Current Dependent Dispersal Characteristics of Japanese Glass Eel around Taiwan

Japanese eel larvae are passively transported to the East Asian Continental Shelf by the North Equatorial Current, Kuroshio and Kuroshio intrusion currents, and coastal currents. Previous studies have investigated the dispersal characteristics and pathways of Japanese glass eels. However, there are still limitations in these studies. According to long-term (2010–2020) catch data from the Fisheries Agency in Taiwan, the distribution and time series of glass eels recruitment to Taiwan are closely related to the surrounding ocean currents. Recruitment begins in eastern Taiwan via the mainstream Kuroshio and in southern Taiwan via the Taiwan Strait Warm Current. In central Taiwan, recruitment occurs from southern Taiwan, as well as from mainland China via the southern branch of the China Coast Current (CCC). The latest recruitment occurred in northern Taiwan and mainly comprised glass eels from mainland China via the northern branch of the CCC. A stronger monsoon during the La Niña phase could affect the recruitment time series in northern and eastern Taiwan. This study suggests that the recruitment directionality of glass eels is an indicator of the flow field of ocean/coastal currents and elucidates the dispersal characteristics of glass eels in the waters around Taiwan.

Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Culture-Positive, Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Single-Center Study in Southern Taiwan, 2016–2019

This study delineated the characteristics of 24 (11.2%) culture-positive, influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) patients out of 215 patients with severe influenza during 2016–2019 in a medical center in southern Taiwan. Twenty (83.3%) patients did not have EORTC/MSG-defined host factors. The mean time from influenza diagnosis to Aspergillus growth was 4.4 days, and 20 (83.3%) developed IAPA within seven days after influenza diagnosis. All patients were treated in intensive care units and all but one (95.8%) received mechanical ventilation. Aspergillus tracheobronchitis was evident in 6 (31.6%) of 19 patients undergoing bronchoscopy. Positive galactomannan testing of either serum or bronchoalveolar lavage was noted in all patients. On computed tomography imaging, IAPA was characterized by peribronchial infiltrates, multiple nodules, and cavities superimposed on ground-glass opacities. Pure Aspergillus growth without bacterial co-isolation in culture was found in 17 (70.8%) patients. A. fumigatus (15, 62.5%), A. flavus (6, 25.0%), and A. terreus (4, 16.7%) were the major causative species. Three patients had mixed Aspergillus infections due to two species, and two had mixed azole-susceptible and azole-resistant A. fumigatus infection. All patients received voriconazole with an all-cause mortality of 41.6%. Of 14 survivors, the mean duration of antifungal use was 40.5 days. In conclusion, IAPA is an early and rapidly deteriorating complication following influenza that necessitates clinical vigilance and prompt diagnostic workup.

Durability of single tablet regimen for patients with HIV infection in Southern Taiwan: data from a real-world setting

Background A single-tablet regimen (STR) has been associated with better drug adherence. However, the durability of different STRs was unknown in the real-world settings. Our aim was to investigate the durability of different initial STR regimens in antiretroviral-naive patients starting STR in southern Taiwan. Method This was a retrospective study of antiretroviral-naive patients that initiated first-line antiretroviral regimens with STRs between May 2016 and December 2017. The primary endpoint was time to virological failure. Secondary endpoints were STR discontinuation due to toxicity/intolerance. Durability was defined as time from the initiation until discontinuation/modification. Kaplan- Meier curves were plotted assessing time to virological suppression, treatment failure and discontinuation for the three STRs and Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the factors associated with time to viral suppression, treatment failure or discontinuation. Results Two hundred and twenty-three patients were included: The median follow-up duration (IQR) was 73.9 (48–101.6) weeks, 25 patients (11%) experienced virological failure; the 48 weeks probability of treatment failure was 22.9% (16/70) for Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (EFV/FTC/TDF), 24.1% (13/54) for Emtricitabine/Rilpivirine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (FTC/RPV/TDF) and 24.2% (24/99) for Abacavir/Dolutegravir/Lamivudine (ABC/DTG/3TC) (p=0.16). Fifty-six patients (25%) discontinued their STRs owing to toxicity/intolerance. When compared to EFV/FTC/TDF, treatment with FTC/RPV/TDF (aHR 8.39, CI 1.98–35.58, p = 0.004) and ABC/DTG/3TC (aHR 8.40, CI 2.39–29.54, p=0.001) were more likely to have treatment failure. The predictors for treatment failure included age ≦ 30 years old (aHR 3.73, CI 1.25–11.17, p = 0.018), switch between different STR (aHR 2.3, CI 1.18–4.50, p = 0.001) and free of active syphilis infection (aHR 0.24, CI 0.08–0.73, p = 0.012). The risk factor for treatment discontinuation included younger age ≦ 30 years old (aHR 3.82, CI 1.21–12.37, p = 0.023), treatment with EFV/FTC/TDF (aHR 8.65, CI 2.64–28.39, p < 0.001) and free of active syphilis infection (aHR 0.16, CI 0.04–0.62, p = 0.006). Conclusion Younger age was associated with treatment failure and drug discontinuation. Active syphilis infection s/p treatment was associated with free from treatment failure and discontinuation. This probably driven by the more frequently sexual health education and counseling when patients had syphilis infection. Treatment with ABC/DTG/3TC was associated with higher risk of treatment failure. The STR durability was dependent on the drug toxicity/intolerance, age and syphilis infection.

Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Anterior Uveitis: a Prospective Study

Purpose: To report the pattern, epidemiology, and clinical features of anterior uveitis (AU) in southern TaiwanMethods: A prospective case series was performed to recruit patients with AU at two medical centers (Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital) in southern Taiwan from December 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020. These patients enrolled were reviewed for clinical diagnoses, ocular presentations, and laboratory data, including aqueous polymerase chain reaction tests.Results: A total of 112 patients were included. The most common clinical diagnoses were idiopathic AU (37.5%), HLA-B27-associated acute AU (25.0%), and herpetic AU (18.8%); among herpetic etiology, cytomegalovirus (CMV) was the most common pathogen. Hypertensive AU was associated with older age, more males, and greater numbers of corneal edema, and fewer iris posterior synechiae. Compared with HLA-B27-associated acute AU, CMV AU was associated with older age, high intraocular pressure, more keratic precipitates, greater iris atrophy, more pseudophakia, and fewer pupil posterior synechiae. Conclusion: This prospective study identified the epidemiological and clinical features of AU in southern Taiwan. The most common etiologies were idiopathic AU, HLA-B27-associated acute AU, and herpetic (most CMV) AU.

96小時重置周邊靜脈導管之效應：資料庫分析

<p>目的：透過異常通報資料庫分析，探討96小時對照72小時重置周邊靜脈導管，對於靜脈炎發生率之影響。</p> <p>方法：方便取樣臺灣南部某醫學中心之異常通報資料庫，分析2011年9月1日至2014年8月31日之72小時重置組，與2014年9月1日至2017年8月31日之96小時重置組，2個時期之住院個案的靜脈炎發生率。</p> <p>結果：96小時對照72小時重置周邊靜脈導管，並未增加靜脈炎發生率。靜脈炎總發生率（勝算比[odds ratio,OR] = 0.70, p=.0290）與細菌性靜脈炎發生率(OR= 0.11, p=.0097)顯著減少，化學性與機械性靜脈炎發生率則無顯著差異。</p> <p>結論：本土性資料庫分析結果為在臺灣熱帶海島型潮濕氣候，三班評估無靜脈炎症狀下，96小時重置周邊靜脈導管並不會顯著增加靜脈炎風險，建議醫療機構可據此調整臨床作業規範，落實實證知識轉譯。</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;Purpose: To compare the effect of replacement of peripheral venous catheters at 96-hour intervals on the incidence of phlebitis with that at 72-hour intervals through analysis of an incident-reporting database.</p> <p>Methods: Convenience sampling of records from the incident-reporting database of a medical center in southern Taiwan was used to analyze the incidence of phlebitis among hospitalized patients with replacement of peripheral venous catheters at 72-hour intervals (from September 1, 2011, to August 31, 2014) or 96-hour intervals (from September 1, 2014, to August 31, 2017).</p> <p>Result: The analysis revealed that replacing peripheral venous catheters every 96 hours rather than every 72 hours did not increase the incidence of phlebitis. The total incidence of phlebitis (odds ratio [OR]=0.70, p=.0290) and the incidence of bacterial phlebitis (OR=0.11, p=.0097) decreased significantly, and no significant differences in the incidence rates of chemical or mechanical phlebitis were identified.</p> <p>Conclusion: According to the analysis results of a local database, under the humid tropical insular climate of Taiwan, replacement of peripheral venous catheters at 96-hour intervals did not significantly increase the risk of phlebitis in patients who exhibited no symptoms of phlebitis as assessed in three shifts. Medical institutions can adjust their clinical operation standards and implement knowledge translation accordingly.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Hotel Employees’ Voice Behavior: The Role of Paternalistic Leadership and Organizational Identification

This study explores the effect of paternalistic leadership (moral leadership, benevolent leadership, and authoritarian leadership) on hotel employees’ voice behavior and the moderating role of organizational identification. This study samples employees of five-star hotels in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. Purposive sampling is used to distribute 450 questionnaires: 150 in northern Taiwan, 150 in central Taiwan, and 150 in southern Taiwan. The number of valid questionnaires was 359, and the effective questionnaire recovery rate was 79.78%. The analysis results indicate that (1) supervisors’ moral leadership negatively affects hotel employees’ voice behavior, (2) supervisors’ benevolent leadership positively affects hotel employees’ voice behavior, (3) supervisors’ authoritarian leadership negatively affects hotel employees’ voice behavior, (4) organizational identification moderates the relationship between moral leadership and voice behavior, (5) organizational identification moderates the relationship between benevolent leadership and voice behavior, and (6) organizational identification moderates the relationship between authoritarian leadership and voice behavior. This study also proposes managerial implications based on the analysis results. This research attempts to make contributions to the literatures of hospitality and tourism.

Remediation Efficiency of the In Situ Vitrification Method at an Unidentified-Waste and Groundwater Treatment Site

The subject of this study was the dust collected from an electric arc furnace at an unidentified-waste treatment site in southern Taiwan. The dust underwent an in situ vitrification (ISV) process and was tested using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), at the end of which the final product was analyzed for its stability and weather resistance. This study then examined the above results to determine whether the ISV process helps to enhance the efficiency and economic benefits of said waste-treatment site. A TCLP test conducted on the dust that had been treated with ISV revealed that concentrations of various heavy metals were not only far below those of the unprocessed sample dust but also fell below the limit stipulated in the TCLP regulation of Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration. The results show that after undergoing ISV treatment, heavy metals in the dust were either encapsulated or bound in silicon lattices and thus barely leached from the dust. Analyses using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) indicate that the surface of the dust appeared more compacted after going through the ISV process. In addition, the highly contaminated dust that underwent ISV treatment saw a pronounced decrease in or elimination of wave crests. Another analysis applying X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the SiO2 crests disappeared in the processed dust, suggesting that the crystal structure was replaced with quasi-vitreous products after ISV treatment. In the event that pollutants were extant, they were usually characterized by smaller size, high stability, excellent weather resistance, an innocuous nature, and recyclability.

Evaluating the Landslide Stability and Vegetation Recovery: Case Studies in the Tsengwen Reservoir Watershed in Taiwan

The sediment yield from numerous landslides triggered in Taiwan’s mountainous regions by 2009 Typhoon Morakot have had substantial long-term impacts on the evolution of rivers. This study evaluated the long-term evolution of landslides induced by 2001 Typhoon Nari and 2009 Typhoon Morakot in the Tsengwen Reservoir Watershed by using multiannual landslide inventories and rainfall records for the 2001–2017 period. The landslide activity, vegetation recovery time, and the landslide spatiotemporal hotspot analyses were used in the study. Severe landslides most commonly occurred on 35–45° slopes at elevations of 1400–2000 m located within 500 m of the rivers. The average vegetation recovery time was 2.29 years, and landslides with vegetation recovery times exceeding 10 years were most frequently retrogressive landslide, riverbank landslides in sinuous reaches, and the core area of large landslides. The annual landslide area decline ratios after 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Southern Taiwan was 4.75% to 7.45%, and the time of landslide recovery in the Tsengwen reservoir watershed was predicted to be 28.48 years. Oscillating hotspots and coldspots occupied 95.8% of spatiotemporal patterns in the watershed area. The results indicate that landslides moved from hillslopes to rivers in the 2001–2017 period because the enormous amount of sediment deposited in rivers resulted in the change of river geomorphology and the riverbank landslides.

Helping Relationships From Significant Others Scale: Chinese Version

Using the helping relationships from significant others (HRSO) scale assists patients, such as those with chronic kidney disease (CKD), in adopting a healthy lifestyle to decelerate disease progression, complications, and mortality. To study the efficacy of the scale, we recruited a convenience sample ( n = 250) of patients with CKD from a nephrology clinic in southern Taiwan. Principal axis factor analysis and a promax rotation revealed a 15-item, three-factor explanation of 68.44 % of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit. The Composite reliability was .91, .89, and .92 in the same factors. Cronbach’s alpha was .90 for the 15-item scale, with the 3 subscales ranging from .86 to .91. The split reliability was .73. The HRSO is a valid and reliable scale to measure significant others’ support of patients with CKD in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.