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Introduction: Photokeratoconjunctivitis (PKC) is primarily caused by welding. However, inappropriate use of germicidal lamps, which have been widely used following the COVID-19 outbreak, can also cause PKC. Our goal in this study was to investigate the incidence of and changes in the causes of PKC during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective observational study. The health records of patients who visited the emergency department in a tertiary care hospital from January 1, 2018-December 31, 2021 and were diagnosed with PKC, were reviewed. We then conducted an analysis to compare the characteristics of PKC before and after COVID-19 began and the features of PKC caused by welding and germicidal lamps. Results: There were 160PKCcases with a clear etiology before the COVID-19 pandemic and 147 cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. No significant differences in age and gender were detected between the two groups. The incidence of PKC induced by the use of germicidal lamps during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly higher (10.2%) than the incidence before the pandemic (3.1%). The ratio of females to males in the germicidal lamp subgroup was significantly higher than the ratio in the welding subgroup. Limitations included incomplete information due to the retrospective nature of the study, underestimation of incidence, and possible recall bias. Conclusion: In the era of COVID-19, clinicians should be aware of the hazards of germicidal lamps. Although the COVID-19 pandemic seems to show signs of easing, new infectious diseases that require protective measures could still emerge in the future. Therefore, injuries related to germicidal lamps deserve more public health attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the primary and secondary school mentor principal is to act as a guideline in a supportive role with the characteristics of a partnership to new and current principals, providing professional support to enhance school management knowledge and assisting in promoting local education policies. In addition, its candidates come from principals with rich school experience that have passed systematic training procedures. In order to cultivate mentor principal candidates effectively, to construct the mentor principal cultivation indicators (MPCIs) first before planning the training course may help principals to participate in training under the indicator system with objective and clear guidance. It also makes the training system conform to the mentor principals' career professional growth needs. The purpose of this article was to explain the use of MPCIs, then explore the issues that might arise while constructing MPCIs by contrasting the current training program in Taiwan. Finally, this article sorted out several strategies on how to construct MPCIs that correspond to the needs of career professional growth. A trial version of the cultivating indicator system was built as 2 stages. The first stage, "Master Training and Matching," is constructed with a total of 3 dimensions, 8 levels and 25 specific indicators. The second stage. "Master's Model and Inheritance," contains a total of 3 dimensions, 7 levels and 17 specific indicators. The indicator system may be provided for or follow-up academic research as well as to improve the current mentor principal training program in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 belongs to the plague category of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has been confirmed in many ancient books and modern clinical studies that the acupuncture and moxibustion can cure the plague. In this episode of COVID-19, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jointly issued the Diagnosis and Treatment of Corona Virus Disease-19(7th edition) . It mentions the treatment program of acupuncture and moxibustion participating in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Liu Baoyan's team analyzed the ideas of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for COVID-19. However, the clinical advantages of acupuncture and moxibustion still need to be further clarified. In the treatment of many clinical symptoms of COVID-19, acupuncture therapy has a good clinical effect,so the purpose of our discussion on the advantages is to improve the clinical accuracy and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation with a hepatitis flare is a common complication in lymphoma patients treated with immunotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Anti-HBV prophylaxis is suggested for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients undergoing rituximab therapy, even those with resolved HBV infection. Since anti-HBV prophylaxis for patients with resolved HBV infection is not covered by national health insurance in Taiwan, a proportion of these patients receive no prophylaxis. In addition, late HBV reactivation has emerged as a new issue in recent reports, and no consensus has been reached for the optimal duration of antiviral prophylaxis. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate the incidence and outcomes of HBV reactivation in NHL patients in a real-world setting and to study the frequency of late HBV reactivation. Materials: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients who received rituximab and/or chemotherapy at our institute between January 2011 and December 2015 and who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)- or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)-positive were reviewed retrospectively. Results: A total of 388 patients were screened between January 2011 and December 2015. In total, 196 patients were excluded because HBsAg was not assessed, HBcAb was negative or not assessed, or they were not treated with immunosuppressive therapy. Finally, the retrospective study included 62 HBsAg-positive NHL patients and 130 NHL patients with resolved HBV infection (HBsAg-negative and HBcAb-positive). During a median 30.5-month follow-up period, seven patients experienced HBV reactivation, five of whom had a hepatitis flare. The incidence of HBV reactivation did not significantly differ between the HBsAg-positive patients and the resolved HBV infection population without anti-HBV prophylaxis (4.8% vs. 3.1%, P = 0.683). All patients with HBV reactivation were exposed to rituximab. Notably, late HBV reactivation was not uncommon (two of seven patients with HBV reactivation events, 28.6%). Hepatitis B virus reactivation did not influence the patients' overall survival. An age =65 years and an advanced disease stage were independent risk factors for poorer overall survival. Conclusion: The incidence of HBV reactivation was similar between the HBsAg-positive patients with antiviral prophylaxis and the resolved HBV infection population without anti-HBV prophylaxis. All HBV reactivation events occurred in NHL patients exposed to rituximab. Late reactivation was not uncommon. The duration of regular liver function monitoring for more than 1 year after immunosuppressive therapy or after withdrawal of prophylactic antiviral therapy should be prolonged. Determining the exact optimal duration of anti-HBV prophylaxis is warranted in a future prospective study for NHL patients treated with rituximab-containing therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land hermit crabs play an important role in island ecosystems. They are seed dispersers and debris scavengers in coastal forests to accelerate the decomposition of organic substances. Since the establishment of Dongsha Atoll National Park, Dongsha Island, Taiwan in 2007, researchers have been able to reach the atolls easily and conduct ecological surveys of land hermit crabs. In the current survey conducted from 2013 to 2018 on Dongsha Island, we recorded six land hermit crab species: Birgus latro, Coenobita rugosus, C. brevimanus, C. violascens, C. cavipes, and C. purpureus. Of these, C. cavipes and C. purpureus were newly recorded on Dongsha Island. C. rugosus was the dominant species, with a much larger population than those of other the species. C. rugosus demonstrated no sex ratio bias; however, C. rugosus males were considerably larger than C. rugosus females. Approximately 80% of C. rugosus used the shells of Achatina spp. and demonstrated the presence of three cohorts. We also provide the body size and weight for condition index of C. rugosus. Surprisingly, three individuals of C. purpureus, the species endemic to Japan, were also recorded. Overall, our study revealed the current situation of land hermit crabs on Dongsha Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents data from a quantitative survey based on 746 written questionnaires and 23 semi-structured interviews. The main purpose of the study was to measure Southern Min and Mandarin lower domain language use among a cross-section of Taiwan’s multilingual population. As organizing elements for our discussion of Taiwan’s current language situation, we made use of Sridhar’s notion of societal multilingualism as well as Ó Riagáin’s idea that the home is possibly the first domain to exhibit language shift. This study followed Ó Riagáin by focusing our research on lower domain language use as well as relevant political determinants. We investigated whether Southern Min speakers tend to prefer a Taiwanese rather than Chinese identity, and whether the Taiwanese link their language choice to age, gender, and region of origin. Political improvements in Taiwan for the past two decades did enable the Taiwanese to compete with the Mainlanders who moved to Taiwan and they now have a stronger case to promote the status of Southern Min and maintain it. Evidence of language shift was discovered: proficiency in Mandarin by the Taiwanese is increasing, while that in Southern Min is decreasing. It is predicted that this language shift will continue, but that the attitudes held by Taiwanese toward their ethnic identity might slow down such a process considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the cash dividend distribution of firms in the Taiwan stock market between 2002 and 2009. The duration between the ex-dividend date and the payment date is between 6 and 155 days. The dividends-weighted average periods increased gradually between 2002 and 2006. However, it decreased between 2007 and 2009. This is due to a change in the Formosa Group's dividend payment policy. The change incurred a potential opportunity cost of TW$ 161 million of interest revenue to the Formosa Group. On the other hand, investors have benefited from this policy change. This study examines both the dividend policy and the financial position. In addition to finding the group identification factor is closely related to the period between the ex-dividend date and the payment date, we discovered the period correlated negatively to the level of financial flexibility (cash/asset). This evidence supports the view that financial flexibility matters in the short run. These findings are in line with the spirit of the free-cash-flow hypotheses. We also document evidence that some firms follow a policy of short and consistent periods between the ex-dividend date and the payment date, which benefits the shareholder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two Taiwan case studies are used to investigate the potential application of the borehole ground-penetrating radar (BGPR) technique. The first case located an unknown buried pipe which had to be dug out prior to underground excavation work. The second case identified the existence of reinforcing bars inside the foundation piles. These missing reinforcing bars potentially threaten the safety of a planned bridge. The results of these studies clearly demonstrate the capability of BGPR to effectively identify the existence of underground targets and thereby provide necessary information for engineering work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Rivastigmine is approved for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderate dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The drug was launched in Taiwan in 2000. The primary objective of this post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study was to describe the safety/tolerability of treatment with rivastigmine capsules in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The secondary objectives of this study were to define the optimal titration pattern, maintenance dose, efficacy and patient satisfaction with treatment with rivastigmine capsules. Methods: This was a prospective, non-interventional post-marketing observational study in patients who met the criteria for mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease. The primary outcome measure for this trial was the incidence of emerging adverse events. Dosages related to titration patterns and maintenance doses were summarized. Efficacy evaluations conducted using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating and modified Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scales were also primary outcome measures, and results are shown descriptively. The patients' therapeutic responses to rivastigmine and satisfaction with rivastigmine were secondary outcome measures. Therapeutic response and treatment satisfaction were summarized descriptively. Results: A total of 264 patients were enrolled into the study. The mean duration of exposure to rivastigmine during the study was 151.1 days. Patients were taking rivastigmine 1.5-6mg twice daily and the most frequent maintenance dose level was 4.5 mg twice daily. Among patients treated with rivastigmine, all primary and secondary outcome measures showed improvement or stabilization of cognition and global functioning. Of the 253 safety analysis patients, 155 patients (61.3%) reported at least one adverse event. The most frequent adverse events by system organ class were psychiatric disorders (9.1%) and gastrointestinal disorders (8.3%). The most common adverse events observed were dizziness (5.5%), insomnia (5.1%), anorexia (4.0%) and gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation (4.0%), vomiting (4.0%) and nausea (3.6%). These symptoms were mild in severity. A total of 12 patients (4.7%) reported 16 serious adverse events, including two deaths, three fractures, three behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, one syncope with head trauma, one peptic ulcer, and six other hospitalizations. None were reported to be related to rivastigmine. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, rivastigmine administered usually at a dose of 3-6mg twice daily was found to be well tolerated. Although the rate of adverse events was high, the majority of these symptoms were mild in severity and short in duration. This study also demonstrated the efficacy of rivastigmine in at least stabilizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A slope on the west border of the foothill near 921 surface rupture (caused by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake) in central Taiwan shows distinctive topographic expression that was prone to be considered as a fault scarp formed by a preexisting active fault. The 2D and 3D resistivity images clearly delineate rock surfaces which show steep, deep, gentle, and subvertical displacement beneath the slope, the toe of slope, the non-lateritic terrace, and 921 surface rupture, respectively, which can be attributed to the significant contrast of resistivity between gravel and rock. The horizontal sand bed and clast-supported gravel were deposited in a fluvial environment, whereas wedge-shaped gravel and colluvium were scarp-induced colluvial deposits in the trench profile. The layers shown in the depth of excavation, except for rock, has no offset or disturbance by fault ever since at least 2,480 ± 50 year B.P., based on carbon 14 dating of charcoal sample at the bottom of trench profile. According to information from two boreholes close to the slope, an over 20-m-thick marker bed with transported shell fragments, was found for correlation. This correlation further implies the slope was not formed by fault. On the other hand, two boreholes which are far from the slope and located on the flat non-lateritic terrace frequently show fractured and sheared features. By comparison, the locations around these two boreholes indicate a reverse fault or faults that occurred before the deposition of gravel. Later on, the paleostream was developed along the foot of fault scarp that was subjected to erosion and led to subsequent retrogression or retreat of the slope. Consequently, the incision of paleostream is believed to be responsible for the high relief of rock surface around the slope. Furthermore, from resistivity and borehole data, the rock surface underlying terrace is gentle where no faults occur after the deposition of gravel. The result of RIP crossing the 921 surface rupture displays about 10 m difference in elevation of rock surface on both sides, which is greater than that of 3–4 m caused by Chi-Chi earthquake. This indicates that the 921 surface rupture is a preexisting thrust fault that resulted from several thrusting events since terrace gravel was deposited. So it is not necessary to establish an extra restricted zone for construction in study area, except close to the 921 surface rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the findings of a study which determined the effect of typhoon disturbance on the population of 'Onychostoma barbatula' and 'Candida barbata' in Northern Taiwan. The research used a 9-year dataset to assess the response of the two mid-water fish species and explore the relationship between habitat variables and fish abundances. Researchers concluded that the two species of mid-water fish were minimally affected by typhoon due to their good swimming performance and ability to adapt to flow fluctuations in the mountain stream. Floods occurring in the dry season may reportedly have more serious effects on the reproductive ability of aquatic organisms.

Recently, according to information from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database, the medical expenditure on critical illness and injury has increased significantly because of an aging population. In this paper we are interested in investigating the impact of the aging population on the cost of critical illness and injury. In the first part of this research, we make use of Taiwan's National Health Insurance database from 1996 to 2001 to estimate the number of people suffering critical illness and injury. In particular, we apply actuarial methods and the method of cohort component to estimate outpatient medical expenditure of the critical illness and injury. The estimation shows that the projection of medical expenditure due to critical illness and injury grows linearly with time. This effect is consistent with the trend of an increase of numbers in elderly. It implies that an aging population will lead to a significant financial impact on Taiwan's national health insurance program. Furthermore, in the second part of this research, we construct a Markov model to calculate the expected premiums of critical illness and injury insurance under both social and commercial insurance systems. We then evaluate the required cost of critical illness and injuries in order to keep a financial balance for the Taiwan National Health Insurance program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tritium is produced in light water reactors from various sources and the design source terms for both BWR and PWR plants are reviewed. The chemical forms of tritium produced in the coolant are discussed in terms of water radiolysis and free radical reactions in the reactor core regions, and the major form of tritium released from the coolant systems is confirmed to be tritiated water, The tritium activity concentrations and inventories in various coolant systems have been measured, and the release pathways of tritium from nuclear power plants are also reviewed in this paper. Decreasing trends of tritium release from nuclear power plants in both liquid waste and ventilation sources have been observed in Taiwan. The impact of tritium release on environmental radiation is estimated with well-established screening models, and the results confirm that the impact is less than 1% of the regulatory limits and less than 0.1% of the natural radiation background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unusual sesarmid crab, Labuanium trapezoideum (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) is reported from Taiwan and is the second species of this genus known from the island. The taxonomy of the species is discussed and observations of its ecology are provided for the first time. In Taiwan, this species was found from 200 m to several kilometers away from the sea. It is always found on vertical to nearly vertical rock faces along flowing streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuroticism personality trait is recognized as an important endophenotypic predictor of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Furthermore, endophenotype-based pathway approaches have recently been shown to have greater advantages for gene-finding strategies than traditional case-control studies. In the present study, in addition to conventional case-control methods, we used pathway analyses to test whether the tri-allelic serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (combining 5-HTTLPR and rs25531) is associated with risk of GAD through its effects on trait neuroticism., Methods: We included 2236 Han Chinese adults in this study, including 736 patients with GAD and 1500 healthy participants. We genotyped the 5-HTTLPR and rs25531 polymorphisms using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method. We used the Neuroticism scale of the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) short version (MPI-Neuroticism) to measure participants' tendency toward neuroticism., Results: Using endophenotype-based path analyses, we found significant indirect effects of the tri-allelic genotype on risk of GAD, mediated by MPI-Neuroticism in both men and women. Compared to women carrying the S'S' genotype, women carrying the L' allele had higher levels of MPI-Neuroticism, which in turn were associated with higher risk of GAD. Men, however, showed the opposite pattern. Using traditional case-control comparisons, we observed that the effect of tri-allelic genotype on GAD was significant, but only in women., Limitations: Participants were restricted to Han Chinese, and we used only 1 questionnaire to assess neuroticism., Conclusion: These findings are the first to show that the triallelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with elevated risk of GAD, and that this effect is mediated via increased trait neuroticism, a sex-dependent risk pathway., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2020 Joule Inc. or its licensors.)