Taipei County Research Articles

Application of Data Mining on the Development of a Disease Distribution Map of Screened Community Residents of Taipei County in Taiwan

This study used data mining techniques to investigate disease forms in various administrative areas and to analyze the differences among various administrative areas in order to further draw up a disease distribution map. It is hoped that may help formulate future public health strategies and to allocate medical resources more appropriately. The major disease forms for residents under the age of 60 were hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. In regard to the neighboring areas, three neighboring areas, A1, A3, and B9, shared the same disease problems with A4, A5, and B3, while two mountain-area cities, B7 and C10, experienced higher instances of liver function impairment. In terms of the clustering phenomenon among municipally graded administrative areas, the major health problems in Grade A cities were hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. The health problems such as liver function impairment and renal dysfunction were more frequently observed in Grade B and Grade C cities.

The effects of transported Asian dust on the composition and concentration of ambient fungi in Taiwan

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of transported Asian dust and other environmental parameters on the levels and compositions of ambient fungi in the atmosphere of northern Taiwan. We monitored Asian dust events in Taipei County, Taiwan from January 2003 to June 2004. We used duplicate Burkard portable air samplers to collect ambient fungi before, during, and after dust events. Six transported Asian dust events were monitored during the study period. Elevated concentrations of Aspergillus (A. niger, specifically), Coelomycetes, Rhinocladiella, Sporothrix and Verticillium were noted (p < 0.05) during Asian dust periods. Botryosporium and Trichothecium were only recovered during dust event days. Multiple regression analysis showed that fungal levels were positively associated with temperature, wind speed, rainfall, non-methane hydrocarbons and particulates with aerodynamic diameters ≤10 μm (PM(10)), and negatively correlated with relative humidity and ozone. Our results demonstrated that Asian dust events affected ambient fungal concentrations and compositions in northern Taiwan. Ambient fungi also had complex dynamics with air pollutants and meteorological factors. Future studies should explore the health impacts of ambient fungi during Asian dust events, adjusting for the synergistic/antagonistic effects of weather and air pollutants.

Self-reports of Pap smear screening in women with physical disabilities

We collected self reported rate of cervical smear testing and to examine the affecting factors in women with physical disabilities in the study, to define the reproductive health care for this group of people. The study population recruited 521women with physical disabilities aged more than 15 years who were officially registered as having physical disabilities in Taipei County, Taiwan. Those people with physical disabilities include following: upper and low limb, spinal cord injury and other nervous system impairments. Results found that there were 71.5% participants had ever used the Pap smear tests in their life time and mean age of the first screening was 39.21±10.16 years (range=20–85 years). Nearly 41% of participants expressed that they had accepted the screening within 1 year and 28.1% reported they used the Pap smear screening regularly. Our study also found women with physical disabilities have higher use of Pap smear tests than does the general population in Taiwan (74% vs. 64% in aged ≥30 years). Logistic regression model for the use of Pap smear test indicated that those married women (OR=12.06, 95% CI=6.85–21.22), with mild level of disability (OR=2.10, 95% CI=1.05–4.21) and high cognitive level toward Pap smear information were factors to affect the use of Pap smear in the study participants. We suggest the further study should conduct to examine the quality perception and follow-up service of Pap smear test for women with physical disabilities, to ensure the health care right for this group of women.

Empirical Modelling of Regional House Prices and the Ripple Effect

This paper investigates the stationarity properties and long-run relationship of Taiwan’s regional house prices from 1993Q1 to 2009Q2. It applies the recent unit-root test of the panel seemingly unrelated regressions augmented Dickey–Fuller (SURADF) test developed by Breuer et al. The empirical results illustrate that Taiwan’s regional house prices are a mixture of stationary and non-stationary processes, showing that the stationarity properties of these prices are dependent on the structure and properties of the various regions. Secondly, the findings of the cointegration test provide substantive evidence for a long-run relationship among all regions except Taipei City, implying a diffusion of regional house prices among each regional market except Taipei City. Finally, the results of the weak exogeneity test indicate that uni-directional causality relationships exist for three regions—Taipei County, Taoyuan-Hsinchu and Tainan-Kaohsiung—towards Taichung. The regional house price efficiently diffuses itself among these regions, caused by a much smaller public housing sector and the pre-sale system in Taiwan.

Legal Impact and Dispute Resolution of Disaster in Taiwan: Lessons Learned from Typhoon Aere

The combination of a natural disaster and human ignorance, such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, can incur enormous property damage and loss of life. In August 2004, Typhoon Aere hit Taiwan and flooded over one-third of Sanchung City, in Taipei County. The attempt by a contractor to save New Taiwan Dollar 1,000 (about United States Dollar 30) resulted in enormous loss of property and as many as 18,941 claims. This case study examines the following possibility of tort claims, criminal charges, and administrative action in Taiwan. Alternative dispute-resolution (ADR) methods and processing proposition of disasters would be other issues discussed in this paper. The catastrophe revealed how government agencies and contractors deal with victims and restore order to society. Years of research expose that an integration of various dispute-resolution methods is constructive to achieve favorable outcomes, and a stepwise approach consisting of ADR methods is effective in resolving disputes after Typhoon Aere as well.

Creativity strategy selection for the higher education system

As one of the major developing locations that are playing a critical role in determining the national competitive advantage to accomplish the Taiwanese national goal of becoming a Republic of Creativity (ROC) and a kingdom of innovation, Taipei County has started to become a highlighted issue by both researchers and practitioners. Because a higher education system is at the core of generating innovation in a nation, how to prompt the creativity of higher education system in Taipei County has been one of the top concerns for the Taipei County government. Therefore, the aim of this study is to select critical creativity strategies that were developed by the Taipei County government for the higher education system to implement creativity improvement and enhancement. Based on the results, the most effective creativity strategy is Creative Intelligence. The higher education system in Taipei County is encouraged to improve and enhance creativity in accordance with the results so as to enhance the Taiwanese innovation level and fulfill the Taiwanese national goal of efficiency.

The 10-Year Follow-Up Check for Hypertensive Children Found in Mass Urine Screening Program in Taiwan: A Case-Control Study

Purpose: This study investigated the outcome of childhood hypertension among children urine screened positive for proteinuria, glucosuria and/or hematuria. Methods: Between 1992 and 2000, an islandwide mass urine screening program for proteinuria, glucosuria, and hematuria was conducted annually for all students aged 6–18 years in Taiwan Province. Among 732 students also found to be hypertensive in Taipei County, 164 were invited for a follow-up check in 2006 for their present health status. They were compared with 97 good-friend controls (invited by cases) for blood pressure, anthropometric and lipid measures, etc. Results: Compared with controls, cases were younger but had greater body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, blood pressure, and lipidemia prevalence. The stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that cases were at greater risk than controls for chronic disease (odds ratio [OR]=3.27 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.17–9.12), low high-density lipoprotein (OR=1.76, 95% CI=1.01–3.09), pre-hypertension (OR=2.97, 95% CI=1.43–6.15), and greater waist to hip ratio (OR=6.46, 95% CI=1.87–22.3). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that children screened with hypertension remain at elevated risk of having chronic disease and risk factors associated with hypertension.

Acute Emphysematous Cholecystitis

Received: August 27, 2009 Accepted for publication: September 18, 2009 From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medical Imaging Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan Address reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Min-Po Ho Department of Emergency Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital 21 Section 2, Nanya South Road, Panchiao 220, Taipei County, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Tel: (02)89667000 ext 1122 Fax: (02)89660454 E-mail: hominpo@yahoo.com.tw 急重症影像

Effects of water washing on removing organic residues in bottom ashes of municipal solid waste incinerators

Due to their potential toxicity and odourous nature, the residual organics in municipal solid waste incinerators are recently gaining attention as an important issue of resources recovery apart from their complex mixture of organic counterpart. Studies of the organic fractions in municipal solid waste incinerator residues have been limited. In this study, extended solid-phase extraction of the water-washed bottom ash and liquid-phase extraction of the washing water were carried out with regard to bottom ash samples from three mass-burning incinerators in Taipei County (Taiwan) during four consecutive seasons of year 2008–2009. Supercritical fluid extraction and Soxtec extraction techniques along with GC–MS were successfully used to characterize the residual organics in weathered and washed bottom ashes. Supercritical fluid extraction provided the quantification of aliphatics and aromatic compounds such as hexanoic acid and benzaldehyde, respectively. Soxtec extraction was useful for qualitative analysis of aromatic and aliphatic groups in the ashes and many of which were odourous and toxic compounds. By mixing one unit weight (g) bottom ash with two unit volume (mL) water for 15 min, total organic carbon in the bottom ash was greatly reduced (e.g., from 4.1 to 1.8 wt.%). Among the removed were foul odour-causing compounds such as pyridine and quinoline derivatives, while some aromatic compounds such as 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and low-molecular-weight aliphatics such as hexanoic acid remained. The results here suggest that washing with water can be an effective pre-treatment step for removing odour-causing and environmental concerned organics.

Comparison of Length of Hospital Stay Between Taipei City and Hualien County in Spinal Trauma Patients

Background/Purpose Urban and rural regions have different levels of medical resources. This study aimed to compare the length of stay (LOS) in hospital of spinal trauma patients between the city of Taipei (urban region) and Hualien County (rural region). Methods Demographic and clinical variables of spinal trauma patients were collected. Patients' LOS in hospital and associated factors were analyzed. Results There were significant differences in sex ( p = 0.025), injury season ( p = 0.007), type of neurologic deficit ( p = 0.006), and number of associated injuries ( p = 0.004) between patients in these two regions. Regression analysis indicated that with increased age, the hospitalization days and intensive care unit days increased in Taipei. The hospitalization days of patients in Hualien County increased when patients were injured during January to March. Conclusion Factors affecting patients' LOS in hospital were different between the two regions. Prevention strategies are necessary to be aware of different factors affecting LOS between urban and rural regions.

Effects of Family Environmental Factors on Preschool Children's Motor

The purpose of this study was to delve into the influences of both family physical and psycho-social environmental factors on children's motor abilities. The study subjects consisted of 1,220 kindergarteners and their parents from 53 registered public and private kindergartens in Taipei County. The parents were requested to fill out Children's Family Environment and Their Motor Abilities Survey Form. Then, their children's motor abilities were tested. Statistical methods including one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test was used to analyze the acquired data. The main findings of the study were as follows: 1. Children with an easy access to sports equipment at home showed better performance in explosive strength, agility, coordination, muscular endurance and speed. 2. Children living in the vicinity of safe playgrounds showed better performance in balance, explosive strength, agility, muscular endurance and speed. 3. Children with more than three siblings showed better performance in balance, explosive strength, agility, muscular endurance and speed. 4. Children whose fathers’ were good at sports showed better performance in agility and muscular endurance. 5. Children whose mothers' were good at sports showed better performance in balance and muscular endurance. 6. Children with more than four playmates of the same age in the neighborhood showed better performance in agility, coordination, muscular endurance and speed. The findings of the present study concludes that children with an easy access to sports equipment at home, living in the vicinity of safe playgrounds, with more than three siblings, whose parents' were good at sports or who have more than four playmates of the same age in the neighborhood showed better performance in motor abilities.

The use of statistical process control (risk‐adjusted CUSUM, risk‐adjusted RSPRT and CRAM with prediction limits) for monitoring the outcomes of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest patients rescued by the EMS system

Based on previous experience from surgical surveillance, risk-adjusted cumulative sum (CUSUM)-type charts were applied to monitor out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient mortality. Data from 2356 OHCA patients were collected by the Taipei County Fire Bureau from June 2006 to November 2007. Logistic regression analysis was applied to create a risk-adjusted model. Next, a risk-adjusted CUSUM chart, a risk-adjusted resetting sequential probability ratio test chart and a cumulative risk-adjusted mortality with prediction limits chart were used to detect excess deaths of the OHCA patients rescued by the emergency medical service (EMS) system. The overall mortality rate, defined as having no return of spontaneous circulation, was 79.3%. These three charts signalled an increase in the death rate at similar sites, and also suggested a small process shift. A visual approach to EMS systems monitoring that combines the risk-adjusted cumulative sum, Risk-adjusted resetting sequential probability ratio test and cumulative risk-adjusted mortality with prediction limits charts was established. It was found that this approach can be effectively used by the EMS community to monitor OHCA outcomes in real time.

A comparison study of polyominoes explorations in a physical and virtual manipulative environment

AbstractThis study develops virtual manipulative, polyominoes kits for junior high school students to explore polyominoes. The current work conducts a non‐equivalent group pretest–post‐test quasi‐experimental design to compare the performance difference between using physical manipulatives and virtual manipulatives in finding the number of polyominoes. Sixty eighth‐grade students from two different classes in a junior high school in Taipei County of Taiwan participated in this study. The current research randomly selected one class as the experiment group and the other as the control group. Students in the experiment group used virtual manipulatives to explore polyominoes and those in the control group used physical manipulatives. The results revealed that learning in the experiment group is as effective as that in the control group. This study identifies two obvious strategies (add one and reduce) among students in both groups. New ideas, including using new symbols to record the results and considering the influence of symmetry and rotation on the figures, occurred in the virtual manipulative group. Students in the virtual environment paid much more attention to exploring the polyomino problem.

Dexmedetomidine-ketamine combination mitigates pulmonary inflammatory response induced by ventilator-induced lung injury in septic rats

Department of Anaesthesiology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taipei Branch, Sindian City, Taipei County, Taiwan

Nurses’ knowledge and barriers regarding pain management in intensive care units

To explore nurses' knowledge and barriers regarding pain management in intensive care units. Pain is a common and treatable condition among intensive care patients. Quality care of these patients depends on the pain knowledge and pain management skills of critical care nurses. However, no single study has explored these nurses' knowledge of and perceived barriers to pain management in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study. Intensive care unit nurses (n = 370) were recruited from 16 hospitals chosen by stratified sampling across Taipei County in Taiwan. Data were collected on nurses' knowledge of pain management using the Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey-Taiwanese version, on perceived barriers to pain management using a researcher-developed scale and on background information. The overall average correct response rate for the knowledge scale was 53.4%, indicating poor knowledge of pain management. The top barrier to managing pain identified by these nurses was 'giving proper pain prescription needs doctor's approval; can't depend on me'. Knowledge of pain management was significantly and negatively related to perceived barriers to pain management. In addition, scores for knowledge and perceived barriers differed significantly by specific intensive care unit. Knowledge also differed significantly by nurses' education level, clinical competence level (nursing ladder) and hospital accreditation category. Our results indicate an urgent need to strengthen pain education by including case analysis for intensive care nurses in Taiwan. Pain education should target knowledge deficits and barriers to changing pain management approaches for Taiwanese nurses in intensive care units.

Effects of Personal Exposure to Particulate Matter and Ozone on Arterial Stiffness and Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Adults

The effects on heart rate variability (HRV) and arterial stiffness from exposure to ambient particulate matter and ozone have not been studied simultaneously. The aim of this study was to analyze these effects with refined exposure estimates from personal measurements of ozone and size-resolved particulate matter mass concentrations. The authors recruited 17 mail carriers in a panel study in Taipei County, Taiwan, during February-March, 2007, and each subject was followed for 5-6 days. Personal ozone and size-fractionated particulate matter exposures were monitored during working hours while carriers delivered mail outdoors. Cardiovascular effects were evaluated with heart rate variability (HRV) indices and an arterial stiffness index, the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). The authors used linear mixed models to examine the association between personal exposure data and the HRV index and CAVI. They found that an interquartile range increase in personal exposure to ozone and particulate matter of between 1.0 and 2.5 microm was associated with a 4.8% and 2.5% increase in CAVI, respectively, in the single-pollutant models. In contrast, the personal exposure data showed no significant effects on HRV. In 2-pollutant models, personal ozone exposure remained significantly associated with the CAVI measurements. The study results indicate that vascular function may be more sensitive to air pollutants than the autonomic balance.

Correlates of body dissatisfaction among Taiwanese adolescents.

This study was designed to explore factors associated with body dissatisfaction among Taiwanese adolescents. Participants were randomly selected from five high schools in Taipei County, Taiwan. A total sample of 883 adolescents aged 12-16 was included. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported weight and height. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale was used to assess body dissatisfaction. Other measurements included the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Evaluation (MBSRQ-AE), the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the Eating Disorder Inventory-Perfectionism, the Socio-cultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-Internalization and SATAQ-Awareness), and physical activity. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed separately by gender to examine predictors of body dissatisfaction. girls reported significantly higher body dissatisfaction, awareness of the socio-cultural ideals (SATAQ-Awareness), as well as the internalization of those ideals (SATAQ-Internalization) and lower satisfaction with their physical appearance (MBSRQ-AE). This indicated that girls felt less positive with their overall appearance and had a higher level of recognition and endorsement of the social standards of appearance than boys. Satisfaction with physical appearance (MBSRQ-AE), BMI and internalization of socio-cultural ideals (SATAQ-Internalization) were unique predictors of body dissatisfaction for both genders. this study enhanced the understanding about body dissatisfaction in Eastern populations. Perceived physical appearance, BMI and internalization of the socio-cultural ideals predicted body dissatisfaction, which are evident in Taiwan, as well as in Western based research. However, these factors only explained a small variance in body dissatisfaction for boys, suggesting a need in identifying more factors related to body dissatisfaction among boys.

Analysis on the Skill Characteristics in Women's Double Soft Tennis Matches

This study was to analyze the skill characteristics in women's soft tennis double matches in 2005 National Athletic Games. During the competition the data has been collected through the use of on-the-spot record approach into descriptive statistics analysis. The findings were as follows; 1. In one set match, the set mean was 6.38 games and the time mean was 25.03 minutes. The hit mean in one set was 192.88 hits, the hit mean in one game was 30.85 hits and the hit mean in one point was 4.71 hits. 2. The winning percentage of each county was as follows; Yun-Lin County was in the first place with 92%, Zhang-Hua County was in second place with 67%, Tai-Na County was in third place with 58% and Taipei County occupies the fourth place with 55%. Chia-Yi and Tai-Chung counties stand in fifth and sixth places with 42% and 40% respectively. Tai-Nan and Miao-Li counties have zero percentage of winning the game. 3. The percentage of points won in terms of technical hits were as follows; Ground stroke-46.13%, Volley-25.73%, Smash-13.94%, Receive-12.04% and Serve-2.15%. 4. However the percentage of points lost in terms of technical hits were as follows; Ground stroke-59.33%, Volley-18.43%, Receive-14.69%, Serve-4.22% and Smash-3.33%. The obtained data suggest that 1. There are two strategies applied in the winning team, the first one is aggressive attack strategy and the second one is conservative defense strategy. 2. The champion team of Yun-Lin County adopted more skillful strategies to play the women's doubles by having the least hits to complete the match. It can be seen that Yun-Lin team professionally attacked the opponents from the back of the court and blocked soundly at the net to fire the winners, especially using smashes and poaches. 3. Afterwards, players are gaining more experiences and developing new strategies to play soft tennis doubles.

Pilot study of an association between a common variant in the non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) gene and type 2 diabetic nephropathy in a Taiwanese population

Nowadays diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recent studies have demonstrated that the myosin, heavy chain 9, non-muscle (MYH9) gene is associated with ESRD in African Americans. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a common single nucleotide polymorphism rs16996677 in the MYH9 gene may contribute to the etiology of DN in type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a Taiwanese population with T2D. There were 180 T2D patients diagnosed with DN and 178 age- and sex-similar T2D without DN controls. Single locus analyses showed no significant main effects of MYH9 rs16996677 on the risk of DN in T2D. The results suggest that the rs16996677 SNP in MYH9 may not contribute to the risk of DN in T2D in Taiwanese T2D patients.

An Experimental Petrological Study of Gabbro in Chintan, Taipei County, at Atmospheric Pressure

An Experimental Petrological Study of Gabbro in Chintan, Taipei County, at Atmospheric Pressure