Hepatitis C Virus Subtypes Novel 6g-Related Subtype and 6w Could Be Indigenous in Southern Taiwan with Characteristic Geographic Distribution

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 6 is the most genetically diverse GT and mainly distributed in Southeast Asia and south China but not Taiwan. Earlier studies showed the major HCV GTs in Taiwan were GT 1b and 2 with very rare GT 6 except in injection drug users (IDUs), and subtype 6a is the main GT 6 subtype among IDUs. Recently, we reported a much higher prevalence (18.3%) of GT 6 in Tainan City, southern Taiwan. This study was designed to clarify the subtypes of GT 6 in this endemic area. A total of 3022 (1343 men and 1679 women) HCV viremic patients were enrolled. Subtypes of GT 6 were determined by sequencing of core/E1 and nonstructural protein 5B in 322 of 518 GT 6 patients. The overall GT 6 prevalence rate was 17.1% (518/3022), with higher prevalence districts (>25%) located in northern Tainan. A novel 6g-related subtype is the most prevalent subtype (81.0%), followed by 6w (10.8%), 6a (7.5%), and 6n (0.7%). The high GT 6 prevalence in Tainan was mainly due to a novel 6g-related subtype and 6w. These two subtypes could be indigenous in Tainan with characteristic geographic distribution.

CITY-COUNTY CONSOLIDATION AND THE (RE)CONCEPTUALISATION OF URBAN-RURAL PLANNING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TAICHUNG CITY AND TAINAN CITY, TAIWAN

The Taiwanese central government views city-county consolidations as an effective method to strengthen national competitiveness and to balance regional development. But for local governments, consolidation presents a series of planning challenges, especially in relation to the reconstruction of planning concepts and discourses in their new territories. Aiming to understand the process, this study first proposes a typology of regional planning concepts as a conceptual tool to explore whether and how the consolidated governments (re)construct their urban-rural planning concepts, and then it examines the factors that may influence (re)conceptualisation through a comparative study of Taichung City and Tainan City. The research results show that overemphasis on using the concept of competitive city regionalism to balance regional development at the national level may lead to a widening of rural-urban disparities at regional and local levels.

Research on the Effectiveness of Black-Faced Spoonbill Bird Tourism and Conservation Strategy. A Case Study of Shifen Community at Chi-Gu District of Tainan City

In this study, the concept of ecotourism serves as the framework for the investigation of black-faced spoonbill tourism and conservation strategies implemented in Shifen, a community in the Chi-Gu District of Tainan City. It featured an examination of the formulation, planning, and implementation of the conservation strategies and conducted in-depth interviews on individuals from the public sector, local residents, tourists, and nongovernment organizations. Research results identified numerous problems: latent concerns regarding black-faced spoonbills as a tourism resource, poor awareness of ecotourism, difficulties in implementing black-faced spoonbill tourism and conservation strategies, and difficulty maintaining a balance between conservation and residents’ livelihoods. The government is advised to integrate the opinions and suggestions of local residents, promote community participation, and increase job opportunities for local residents to create a win-win model for the development of community-based ecotourism.

Risk Assessment of Coastal Flooding under Different Inundation Situations in Southwest of Taiwan (Tainan City)

The Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming including more frequent and intense natural disasters. Seawater inundation, one of the most serious disasters, could damage human property and life. Regional sea level rise, highest astronomic tide, vertical land motions, and extreme sea level could result in episodic, recurrent, or permanent coastal inundation. Therefore, assessing potential flooding areas is a critical task for coastal management plans. In this study, a simulation of the static flooding situation in the southwest coast of Taiwan (Tainan city) at the end of this century was conducted by using a combination of the Taiwan Digital Elevation Model (DEM), regional sea level changes reconstructed by tide gauge and altimetry data, vertical land deformation derived from leveling and GPS data, and ocean tide models. In addition, the extreme sea level situation, which typically results from high water on a spring tide and a storm surge, was also evaluated by the joint probability method using tide gauge records. To analyze the possible static flood risk and avoid overestimation of inundation areas, a region-based image segmentation method was employed in the estimated future topographic data to generate the flood risk map. In addition, an extreme sea level situation, which typically results from high water on a spring tide and a storm surge, was also evaluated by the joint probability method using tide gauge records. Results showed that the range of inundation depth around the Tainan area is 0–8 m with a mean value of 4 m. In addition, most of the inundation areas are agricultural land use (60% of total inundation area of Tainan), and two important international wetlands, 88.5% of Zengwun Estuary Wetlands and 99.5% of Sihcao Wetlands (the important Black-faced Spoonbills Refuge) will disappear under the combined situation. The risk assessment of flooding areas is potentially useful for coastal ocean and land management to develop appropriate adaptation policies for preventing disasters resulting from global climate change.

Geographic Variation of Indigenous Hepatitis C Virus Subtypes 6g and 6w in an Endemic Area of Southern Taiwan

Background and Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 6 is the most genetically diverse GT and mainly distributed in Southeast Asia and south China but not Taiwan. Earlier studies showed the major GTs in Taiwan were GT 1b and GT 2 with very rare GT6 except in injection drug user and subtype 6a is the main GT 6 subtype among IDUs. Recently we reported a much higher prevalence (18.3%) of GT 6 in Tainan City, southern Taiwan. This study was designed to clarify the subtypes of GT 6 in this endemic area. Materials and Methods: A total 3022 (1343 men and 1679 women) HCV patients were enrolled. GT 6 subtypes were determined by sequencing of core/E1 and nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) in 322 of 518 GT 6 patients. Results: The overall GT6 prevalence rate was 17.1% (518/3022) with higher prevalence districts located in northern Tainan. The major GT6 subtypes in Tainan were 6g (81.0%), followed by 6w (10.8%), 6a (7.5%), and 6n (0.7%).Conclusions: The high GT 6 prevalence in Tainan was mainly due to subtype 6g and 6w with characteristic geographic distribution, suggesting subtypes 6g and 6w could be indigenous in Tainan for centuries.

Systematic creation of a city’s visual communication: logo design based on the phoenix flower in Tainan City, Taiwan

This study considers the urban branding of Tainan City, Taiwan. It explores how the city’s image continues its historical cultural milieu through the creation of a visual identity from the phoenix flower. The study analyzes a selection of logos used by organizations in the city, and the semiotic significance of organizational logos. From a sample of 67 logos, the form and content of the visual symbols are interpreted via morphological, content, and semiotic analyses. The logos are also categorized based on the following design features: pervasive symbols, cultural elements, typeface design, industrial embodiment, human body, decorative aids, and graphic design enhancement. Research indicates that Tainan uses the phoenix flower shape for design expression in logos, but because of a lack of uniformity in design norms, the logos are inconsistent. Therefore, standardization of the phoenix flower design used within the city environment would assist the Tainan city branding.