Taiwan Province Research Articles

Association of Brain Cancer with Residential Exposure to Petrochemical Air Pollution in Taiwan

To investigate the relationship between petrochemical air pollution and brain cancer (29 yr of age or younger), the authors conducted a matched case-control study using deaths that occurred in Taiwan from 1995 through 2005. Data on all eligible brain cancer deaths were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. The control group consisted of subjects who died from causes other than neoplasms or diseases that were not associated with respiratory problems. The controls were pair matched to the cases by sex, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. The proportion of a municipality's total population employed in the petrochemical industry in a municipality was used as an indicator of a resident's exposure to air emissions from the petrochemical industry. The subjects were divided into tertiles according to the levels of the index just described. Subjects who lived in the group of municipalities characterized by the highest levels of petrochemical air pollution had a statistically significant higher risk of developing brain cancer than the group that lived in municipalities with the lowest petrochemical air pollution levels after controlling for possible confounders (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.00−2.73). The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of petrochemical air pollution in the etiology of brain cancer.

Association of Childhood Leukemia with Residential Exposure to Petrochemical Air Pollution in Taiwan

To investigate the relationship between petrochemical air pollution and childhood leukemia (19 yr of age or younger), the authors conducted a matched case-control study using childhood deaths that occurred in Taiwan from 1995 through 2005. Data on all eligible childhood leukemia deaths were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. The control group consisted of children who died from causes other than neoplasms or diseases that were not associated with respiratory problems. The controls were pair matched to the cases by sex, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. The proportion of a municipality's total population employed in the petrochemical industry in a municipality was used as an indicator of a resident's exposure to air emissions from the petrochemical industry. The subjects were divided into three levels (≤25th percentile; 25th–75th percentile; > 75th percentile) according to the levels of the index just described. After controlling for possible confounders, results showed that children who lived in the group of municipalities characterized by the highest levels of petrochemical air pollution had a statistically significant higher risk of developing leukemia than the group that lived in municipalities with the lowest petrochemical air pollution levels. The results of this study shed important light on the relationship between the Taiwan petrochemical industry and human health risks.

Ambient Exposure to Criteria Air Pollutants and Female Lung Cancer in Taiwan

To investigate the relationship between air pollution and female lung cancer, the authors conducted a matched case-control study using female deaths that occurred in Taiwan from 1995 through 2005. Data on all eligible female lung cancer deaths were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. The control group consisted of women who died from causes other than cancer or diseases associated with respiratory problems. The controls were pair-matched to the cases by sex, year of birth, and year of-death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Classification of exposure to municipality air pollution was based on the measured levels of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The results of the present study show that there is a significant positive association between the levels of air pollution and female lung cancer mortality. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.24 (1.03–1.50) for the group with medium air pollution level and 1.46 (1.18–1.81) for the group with high air pollution level when compared to the group with the low air pollution level. Trend analyses showed statistically significant trend in risk of female lung cancer with increasing air pollution level. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of air pollutants in the etiology of lung cancer.

Analysis on the Evolution of Regional Economic Disparity in the West Coast of the Strait

Abstract With the implementation of reform and opening-up, the overall economy of China has made brilliant achievements; meanwhile, however, the economic disparity has been enlarging among some regions, and between the city and the countryside. The existence and evolution of this kind of economic disparity is concerned with social stability, sustainable development and the construction of harmonious society, which has gradually become the hotspot in social economic development. The West Coast of the Strait (WCS) located in southeast littoral areas is adjacent to the Pearl and Yangtze River Delta in the south and north and faces Taiwan Province in the east. The stability and development of this region has vital political and economic meaning in the social economic development of our country. It has important theoretical meaning and practical value to research the form, characteristics and evolution of regional economic disparity in the WCS. Based on insightful analysis on existing study results on the WCS, the paper defines the connotation and extension. By a series of abso-lute and comparative relative evaluation indexes and taking the WCS since 1992 as the study object, the paper makes analysis on different scales including three regions, four regions, 20 cities and 152 counties, quantitatively evaluates the level, characteristics and evolution of the regional economic disparity and compares the regional economic disparity on different scales. The main conclusions are as follows: the variation trend of the absolute disparity of the whole region is obvious and stable, which has presented an inflating trend; the comparative variation trend on a large scale has waved, The comparative disparity of the three regions increased annually from 1992 to around 2000, which had a decreasing trend from around 2000 to 2005; the comparative variation trend on a small scale was not stable, which showed an annual increase of four regions, 20 cities and 152 counties from 1992 to around 2003 and a decrease from around 2003 to 2005; there were some correlations between the regional disparity and scale. In other words, the smaller the scale was, the bigger the disparity was.

Education Improvement in Construction Ethics

Billions of new Taiwan dollars NTD; about 30 NTD 1 USD are invested in infrastructure construction by public agencies and private sectors each year in Taiwan. However, some projects have been plagued with poor workmanship, structural failure, and resultant deaths. In numerous cases, innocent people suffer and blame the actions of predatory constructors. Although some unprincipled contractors and corrupt government officials—or even high-ranking officials—have been sentenced to jail, cases have also occurred in which outstanding members of the profession have been imprisoned because of a lack of understanding of engineering ethics and professional standards. For example, ZeYuan Wu, former chief of the Department of Residential and Urban Development in the Taiwan Province Government, was charged with corruption during the construction of a pumping station at a sewage treatment plant in Taipei County. Taiwan Panchiao District Court judges sentenced the former Chief Wu to life in prison in 1996 Law and Regulations Retrieving System 1996 . Nevertheless, Wu did not agree with the judgment and appealed to a higher court. In the meantime, he applied for a visit abroad and then went abroad. He never went back, even when his mother died in Taiwan. Since then, the Criminal Investigation Bureau has ordered the arrest of Wu and placed him on the most-wanted list, with a reward of ten million NTD National Police Agency 2006 . This is a total loss to both the individual and to society. Civil engineers should have ethical responsibilities not only to clients but also to those who are exposed to their structures Robinson 2000 . Public safety is endangered if unprofessional construction practices cannot be stopped Barkdoll 1998 . Even one single severe violation of ethical behavior can damage the whole profession Riihela and Vayrynen 1997 . Ethics is one of the most important problems for engineering education Vesilind 2001 . Engineering students should not only be educated in physical science and engineering concepts but also

IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF BER CULTIVARS BASED ON ISSR AND RAPD ANALYSIS

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses were conducted to study the genetic relationships of 22 Zizyphus accessions including nineteen ber cultivars, two Chinese date cultivars and one spine date (stock variety). A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on 533 loci amplified from 35 ISSR and RAPD primers. According to clustering analysis, the 22 accessions could be classified into three groups at the 0.845 level of genetic similarity; the first group includes sixteen ber accessions which are all just right from Taiwan province of China. The second group includes other three ber accessions that are from Burma and Vietnam. The third group includes two accessions of Chinese date and one spine date. The result of clustering analysis is completely coincident with the traditional ideology of classification. Furthermore, the dendrogram indicates a very narrow genetic background among the Taiwan accessions. In addition, two homonyms and six (in three pairs) morphologically strong resemble cultivars of Taiwan accessions are distinguished by molecular marker patterns. As a newly introduced fruit tree, ber has been cultivated and extended in South Mainland of China for about ten years. Because of the misidentifying or renaming in the course of dissemination, the nomenclature of the cultivars is very confused and the genetic relationships among the cultivars are unknown. This result would be helpful to breeding researches or germplasm utilizations of this new fruit species.

Relationships between the emergence and oviposition of ectoparasitoid Spathius agrili Yang and its host emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), (= A. marcopoli Obenberger), is an important bark beetle attacking ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). It is very difficult to detect and control because of its highly concealed life history. This pest mainly distributed in partial Asian countries (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia) and Far East Russia, while in China it presented in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Taiwan Provinces and Tianjin City, etc. The important timber species F. mandshurica and gardening tree F. velutina were damaged severely in northern China. Spathius agrili Yang (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important ectoparasitic wasp of the EAB larvae. This parasitoid has the potential to use as an excellent biological control agent for suppressing populations of EAB. The differences of emergence date between overwintered S. agrili and its host, parasitism rates at different periods, relations between parasitism rates and host densities, and relationships between ovipositions of braconid wasp and body sizes of host larvae were studied using methods of regular surveys in forests and observations in laboratory. Results revealed that the emergence of S. agrili was more than one month later than that of its host. It suggests good synchrony between parasitoid emergence and host availability. The overwintered S. agrili emerged from mid June to mid August with the peak in July in 2003, and it lasted from late May till late July with the peak during late June to early July in 2004. While the EAB emergence period ranged from mid May to late May in 2003, it ranged from mid April to mid May in 2004 (in laboratory). The emergence date of parasitoid asynchronously inosculated with the optimum developmental instars of the earliest host larvae, which was the result of a long-term co-evolution between the two species. It was also suggested that the parasitoid S. agrili could be a specialized natural enemy for EAB. The natural parasitism rates on the whole gradually increased in field with time. The body sizes of host larvae, i.e. larval instar, affected the decision of parasitoid S. agrili to lay eggs or not. Under natural conditions, this parasitoid usually oviposited only on those host larvae with a prontum and body width more than 1.5 mm, and a body length in excess of 12 mm, i.e. the third or fourth instar larvae. These findings would consequentially contribute to the further successfully biological control of the trunk borer.

Bladder Cancer in Taiwan: Relationship to Trihalomethane Concentrations Present in Drinking-Water Supplies

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to disinfection by-products (DBP) is associated with bladder cancer. A matched case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between the risk of death from bladder cancer and exposure to total trihalomethanes (TTHM) in drinking water in 65 municipalities in Taiwan. All bladder cancer deaths of the 65 municipalities from 1996 through 2005 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth,and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each cancer case. Data on TTHM levels in drinking water in study municipalities were collected from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration. The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's TTHM exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for bladder cancer death for those with high TTHM concentrations in their drinking water were 1.8 (1.18–2.74) and 2.11 (1.43–3.11) compared to the lowest group. The results of this study show that there was a significant positive correlation between the concentration of TTHM in drinking water and risk of death from bladder cancer.

Nitrates in Drinking Water and Risk of Death from Rectal Cancer in Taiwan

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and rectal cancer development has been inconclusive. A matched case-control and nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between mortality attributed to rectal cancer and drinking-water nitrate exposure in Taiwan. All deaths due to rectal cancer of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair matched to the cancer cases by gender, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for rectal cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 1.22 (0.98–1.52) and 1.36 (1.08–1.70), respectively. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of nitrates in drinking water in the etiology of rectal cancer in Taiwan.

Molecular identification of Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Dipt., Agromyzidae) based on real-time PCR

Abstract: Rapidly identifying juvenile individuals of Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) from Liriomyza sativae Blanchard is crucial in plant quarantine. We report a molecular method to identify L. trifolii based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). By comparing partial DNA sequences of mitochondrial COI genes of L. trifolii samples collected from Guangdong and Taiwan provinces in China, Japan, Philippine, Israel, Germany, the USA, Mexico and Honduras sequenced by authors, and those of related species recorded in GenBank, a L. trifolii-specific probe was developed. There was no difference in individuals of different stages tested by this probe. The total time for real-time PCR assay system was 2 h, and it would save 3–7 h compared with conventional PCR.

The path to below replacement fertility in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Low fertility has become an important area of demographic research as fertility in many countries has fallen to levels well below replacement. Advanced countries have experienced low fertility trends for decades (United Nations, 2000), and some are experiencing lowest-low fertility (i.e. TFR below 1.3) (Kohler, Billari and Ortega, 2002; Caldwell, 2006). Less developed countries, by contrast, have recently experienced low fertility levels, and there no longer seem to be any barriers to most countries reaching replacement level and subsequently falling below that level. According to the United Nations, by 2000, around 44 per cent of the world population lived in countries where fertility had fallen below the replacement level. This proportion is expected to increase to 67 per cent by the year 2015 (United Nations, 2000). According to the United Nations median variant projections, approximately 80 per cent of the world’s population is projected to live in countries with below-replacement fertility before mid-century (United Nations, 2002a). Several East and North-East, as well as North and Central Asian countries have attained below replacement in recent decades (Gubhaju and Moriki-Durand, 2003; Atoh, 2001; Hirschman, Chamratrithirong and Guest, 1994; Knodel, Chamratrithirong and Debavalya, 1987). However, countries have attained low fertility in different ways (Perelli-Harris, 2005) and thus, every country and region may have a unique experience in reaching low fertility. For instance, Hirschman, Chamratrithirong and Guest (1994) have argued that the distinctive attributes of East Asian countries such as Hong Kong, China; Singapore; the Republic of Korea; and Taiwan Province of China in terms of rapid economic growth and Confucian cultural heritage would not make them a model for fertility decline in other countries in Asia.

The crust and upper mantle structure beneath southeastern China

We analyzed teleseismic waveforms recorded by 44 stations in the Fujian and Taiwan provinces of China and obtained 5344 high quality receiver functions. The crustal thickness ( H) and average crustal V P / V S ratio ( k) beneath every station were estimated using the H– k stacking method. Crustal thicknesses near the Fujian Province range from 28.3 to 32.8 km with an average of 31.1 km, and the corresponding V P / V S ratios vary from 1.70 to 1.84 with a mean of 1.76. From inland to offshore of the Fujian Province, the crustal thicknesses decrease and Poisson's ratios increase. These may indicate decreasing SiO 2 and increasing calc-alkaline contents in the crust. The discontinuity structures such as the Moho, subducting slab, the 410- and 660-km discontinuities (hereafter we call them the 410 and the 660) are also studied using common converted point (CCP) stacking of receiver functions. Along two NW–SE lines of central and northern Taiwan, the CCP stacking results show a western dipping structure at depths above 50 km, suggesting that the Philippine Sea plate is probably subducting beneath the Eurasian continent plate near the central and northern Taiwan. The CCP stacking results show sharp and flat 410- and 660-km discontinuities, and the transition zone thickness (TZT) is the same as that of ambient mantle beneath Fujian and Taiwan Strait, but thickens in the east of Taiwan. These results suggest that (1) the subducting Eurasian continent plate is confined to the depths above 410 km beneath Fujian and Taiwan Strait; and (2) the South China Sea slab may reach the transition zone beneath the east of Taiwan.

A comparative research on built-land changes between Fujian and Taiwan provinces

Comparative study of LUCC between Fujian and Taiwan provinces could be a good case for study because of their geographical proximities and historical, cultural similarities. Fujian and Taiwan had gone through and currently are in different economic development stages. Taiwan is in the stage of post-industrialization and Fujian is in the intermediate stage of industrialization. By using the official statistics, changes of built-land in Fujian and Taiwan were analyzed in details. The results showed that these two provinces seemed to have the same characteristics of built-land changes, i.e., accelerating development, and concentrated distribution on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, forming a pattern with the economic layout of two sides acting in cooperation with eath other. If comparing different industrialized areas in Fujian with industrialized stages in Taiwan, it is clear that these two provinces seemed to have the same characteristics of synthesized index of built-land change (Lc), i.e., which is from stabilization or comparative stabilization at the initial stages of industrialization to high expansion at the intermediate stages of industrialization, then followed by low consumption at later stages of industrialization, but the Lc of the initial and the later stages of industrialization in Taiwan were slightly higher than those in Fujian. The results from comparison on relevant indexes have shown: The industrial structure changing rate of Fujian is actually higher than that of built-land in Taiwan, but its using efficiency of regional built-land is also obviously lower than that in Taiwan in the intermediate and later stages of industrialization of Fujian. The major driving forces of the built-land changes in both provinces were analyzed in Causal Models of Path Analysis, and its result indicated that the difference in built-land changes of the two provinces is closely related to their economic development stages and industrial structure. Countermeasure for the realization of sustainable utilization of built-land in Fujian put forward in this article is to strengthen its intension and tap the latent power.

Nitrate in Drinking Water and Risk of Death from Bladder Cancer: An Ecological Case-Control Study in Taiwan

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and bladder cancer development is controversial. A matched cancer case-control with nitrate ecology study was used to investigate the association between bladder cancer mortality occurrence and nitrate exposure from Taiwan drinking water. All bladder cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair-matched to the cases by gender, year of birth,and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each cancer case. Data on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels in drinking water throughout Taiwan were collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cancer cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for bladder cancer death for those with high nitrate levels in their drinking water were 1.76 (1.28–2.42) and 1.96 (1.41–2.72) as compared to the lowest tertile. The results of the present study show that there was a significant positive relationship between the levels of nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from bladder cancer.

A simulation study on pre-landfall erratic track of typhoon Haitang (2005)

A new typhoon model named as GRAPES_TCM is applied to study the pre-landfall erratic track of Typhoon Haitang (2005), which hit China twice in mid-July by making landfall in Taiwan and Fujian provinces consecutively. The model is based on the Chinese Global/Regional Assimilation and PrEdiction System (GRAPES) and put into real-time operational test since 2004. It predicts almost correctly the pre-landfall loop and sharp turn of Haitang and its asymmetric rainfall distribution.

Brunneocorticium pyriforme, a new corticioid fungal genus and species belonging to the euagarics clade

Evidence derived from molecular studies in recent years has revealed that corticioid fungal genera are present in all major clades of Homobasidiomycetes. Brunneocorticium pyriforme, a corticioid fungus is proposed as a new species and placed in a new genus belonging to the euagarics clade. This fungus has been collected in subtropical-tropical Taiwan and southern Yunnan Province, China. Basidiocarps often occur on bark of living Murraya spp. (Rutaceae). Basidiocarps of B. pyriforme are resupinate with a smooth hymenial surface, a dimitic hyphal system, with nodose-septate generative hyphae and abundant yellowish brown skeletal hyphae, and leptocystidia. It has 2-sterigmate basidia and pear-shaped basidiospores. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequence data derived from LSU rDNA included Brunneocorticium in the euagarics clade of Homobasidiomycetes, allied to the agaricoid genera Marasmiellus, Campanella, etc. The molecular analysis indicated that the Brunneocorticium was independent from other corticioid genera with similar morphological features.

Brunneocorticium pyriforme, a new corticioid fungal genus and species belonging to the euagarics clade

Evidence derived from molecular studies in recent years has revealed that corticioid fungal genera are present in all major clades of Homobasidiomycetes. Brunneocorticium pyriforme, a corticioid fungus is proposed as a new species and placed in a new genus belonging to the euagarics clade. This fungus has been collected in subtropical-tropical Taiwan and southern Yunnan Province, China. Basidiocarps often occur on bark of living Murraya spp. (Rutaceae). Basidiocarps of B. pyriforme are resupinate with a smooth hymenial surface, a dimitic hyphal system, with nodose-septate generative hyphae and abundant yellowish brown skeletal hyphae, and leptocystidia. It has 2-sterigmate basidia and pear-shaped basidiospores. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequence data derived from LSU rDNA included Brunneocorticium in the euagarics clade of Homobasidiomycetes, allied to the agaricoid genera Marasmiellus, Campanella, etc. The molecular analysis indicated that the Brunneocorticium was independent from other corticioid genera with similar morphological features.

Nitrate in drinking water and risk of death from colon cancer in Taiwan

The relationship between nitrate levels in drinking water and colon cancer has been inconclusive. A matched case-control and a nitrate ecology study were used to investigate the association between colon cancer mortality and nitrate exposure from Taiwan's drinking water. All colon cancer deaths of Taiwan residents from 1999 through 2003 were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. Controls were deaths from other causes and were pair matched to the cases by sex, year-of-birth, and year-of-death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. Data on nitrate–nitrogen (NO 3–N) level of drinking water throughout Taiwan have been collected from Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The municipality of residence for cases and controls was assumed to be the source of the subject's nitrate exposure via drinking water. The adjusted odds ratios for colon cancer death for those with high NO 3–N levels in their drinking water, as compared to the lowest tertile, were 0.98 (0.84–1.14) and 0.98 (0.83–1.16), respectively. The results of the present study show that there was no statistically significant association between NO 3–N in drinking water at levels in this study and risk of death from colon cancer.

Applying ISO 17799:2005 in information security management

In this paper, we discussed ISO 17799:2005 control, process, and security organisation structure. According to the results, the code of practice for information security management includes: capture the processes for implementing information security management in organisational Information Security Management System (ISMS), provide an organisational security structure to assess the extent information security management efforts, provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring the effectiveness of information security control over the information sources that support operations and assets. A case example (National Tax Administration Southern Taiwan Province) of an organisational security management, including organisational security structure, ISMS plan-do-check-act cycle, and information asset assessment management are discussed.

Technology development in Malaysia and the newly industrializing economies: A comparative analysis

Taking the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan Province of China as the reference economies for comparison, the study focuses on the policy lessons for Malaysia in pursuing technology-based economic growth. The key elements examined are human capital, research and development (R&D), science and technology (S&T) parks, foreign technology transfer and government research institutes (GRIs). The analysis shows that the availability of skilled human capital in Malaysia is not sufficient for technological development to progress. The paper makes a number of recommendations to promote technological development in Malaysia.