significantly affects efficiency, in that hotels operated by international chains are more efficient than independent hotels. However, the level achieved in the traditional Taiwanese plum-rating system by hotels had no significant impact on hotel operational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses the comparative efficiency of hotels using integer data envelopment analysis (IDEA), which is an extension to the traditional DEA models. This model is particularly useful when the integer input or output data are used in the evaluation of hotel performance. Specifically, IDEA can identify more appropriate and feasible input and output targets than the traditional DEA models. The empirical analysis of IDEA is carried out based on a data set related to 23 tourist hotels in Taipei. The contributions and managerial implications for efficiency improvement of this study are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the most commonly implicated causative agent of severe outbreaks of paediatric hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).VP1 protein, a capsid protein of EV71, is responsible for the genotype of the virus and is essential for vaccine development and effectiveness. However, the genotypes of EV71 isolates in China are still not completely clear. Methods: The VP1 gene sequences of 3712 EV71 virus strains from China, excluding repetitive sequences and 30 known EV71 genotypes as reference strains, between 1986 and 2019 were obtained from GenBank. Phylogenetic tree, amino acid homology, genetic variation and genotype analyses of the EV71VP1 protein were performed with MEGA 6.0 software. Results: The amino acid identity was found to be 88.33%–100% among the 3712 EV71 strains, 93.47%–100% compared with vaccine strain H07, and 93.04%–100% compared with vaccine strains FY7VP5 or FY-23 K-B. Since 2000, the prevalent strains of EV71 were mainly of the C4 genotype. Among these, the C4a subgenotype was predominant, followed by the C4b subgenotype; other subgenotypes appeared sporadically between 2005 and 2018 in mainland China. The B4 genotype was the main genotype in Taiwan, and the epidemic strains were constantly changing. Some amino acid variations in VP1 of EV71 occurred with high frequencies, including A289T (20.99%), H22Q (16.49%), A293S (15.95%), S283T (15.11%), V249I (7.76%), N31D (7.25%), and E98K (6.65%). Conclusion: The C4 genotype of EV71 in China matches the vaccine and should effectively control EV71. However, the efficacy of the vaccine is partially affected by the continuous change in epidemic strains in Taiwan. These results suggest that the genetic characteristics of the EV71-VP1 region should be continuously monitored, which is critical for epidemic control and vaccine design to prevent EV71 infection in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital apatite is a promising accessory mineral for reliable fingerprinting of the protolith composition of detrital sediment. Here, we present the geochemical compositions of detrital apatites from four sections of a high-resolution (~140 cm/kyr) sedimentary archive from the southern Okinawa Trough (SOT) for constraining sediment source rock types and establishing changes in provenance. A series of diagrams based on the geochemical data show that apatites in Section 1 derived mainly from mafic/intermediate rocks, while apatites in the three younger sections largely originated from mafic/intermediate rocks and acid rocks. Further, the four sections included a few contributions of apatites from alkaline rocks and metamorphic rocks. Through a comprehensive analysis of controlling factors and regional stratigraphy in the study area, we concluded that sediments in the SOT are the weathering/erosion products of sedimentary and meta-sedimentary rocks in the western and northeastern Taiwan Island, with ultimate sources containing a wide variety of rock types. The sediment from rivers in eastern Taiwan did not significantly contribute to deposition in the SOT. Apatites in Sections 2–4 showed strong geochemical similarity but differed from those in Section 1, indicating that the types of weathered/eroded sedimentary rocks in the weathering profile of river drainage basins of Taiwan Island changed in Section 2 (2010–1940 cal. yr BP) and have remained stable since then. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution sedimentary records reveal the patterns of weathering and erosion in response to climate change, environmental variability, and human activity. Here, we present major and trace element data, Sr Nd isotopic compositions, and mass accumulation rates (MARs) for the siliciclastic sediment fraction of a relatively high-resolution sedimentary archive from the southern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea. We reveal the sedimentary source-to-sink processes and the physical erosion and chemical weathering history of Taiwan. The Sr Nd isotopic data indicate that sediments were mainly sourced from northeastern and western Taiwan rivers and thus, the sedimentary records reflect the weathering and erosion conditions in this source region. Volcanic rocks, aeolian dust, and terrigenous sediment from rivers in mainland China and eastern Taiwan have not significantly contributed to the deposits in the southern Okinawa Trough since ca. 3000 cal yr BP. Multiple indices, including the chemical index of alteration (CIA), K/Al, αAl K , Ti/Na, and K/Na, are used to identify variations in the intensity of regional-scale chemical weathering. The strength of the sediment input is estimated using the MAR of the siliciclastic (MAR siliciclastic) and the MAR of Ti (MAR Ti). The results suggest that the bedrock of small mountainous river systems in Taiwan has experienced relatively stable and moderate chemical alteration and that the terrigenous sediment supply from Taiwan to the southern Okinawa Trough has progressively increased since ca. 3000 cal yr BP. A comparison of these data with climate and human activity indicates that the increased input of terrigenous sediment was closely related to an intensification of rainfall in Taiwan over the last 3000 years. After ca. 1500 cal yr BP, a sustained increase in the terrigenous sediment input likely to be attributed to the combined effects of intensified heavy rainfall and human activity, occurred. Intense physical erosion in Taiwan's river basins has exerted a long-term constraint on chemical weathering intensity. The lack of evident link between silicate weathering and climate forcing in these catchments suggests that paleoclimate reconstruction based on sedimentary geochemical records offshore of Taiwan rivers requires careful consideration. • Sediments in the southern Okinawa Trough are sourced from west and northeast Taiwan. • Heavy rainfall and human activity increased sediment supply during the Late Holocene. • Strong physical erosion exerted a long-term limit on chemical weathering intensity. • Paleoclimate reconstruction using records from offshore Taiwan deserve more caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]