Northern Taiwan Area Research Articles

Sedimentary sequences offshore northeastern Taiwan and the offshore projection of the Shanjiao Fault zone

The offshore area of northern Taiwan is currently in an extensional regime, known for a post-collision area of the Taiwan mountain belt that has formed due to the oblique collision of the Philippine Sea Plate against the Eurasian continental margin since the late Miocene. The active collision has undergone a progressive migration of the Taiwan mountain belt from the northeast to the southwest direction. After the relaxation of the compressional stress due to the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate, the northern Taiwan orogen has collapsed together with the opening of the southern Okinawa Trough. Here, we show the transitional process from compressional to extensional regime in the area off northern Taiwan and reconstruct the tectono-sedimentary evolution by using multi-channel reflection seismic data. We process and interpret multi-channel seismic profiles and use borehole data to determine the ages of sedimentary units and stratal surfaces/unconformities. Based on the seismic facies, we have recognized two distinctive domains separated by the Offshore Shanjiao Fault (OSF): a shelf basin to the northwest and a collapsed zone to the southeast. The tectono-sedimentary evolution off northern Taiwan since the late Miocene can be described in 4 stages. (1) The compressional structures off northern Taiwan were formed during the collision period starting around 6 Ma, a series of folds-and-thrusts aligned in the NE-SW direction. (2) Due to the oblique collision, some NW-SE-trending strike-slip faults were developed across the collision belt to accommodate the differential displacements between two adjacent segments of the folded belt. (3) During the transition from compressional to extensional regime at about 2.7 Ma, a post-collisional erosion and subsidence occurred in the collapsed zone to form the basal unconformity. This post-collisional collapse is associated with the opening of the southern Okinawa Trough, a back-arc basin, due to the westward migration of the Philippine Sea Plate subduction beneath the southern Ryukyu arc. (4) The offshore area of northern Taiwan has subsided continuously with sediment accumulation since the early Pleistocene (~2.0 Ma), accompanying the rifting of the southern Okinawa Trough.

Association between nitric oxide synthase T-786C genetic polymorphism and chronic kidney disease: Meta-analysis incorporating trial sequential analysis.

BackgroundSeveral meta-analyses of the relationship between endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) T-786C gene polymorphism and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been published. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent, and it is undetermined whether sample sizes are sufficient to reach a definite conclusion.ObjectiveTo elucidate the relationship between T-786C and CKD by combining previous studies with our case-control sample and incorporate trial sequential analysis (TSA) to verify whether the sample size is adequate to draw a definite conclusion.MethodsPubMed and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles on eNOS T-786C and CKD before February 28, 2021. TSA was also incorporated to ascertain a conclusion. A total of 558 hemodialysis cases in the case-control study was recruited from nine dialysis centers in the northern area of Taiwan in 2020. Additionally, 640 healthy subjects of the control group, with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, were selected from participants of the annual elderly health examination program at the Tri-Service General Hospital. The functional analysis was based on eQTL data from GTExPortal.ResultsAfter screening with eligibility criteria, 15 papers were included and eventually combined in a meta-analysis. The result of the TSA showed that the sample size for Caucasians was adequate to ascertain the correlation between eNOS T-786C and CKD but was insufficient for Asians. Therefore, we added our case-control samples (n = 1198), though not associated with CKD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69–1.46), into a meta-analysis, which supported that eNOS T-786C was significantly associated with CKD in Asians (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.04–1.85) by using an adequate cumulative sample size (n = 4572) analyzed by TSA. Data of eQTL from GTEx showed that T-786C with the C minor allele exhibited relatively lower eNOS mRNA expression in whole blood, indicating the hazardous role of eNOS T-786C in CKD.ConclusionseNOS T-786C genetic polymorphism was of conclusive significance in the association with CKD among Asians in our meta-analysis. Our case-control samples play a decisive role in changing conclusions from indefinite to definite.

Indoor Air Quality Certification and Consumers’ Willingness: Taiwan’s Experience and Survey

People spend about 80–90% of their time in indoor environments, and poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can seriously endanger people’s health, work quality, and efficiency. The Taiwan Government began regulating IAQ in 2011 and implemented the self-managed IAQ certification in 2021. Before the Taiwan Government officially implemented the certification, we conducted a questionnaire survey from 26 to 27 September 2020. Moreover, this survey selected Banqiao and Wuri High-Speed Rail Plaza as the survey sites and completed 337 valid questionnaires. According to the hierarchical regression results, this research found the following: firstly, IAQ certification complies with international standards and has continuous monitoring and information disclosure methods, both of which are key factors affecting people’s willingness to consume; secondly, the respondents, who are female, familiar with the regulations, and living in the northern Taiwan area, have more willingness to consume in the certificated places.

Development and intercity transferability of land-use regression models for predicting ambient PM<sub>10</sub>, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub> and O<sub>3</sub> concentrations in northern Taiwan

Abstract. To provide long-term air pollutant exposure estimates for epidemiological studies, it is essential to test the feasibility of developing land-use regression (LUR) models using only routine air quality measurement data and to evaluate the transferability of LUR models between nearby cities. In this study, we developed and evaluated the intercity transferability of annual-average LUR models for ambient respirable suspended particulates (PM10), fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) in the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area of northern Taiwan in 2019. Ambient PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O3 measurements at 30 fixed-site stations were used as the dependent variables, and a total of 156 potential predictor variables in six categories (i.e., population density, road network, land-use type, normalized difference vegetation index, meteorology and elevation) were extracted using buffer spatial analysis. The LUR models were developed using the supervised forward linear regression approach. The LUR models for ambient PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O3 achieved relatively high prediction performance, with R2 values of > 0.72 and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) R2 values of > 0.53. The intercity transferability of LUR models varied among the air pollutants, with transfer-predictive R2 values of > 0.62 for NO2 and < 0.56 for the other three pollutants. The LUR-model-based 500 m × 500 m spatial-distribution maps of these air pollutants illustrated pollution hot spots and the heterogeneity of population exposure, which provide valuable information for policymakers in designing effective air pollution control strategies. The LUR-model-based air pollution exposure estimates captured the spatial variability in exposure for participants in a cohort study. This study highlights that LUR models can be reasonably established upon a routine monitoring network, but there exist uncertainties when transferring LUR models between nearby cities. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate the intercity transferability of LUR models in Asia.

Exploring factors influencing the retention of nurses in a religious hospital in Taiwan: a cross-sectional quantitative study

BackgroundLong-term deficits in the nursing labor force and high turnover rates are common in the Taiwanese medical industry. Little research has investigated the psychological factors associated with the retention of nursing staff. However, in practice, religious hospitals often provide nursing staff with education in medicine or the medical humanities to enhance their psychological satisfaction. The objective of this study was to explore factors influencing nursing staff retention in their work in relation to different levels of needs. A further objective was to investigate whether medical humanities education was associated with the retention of nursing staff.MethodsThis study used self-administrated questionnaires to survey nurses working in northern areas of Taiwan. The questionnaire design was based on the six levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Participation was voluntary, and the participants signed informed consent documents. Self-administrated questionnaires were distributed to a total of 759 participants, and 729 questionnaires were returned (response rate 96.04%). Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the impact of seniority on nurses’ reported intention to stay after adjustment for nurse characteristics (gender and age).ResultsIn the Pearson correlation analysis, nurses’ willingness to stay was moderately correlated with “physical needs”, “safety needs”, “love and belonging needs”, and “esteem needs” (r = 0.559, P < 0.001; r = 0.533, P < 0.001; r = 0.393, P < 0.001; and r = 0.476, P < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, nurses’ willingness to stay was highly correlated with “self-actualization needs”, “beyond self-actualization needs” and “medical humanities education-relevant needs” (r = 0.707, P < 0.001; r = 0.728, P < 0.001; and r = 0.678, P < 0.001, respectively). We found that the odds ratios (ORs) of retention of nursing staff with less than 1 year (OR = 4.511, P = 0.002) or 1–3 years (OR = 3.248, P = 0.003) of work experience were significantly higher than that of those with 5–10 years of work experience.ConclusionsWith regard to medical humanities education, we recommend adjusting training, as the compulsory activities included in the official programs are inadequate, and adjusting the number of required hours of medical humanities education. Tailoring different educational programs to different groups (especially nurses who have worked 3–5 years or 5–10 years in the case study hospital) might improve acceptance by nursing staff.

Iodine nutritional status of pregnant women in an urban area of northern Taiwan in 2018.

Pregnant women are considered as one of the most vulnerable groups for iodine deficiency. The Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 2013 revealed that the median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of non-pregnant women of child-bearing age of 15–44 years was 124 μg/L, which was adequate in general, but insufficient according to pregnancy criteria. The aim of this study was to determine the iodine nutritional status of pregnant women in an urban area of Northern Taiwan. A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Random spot urine samples were collected from January to October, 2018 and UIC was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry. A food frequency questionnaire was also delivered to the participants. The overall median UIC was 225.3 μg/L (IQR: 109.1–514.2 μg/L) for 257 pregnant women ranging from 21–47 years-old. The distribution of UIC was as follows: 35.4% with UIC <150 μg/L, 17.1% with UIC within 150–249 μg/L, 21.8% with UIC within 250–499 μg/L, and 25.7% with UIC ≥500 μg/L. The use of prenatal multivitamin was very common among the participants: 79.4% (n = 204) took multivitamin either every day or less frequently, with 52.5% (n = 135) taking one pill every day, and only 20.6% (n = 53) never took multivitamin during their pregnancy. Other commonly consumed iodine-containing foods were dairy products and fish. Our results indicate that the iodine status in the studied women is adequate. However, efforts are still needed to avoid iodine deficiency as well as iodine excess.

A case study for identifying the potential challenges of water resources in the Yilan area of Taiwan: using an adaptive water footprint approach.

Yilan is the main agricultural production area of northern Taiwan, and most of the freshwater in this area is used for the irrigation of rice; however, this area lacks lakes and reservoirs for reserving and balancing supply and demand of surface water. Accordingly, the abundance of groundwater in Yilan plays a crucial role for water supplying. This case study aims to disclose the hidden and potential crisis ignored in Yilan area on its water resources by the water footprint (WF) approach, which consists of blue, green, and grey water-use components; meanwhile, three essential climatic factors temperature, rainfall, and sunshine hours are discussed for examining and identifying their influences. This study adaptively modified a top-down scheme initiated by Hoekstra and Hung 2002, Hoekstra 2003) to properly make estimations of the WF on the basis of current data situation and local condition of this case study area. The quantitative analysis results show that the total average order of magnitude of the WF of rice in Yilan was approximately estimated to around 8000m3t-1, which has a comparative disadvantage and is around six times as many as the estimation on average of global, on a decadal basis after the millennium. Notably, it reveals an extravagant water-using attitude and a situation of oversupply in Yilan since this area tends to suppose water supply from the groundwater is abundant and unlimited. In addition, the blue and green water-use components over the crop period are directly and evidently influenced by rainfall, sunshine hours, and temperature. The grey water-use component will inevitably lead a catastrophic impact due to an excessive utilization of chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides, in case the temperature keeps rising as a result of global warming and extreme weather conditions caused by the climate change. The potential challenges of freshwater resources and an inefficient as well as a carefree water-using attitude in this case study have been proved to drive the risk and need to take strategic precautions because of the gradually rising temperature, sunshine hours, and declining of the normal rainfall.

Study on Wind Simulations Using Deep Learning Techniques during Typhoons: A Case Study of Northern Taiwan

A scheme for wind-speed simulation during typhoons in Taiwan is highly desirable, considering the effects of the powerful winds accompanying the severe typhoons. The developed combination of deep learning (DL) algorithms with a weather-forecasting numerical model can be used to determine wind speed in a rapid simulation process. Here, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model was employed as the numerical simulation-based model for precomputing solutions to determine the wind velocity at arbitrary positions where the wind cannot be measured. The deep neural network (DNN) was used for constructing the DL-based wind-velocity simulation model. The experimental area of Northern Taiwan was used for the simulation. Regarding the complex typhoon system, the collected data comprised the typhoon tracks, FNL (Final) Operational Global Analysis Data for the WRF model, typhoon characteristics, and ground weather data. This study included 47 typhoon events that occurred over 2000–2017. Three measures were used to analyze the models for identifying optimal performance levels: Mean absolute error, root mean squared error, and correlation coefficient. This study compared observations with the WRF numerical model and DNN model. The results revealed that (1) simulations by using the WRF-based models were satisfactorily consistent with the observed data and (2) simulations by using the DNN model were considerably consistent with those of the WRF-based model. Consequently, the proposed DNN combined with WRF model can be effectively used in simulations of wind velocity at arbitrary positions of study area.

Association between exposures to air pollution and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in Northern Taiwan

Exposure to air pollution has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD). Biological mechanism of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation link this association. Heart rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic blood pressure (DBP), White Blood Cell (WBC), Red Blood Cell (RBC), hematocrit (HCT), and hemoglobin (HB) are some biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation related to CVD. However, study about effects of air pollution on biomarkers of CVD in specific group remains very limited. We conducted this study to measure the association between ambient air pollution and biomarkers of CVD in adult people in the urban area of northern Taiwan. We conducted this study using a cross-sectional design. We extracted biomarkers of CVD data from the daily hospital admissions of pulmonary department of Shuang-Ho Hospital in New Taipei City from 2014 to 2015. We averaged the 24 h concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2, and 8 h concentrations of O3 from the database of Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network. We analyzed the data using multiple linear regression. We used lag up to 5 previous days in the analysis to measure the delay effect of the air pollution. We controlled meteorological variables (temperature and relative humidity) and individual characteristics (sex, age, smoking status, and alcohol consumption) in the analysis. We use the beta coefficients (β) and 95% CI to express the association. We considered P-value < 0.05 as statistically significant. We found statistically significant positive associations between air pollutants and HR, SBP, and RBC concentrations and statistically significant negative associations between air pollutants and HCT concentrations. On the other hand, we found no significant association between air pollutants and DBP, WBC, and HB concentration.

Humoral immunity to mumps in a highly vaccinated population in Taiwan.

A resurgence of mumps was noted recently and outbreaks were increasingly reported in populations with high vaccine coverage. We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence to mumps in Taiwan, where a two-dose childhood mumps-containing vaccine program, with a high coverage rate, had been implemented for >20 years. The anti-mumps IgG was determined in 3552 participants of all ages in Taiwan. The age-specific seropositivity rates were calculated and the sociodemographic variables associated with the seronegative sera were analyzed with a logistic regression method. The overall seroprevalence to mumps was 71%, with a higher rate in adults ≥19 years old than in the pediatric population <19 years old (80.4% versus 62.0%, P<0.0001). In participants aged 2-20 years, who had been given at least one mumps-containing vaccine, the seropositivity fluctuated across different age subgroups and the lowest rate (36.8%) occurred in the 17-18 years age group. The multivariate analysis identified age within 17-18 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 8.598, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.990-24.722, P<0.0001), within 19-20 years (aOR 5.076, 95% CI 1.702-15.133, P=0.0080), and being a resident of the suburban area of northern Taiwan (aOR 1.089, 95% CI 0.823-1.414, P=0.0008) as independent factors associated with an increased risk of seronegative sera. The seropositivity to mumps was unexpectedly low in highly vaccinated generations, and with a significant geographical discrepancy in Taiwan, which may have been responsible for the sustained reports of mumps cases in Taiwan.

The Keelung Submarine Volcano in the near-shore area of northern Taiwan and its tectonic implication

The Taiwan mountain belt has been created due to the collision between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Northernmost Taiwan and its offshore area are now under post-collisional collapse. The post-collisional magmatism is distributed around northern Taiwan. Here we first report a submarine volcano, named Keelung Submarine Volcano, existing in the near-shore area of northern Taiwan. The high 3He/4He ratios in the collected seawater samples suggest that the magma of the Keelung Submarine Volcano is derived from a mantle source. Geometrically, both the Keelung Submarine Volcano and the Tatun Volcano Group are situated above the western border of the subducted Philippine Sea Plate and may have a same magma source. Both volcanic areas belong to the northern Taiwan volcanic zone, instead of the Ryukyu volcanic front. The Keelung Submarine Volcano has been rotated clockwise ∼48° after its formation, which implies that the Keelung Submarine Volcano has formed before the Luzon arc collided against northern Taiwan. Consequently, the post-collisional model to explain the formation of the northern Taiwan volcanic zone is questionable. As indicated by numerous shallow earthquakes and persistent emissions of the volcanic gases out of the seafloor around the volcanic cone, the Keelung Submarine Volcano is as active as the Tatun Volcano Group. For the sake of volcanic hazard assessment, it is essential to monitor the activity of the Keelung Submarine Volcano.

Impact of Differential-Item-Functioning on the Personal Epistemological Beliefs for Senior High School Students

Abstract. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the expression of items used to examine personal epistemological beliefs could affect the probabilities of response for compared groups and research outcomes. Differential-item-functioning (DIF) analysis on school types and location of school according to the Rasch model was performed in this study. Nonacademically inclined school students (n = 212) and academically inclined school students (n = 197) were selected to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three dimensions of beliefs about knowing and two dimensions of beliefs about learning. The results of the DIF analysis suggested that the items in the dimensions about knowing favor academically inclined students and students from schools located in the northern areas of Taiwan. The items in the learning dimensions favor nonacademically inclined students and students from schools located in the southern areas of Taiwan. The group comparisons were different between the scale that included the DIF items and the scale that excluded the DIF items. The discussion addresses the value of the precise detections for inappropriate items and the effect of the academic achievement on completing the survey.

The Keelung Submarine Volcano in the near-shore area of northern Taiwan and its tectonic implication

The Keelung Submarine Volcano in the near-shore area of northern Taiwan and its tectonic implication

Elderly Taiwanese's Intrinsic Risk Factors for Fall-related Injuries

Summary Background As a vital issue in geriatric research, risk factors for falls were concluded to be multifactorial, and prevention has been mostly aimed at decreasing situational and environmental risks that cause and aggravate fall-related injuries, particularly within the institutions. While knowledge is limited about older patients' intrinsic determinants, the purpose of this study was to explore elderly Taiwanese's intrinsic risk factors associated with severe fall-related injuries. Methods Between April 2011 and December 2013, medical records related to in-ward elderly patients' falls were retrieved from two teaching hospitals in the northern Taiwan area. A total of 244 elderly hospitalized patients' fall-related assessments were reviewed from the national hospital safety reporting system. Chi-square statistics and odds ratio calculations were performed to ascertain significant associations between risk factors and the severity of after-fall injuries. Results Major risk factors resulting in fall-related injuries were found to be intrinsic and not situational or environment-related. Vertigo and weakness of the legs were both significant physical and behavioral determinants, and elderly cancer patients staying in oncological wards were more likely to have severe injuries after incidents of falls, compared with those in medical and surgical wards. Female gender was not discovered as a significant factor to affect the severity of falls. Conclusion Elderly Taiwanese inpatients with existing intrinsic conditions of cancer, vertigo, and lower leg weakness were at high risk of falling, resulting in severe injuries. Additional research including controlled trials is necessary to further identify treatable, causal intrinsic risk factors for this elderly group.

Transient deformation induced by groundwater change in Taipei metropolitan area revealed by high resolution X-band SAR interferometry

We present precise deformation velocity maps for the two year period from September 2011 to July 2013 of the northern Taiwan area, Taipei, by using persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) technique for processing 18 high resolution X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images archived from COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) constellation. According to the result, the highest subsidence rates are found in Luzou and Wuku area in which the rate is about 15mm/yr and 10mm/yr respectively in the whole dataset. However, dramatic change from serve subsidence to uplift in surface deformation was revealed in the Taipei Basin in two different time spans: 2011/09–2012/09 and 2012/09–2013/07. This result shows good agreement with robust continuous GPS measurement and precise leveling survey data across the central Taipei Basin. Moreover, it also represents high correlation with groundwater table. From 8 well data in the Taipei basin, the storativity is roughly constant across most of the aquifer with values between 0.5×10−4 and 1.6×10−3 in Jingmei Formation and 0.8×10−4 and 1.4×10−3 in Wuku Formation. This high correlation indicated that one meter groundwater level change could induce about 9 and 16mm surface deformation change in Luzou and Wuku area respectively, which is about eight times faster the long-term tectonic deformation rate in this area. Thus, to access the activity of the Shanchiao Fault, it is important to discriminate tectonic movement from anthropogenic or seasonal effect in the Taipei Basin to better understand the geohazards and mitigation in the Taipei metropolitan area.

Restoration Outcomes of the Wugu Wetland in the Erchong Floodway in New Taipei City

Taiwan is surrounded by seas and has diverse soils and landscapes, a temperate climate, abundant rainfall, and longitudinal and transverse valleys and mountain ranges. These conditions afford Taiwan a rich variety of wetland environments on coasts and around its lakes and rivers. On July 3, 2013, the legislature of the Taiwanese government passed the third reading of the Wetland Conservation Act, which took effect on February 2, 2015. The act lists a total of 42 wetlands of international and national prominence and 41 others of regional prominence (provisional designation) across Taiwan. In addition, before the implementation of the act, the Ministry of the Interior reduced the total area of designated wetlands nationwide from the 56,860 hectares established in 2011 to 47,627 hectares. This study investigated the Wugu Wetland in the Erchong Floodway in New Taipei City, a wetland located in a metropolitan area of northern Taiwan that had been partially damaged from misuse, and examined the recent restoration policies for the wetland implemented by the New Taipei City government. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis was subsequently conducted to propose feasible strategies for positive restoration outcomes of the wetland.

Vp/Vs distribution in the northern Taiwan area: Implications for the tectonic structures and rock property variations

The ratio of compressional-wave velocity (Vp) to shear-wave velocity (Vs) is often indicative of lithology and rock conditions. In this study, we determine the Vp/Vs characteristics for the different tectonic features in northern Taiwan and quantify the crack density and saturation by using the OB74 method. The result shows that the highest Vp/Vs values are located beneath the Western Foothills at depths between 4 and 21km. These Vp/Vs highs are simultaneously characterized by low Vp and low Vs, suggesting the presence of fluids. The average crack density and saturation for each depth can reach as high as 25% and 91% at depths of 7 and 11km, respectively. This distribution could be caused by the presence of less compacted sediments within the foreland basin and the progressive convergence of crustal faults with depth. As the shallow portion of the foreland basin is highly fractured, fluids could infiltrate into deeper parts to create a highly saturated environment. However, when the depth is deeper than 11km, the high crack density and saturation area migrate from the west to the east of the Shanchiao Fault. This observation may indicate the presence of a preexisting syn-rift basin buried at depth during the collision. In the Ilan Plain, the highest crack density and saturation are observed in its northeastern portion at a depth of 4km with values of 17.1% and 60.3%, respectively. However, slightly high saturation values spread throughout the plain at a depth of 15km, which may indicate a possible fluid conduit from a deep, hot rock body to the surface and could be applied toward studies on geothermal fluid activity.

Quantitative estimation of land surface evapotranspiration in Taiwan based on MODIS data

Land surface evapotranspiration (ET) determines the local and regional water-heat balances. Accurate estimation of regional surface ET provides a scientific basis for the formulation and implementation of water conservation programs. This study set up a table of the momentum roughness length and zero-plane displacement related with land cover and an empirical relationship between land surface temperature and air temperature. A revised quantitative remote sensing ET model, the SEBS-Taiwan model, was developed. Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, SEBS-Taiwan was used to simulate and evaluate the typical actual daily ET values in different seasons of 2002 and 2003 in Taiwan. SEBS-Taiwan generally performed well and could accurately simulate the actual daily ET. The simulated daily ET values matched the observed values satisfactorily. The results indicate that the net regional solar radiation, evaporation ratio, and surface ET values for the whole area of Taiwan are larger in summer than in spring, and larger in autumn than in winter. The results also show that the regional average daily ET values of 2002 are a little higher than those of 2003. Through analysis of the ET values from different types of land cover, we found that forest has the largest ET value, while water areas, bare land, and urban areas have the lowest ET values. Generally, the Northern Taiwan area, including Ilan County, Nantou County, and Hualien County, has higher ET values, while other cities, such as Chiayi, Taichung, and Tainan, have lower ET values.

An Efficient Algorithm for Vehicle Guidance Combining Dijkstra and A Algorithm with Fuzzy Inference Theory

Most of the studies on vehicle navigation are based on the use of an existing path-searching algorithm. However, finding the optimum path requires a lot of computation, which is quite limited on mobile devices. To improve the efficiency of vehicle navigation systems, we need to develop a suboptimum path-searching technique to save on computation for car navigation systems. In this study, fuzzy theory is applied to the path-searching algorithm. The drivers' collected expertise is collected into the fuzzy rule base system. Combining fuzzy inference theory with Dijkstra's algorithm and A algorithm significantly reduces path computation time, and the result is more similar to drivers' actual driving habits. In the simulation in the northern area of Taiwan, the results of our experiments show our proposed method is either more efficient or has a shorter path than Dijkstra algorithm, A algorithm and other algorithms.

Indicator species and seasonal succession of planktonic copepod assemblages driven by the interplay of subtropical and temperate waters in the southern East China Sea

The northeastern region off Taiwan exhibits a high marine diversity favoured by the influence of northern and subtropical water masses driven by the East China Sea Water and the Kuroshio current (KC), respectively. A total of 87 species of copepods representing 36 genera were identified in present study. Calanoida was the most dominant order, while Temora turbinata (Dana, 1849), Paracalanus parvus (Claus, 1863) and Ditrichocorycaeus affinis (McMurrich, 1916) appeared as most dominant species. However, we noticed the unusual presence of the copepod Calanoides philippinensis Kitou &amp; Tanaka, 1969 in concurrence with the dominant influence of KC, which suggests a larger intrusion of South China Sea (SCS) waters into the northeast Taiwan region. C. philippinensis is an exclusive species of the warm subtropical Pacific waters. Its presence in the northern Taiwan region may reflect a larger intrusion of warm SCS waters. We therefore suggest its potential use as a bioindicator of southern, tropical waters in the northern Taiwan area.