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Background: Among sarcomas, which are rare cancers, many types are exceedingly rare; however, a definition of ultra‐rare cancers has not been established. The problem of ultra‐rare sarcomas is particularly relevant because they represent unique diseases, and their rarity poses major challenges for diagnosis, understanding disease biology, generating clinical evidence to support new drug development, and achieving formal authorization for novel therapies. Methods: The Connective Tissue Oncology Society promoted a consensus effort in November 2019 to establish how to define ultra‐rare sarcomas through expert consensus and epidemiologic data and to work out a comprehensive list of these diseases. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was based on the 2020 World Health Organization classification, The incidence rates were estimated using the Information Network on Rare Cancers (RARECARENet) database and NETSARC (the French Sarcoma Network's clinical‐pathologic registry). Incidence rates were further validated in collaboration with the Asian cancer registries of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Results: It was agreed that the best criterion for a definition of ultra‐rare sarcomas would be incidence. Ultra‐rare sarcomas were defined as those with an incidence of approximately ≤1 per 1,000,000, to include those entities whose rarity renders them extremely difficult to conduct well powered, prospective clinical studies. On the basis of this threshold, a list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was defined, which comprised 56 soft tissue sarcoma types and 21 bone sarcoma types. conclusions: Altogether, the incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas. This confirms that the challenges inherent in ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas, defined as those sarcomas with an incidence ≤1 per 1,000,000, comprises 56 soft tissue sarcoma and 21 bone sarcoma types. The incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas, confirming that challenges inherent to ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale, Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to apply a paper-based clinical reminder to improve the adherence to lipid guidelines., Methods: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) without lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) were recruited, and medical records were reviewed. Eligible subjects were randomized; a clinical reminder stating current standards and local insurance policy was stamped on the paper chart in the study group but not in the control. The primary outcome was new LLT subscription in the 6-month follow-up period, and the secondary end point was the composite result of LLT or lipid profile check-up., Results: Ninety-two patients were assigned to the study group and 102 to the control group. The primary outcome showed no difference at the end of 6 months (OR: 1.70, P = 0.248, 95% CI: 0.69-4.19). The secondary end point was significantly higher in the reminder group (OR: 2.81, P = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.57-5.04)., Conclusion: A paper chart based clinical reminder providing update clinical recommendations could modify the doctor's behaviour and improve the attention to lipid levels. However, its effect cannot be transformed into an increase in LLT or a decrease in low-density lipoprotein level owing to local policy constraint.

Many studies have documented nurses’ attitudes and concerns regarding AIDS/HIV, but little is known about Taiwanese nurses. We documented attitudes, concerns, gloving practices and practical AIDS/HIV knowledge of 1090 nurses from one metropolitan hospital in Changhua City, Taiwan. The response rate was 80.9%. Both HIV and hepatitis contraction in the workplace was nurses’ main concern. Two hundred and ten nurses (19.3%) were seriously considering leaving nursing because of fear of contracting AIDS/HIV. Virtually all nurses considered it their right to be informed of the presence of HIV-positive patients in their direct work area and many believed that HIV testing of patients should be mandatory. Practical AIDS/HIV knowledge was deficient. These Taiwanese nurses have concerns and fears that might be related to deficiencies in practical AIDS/HIV knowledge. Continuous educational programmes are recommended to alleviate these nurses’ attitudes and concerns regarding AIDS/HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess and analyse hospital readmission and its risk factors for patients who were visited by a discharge planning coordinator during hospitalization in a teaching hospital located in southern Taiwan. Results found that 67 patients (5.7%) were readmitted within 14 days of discharge during the data collection period. Twenty-eight patients (41.8%) were readmitted because of complications. Patients’ previous diagnoses and complications were two major reasons for patients to be re-hospitalized within 14 days of discharge. In addition, significant predictors for unplanned hospital readmission within 14 days of discharge were patients who received care from home health care nurses or hospice home health care nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased waste production is a by‐product of economic growth, and that is why countries worldwide are working on turning waste into useful resources and enhancing recycling effectiveness. Aside from using symbols and words for identifying which recycle bins for which types of recyclable materials, color is also a useful code and visual element in recycle bin design. This study conducted questionnaire survey (n = 418) among participants from Taiwan and from East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) to explore the current condition of resource recycling and determine the best color‐material pairings. This study's result suggests that the most frequently recycled material by participants from Taiwan and from EAP were paper and plastic. The study participants sorted and recycled materials as frequently as five to six days a week. From analyzing the pairings of four colors (red, green, blue, and yellow) with four recyclable materials (paper, glass, plastic, and metal), differences were found between participants from Taiwan and those from EAP. Because resource classification and color coding are different from country to country, this study found that color provides limited information of recycle bins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the FDI decision on domestic investment in the case of Taiwanese manufacturing firms. In addition, we also consider the deferral effect of the FDI decision and the role of firm size. To this end, this paper takes advantage of an endogenous switching model from which consistent estimators are obtained after correcting for the self-selection problem. The empirical results show that the effect of these manufacturing firms’ FDI decisions on domestic investment is significant within the firms. Furthermore, a crowding-out effect of FDI on domestic investment is found when Taiwanese firms engage in defensive FDI. Finally, FDI is found to have a positive influence on the domestic investment of the larger firms, while the influence is negative in the case of the smaller firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To analyse the contributions of authors from three major regions of China - the Mainland ( ML), Hong Kong ( HK) and Taiwan ( TW) - in the field of health care sciences and services. Methods Articles published by Chinese authors between 1998 and 2012 in the category of health care sciences and services were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded ( scie) database. The numbers of total articles, impact factors, citations, articles included in the top 10 highest impact journals and the 10 journals that published the most papers were recorded. Results ML, HK and TW published 615, 415 and 1162, respectively, with accumulated impact factors of 1281.65, 904.29 and 2361.44; average impact factor of 2.08, 2.18 and 2.03; and total citation times of 2313, 2652, and 4818. Regarding the top 10 high-impact journals, ML, HK and TW accounted for 28.25%, 27.68% and 44.07%, respectively. Total impact factors of the most popular 10 journals for ML, HK and TW were 20.86, 22.08 and 18.92, respectively. Discussion and Conclusions Both the quality and quantity of papers published in health care sciences and services journals from ML, HK and TW have greatly improved. ML and HK have different strong points, while the gap with TW diminished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of cultural and creative industries, cultural creativity has gradually become an important factor to promote the value of design in the future, and it is also a trend to integrate "cultural elements" into the design of products. At present, the cultural and creative industries in Western countries and Taiwan are the mainstay of their economic development. We should actively absorb their successful experiences and, with the support of national policies, carry out effective and lasting development of them, as well as continuously improve the quality of cultural and creative products. In today's steady economic development, the emotionalization of cultural and creative consumption has gradually formed a new consumption trend. When cultural and creative consumers buy stationery, they will inevitably have three situations: purchasing instinct, purchasing behavior, and reflection. Therefore, this paper adopts the method based on machine learning to conduct in-depth research on the users of cultural and creative products of "Forbidden Day and Night Set Gift Box." Through the research on the cultural and creative consumption intention of "Forbidden Day and Night Set Gift Box," it can effectively promote the development of domestic cultural and creative enterprises, and then promote the customer satisfaction of cultural and creative enterprises. This paper makes a detailed analysis of it from the perspectives of data processing, feature engineering, classification prediction models, and future development directions. By studying the cultural and creative behavior of users, a deep learning model based on neural network is established. The feature extraction, feature preprocessing, feature selection, and asymmetric data collection in the process of data processing are discussed in depth. In order to further improve the prediction accuracy and conduct more in-depth research, this paper establishes a deep learning prediction model based on depth. This model is experimentally validated and it can be observed that the model is 10% more efficient than the traditional model, so the model can learn data better from the user's behavior in several aspects, and the proposed and practice of this model has good practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Given Taiwan's limited formal diplomatic recognition, this paper examines interviews with diplomats/officials from one of Taiwan's Pacific allies, Tuvalu, as well as interviews with other Pacific diplomats in Taiwan and Taiwanese diplomats/officials, to outline diverging conceptions of diplomacy in Taiwan's official alliances. The paper first analyses interviews with Pacific diplomats in Taiwan, discussing how diplomats link meanings of diplomacy to socio‐cultural protocols in their home countries. Three themes that emerge in explanations of diplomacy are bartering/exchange, building/maintaining friendships and properly building/reinforcing inter‐island relationships. The paper next considers how interviews with Tuvaluan diplomats/officials focused on themes similar to those outlined by other Pacific diplomats but also revealed specific cultural mechanisms of diplomacy including the alofa, or ‘giving of gifts’. Subsequently, the article examines how Taiwanese diplomats/officials contemplate diplomacy, specifically how Taiwan's competition with China/the PRC has created negative conceptions of formal diplomacy. Taiwanese ideas of diplomacy often clash with Tuvaluan/Pacific conceptions because Taiwan sees diplomatic allies as always on the verge of severing ties and inherently disloyal. The conclusion discusses how cultural values and their influence on conceptions of diplomacy can engender tension in diplomatic relationships while also underscoring the importance of seeing diplomacy as both multifaceted and multiply understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 2006 Research & development (R&) Management Conference in Taiwan. They said that the event which was attended by 272 participants from 27 nations was designed to discuss the ways to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in R&D management. They add that the demand for new ideas and practices in management, education and academic research was tackled in the event. Furthermore, they cited the importance of using methods in an efficient and creative manner for the R&D managment to function effectively.

This paper examines the migration aspirations of young people from the remote border area of Kinmen, Taiwan and their migratory trajectories—internal migration to the main island of Taiwan and cross‐border migration to China. Located between Taiwan and China, Kinmen is an offshore island with a long history of migration. Based on multi‐site ethnographic data from 30 young people, this paper explores their migratory trajectories and aspirations concerning the instability of socio‐political context and the growing social and cultural inequalities of today's globalised world, China's rise in particular. It contributes to the population geography literature by using migration aspiration as a critical lens to analyse how young people negotiate their borderland identity through mobility under the changing cross‐strait political economy. The paper emphasises the importance of considering the transformation of regional economy and culture when analysing youth migration experiences. In recognising the socially grounded aspects of migration aspiration, it highlights the fluid and transformative nature of migration to enrich our knowledge of how marginalised youth form subjectivities and negotiate complex identities through migration. The distinctive experiences of peripheral youth shed new light on the conceptualisation of border crossing, place and desires under the sway of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Multiple cropping, the cultivation of several crops on the same land in a year, occupied an important part of Taiwan's agricultural research from 1950 to 1970. This research originated in the context of Taiwan's land reform and diversification programs and their connections to the government's political ambition to maximize food production. The study of how multiple cropping was politicized and depoliticized by different actors helps to expand the narratives of the Green Revolution in Asia, analyze their legacies, and highlight Taiwan's role in the international exchange of visions of agricultural development during the Cold War. Summary: Scholars have recently expanded the history of the Green Revolution to move beyond the narrative of North–South technological diffusion. This article enriches the scholarship with the case of multiple cropping in Taiwan and its connection to Cold War geopolitics.Rice productivity in postwar Taiwan was boosted through a land reform launched by the Sino‐American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) in the 1950s. Backed by American aid and staffed by scientists from the Republic of China (ROC) government, the JCRR envisioned to turn tenant farmers into landowners so as to encourage labor input and adoption of seeds and fertilizers.By 1960, the JCRR presented its reform as a "bloodless social revolution" and extended its focus to multiple cropping through a diversification program. The JCRR further created the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in 1971 to spread Taiwan's breeding and cropping techniques. The ROC's diplomatic isolation in the 1970s, however, prompted the center to reinterpret Taiwan's success in multiple cropping from a political achievement to a technological triumph, thus reinforcing the technology‐driven narrative used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).Through Taiwan's influences on IRRI's rice breeding and multiple cropping research, this paper illustrates that the history of the Green Revolution requires more complex narratives. In addition, with Taiwan's political and economic transition since the 1980s, farmers began to reclaim their voice and influence agricultural policies. The case thus highlights the need of democratic participation in agricultural research, a concern that remains relevant today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Study: Asynchronous online discussions are vital venues for collaborative knowledge construction. However, the lack of appropriate instruction designs poses challenges in promoting deep and substantive engagement with the core subject matter. This paper explores how to enhance adult students' knowledge construction in the context of asynchronous online discussions at an open university in Taiwan. Objectives: This study explores instructional designs aimed at promoting online knowledge construction among adult students and overcoming barriers to this process. Methods: This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to collect concurrently both quantitative data from the students' online discussion postings for content analysis and qualitative data from the focus group and individual interviews, the online open‐ended questionnaire, and the instructor's observation logs for thematic analysis. Then the results were merged in the interpretation stage. Results and Conclusion: The research highlights the significance of instructional designs in influencing students' level of knowledge construction during online discussions. The findings suggest that instructional designs that provide teacher‐led interim summaries, pose Socratic questions, and incorporate problem‐solving projects can promote higher‐level knowledge construction. However, time constraints, cultural influences, and unfamiliarity with peers negatively affected higher‐order knowledge construction. To address these challenges, culturally responsive and technologically inclusive instructional designs that take into account the specific challenges faced by adult learners are proposed to enhance learning outcomes through active participation. Limitation: The study's limited sample size warrants further research with a larger and more diverse cohort to validate the effectiveness of the proposed instructional designs. Another limitation is the lack of a robust theoretical base for the instructional strategies presented by the current action‐research study. Further examination and broader exploration in online education are needed to prop up proposed pedagogical approaches. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic: Online discussions are essential for collaborative knowledge construction among adult students.Existing research primarily indicates that online knowledge construction often remains at a basic level, predominantly involving the sharing and comparing of information. What this paper adds: This study explores instructional designs aimed at elevating online knowledge construction among adult students at an open university in Taiwan.It identifies specific instructional strategies, such as teacher‐led interim summaries, the use of Socratic questioning, and the integration of problem‐solving projects, as effective in promoting higher‐level knowledge construction.The paper also sheds light on the challenges hindering higher‐order knowledge construction, including time constraints, cultural influences, and unfamiliarity among peers. Implications for practice and/or policy: The findings underscore the need for culturally responsive and technologically inclusive instructional designs. These should be tailored to the unique challenges faced by adult learners, particularly in asynchronous online environments.The paper suggests that such instructional designs can significantly improve learning outcomes by fostering more active and deeper participation in online discussions.It also highlights the importance of further research to validate these strategies, given the study's limited sample size and the need for a more robust theoretical foundation for the proposed instructional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Behavioural intention (BI) has been predicted using other variables by adopting the technology acceptance model (TAM). However, few studies have examined whether BI can predict learning performance. Objectives: The present study used an extended TAM to investigate whether students' BI is a predictor of their listening learning performance (LLP) through vocabulary learning performance (VLP) in the context of mobile vocabulary‐assisted listening learning by using two mobile learning tools. Methods: A total of 129 college students with a pre‐intermediate level of English were recruited as participants, and a 10‐week mobile vocabulary‐assisted, listening‐learning course was conducted in 2022. In each task of this course, the students had to learn target words from a listening passage on Quizlet and then engage in listening activities on Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab. Quantitative responses obtained through an online questionnaire were analysed through partial‐least‐squares structural equation modelling. Results: The analysis results indicated that BI significantly predicted LLP through VLP. Perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) were significant antecedents of BI. However, PEU did not significantly predict PU because of the difficulty of navigating between the two technological tools used in this study. The extended model demonstrated its effectiveness in explaining listening learning performance, as evidenced by an explained variance (R2) of 69%. Conclusion: The extended model validates the influence of BI on learning performance and it can also draw teachers' focus toward the significance of enhancing students' BI to improve their listening learning performance. Pedagogical implications based on the results are provided in this paper. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: TAM was used to study learners' acceptance of mobile‐assisted language learning.TAM incorporates latent variables to explore mobile‐assisted language learning.Investigating factors influencing BI is a primary research focus in extended TAM literature.Mobile tools could improve listening learning and vocabulary retention. What this paper adds to that: Learning performance was considered as a dependent variable in an extended TAM.BI might predict students' learning performance in vocabulary and listening in an extended TAM.Teachers used two mobile tools to design mobile vocabulary‐assisted listening tasks.Pre‐learning the target words facilitate students' listening learning performance. Implications for practice and/or policy: We show the importance of BI on predicting listening learning performance.The impact of BI on other factors became another focus of TAM research.Results highlight pre‐learning target words' importance for better listening performance.Existing mobile tools improve listening performance, avoiding new system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the economic and institutional determinants of Taiwan's outward direct investment in six Southeast Asian countries from 1998 to 2017, applying the panel ARDL--Pooled Mean Group estimation. We specially examine the effects of institutional quality with five dimensions inclusively, using the Worldwide Governance Indicators. The results show the locational economic factors are the primary determinants in the long run. The tight and historic trading relation with Southeast Asia has a long-run positive effect. On the contrary, the institutional quality of the host countries has strong positive effects in both the long run and short run. Further, the paper displays the dynamics of this investment in the last 20 years. These results are important for Taiwan and Southeast Asia policy-makers in setting up the short-run and long-run policies to sustain their diversified economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the proportion of work on 'Muslim geographies', the majority has focused on Muslims as a minority discussed within societies of the West. Additionally, this work rarely discusses the positionality of the researcher despite significant overlap with work in feminist, social, and cultural geographies. This paper takes 'Muslim geographies' as a starting point to further problematise accounts of knowledge, subjectivity, and power with regard to the treatment of Islam in geography. I argue that geographical analysis from different standpoints is needed to yield other ways of knowing about Muslims and how they orient themselves across space and time. This theoretical intervention is informed by my fieldwork experience as a Muslim male conducting ethnographic research on migration and labour precarity with other Muslim migrants across Taiwan. As I transited through various Muslim spaces, being Muslim provided privileged access and shaped the direction in which the research progressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the everyday lived realities of Southeast Asian migrant workers who left the formal sector of the labour market and entered the informal agricultural sector before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Taiwan. Drawing on observations of migrants' daily lives and farm work and 19 in‐depth interviews, it delves into migrants' subjective experiences of vulnerability, paternalism, exploitation, and control at work due to a lack of legal protection and the illegality of their employment. Although the literature has identified a link between 'running away' from formal employment and seeking freedom, this research suggests a continuum between experiences of work in the formal and informal economic sectors. The paper sheds new light on mobility, work, illegality, and informality and how these have constantly shaped 'runaway' workers' subjective experiences of freedom and unfreedom during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research involving international research communities has been advocated in the field of behavior analysis (Dymond et al., 2000; Martin et al., 2016). The purpose of the present study was to report the status of behavioral research in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, in terms of number of publications, types of research, and frequency of collaboration with international researchers. Fifteen behavioral journals were selected from the list by Cooper et al. (2020). These were searched by hand to find publications conducted in or authored by researchers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan dating from each journal's inception to December 2021. The earliest publication we found appeared in 1980 in The Psychological Record. Over the following four decades (1980–1989; 1990–1999; 2000–2009; 2010–2021), the number of publications per decade increased dramatically and continues in recent years to rise. Publications include research reports, review papers, and conceptual articles, with the majority being basic research reports published in Behavioral Processes. Approximately half the publications involve collaboration with international researchers, mostly in North America. Implications for behavioral research, practice, and policy in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, by looking at the role of Taiwanese citizens in civic organisations for marriage migrants, explores how women's agency and negotiation occur not only against masculine dominance within patriarchal family arrangements, but also in alliance with it, when oppression is located somewhere beyond the family. In contrast to literature that depicts marriage migration as a women's and migrants' issue, this paper explores the role of Taiwanese citizens (often husbands in cross‐border marriages) in shaping the evolution of the phenomenon in both the private and public spheres. The aim of this paper is to fill a gap in empirical literature on marriage migration in Taiwan and East Asia, as well as contribute to feminist debates on women's agency in the context of masculine dominance. Building on ethnographic data collected through fieldwork in Taiwan, including in‐depth interviews and participant observation within civil society organisations for marriage migrants, this paper reveals how Taiwanese male citizens and Chinese female migrants responded to the challenges brought by their decision to engage in cross‐border unions by creating a new narrative that could explain their condition of shared oppression and by developing joint actions to address the structural discrimination they faced as cross‐border couples in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with data that is initially collected for research purposes, the mandatory authorization of a government database for secondary use deserves greater scrutiny because it consists of information that is collected initially for administrative purposes. Using the case of Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Database as an example, this paper analyzes the ethical issues that emerge when the research participants are "participated" in studies without their consent, according to the current policy. The proponents of secondary use for research purposes maintain that the authorized use of the NHI Database is necessary for public interests, while the opponents argue that the potential lack of democratic accountability and the infringement on people's rights to privacy and information autonomy is unwarranted. Drawing on the solidarity-based approach, this paper proposes a temporal solution as a possible reform direction for better ethical justification of the secondary use of the NHI Database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on interviews with nine PhD students and twelve PhD graduates from a research university in Taiwan, this paper explores students' motivational profiles for pursuing a PhD at a time when that degree is increasingly decoupled from academic employment. Using self‐determination theory as a conceptual lens, the paper identifies common enrolment motivations in the PhD crisis era. Amidst the doctoral enrolment crisis in Taiwan, where the traditional employment path for PhD graduates (i.e., academia) is more of a mirage than a reality, the motivations of students to pursue a PhD do not differ much from those found in the literature concerning the era of PhD expansion. Two typical motivational profiles are predominant, one dominated by the accumulation of career advantages and the other by the search for personal growth. The findings show that the first profile tends to be on the minds of most students. The second profile tends to be adopted by those who have few career concerns or those who have a greater need for self‐improvement. We also find that these motivations have unique nuances, meanings and consequences for universities and doctoral education in the PhD crisis era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was motivated by the need to enhance Mandarin learning through embodied interactions and physical engagement methods. While most studies confirm the positive effects of touchscreen devices on learning, mixed findings suggest a need for more engaging methods. This research addresses these gaps by exploring the benefits of embodied interaction through the Shaking‐On game app, an embodied question‐response platform, in comparison to Kahoot. Objectives: To compare the learning effectiveness of the Shaking‐On app, which incorporates physical shaking interactions, with the conventional quiz platform Kahoot in promoting Mandarin learning and positive emotional experiences. Methods: A total of 158 junior high school students participated in the study, engaging in 15‐minute sessions once a week for 3 weeks in a formal classroom setting. Participants were divided into two groups: one using the Shaking‐On app and the other using Kahoot. The study employed a comparative analysis framework based on achievement emotion theory to evaluate learning outcomes and emotional responses. Furthermore, the classroom response system (CRS) analysis was used to assess the cognitive and affective parameters of the learning tasks in the Shaking‐On app and Kahoot, providing detailed insight into how different interactive tasks contributed to learning. Results and Conclusions: The results indicated that the Shaking‐On app significantly enhanced Mandarin learning and engagement compared with Kahoot. Participants using Shaking‐On experienced higher levels of interactive situational interest and flow, while test anxiety remained consistent across both groups. These findings suggest that incorporating embodied interactions into digital learning tools can substantially benefit student engagement and learning outcomes. The study indicated that such apps could be effectively integrated into classroom settings to enhance student learning. Educators and game developers are encouraged to integrate such interactive elements to improve the efficacy and appeal of educational applications. Lay Description: What Is currently known about this topic?: Digital game‐based learning enhances motivation, critical thinking and retention.Embodied cognition links bodily experiences to improved learning outcomes.Physical activities in learning can boost motivation, interest and performance.Engagement through physical interaction may help reduce test anxiety. What does this paper add?: Shaking‐On is more effective in Mandarin learning than Kahoot as classroom response system.Bodily engagement in Shaking‐On enhances situational interest and flow.No significant difference in test anxiety between Shaking‐On and Kahoot users.Embodied interactions provide substantial benefits in digital learning tools. Implications for practice: Educators should integrate embodied interactions to enhance student engagement.Game developers can design more effective learning apps with embodied elements.Future research should explore Shaking‐On's impact on other subjects.Policies should support the development of interactive digital learning tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Team‐based learning (TBL) is a widely recognised pedagogical strategy used in diverse fields and courses. Despite the success of TBL, certain concerns have arisen regarding social loafing within group collaboration contexts; this loafing can reduce the overall effectiveness of learning. Objectives: This study addressed the aforementioned concerns by integrating group awareness (GA) information into each stage of TBL, resulting in a TBL + GA system designed to enhance TBL instruction. During online collaborative learning, GA information provides insights into the activities completed by peers and thus the peers' preparedness and achievement; this knowledge fosters motivation, participation, and reflection. Methods: A quasiexperiment was performed with students from two freshman classes (40 and 41 students, respectively) in a Taiwanese university; the control and experimental classes used the TBL only and TBL + GA systems, respectively. Student learning effort was evaluated in terms of preclass preparation, including the use of learning materials and online test scores. Learning achievement was evaluated by assessing the quality of students' assignments. Student feedback, including peer evaluations and students' perceptions of their TBL experience, was collected and compared for the two classes. Results and Conclusions: The TBL + GA system significantly enhanced the preclass preparation efforts of the participants, mitigating social loafing. This improvement manifested as higher practice engagement and better online assessment scores. The TBL + GA system also improved assignment quality and elicited more constructive and positive peer feedback. Implications: Integrating GA information into each stage of TBL may positively affect the effectiveness of instruction. The proposed TBL + GA system can serve as a practical model for instructors seeking to enhance TBL implementation and foster a more engaging and constructive learning environment. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Team‐Based Learning (TBL) has recently drawn much attention and has been successfully applied in many fields (different courses)While TBL requires students to learn autonomously and work together as a team, it also results in social loafing during collaborative learning, thus reducing its learning effectiveness.Group awareness (GA) information, which provides visual information about peers' learning contexts (activities) in online collaborative learning, can increase the interaction and participation What this paper adds: This study adds GA information to each learning stage in the TBL process.This study further proposes the TBL + GA system for facilitating TBL teaching.This study investigates whether student engagement on each TBL stages significantly differs between the traditional TBL and the proposed TBL + GA systems. Implications for practice and/or policy: The TBL + GA system significantly enhanced the preclass preparation efforts of the participants, mitigating social loafing. This improvement manifested as an increase in practice engagement and online assessment scores.The TBL + GA system also improved assignment quality and elicited more constructive and positive peer feedback, compared with the traditional TBL.Integrating GA information into each stage of TBL may positively affect the effectiveness of instruction. The proposed TBL + GA system can serve as a practical model for instructors seeking to enhance TBL implementation, thereby fostering a more engaging and constructive learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how non‐Indigenous teachers understand challenges and barriers to academic progress and success for Indigenous students in Taiwan. Drawing on data from a study with 17 teachers of Han Taiwanese and Hakka background who had worked closely with Indigenous students from elementary to high school across Taiwan, we utilise Expectancy‐Value Theory to explore teacher participants' views of the barriers and challenges to educational success for their Indigenous students. Previous research suggests a deficit view among majority background teachers, depicting them as biased against Indigenous peoples and lacking relevant knowledge that would allow them to teach Indigenous students and about Indigenous cultures and histories. In contrast with this previous research, the teachers we interviewed exhibited a good and nuanced understanding of the obstacles and challenges of Indigenous students, families and communities which prevent their success. The teachers in our study indicated that they lack agency and are limited by structural forces in effecting meaningful change. Far from holding deficit views, the teachers interviewed pointed to the importance of working together with Indigenous families and communities to support the learning of Indigenous students. In our conclusion we point to ways of capitalising on the non‐deficit positive views captured here to effect long‐term sustainable change to support teachers to, in turn, support the learning of Indigenous students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with infectious disease threats, the global pork industry and the state have prioritised biosecurity in order to maintain porcine proliferation. Techniques such as good sanitation and surveillance are deemed necessary to ensure animal health. Rooted in germ theory, biosecurity regards disease as an incursion of pathogens from the outside. By drawing distinctions between healthy and diseased bodies, biosecurity regimes appear to represent an anthropocentric desire to control life through spatial enclosure. However, recent work on health geographies has revealed that health is a multifaceted configuration of changing relationships that often escape the purview of biosecurity. Critical studies have pointed out that the management of animal health relies less on any uniform understanding of disease and more on situated veterinary knowledge. This paper seeks to extend this body of work by emphasising inter‐species bodily encounters and earthly elements of the weather‐world. To elucidate this, I draw on recent research into atmosphere and affect, thereby developing the idea of pathological atmospheres. With reference to ethnographical work conducted in veterinary laboratories and commercial pig farms in Taiwan, I point out that a vet's situated expertise is conditioned by their ability to sense and respond to the atmospheric milieu in which they are immersed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a probabilistic hazard assessment model for debris flows considering the uncertainties of multiple influencing factors based on copula approaches. Fifty-nine rainfall-induced debris flows occurred between 2001 and 2009 in Taiwan are taken as an illustrative example to validate the proposed approaches. A copula-based probabilistic model is developed to model the joint probability distribution of debris-flow volume V and its influencing factors (e.g., rainfall intensity, RI and landslide area, AL). The developed model is then used to make probabilistic prediction of debris-flow volume for a specific hazard level, and compared with the empirical approaches. The proposed probabilistic model is also used to develop the exceedance probability charts of quantities for a specific debris-flow basin. Results show that the developed V–RI–AL probabilistic model can provide reasonable estimates of debris-flow volume in Taiwan for a specific probability level of 0.94, and show better predictive performance than the empirical relationships by using an independent debris-flow dataset in Taiwan for validation. The developed multivariate joint probabilistic model can also provide the exceedance probability of debris flows through considering the uncertainties of debris flow and its influencing factors, providing a preliminary reference for hazard assessment of the debris flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1995, thousands of people in Taiwan have pledged each year to donate their cadavers to the medical college run by the Buddhist Tzu Chi (Ciji) Foundation. The "surge of cadavers" seems intriguing in a society where ancestor worship continues to be salient. Drawing on my fieldwork in 2012–2013 and 2015, the purpose of this paper is to describe a series of practices involving the transformation of a cadaver into a Buddhist moral subject: the donor, the family, and the medical school engage in various endeavors and rituals involving "emotional practices" to honor the deceased; situate the donation as a "good death"; and fulfill the family's obligations to ancestor worship. I argue what makes the ritual transformation efficacious is the dominant currency of emotional practices. Emotional practices "authenticate" the ritual transformation. The main ethic for commemorating the cadaver donation is not generosity or dāna but equanimity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taiwan's higher education institutions prioritize interdisciplinary knowledge and cultural competence in cultural design, emphasizing the value of immersion in the local environment to develop cultural competence. However, challenges arise from the disappearance of traditional local lifestyles and limitations of traditional outdoor lectures such as group size and learning environment. Mobile augmented reality technology serves as a personal learning tool to overcome these challenges, enabling learners to uncover hidden knowledge in scenic locations and improving learning efficiency. Objective: The study utilized learning analytics to investigate the impact of using mobile augmented reality on enhancing learners' cultural competence. Methods: The study used both qualitative and quasi‐experimental quantitative research to evaluate the effects of mobile augmented reality on cultural competence. A total of 78 third‐year university students participated in the study, with 37 of them using mobile augmented reality to learn about culture. The researchers utilized both the Mann–Whitney U test and interviews to compare the effectiveness of mobile augmented reality with that of a 'real' tour guide in field courses. Results: The experimental results indicate that learners were able to continuously seek and find information about local culture through field exploration with mobile augmented reality, resulting in similar effects to those of attending a live lecture. Conclusions: It showed that incorporating mobile AR into field visits can create gamified and active learning scenarios that enhance immersion and drive active learning in local culture. The results in greater cultural knowledge and understanding, leading to the development of cultural competence in students. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: There is a heightened emphasis on cultivating and demonstrating cultural competence across various fields due to the significantly grow of cultural and creative industries.Relying solely on traditional classroom teaching for learning about local culture may result in a diminished impact, as a comprehensive understanding of culture necessitates a keen sense of life.To address the limitations of traditional classroom lectures, educators continuously strive to enhance teaching methodologies by developing innovative approaches, such as experiential learning and community‐based learning, which involve hands‐on activities and real‐world engagement to foster increased learning motivation and improved effectiveness.Augmented reality (AR), a technology that overlays virtual images onto real scenes in real time, has gained extensive usage in diverse fields such as medicine, national defence, education, and entertainment, offering interactive gaming experiences and providing an opportunity to experience the culture and past lives of locals in the field, enhancing learners' understanding of cultural history and creating immersive encounters during visits.Particularly in digital learning, the integration of AR enables learners to engage with additional content through mobile devices, fostering an immersive and gamified learning experience. What this paper adds: The use of the AR app for learning about the local culture yielded comparable outcomes to traditional guided tours.Participants actively engaged in self‐directed learning and demonstrated a sense of initiative while utilizing AR.The flexibility and autonomy provided by field learning, which extended beyond the course period, allowed participants to revisit the field and explore at their own pace using AR.Demonstrates that participants took control and responsibility for their own learning, leading to an enhancement in learner autonomy.Participants who utilized the Roaming Jingliao AR system to explore cultural scenarios exhibited enhanced knowledge and attitudes regarding cultural competence, specifically in areas such as cultural understanding, rice food cultural knowledge, Songjiang folk arts, and skills and practices, which can be attributed to the immersive and autonomous nature of AR‐based knowledge learning in outdoor guided courses, minimizing the influence of external environmental factors and facilitating a deeper understanding of the content compared to traditional guided tours. Implications for practice and/or policy: The findings of this study highlight the importance of considering the limitations associated with a relatively small sample size when conducting research within a university curriculum. To enhance the validity and reliability of future studies, practitioners and policymakers should prioritize the inclusion of larger and more diverse samples, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of AR technology on cultural learning and informing evidence‐based practices and policies.The study's focus on a specific group of participants and their contextual background highlights the need for future research to include participants from diverse educational settings and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that the findings are more applicable and relevant to a broader population. Practitioners and policymakers should consider the importance of inclusivity and diversity when designing and implementing cultural learning interventions using AR technology.The recognition of technological limitations highlights the importance of considering the specific AR system used in cultural learning interventions. Practitioners and policymakers should be cautious when adopting AR technologies and recognize that different AR systems or platforms may yield different outcomes. Future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of various AR systems and platforms to inform decision‐making regarding the selection and implementation of AR technologies for cultural learning initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunity identification, opportunity development, and evaluation studies are the main contents in the entrepreneurship literature, but there lacks in‐depth research on the decision‐making process of franchise entrepreneurship. Through case interviews and literature review, this paper presents the cases of four franchise entrepreneurs of convenience store chains in Taiwan as examples to develop a new model of a franchise entrepreneurship decision‐making process. In addition to the new model of this decision‐making process, the following key observations are made based on the case comparison analysis. (1) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of relevant industries were all affected by prior knowledge in both industrial decision and organizational type (self‐employment/franchise/merger) decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by social network in both industrial decision and organizational (self‐employment/franchise/merger) decision. (2) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by prior knowledge and potential financial reward in brand decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by social network and potential financial reward in brand decision. (3) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by prior knowledge, potential financial reward, and financial resources of the franchise headquarters in the franchise type (franchising/commissioning) decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of the relevant industry were influenced by the social network, potential financial reward, and financial resources of the franchise headquarters in the franchise type (franchise/authorized chain) decision. (4) Franchise entrepreneurs were influenced by potential financial reward and franchise headquarters management knowledge in the location decision of the start‐up process, regardless of having prior knowledge of the industry or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a symposium from the International Journal of Psychology that explores the theme of caring for individuals in psychology beyond the scope of individuality. The symposium includes five papers that discuss various aspects of caring, such as home-based palliative care, the sacrifice of the family of body donors, hometown experiences in rural areas, rural education, and transgenerational trauma in Taiwan. The papers highlight the cultural and social perspectives on caring and emphasize the importance of ethicality, relational understanding, and holistic development. The symposium aims to provide a diverse and inclusive perspective on caring practices in psychology. [Extracted from the article]

Using electricity sector reform as a case study, this paper analyses the energy policy making in Taiwan, by applying the theoretical concept of regime resistance and an electricity iron triangle, aiming to elucidate analytical challenges that sustainability transition studies are facing in East Asia. While most such studies focus on the critical role of industrial incumbents, this paper shifts attention to the resistance of the "electricity iron triangle" of the ruling party, the utility workers' union and anti‐nuclear groups to fundamental transformation. It draws upon secondary data and primary information from interviews, especially governmental officials, environmental groups, journalists, electric utilities and Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) union members. This research contributes to the wider debates on regime resistance towards the phase‐out of nuclear power and on the effectiveness of electricity liberalisation as a means to achieve an effective energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, I present a framework for GVC‐oriented industrial policy that merges the so‐called GVC perspective and the so‐called developmentalist perspective—the latter of which is a perspective that industrial policy is most often analysed through, but has been somewhat neglected by the GVC perspective. I argue that the GVC perspective too quickly dismisses the relevance of industrial policy in the East Asian development experience, particularly those in South Korea and Taiwan between roughly 1960 and 1990. By drawing on the industrialisation experiences of these two countries, my framework for industrial policy suggests that the GVC perspective's ideas for industrial policy would be strengthened by more clearly acknowledging the continued importance of three observations by the developmentalist perspective: (a) the need for governments in developing countries to bargain with foreign investors for the purpose of domestic industrialisation; (b) policy design should not only focus on increasing exports, but also focus on replacing some imports with domestic production; and (c) linking up to the value chains of transnational corporations based in high‐income countries can bring about some benefits, but ultimately, successful industrialisation necessitates a degree of competing with transnational corporations. State‐owned enterprises have historically played an important role in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing the agricultural sectors of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, this paper examines the capability‐building process that encourages productivity and innovation. It describes and explains the origins and subsequent evolution of three forms of agricultural production system, each generating different farming capabilities and distinct forms of competitive advantages. The paper argues that Taiwan's rice‐oriented agricultural production system stimulates both productivity and innovation, helping Taiwanese farmers raise their income level and living standards. The active deployment of state institutions and a malleable labour force, evidenced in the Malaysian palm oil industry, is effective in raising farming productivity but not the ability to innovate. Singapore's aquaculture‐oriented agricultural production system is somewhat useful in stimulating productivity and innovation. Yet the city‐state's inherent lack of space and open international trade regime have circumscribed the potential of its aquaculture industry. It now relies on the regional ethnic Chinese business networks to expand the aquaculture industry's knowledge base and its industrial commons. The principles discussed in this paper provide policy lessons, or at least some initial guidance, for other developing economies aspiring to modernise their agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a class‐wide structured supplementary paired reading programme to support learners with their reading (Fuchs et al., 1997). What remains at the core of implementing PALS in any given location is the co‐creation with teachers to ensure PALS fits with that educational context. This paper discusses the involvement of teachers as co‐creators in the process of adapting PALS in England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Taiwan and Iceland. The aim is to demonstrate the importance of careful adaptation when implementing a programme adopted from another country. Each adaption used a different methodological approach to co‐creation. For example, in England, field notes, informal conversations and interviews were utilised for co‐creation. In Iceland, preschool and elementary teachers were instrumental in translating and adapting the PALS materials to the Icelandic context. From each adaption, the teachers supported the development of a literacy programme that was suitable for classroom use. In England, teachers' involvement resulted in the removal of the motivational point system. For the UAE context, PALS began in English to support second language learning, but the instructional routines were a good 'fit' for the school culture and were developed in Arabic. For the Taiwan context, PALS provided an empirical basis for a model of differentiated instruction to enhance the reading literacy of Chinese‐speaking elementary students. In Iceland, teachers trained other teachers in PALS as a research‐based and efficient approach to meeting diverse learning needs of students, especially those with Icelandic as an additional language. Careful adaptation, piloting and the involvement of key stakeholders is important for the successful implementation of a reading programme. Highlights: What is already known about this topicPeer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading is an effective evidence‐based supplementary whole‐class paired reading programme to support children's reading skills.PALS follows principles of explicit and systematic instruction that are consistent with the science of reading.PALS is a culturally responsive practice that teaches children to take turns reading and listening, whilst providing each other with supportive and corrective feedback. What this paper addsAcknowledges that programmes need to be carefully adapted for each new context to ensure they are suitable.Describes cross‐cultural approaches to co‐creation with educators in the design and implementation of a reading programme.Describes approaches to expanding access to a successful reading programme by implementing PALS in a variety of languages and cultures, which may promote literacy skills for emerging bilinguals. Implications for theory, policy or practiceProgrammes will not always directly translate from one context to another; changes might be needed and thus consultation with educators in educational settings are important.Understanding the theoretical underpinnings of reading programmes can add to success but to be used in practice need to ensure it fits within the educational context without diluting the core elements.Effects of peer‐mediated learning conducted in a structured and systematic way show promise to be robust across languages and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Examining student attention in physical classrooms is crucial, but it faces challenges due to the lack of accurate monitoring. Constraints posed by device limitations and the design of educational materials impede the integration of eye‐tracking technology in these settings. Objectives: This study aims to (1) develop a wearable eye‐tracking system specifically designed to monitor students' eye movements and gaze points on the projector screen within a physical classroom setting; (2) explore the impact of instructor gestures (by compare live instruction by an instructor and video‐recorded instruction) on student attention and examine the effectiveness of directing students' attention from text to image through instructor intervention. Methods: An innovative wearable eye‐tracking system was developed to monitor learners' eye movements within the physical classroom. Twenty‐five students participated in the experiment, which included two approaches: classroom lectured by the instructor and by a video presentation. Results and Conclusions: The results indicate that participants exhibit a stronger inclination to allocate additional time to text content than image content when receiving instruction through video presentations with a laser pointer in the physical classroom. This tendency can be attributed to the participants' requirement for longer reading and comprehension time in the absence of an instructor. Additionally, the instructor's gestures and body movements significantly impacted participants' fixation on text slides compared to the image slides. The heatmap analyses support these findings and further indicate that participants focus on the instructor's face rather than other body parts. Takeaways: The wearable eye‐tracking technology developed in this study holds promise for future educational research, offering further exploration and analysis opportunities. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Instructors play a pivotal role in capturing learners' attention during learning.The instructor's presence influences learners' attention in the physical classroom.Eye‐tracking offers a valuable advantage in measuring learning behaviours. What this paper adds: Utilizing eye‐tracking proves both feasible and effective for measuring classroom learning behaviours.Evidence shows that the instructor affects the participants' attention to text‐based slides.Evidence shows that the instructor's gestures and body movements significantly impact the participants' focus on text slides, as compared to image slides.Evidence indicates that participants focus more on the instructor's face than other body parts. Implications for practice and/or policy: Facial expressions play a vital role in capturing learners' attention.The wearable eye‐tracking technology developed in this study has great potential for future educational research, providing new avenues for exploration and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous higher education institutions worldwide have adopted English‐language‐medium computer science courses and integrated online problem‐solving competitions to bridge gaps in theory and practice (Alhamami Education and Information Technologies, 2021; 26: 6549–6562). Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the use of online competitions in machine learning courses and their impact on student learning. We also analyse disparities in learning outcomes and instructional language effects (Chinese vs. English). Methods: Among 123 participants at northern Taiwan university, 74 chose Chinese instruction (CMI), and 49 opted for English instruction (EMI). The course spanned 18 weeks: team formation in week one, data analysis, machine learning, and deep learning from week 2 to 8, draft proposals and oral presentations by week 9, instructor guidance in weeks 9–17, followed by off‐campus competitions. In week 18, students presented projects for evaluation by judges. Results: The results showed improved scores in competition proposal writing and oral presentations, especially for CMI students, who excelled in these areas and in terms of creativity. CMI students emphasized domain knowledge, implementation completeness, and technical depth in proposals. The EMI students focused on implementation completeness and artificial intelligence model accuracy, along with creativity. Conclusion: CMI students achieved superior outcomes in machine learning courses, particularly in terms of competition proposals, oral presentations, and increased creativity. Instructional language choice significantly influenced learning trajectories, leading to distinct knowledge development focuses for CMI and EMI. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Historically, artificial intelligence (AI) education focused on theory and skills, but now there are AI competitions that encourage real‐world problem‐solving (AIdea. Competitions. 2023. https://aidea-web.tw/about?lang=zh).Competition‐based learning bridges the gap between academia and industry, fostering creativity and talent discovery (Abou‐Warda and Roberts. International Journal of Educational Management. 2016; 30(5): 698).Computer science education globally uses English as the primary language (Alhamami. Education and Information Technologies, 2021; 26: 6549–6562).Non‐English speaking nations are adopting English as the medium of instruction, impacting teaching effectiveness (Alhamami. Education and Information Technologies, 2021; 26: 6549–6562). What this paper adds: This study combines online problem‐solving competitions with machine learning courses, using both Chinese and English instruction.Individual tutoring tailored to each team's competition topic provided real‐world problem‐solving experience and fostered school‐enterprise interactions.A rubric was created for evaluating domain knowledge, proposal writing, presentation skills, AI model accuracy, and competition outcomes by external experts, instructors, TAs, and peers. Implications for practice and/or policy: Combining competition‐based learning with machine learning courses can boost students' domain knowledge, competition skills, and outcomes.This study confirms that using Chinese instruction in machine learning benefits non‐native English‐speaking students more than English instruction.Our teaching approach for information technology courses can be applied to develop students' relevant skills in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan plans to rapidly increase its industrial production capacity of electronic components while concurrently setting policies for its ecological transition. Given that the island is responsible for the manufacturing of a significant part of worldwide electronics components (including the most advanced CMOS technology nodes), the sustainability of the Taiwanese electronics industry is of critical interest. In this paper, we survey the environmental footprint of 16 Taiwanese electronic components manufacturers (ECMs) using corporate sustainability responsibility reports. Based on data from 2015 to 2020, we find out that the sample of ECMs in this study increased its greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5% per year, its final energy and electricity consumption by 8.8% and 8.9%, and its water usage by 6.1%. We show that the volume of manufactured electronic components and the environmental footprint compiled in this study are strongly correlated, which suggests that relative efficiency gains are not sufficient to curb the overall environmental footprint of ECMs on the island. Given the critical nature of the electronics industry for Taiwan's geopolitics and economics, the observed increase of energy consumption, and the slow renewable energy roll‐out, Taiwan could face a carbon lock‐in situation which will most likely prevent the achievement of carbon reduction goals and sustainability policies on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storm‐flood‐dominated deltas are sedimentary systems in which a complex interplay of hydrodynamic processes occurs during storms (e.g. tropical cyclones) due to the coeval action of continental and oceanic processes. This paper reports on a superbly exposed, 135.5 m thick stratigraphic succession of the Pleistocene Cholan Formation exposed along the Da'an River, Taiwan. The sedimentary succession comprises alternating mudstone and sandstone, is mostly fine‐grained, and exhibits multiple event beds that record deposition during tropical cyclones and post‐depositional deformation features produced during earthquakes. Detailed facies analyses reveal that deposition towards the base of the succession occurred in the palaeo‐Taiwan Strait in storm‐flood‐dominated prodelta and delta‐front environments passing upwards into delta‐plain environments. Tropical cyclone beds are encountered throughout the subaqueous storm‐flood delta successions, and are identified by (i) trough cross‐stratified sandstone bedsets with erosive bases that contain both mud clasts and mudstone beds, (ii) sandstone with aggrading wave ripples and (iii) hummocky cross‐stratified sandstone with rare gutter casts filled with coal fragments and shell remains. Tropical cyclone deposits are either top‐down burrowed or capped by massive or laminated mudstone. Seismites are rare and are mainly recognised through soft‐sediment deformation of beds; they do not show evidence of slope failure. Compared to storm‐flood delta successions described elsewhere, the Cholan Formation shows significantly fewer oscillatory‐generated sedimentary structures and gutter casts. This difference is attributed to the Cholan Formation being deposited in and along the margin of a strait characterised by strong shore‐parallel currents and relatively small storm waves due to its position between Taiwan and mainland China. This study refines depositional process interpretations of the Cholan Formation, provides criteria for recognising storm‐flood delta deposits in tectonically active straits with multiple sediment sources fed by steep drainages and short river catchments, and provides additional criteria for recognising tropical cyclone deposits in shallow‐marine settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the trading behavior of institutional investors in Taiwan before, during, and after a manipulation event and determines whether institutional investors benefit from their trading behavior during the period from the year 2000 to 2020. We find that stocks with a low turnover and small market capitalization are the main targets of price manipulators. In addition, the stock price of manipulated firms increases from the start date of the manipulation event, peaks at the end of the event, then falls after the event. Foreign institutions collude with manipulators to exaggerate stock prices for self‐benefit. In contrast, securities dealers counter the trading behavior of manipulators and act as market stabilizers, causing them to suffer losses. Moreover, foreign institutions earn higher returns on stocks of manipulated firms with a low turnover during and soon after manipulation; however, they earn a higher return on stocks of manipulated firms with a high turnover in the long run after manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social network awareness (SNA) enables students to know the online learning context of peers in computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and it has been used to improve peer interaction and participation in collaborative learning tasks. Mobile learning enables students to access learning content and discuss content with peers regardless of location or time. Because almost every college student has their own mobile device and social networks are ubiquitous in their daily lives, a mobile learning application with social networking is promising for promoting effective learning if students are willing to continually use the application. However, few studies have investigated this. Objectives: In this study, SNA was integrated into a mobile‐based assessment (MBA–SNA). The study investigated whether students were willing to persist in the use of MBA–SNA and the factors influencing this intention. Methods: A 1‐month experiment was conducted to investigate the research question on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Results: The results demonstrated that (1) students were willing to continue using the MBA–SNA, (2) the incentives influencing behavioural intention (BI) in initial use and continual use differed, and (3) social influence (SI) and perceived playfulness (PP) were the two key determinants of continual use. Implications: The SNA increases the positive impact of SI and PP on MBA continual use so that continual use can be assured. Future research should integrate SNA into other mobile learning apps (e.g., mobile collaborative writing or discussion apps) to enhance continued system use and learning effectiveness. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: A number of studies have investigated the use of mobile devices to collaborate digitally within small teams and larger classes whilst providing knowledge‐sharing features.Social network awareness (SNA) mechanism can enhance the participation of collaborative learning task and knowledge sharing.However, few research explores the potentials and benefits of the combination of SNA with mobile apps. What this paper adds: This study firstly integrates the SNA into a mobile collaborative APP, namely mobile‐based assessment with SNA (MBA‐SNA).Students are willing to continuously use the MBA‐SNA.The incentive factors influencing behavioural intention at the initial use and continuous use slightly differ.Social influence (SI) and perceived playfulness (PP) are the most crucial determinants to continuous use. Implications for practice and/or policy: It should be investigated whether students are willing to continuously use a new e‐learning system and the factors influencing this intention.SNA increased the effects of SI and PP on MBA continual use, thereby ensuring MBA continual use.Future studies can combine SNA with other mobile learning apps (e.g., mobile collaborative writing or discussion apps) to enhance continued system use and learning effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has examined the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in English language teaching. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of the earlier studies that investigated integrating AR and VR "wearables" into teaching and learning English based on the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) motivation model compared the differences in learning motivation and performance between traditional teaching methods and those using AR‐ and VR‐based using wearables. Objectives: To create a thematic learning environment based on learners' lived experiences and provide them with an immersive English course that extends textbook knowledge using a technology‐assisted real‐life learning context. Method: This study used a quasi‐experimental research design. A total of 119 participants were spilt into three learning groups based on teaching tools: traditional methods and AR‐ and VR‐based wearable devices. The performance of each group was evaluated through three stages using appropriate educational tools for traditional, AR‐, and VR‐based classrooms, followed by semistructured interviews. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the inference learning performance (remembering and analysing) of the four ARCS dimensions with the three teaching methods. Results: The results showed that confidence and relevance were positively correlated with learning performance in the VR‐based wearable group. In the context of the ARCS model, learners' confidence predicted learning performance and the remembering subdimension when VR‐based learning materials were used. Implications: These results suggest that, compared to traditional teaching methods, VR‐based wearables make it easier to create a highly immersive learning environment and are more likely to help learners find the correct words, improve their accuracy, and increase their confidence and sense of accomplishment in the entire learning process. Lay Description: Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) allow learners to apply memorized subject knowledge to real‐life scenarios.The attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) motivation model enhances learning. What this paper adds: The study proposed the integration of AR and VR with "wearables" for teaching English.The study investigated the differences between how the teaching materials designed to incorporate different technological devices with the four ARCS dimensions predict their learning performance (remembering and analysing). Implications for practice and/or policy: The ARCS motivation model‐based design allows learners using VR‐based wearables to learn English through multiple interactions in real‐time.Integrating daily life experiences with course materials can attract learners' attention in the early stages of teaching.VR‐based learning creates a virtual learning environment relevant to the learners, allows them to learn English thematically in an immersive environment, and allows them to interact with the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses major cultural differences and corresponding teaching strategies when training student therapists in Taiwan about the concepts of self‐of‐the‐therapist and self‐awareness in marriage and family therapy. The authors present their years of teaching experience and observations about these cultural differences as well as a class example to address these differences. Specifically, a detailed summary of a master's level course titled 'Self‐Development for Helping Professionals' will be illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Japanese faith groups, organic food production has witnessed surprising growth in East Asian countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, over the past two decades. The rapid expansion of East Asian trans‐national organic food production networks is closely linked with religious practices and beliefs, such as ahimsa (non‐killing). The complexities of transnational organic production networks in East Asia cannot be adequately captured by the existing literature on "conventionalisation of organic agriculture," which repeatedly debates the extent to which capitalism intrudes on the social and biophysical dimensions of farming. I argue that this simplified and binary debate tends to treat the organic market as an unquestioned, stabilised, and universalised artefact. Less attention has been paid to questions such as, how do alternative food markets come into being, stabilise or get crushed? Inspired by the social studies of economisation and marketisation (SSEM) approach, this paper urges scholars to move beyond the conventionalisation debate and draws attention to the organic food market‐making practices. Taking inspiration from SSEM thinking, I propose that more emphasis needs to be placed on the performation struggles, which refers to the confrontations between different economic programmes and actors. By drawing attention to the organic market performation struggles in Japan and Taiwan, this paper argues that organic food market‐making is a global heterogeneous assemblage, in which all human and non‐human actants across multi‐scalar geographies, such as trans‐local religious/scientific knowledge, believers, and so on, can contribute to the making and remaking of markets. With reference to qualitative interviews with organic distributors and practitioners, this paper deepens the knowledge of the geographies of marketisation in a global‐relational context. The rapid expansion of East Asian transnational organic food production networks is closely linked with religious practices and beliefs, such as ahimsa (non‐killing). The complexities of transnational organic production networks in East Asia cannot be adequately captured by the existing literature on "conventionalisation of organic agriculture," which repeatedly debates the extent to which capitalism intrudes on the social and biophysical dimensions of farming. Inspired by the social studies of economisation and marketisation (SSEM) approach, this paper urges scholars to move beyond the conventionalisation debate and draws attention to the organic food market‐making practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper examines changing intimate premarital relationships in Taiwan. Background: Marriages have been on the decline. Whether these foregone marriages are associated with a rise in cohabitation or other alternatives have become central to a thorough understanding of family changes, yet relevant research on Taiwan is limited. Methods: The Taiwan Fertility and Family Survey collected nationally representative samples of 23,495 men and women aged 20–49 in four waves from 1998 to 2016. These were used to investigate changing patterns of cohabitation, marriage plans among cohabiting couples, premarital sex, and bridal pregnancies in addition to how the patterns vary by sex, education, and cohort. Results: More adults in Taiwan have experienced intimate premarital relationships since 1998, with a shift from no educational gradient to a negative one for cohabitation and premarital conception. These patterns were gendered during 2012–2016. With a persistently short duration and fewer adults living together with the idea of eventually getting married, cohabitation has become less of a prelude to marriage than an alternative to singlehood, and very few of these have involved children. These shifting behaviors have been driven mainly by the cohort replacement effect and intra‐cohort changes. Conclusion: Cohabitation has yet to become a long‐term stable union involving children. A lower birth rate caused by later and fewer marriages has not been offset by nonmarital births in cohabitation, and bridal pregnancies did not seem to have resulted in more marriages. Taiwan's socio‐cultural context likely plays a crucial role in the quasi‐Second Demographic Transition family changes here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many nations emerged during the collapse of the empire, the case of China is curious in its failure to divide into separate nation‐states. Resisting disunion, the Republic of China (ROC) adopted a rhetoric of national pluralism and laid claim to the fallen Qing Empire's vast territory. This divergence from other post‐imperial nationalisms engenders questions about the legacy of imperialism in the ROC's approaches to nation‐building. Such questions remain salient after the ROC retreat to Taiwan (1949), as since the end of martial law (1987), the ROC has championed itself as a model of multiculturalism. This paper examines the extent to which today's 'Multicultural Taiwan' paradigm differs from 20th‐century official conceptualisations of pluralism, through discourse analysis of publications from the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC). Investigation finds that despite centring Taiwan in national ideology, certain Chinese imperialist attitudes towards cultural hierarchy remained influential in MTAC representations of pluralism within Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the association between ambient particulate matter no larger than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) during the prenatal and postnatal periods and infant neurodevelopmental parameters. Method: We conducted a population‐based birth cohort study using the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Participants were assessed for developmental conditions through home interviews at 6 months and 18 months of age. Exposure to PM2.5 of mothers and infants during perinatal periods was estimated using hybrid kriging/land‐use regression. The exposure was linked to each participant by home address. Logistic regression was then conducted to determine the risk of neurodevelopmental delay in relation to PM2.5. Results: A total of 17 683 term singletons without congenital malformations were included in the final analysis. PM2.5 during the second trimester was associated with increased risks of delays in gross motor neurodevelopmental milestones (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09 per 10 μg/m3 increase in exposure to PM2.5). Delayed fine motor development was also found to be related to exposure to PM2.5 in the second and third trimesters (aOR 1.06), as was personal–social skill (aOR 1.11 for the second trimester and 1.06 for the third). These neurodevelopmental parameters were unrelated to postnatal PM2.5 exposure. Interpretation: Exposure to ambient PM2.5 during pregnancy was significantly related to delay in gross motor, fine motor, and personal–social development in this population‐based study. What this paper adds: Prenatal exposure to higher PM2.5 was associated with increased risk of delayed early neurodevelopment.The critical period for delayed gross motor development was the second trimester.The critical period for fine motor and personal–social development was the second and third trimesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementing English medium instruction (EMI) has become a proliferating measure in higher education to embrace globalization. Nevertheless, university students reported various challenges in taking EMI courses. Objectives: This study investigated the effect of the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining on university students' EMI success, regarding their efficacy in taking EMI courses, self‐directed learning (SDL), and EMI performance. Methods: Participants were 86 university students enrolled in two EMI educational psychology courses. Students in the experimental group were assigned computer‐mediated terminology pretraining tasks for 13 consecutive weeks, while those in the control group did not receive the pretraining assignment. Both groups were taught using the problem‐based learning (PBL) pedagogy with a computer‐mediated structured whiteboard. Results and Conclusion: The study findings showed that the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining enhanced learners' response efficacy. Both groups increased their SDL under the PBL pedagogy. Besides, multigroup comparison results demonstrated that efficacy in EMI positively predicted SDL, which was related to better EMI performance in the experimental group but not in the control group. Notably, students conducting computer‐mediated terminology pretraining remitted the influence of English ability on their EMI performance. Major Takeaways from the Study: Implications for instruction were made to use the combined strategy of the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining and PBL in EMI courses to facilitate university students' efficacy in taking EMI courses, self‐directed learning behaviours, and EMI performance. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Implementing English medium instruction (EMI) courses has become a prevalent measure for higher education to embrace globalization.Some students hold positive attitude toward taking EMI courses, while others hold negative attitude toward taking EMI courses.Correlational research showed that individual differences, such as English proficiency, self‐efficacy in EMI, and academic language skills, are associated with EMI success. What this paper adds: This study adds to the literature in EMI success to investigate how computer‐mediated terminology pretraining under problem‐based learning (PBL) pedagogy will affect learners' efficacy in EMI, self‐directed learning (SDL), and EMI performance.The computer‐mediated terminology pretraining enhances learners' efficacy that their efforts or responses in taking the EMI course are effective.Students' efficacy in taking EMI courses promotes their self‐directed learning; moreover, self‐directed learning behaviours in EMI is associated with better EMI performance for students with computer‐mediated terminology pretraining but not for those in the control group due to the influence of English ability.The computer‐mediated terminology pretraining can compensate the effect of individual differences in English ability on EMI performance. Implications for practice and/or policy: Instructors can assign the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining before the face‐to‐face EMI session to prepare learners with the basic understanding of the professional concepts for the complex PBL activities.Effective pedagogical support, such as combined strategy use of computer‐mediated terminology pretraining and PBL, can enhance learners' efficacy in EMI and help them plan and prioritize their learning progress to achieve better EMI performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of suitable indicators of changes in such as sea‐level and circulation has been a major limit to paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic investigations in continental shelf regions. This paper presents an environmental magnetic study by comparing two late‐Quaternary sediment cores (DH02 and DH03) from the outer shelf of the East China Sea (ECS). Late and early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 sediments were deposited in a prodelta under cold coastal currents and an open‐shelf with the Taiwan Warm Current and upwelling. The dominant iron‐bearing minerals of the late and early MIS 3 sediments are authigenic greigite (Fe3S4) and pyrite (FeS2), respectively, which were assumed to be formed nearly syndepositionally. The overlying sediments, however, are magnetically dominated by detrital magnetite. This pattern corresponds well to the temporal changes in sea‐level over this period. The widespread occurrence of greigite in the late MIS 3 sediments can also be used for future stratigraphic division and correlation in the ECS. Additionally, compared to microfossil assemblages, rock magnetic parameters based on greigite may be more sensitive to environmental changes on continental shelves. Furthermore, the inter‐borehole spatial comparisons imply not only a sedimentary hiatus/erosion of at least 30‐m thickness in core DH02, most probably during the Last Glacial Maximum, but also that core DH02 was in a more reductive environment than core DH03 during late MIS 3. The findings highlight the potential of authigenic greigite as an indicator of spatiotemporal changes in paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic conditions on the continental shelf at orbital or even suborbital timescales. Plain Language Summary: Environmental and oceanographic conditions on continental shelves are vital for sedimentation processes and human settlements, but the reconstruction of their evolution is hindered by the lack of effective indicators. Recent studies have indicated that syndepositional formation of greigite, a precursor to pyrite, is highly likely in shallow‐water environments with rapid sedimentation. Here, two sediment cores meridionally traversing the outer shelf of the East China Sea were investigated. The magnetic mineral assemblage and sedimentary environment exhibited almost identical change patterns, with pyrite, greigite, and magnetite as the major magnetic minerals of the early and late Marine Isotope Stage 3, and Last Glacial Maximum/last deglacial deposits, respectively. This agreeably reflects the temporal fluctuations in sea‐level and ocean circulation. By comparing the two cores, the spatial characteristics of stratigraphy and redox conditions could be determined clearly. This study thus provides a good reference for paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic research based on authigenic greigite in continental shelf sediments. Key Points: Greigite was further confirmed as the major magnetic mineral of the late Marine Isotope Stage 3 deposits widespread on the outer shelf of the East China SeaSpatiotemporal changes in environmental and oceanographic conditions on the continental shelf are well revealed by greigite‐based parametersAuthigenic greigite can serve as a sensitive indicator for paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic studies in continental shelf regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]