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The accuracy of the current buried pipeline management geographic information system (GIS) is not adequate to serve as base information for road digging control and permit in Taiwan. The existing positioning system for buried pipelines does not offer satisfactorily accurate surveying results for all the scenarios because the positioning accurateness decreases with an increase in the pipeline depth. The costly excavation and direct survey of the exposed pipeline method can provide precise measurement at the designed arbitrary interval and then the discrete point is interpolated into the continuous track. The required traffic controls and excavation permits for roads are the most critical drawback of this technology. The method of in-pipe inertial navigation system (INS) can record the complete, continuous pipe tracks, but such measurement drifts with an increase in the survey length. We proposed a pipeline positioning system by radiating an extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field from the electrical coil placed on the ground to constrain the locating measurement of in-pipe INS. The proposed system could easily expand the diameters or increasing turns of a ground-based coil device to enhance the magnetic field intensity for accurately positioning the deeper buried pipes. The field tests were performed using a ductile cast iron pipe (DIP), and the corresponding results revealed that for the overburden depth of 3.4–4.2 m, the average positioning errors were 0.12 and 1.6 m in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. This approach is only plausible for an empty pipeline, and access to both ends of the pipe is required. A four-person crew handled the proposed system to locate the track of a 5-km-long buried pipeline in an 8-h-long working day when the pipeline was unfilled. Any pipeline with diameter larger than 10 cm (4 in.) could apply this system to locate the continuous track with the requirement of accessibility at both ends of the empty pipe. With 1.45-m coil, the maximum detectable buried depth is 15 m, and locating error is less than 20 cm at both directions for the cases with buried depth less than 5 m. Two people need to move and operate the magnetic coil at the ground and another two people must hoist the in-pipe unit at each end of the pipe simultaneously. With this arrangement, the continuous track of buried empty pipe could surveyed for 5 km in length within an 8-h working day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported test results suggest reinforcement grade can have an important effect on the seismic displacement demands of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Two one‐story one‐bay RC frames (Specimens C1 and H1) were mounted in parallel on the NCREE‐Taiwan shake table and simultaneously subjected to 16 base motions, each representing a horizontal component of recorded earthquakes. The dynamic tests were followed by quasi‐static large‐amplitude cyclic testing. The specimens had the same nominal dimensions and base shear strengths with longitudinal reinforcement that was Grade 60 (60 ksi [420 MPa]) in C1 and Grade 100 (100 ksi [690 MPa]) in H1. Maximum drifts of H1 were 1.3 to 2.3 times larger than for C1. The lateral stiffness of H1 was consistently lower than C1, with stiffness ratios (H1 to C1) ranging from 0.78 after Run 1 to 0.45 after Run 16. Drift estimates using stiffness values based on gross‐section properties provided a reasonable upper bound for C1 but were unconservative for H1. Drift estimates based on the secant‐to‐yield stiffnesses, which were inversely proportional to reinforcement grade, provided an upper bound for both specimens. Preliminary recommendations are made for accounting for these effects in design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Contour currents with different physical natures observed over a drift-moat system • High SSC on the drift due to long-range sediment transport by contour currents • High SSC in the moat due to moat wall erosion by tidal-induced secondary flows • Formation of drifts forced by upslope sediment transport of tidal currents Contourite drifts are ubiquitous sedimentary features in the world′s oceans, and their formation are usually ascribed to sedimentation from contour currents. However, in-situ observations of contour currents and their associated sedimentary processes were inadequate. Here, we present mooring observation results from a drift-moat contourite system in the South China Sea to gain insight into its sediment dynamics and formation mechanism. We found that quasi-persistent contour currents develop in the moat, on and below the drift, yet subject to diverse physical oceanographic processes. High suspended sediment concentrations observed on the drift mainly occur in winter, induced by high levels of sediments transported by contour currents from Taiwan. In the moat, however, high suspended sediment concentrations are mostly caused by erosion of the moat wall during periods of strong tidal currents and low shear variance. Such results underscore the complexity of current patterns and sedimentary processes across various topographic units in the drift-moat contourite system. A novel formation mechanism of the contourite drift is thereby proposed, wherein sediment transport by contour currents brings materials for constructing the drift, while its formation is driven by near-critical reflection and upslope transport of sediments by tidal currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the world praised Taiwan for its exemplary management of the COVID-19 pandemic, a debate on its compliance with rule of law and human rights was shadowed. This manuscript examines the stringent policy of mandatory quarantine and isolation in Taiwan through the lens of personal liberty and argues that despite its effectiveness for public health, it was disproportionate, arbitrary and likely amounting to the ill-treatment of quarantined persons. Notwithstanding its implications for coronavirus policies elsewhere, the legal ramifications of Taiwan's lesson are also vital for scholarly debate on the limits of the established international human rights framework during the time of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Although male breast cancer (MBC) is globally rare, its incidence significantly increased from 1990 to 2017. The aim of this study was to examine variations in the trends of MBC incidence between populations in Taiwan and the USA. Analysis of related databases from the two countries showed MBC incidence in Taiwan rapidly increased in contrast to the much slower increase in the USA during the same period. Furthermore, the results of the age-period-cohort analysis demonstrated a stronger cohort effect on the MBC incidence trend in Taiwan than in the USA. The observed cohort effect in this study is similar to that of a prior investigation on female breast cancer in Taiwan, indicating the potential influence of common environmental factors in both genders, such as a high-fat diet and xenoestrogen. Although male breast cancer (MBC) is globally rare, its incidence significantly increased from 1990 to 2017. The aim of this study was to examine variations in the trends of MBC incidence between populations in Taiwan and the USA from 1980 to 2019. The Taiwan Cancer Registry database and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute of the USA were used. The age-standardized incidence rate was calculated using the world standard population in 2000. The long-term trends of the age, time period, and birth cohort effect on MBC incidence rates were estimated using the SEER Age-Period-Cohort Web Tool. The results revealed that the incidence of MBC in both countries increased from 2010 to 2019 (Taiwan: average annual percentage change (AAPC) = 2.59%; USA: AAPC = 0.64%). The age and period effects on the incidence rates in both countries strengthened, but the cohort effect was only identified in Taiwan (Rate ratio: 4.03). The identified cohort effect in this study bears resemblance to that noted in a previous investigation on female breast cancer in Taiwan. This suggests the possible presence of common environmental factors influencing breast cancer incidence in both genders, such as a high fat diet and xenoestrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution caused by marine oil spills can lead to persistent ecological disasters and severe social and economic damages. Numerical simulations are useful and essential tools for accurate decision making during emergencies and planning response actions. In this study, we applied the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) to determine current data, including seawater velocity, salinity, and temperature, and we obtained the fate and trajectory of spilled oil using OpenOil. Several probable oil slicks around Taiwan were simulated over time (12 months) and space (four spill locations in the marine area of each coastal city or county) using the model. The percentage risk under the effect of an oil spill is estimated. The risk zone of the coastal waters of Taiwan was identified based on the frequency of simulated oil slicks hitting the coast and sensitive resources. This information not only helps authorities guide the preparation of effective plans to minimise the impacts of oil spill incidents but could also be used to improve regulations related to shipping and vessel navigation in regional seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]