Kinmen Island Research Articles

The genus Phygasia Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) in Taiwan

The Taiwanese species of Phygasia are reviewed. Phygasia diluta Chûjô, 1963 is recognized as a valid species and is removedfrom synonymy with P. ornata Baly, 1876. It is a senior subjective synonym of P. taiwanensis Ge et al., 2010. The widely dis-tributed P. ornata Baly, 1876 is not found on the island of Taiwan but occurs on the Kinmen Island. A new species, P. chengi, parapatric with P. diluta, is described. A key to the Taiwanese species of Phygasia is provided.

The ixodid ticks collected from dogs and other animals in Taiwan and Kinmen Island

A total of 594 ticks were collected from the environment, dogs, cattle, goats, small mammals, birds, a turtle, a snake, a bat and a human. Morphological identification of 509 ticks resulted in the listing of the following species: Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis warburtoni, Haemaphysalis phasiana, Haemaphysalis campanulata, Ixodes acutitarsus and Amblyomma geoemydae.

Comparative study on retardation behavior of Cs in crushed and intact rocks: two potential repository host rocks in the Taiwan area

This study investigates sorption and diffusion of Cs in two potential host rocks (granite from Kinmen Island and basalt from Penghu Island) by using batch and through-diffusion methods in order to establish a reliable safety assessment methodology. These methods were applied to crushed and intact rock samples to investigate the actual geological environment. According to solid-phase analysis, including X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, auto radiography, and polar microscopy, the sorption component primarily contained iron–magnesium (Fe–Mg) minerals in basalt and granite. Moreover, the distribution coefficient (Kd) of Cs in various concentrations (~10−2–10−7 M) obtained from batch tests indicated a higher sorption capacity in basalt than that in granite because of the 10% Fe–Mg mineral content. The diffusion of Cs in both crushed granite and basalt reached steady state after 110 days, and the apparent diffusion coefficients (Da) were 2.86 × 10−11 and 1.82 × 10−12 m2/s, respectively. However, the value of Da for Cs in intact rocks was estimated to be 1.45 × 10−12 m2/s in granite and 0.56 × 10−12 m2/s in basalt, lower than the values obtained using crushed rocks. In addition to the microporous structure (major sorption minerals), it showed that the major retardation of Cs depended on the porosity (θ) of compacted media, according to through-diffusion tests. In fact, the solid/liquid (S/L) ratio decreased as is the case when switching from batch to column experiments and the sorption effect on minerals became even more negligible in retardation of radionuclide migration.

Construction of a Museum: An Example of Cultural Education

Kinmen Island has been removed the views of military victory and the military control, such as cross-strait reconciliation period of withdrawal of the people such as Kinmen residents, foreign nationals, Chinese nationals, Taiwan aborigines, and younger generation in Kinmen Island, etc. Moreover, Kinmen has been generating political recognition and qualitative change from the post-modernist re-interpretation of modernism in the international orientation. Historical research methods, action research, knowledge management, the concept of national defense education structure proposed the image of construction of Kinmen Military Museum and corrected with the nature of present sightseeing tour like abandoned military static display of feel-good impression, the proposed construction of the North Nancy tourist routes, the 3D multimedia show, the development of Kinmen overview. Kinmen attractions with RFID or smart mobile phone to broadcast system explain tourism standardization. The goal of the MRT journey is supplemented by the tour guide to accompany the details of individuals, to upgrade the standard of tourism on the ground of accelerated integration of the national culture, to create both China and Taiwan residents the goal of permanent peace.

The good souvenir: representations of Okinawa and Kinmen islands in Asia

Representations of indigenous Okinawa shisa (Japan) and Kinmen wind lion totems (Taiwan) are popular tourist souvenirs. They are also commonly used in destination tourism promotion as logos or mascots. Some tourism research describes these practices as exploitative and damaging to local culture. Other research suggests that resident consensus, local production and government sponsorship can produce a good souvenir that benefits local identity and economy. This paper reports on a semiotic analysis of these cultural representations as found onsite at these two destinations. Photographs are interpreted as index, icon and symbol according to Peirce's semiotics compared. Seven types of representations were found that indicate complex relationships between original totems and their variations. The representations are the same for both destinations. This comparative research finds that each type of representation has a unique place in the tourism economy, but all are held together as a coherent whole by the form and location of the original totems. The good souvenir is a product of creative marketing and sponsorship and vigilant preservation of cultural heritage. The original totem form should be immutable; its value and significance increases over time. As commercial duplications proliferate, government policy should protect the originals and fix them in their physical locations.

The Updated Strategies in the Management of Hyperuricemia and Gout in Taiwan

There is a significant advancement in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty in the current Taiwan, but gout was only a rare disease before the World War II. The first case was diagnosed in 1915, and the second was a tophaceous gout described by a Japanese Dr Tsuda in 1920. However, the case number increased dramatically after the War II, and it was majorly due to changing life style. A large-scaled community-based cohort study in a remote Kinmen island found the transformation with younger onset, increased female patients, and more with metabolic syndrome but less severe tophaceous gout. The most recent studies disclosed that the prevalence of hyperuricemia is around 20%, and gout 1-2%. The prevalence rate is much higher among aborigines, which genetically belong to Malayo-Polynesian, around 50% for hyperuricemia and 10% for gout. The studies found Atayal familial gout locus linked to ADMCKD on 1q21 region, HGPRT (Tsou) gene, and reduced fractional UA clearance, which connect to gout and hyperuricemia in aborigines. A prospective cohort study from the nationwide MJ Health Screening Centers reported hyperuricemia was an independent risk factor of mortality from all causes, total cardiovascular disease and ischemic stroke. Another study from databank of CGMH found that hyperuricemia is strongly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, from our national Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID), gout linked to cancer risk and increased mortality from cardiovascular, endocrine and renal causes.

High wintertime particulate matter pollution over an offshore island (Kinmen) off southeastern China: An overview

Both the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD), the two most rapidly developing areas in eastern China, have suffered from serious air pollution, and thus, numerous investigations were devoted to studying these problems. Other areas in eastern China have received less attention despite similar rapid development in their industries and economy. In this study, we analyzed air‐quality data from Kinmen Island (24°27′26″N, 118°19′36″E) located off Fujian Province and between the two above‐mentioned deltas. Our results clearly show that the study area is experiencing serious air quality deterioration. Particularly, high levels of suspended particulate matter (PM) were observed during winter, when the northeasterly monsoon prevails. For example, concentrations of wintertime PM10 (particles ≤ 10 μm in diameter) frequently exceeded 100 μg/m3 in the last three years. In addition to the air‐quality data analysis, aerosol samples were collected between 22 November 2007 and 6 March 2008 and subjected to chemical analyses of various species. Our findings show that the three principal PM components include organic, mineral, and sulfate species with moderate to minor fractions of nitrate, sea salt, elemental carbon, and trace metal oxides. The high PM levels observed over the island may be partly attributed to the transport from a mixed‐type industrial area located ∼40 km northeast of Kinmen. Our study could partially fill the air quality data gap between the YRD and PRD regions, and highlight the alarming fact that air pollution has gradually expanded along eastern China's coastal zone.

Pilot study of drinking water treatment with GAC, O 3/BAC and membrane processes in Kinmen Island, Taiwan

A study on advanced treatment of drinking water was conducted in a pilot scale plant in Tai Lake, Kinmen, Taiwan. The raw water contains a high concentration of disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors and causes serious odor problems. Chlorination of the raw water produced higher haloacetic acid formation potential (HAAFP) than trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). Therefore, the high concentration of NOMs, which is the major source of DBP precursors, and the removal efficiencies of non-purgeable dissolved organic carbon (NPDOC), UV 254, THMFP, HAAFP, 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), and trans-1, 10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (geosmin) were evaluated for both conventional and advanced water treatment processes. 2-MIB and geosmin can be removed efficiently by the GAC and O 3/BAC process, but bromo-THMs cannot. In addition, the removal efficiency of HAAFP was higher than that of THMFP by the GAC or O 3/BAC process. The ultrafiltration (UF)-nanofiltration (NF) combined process showed removal efficiencies for NPDOC, UV 254, THMFP, HAAFP of 88.7%, 94%, 84.3% and 97.5%, respectively. This study found that the GAC or O 3/BAC process is a promising way to treat odor problems, and the UF–NF membrane process was one of the best available ways to remove NOMs and DBP formation potential.

Of Kaoliang, Bullets and Knives: Local Entrepreneurs and the Battlefield Tourism Enterprise in Kinmen (Quemoy), Taiwan

This paper explores the role of local entrepreneurs in the branding of Kinmen (Quemoy) Island, Taiwan as a battlefield tourism destination. Kinmen's identity as a former battlefield presents both challenges and opportunities in positioning and branding it as a tourist destination. It is argued that a tourist destination is not a static entity, but is ‘fluid and created through performance’. Therefore, the Kinmen Brand is a result of both top-down ‘imagineering’ efforts by the state and bottom-up initiatives by local entrepreneurs, who are seen here as performing their identities. Locally produced tourism products and their symbolic meanings will be discussed to highlight entrepreneurs’ creative contributions to the island's battlefield tourism landscape. In all, it is believed that planners’ identification of Kinmen has to be substantiated by locals’ self-recognition with the island's identity so as to sustain any branding effort. Conversely, the emerging market of tourists from the People's Republic of China (PRC) will require increased sensitivity to a different audience. While the brand for the domestic market often alludes to patriotism and nationhood arising from the war, such messages might need to be toned down for the PRC market.

An assessment on the planning and construction of an island renewable energy system – A case study of Kinmen Island

During the last 50 years, Kinmen's economy has gone from military-based to increasingly tourism-based, Kinmen has been putting various constructions into action, and hence, the demand for electricity supply is getting higher relatively while the province is pushing various constructions. Nowadays, Kinmen County Government has made directions for future developments already and kept on promoting the sustainable development of Kinmen Island in order to make it a suitable place for living. According to the development blueprint, the future resident population will increase to around 150 ∼ 200 thousand people so the relative electricity consumption in Kinmen Island will cause serious problems for Taipower in addition to large scale environmental pollution. The present study researches on both the limitation and independence of this particular island and presumes the electricity power supply will be provided through renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, wind energy, and tidal power generation and so on, whereby it will achieve the target of energy saving and carbon reduction successfully soon. Upon the construction process of the renewable energy sources, this study will simultaneously assess the eco-environment and social conditions on the island to evaluate the feasibility of existing renewable energy technologies which are more mature and determine the optimum renewable energy system that shall be constructed in the Kinmen region in the near future, in order to replace traditional energy sources. Meanwhile, it will assist the related energy industries to create an ultra-clean environment in Kinmen with self-developing power and enhance international competition forces so as to establish a positive international image of environmental protection by achieving a habitat with energy self-sufficiency, and ultimately the empirical model can be duplicated and promoted to other islands.

Population status and distribution of freshwater turtles in Taiwan

AbstractBecause of burgeoning demand in the Chinese market and extensive habitat loss more than half of the freshwater turtle and tortoise species in Asia are categorized as Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. To investigate the distribution and status of the native freshwater turtle species of Taiwan a trapping programme was conducted during 2001–2007, yielding a total of 1,828 individuals of four native species at 103 sites.Mauremys sinensiswas the most abundant and widely distributed species; it was collected from 70 sites and accounted for 78.6% of all turtles captures.Mauremys muticacomprised 17.8% at 46 sites.Pelodiscus sinensiswere captured in low numbers at 19 sites. NoMauremys reevesiiwere collected on the main island of Taiwan but the species was found on Kinmen Island near mainland China. Capture success was low at most sites and overall sex ratios were significantly male-biased in all species, suggesting that the freshwater turtles have suffered from the negative effects of habitat disturbance and extensive exploitation. Effective conservation measures are urgently required to ensure the viability of the native freshwater turtle species of Taiwan.

Assessing Destination Image Through Combining Tourist Cognitive Perceptions with Destination Resources

The primary objective of the study is to assess tourist destination image through (1) measuring Xiamen tourists' cognitive image of Kinmen Island, and (2) analyzing main and subordinate resources of Kinmen. The major findings show that Kinmen Island is “a pleasant place for tour” and “a mystic place” for the mainland Chinese tourists. It also implies that tourists' curiosity, not the substantial resources about the destination, could be one of the reasons for their choices. The results of this study suggest tourism industry on the Island cannot merely depend on tourists' curiosity or the mysteriousness of the destination. It is essential to provide a product with integrity for the planning of the tourism industry of Kinmen.

Brand(ing) Kinmen: a tourism perspective

The recent proliferation of academic works on 'place branding' has led to a burgeoning interest in 'island branding'. This paper posits that islands are geographical features that possess unique characteristics and experience distinctive circumstances and, thus, deserve to be analysed on their own terms. In particular, it explores the intricacies in the branding of Kinmen Island, Taiwan, as a battlefield tourism destination. This case study confronts the typical island lure – of sun, sand and sea – and creates an opportunity for some distinct positioning in the global tourism market. The discussion shows the importance for tourism planners to recognise the unique character of the island to localise development projects in terms of its geographical particularity and landscape identity. Furthermore, it is argued that the branding of Kinmen is not merely a top-down process; the Kinmen brand is a result of both top-down 'imagineering' efforts by the state and the bottom-up branding practices of local entrepreneurs, Kinmen's people and tourists. It is believed that tourists' identification of an island has to be substantiated by locals' self-recognition with the island's identity to sustain any branding effort.

Microsatellites for the hoopoes (Upupa epops) and their application to the parentage analysis

We isolated and characterized nine polymorphic microsatellite loci from a partial genomic library enriched for tetranucleotide repeats in the hoopoe (Upupa epops). A panel of up to 34 adult individuals with unknown relationship was used to characterize polymorphism of these loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 11 and the observed heterozygosity of each locus ranged from 0.250 to 0.853. Only one locus deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, with the excess of homozygote. By using five of the nine loci, we conducted paternity analysis on a population of hoopoe on Kinmen Island. The probability of false parent exclusion is 0.984 for the set of loci. In 20 clutches containing parents and juveniles, only one young was sired by extra-pair copulation. In addition to paternity analysis, these microsatellite markers should be useful in population studies for this widely distributed species.

Nest site restoration increases the breeding density of blue-tailed bee-eaters

For birds that excavate their own nest burrows, the availability of suitable nest sites and substrates may influence the number and density of breeding birds. However, few studies of burrow-nesting birds have experimentally manipulated nest site or substrate availability. The blue-tailed bee-eater ( Merops philippinus) is a colony breeding, summer migrant that excavates nest burrows in sandy banks on Kinmen Island, 5 km east of mainland China. To test whether substrate availability influenced the density or reproductive success of breeding pairs of bee-eaters, we removed all vegetation and old nest holes on treated slopes and left control slopes unmanipulated in 2003 and 2004. Plant cover on control slopes was 37.7% (11.9–67.7%). Slope gradient, soil penetration resistance and vegetation height in front of slopes did not differ between treated and control slopes in either year. Combining data from both years, the density of active nests was significantly higher (3.1-fold) on treated slopes than on control slopes. However, the reproductive performance of bee-eaters nesting on treated and control slopes did not differ in either year. Thus, removing vegetation and old nest holes from slopes with sandy loam soil improved the breeding habitat and increased the number of breeding blue-tailed bee-eaters. This technique could be used to support and manage populations of this species and other burrow-nestling species with similar habitat requirements.

First Detection and Molecular Identification of Borrelia burgdorferi-like Spirochetes in Ixodes granulatus Ticks Collected on Kinmen Island of Taiwan

Borrelia burgdorferi-like spirochetes were detected for the first time in Ixodes granulatus ticks collected in Taiwan. The genetic identities of these detected spirochetes were determined by analyzing the gene sequences amplified by a genospecies-specific polymerase chain reaction assay based on the outer surface protein A (OspA) gene of B. burgdorferi sensu lato. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the sequence similarity of these spirochetes, ranging from 90.5% to 98.7% is highly homogeneous within the B. burgdorferi sensu stricto genospecies and clearly distinguishable from other Borrelia genospecies. These results provide the first evidence of B. burgdorferi spirochetes detected in I. granulatus ticks and confirm their genetic relationship to B. burgdorferi sensu stricto.

Alternative water resources in granitic rock: a case study from Kinmen Island, Taiwan

Kinmen Island is a small, tectonically stable, granitic island that has been suffering from a scarcity of fresh water resources due to excessive annual evapotranspiration over annual precipitation. Recent studies further indicate that shallow (0–70 m) sedimentary aquifers, the major sources of groundwater supply, have already been over-exploited. Therefore, this preliminary study is to investigate the existence of exploitable water resources that can balance the shortage of fresh water on this island. Site characterization data are obtained from island-wide geophysical surveys as well as small-scale tests performed in a study area formed by three deep (maximum depth to 560 m) vertical boreholes installed in mid-east Kinmen northeast to Taiwu Mountain. Vertical fracture frequency data indicate that the rock body is fractured with a spatially correlated pattern, from which three major fracture zones (depths 0–70, 330–360, and below 450 m) can be identified. Geologic investigations indicate that the deepest fracture zone is caused by the large-scale, steeply dipping Taiwushan fault. This fault may have caused a laterally extensive low-resistivity zone, a potential fractured aquifer, near Taiwu Mountain. The middle fracture zone is induced by the Taiwushan fault and intersects the fault approximately 21 m southeast of the study area below a depth of 350 m. Slug testing results yield fracture transmissivity varying from 4.8 × 10−7 to 2.2 × 10−4 m2/s. Cross-hole tests have confirmed that hydraulic connectivity of the deeper rock body is controlled by the Taiwushan fault and the middle fracture zone. This connectivity may extend vertically to the sedimentary aquifers through high-angle joint sets. Despite the presence of a flow barrier formed by doleritic dike at about 300 m depth, the existence of fresh as well as meteoric water in the deeper rock body manifests that certain flow paths must exist through which the deeper fractured aquifers can be connected to the upper rock body. Therefore, groundwater stored within the Taiwushan fault and the associated low-resistivity zone can be considered as additional fresh water resources for future exploitation.

Geochemical investigation of groundwater in a Granitic Island: a case study from Kinmen Island, Taiwan

Kinmen Island is principally composed of low permeable granitoid and covered by a very thin sedimentary layer. Both surface and groundwater resources are limited and water demand is increasing with time. The groundwater in the granitoid has been surveyed as an alternative water source for daily use. Two to five highly fractured zones in the granitoid aquifer for each site were first determined by geochemical well logging. Accordingly, ten samples were collected from three sites. Using environmental isotopes and geochemical modeling, geochemical processes occurring due to water–rock interaction in the granitoid aquifer can be quantitatively interpreted. The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in groundwaters cluster along Taiwan’s local meteoric waterline, indicating evaporation does not have considerable effect on groundwaters. Given such a high evaporation rate for Kinmen Island, this result implies that infiltration rate of groundwater is high enough to reduce retention time through a well-developed fracture zone. NetpathXL is employed for inverse geochemical modeling. Results determine gypsum as being the major source of sulfate for deep groundwaters. The contribution from pyrite is minor. In addition, the weathering of albite to kaolinite is the dominant water–rock interaction characterizing geochemical compositions of deep groundwater in Kinmen Island.

Tourism development planning using analytic network process

Tourism is a multi-sectoral activity and complicated for conceiving a tourism development planning. In this research, a systematic approach for selecting a proper location for tourism development is proposed. We deemed that the committee who intend the pattern of tourism to be developed would influence the weighting process of the characteristics and vice versa. Hence, in the selection process, the relationship between the patterns of tourism and the characteristics of location for developing tourism are considered. The weightings of characteristics that will be used to evaluate the candidate locations and a suitable tourism pattern for the selected location for tourism development are determined simultaneously. An ANP approach with the capability in handling this recursive dilemma is applied to deal with this problem. A case of developing a tourism planning for the selected Kinmen Island in Taiwan ROC is used to illustrate and verify this approach. According to the results of the analysis, the elaborated tourism and leisure tourism that restricts to reducing the facilities construction for commercial purpose, emphasising the sightseeing of natural scenery and reserving a larger area for conservational species is suggested for the patterns of tourism development in this island.

Genetic Analysis of the Flagella Gene of Lyme Disease Spirochetes ( Borrelia burgdorferi) Isolated from the Offshore Kinmen Island of Taiwan

The flagella gene of Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) was analyzed for the first time in Taiwan. The genetic identities of these Taiwan isolates (TWKM17) were clarified by comparing their sequence similarities and nucleotide distance values of the PCR-amplified flagella genes with three major genospecies of Lyme disease spirochetes for human infection and other zoonotic species of Borrelia spirochetes. Results from 26 isolates indicate that the sequence similarity of these Taiwan isolates revealed a highly homogeneous genotype, ranging from 99.3% to 100%, within the genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto and was distinguished from other genospecies of Borrelia isolates. Moreover, the nucleotide distance values performed by a pairwise distance calculation (Kimura 2-parameter distance) revealed a highly homogeneity ( 0.05) among other genospecies of spirochetes. The phylogenetic analysis also demonstrated that all these Taiwan isolates were closely related to the genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto within the same phylogenic group of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and can be clearly distinguished from other zoonotic species of Borrelia isolates. Thus, we conclude that all these Taiwan isolates should be classified into the genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto based on the genetic identity of the flagella gene.