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Using a smartphone is a very convenient way to learn languages in modern life. To understand the impact of the immersive environment created by a smartphone on essay writing in Chinese for second language learners, a study was conducted on 36 Vietnamese students in their first year at a university in Taiwan. This study adopted an experimental research design that lasted for 4 weeks. The participants were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Two essay writing activities were conducted. All of the research elements, including the teacher, teaching process, learning duration, and writing topics (except in the prewriting stage) were identical in the two groups. Writing ideas were collected within 20 min, and the control group looked at pictures before writing, while the experimental group used the Google Cardboard device with a smartphone to watch 360° videos before writing. After the prewriting stage, both groups wrote an essay about a topic based on what they had planned during the prewriting stage. The results indicated that the experimental group had significantly higher composition scores than the control group. Interview results also suggested that most students were glad to have tried using Google Cardboard to watch 360° videos, and were also highly willing to continue using it in future writing classes.

Virtual reality (VR) is not only attracting the attention of the information and computer technology (ICT) industry (Shirer & Torchia, 2017), especially in the production of consumer VR hardware, but also that of educators. One of the important features of VR is immersion, which enhances the situated experience of users. The sensation of being there no longer necessitates a physical presence (Flower, 2015). This aspect allows second language (L2) and foreign language (FL) learners to combine learning an additional language with an intercultural experience beyond geographical limitations with no need to step out of the classroom or leave their home countries (Wang, Petrina, & Feng, 2017). Another important feature supported by VR applications is interaction, which provides users with a special channel of interpersonal communication (Ip et al., 2016). Given the importance of situated and contextual learning to FL learning, the specific features of VR of immersion and interaction are also of great interest to language educators. This article reviews previous studies of the application of VR for FL learning, introduces the present-day advanced developments in VR technology that have considerable potential for FL learning, and describes the research trends of VR in this area.

This study explores the effects of how collaborating in a virtual world (VW) enhanced learners' healthcare professional-patient communicative skills, including physician-patient and inter-professional communication in medical discourse. Through a quasi-experimental design case study, 47 Taiwanese Freshman English students from a College of Medicine participated in this study for 3 weeks. Research data included video analysis of students' role-play creations in two different media (on the stage versus VW program), transcripts of learners' role-plays, and questionnaire results of students' perceptions of role-playing. The results include (1) rich description of the scenarios and plots created by students in the VW group, (2) VW group learners' better performance in using effective communicative skills when role-playing via the VW, including building rapport with the patients and colleagues and showing empathy and understanding toward patients; and (3) VW group learners' higher evaluation of how the role-play helped their English language skills, healthcare professional-patient communication and learning in general. The study concludes by discussing the theoretical and pedagogical implications of the results.

Most students always lack of experience and perceive difficult regarding problem posing. The study hypothesized that worked examples may have benefits for supporting students' problem posing activities. A quasi-experiment was conducted in the context of a business mathematics course for examining the effects of integrating worked examples into problem posing activities. A total of 107 undergraduate students at a technology university were invited to join this experiment for six weeks. The problem posing activities were carried out in a web-based learning system. The experimental condition receiving worked examples was compared with a control condition regarding the number, orientation and complexity for indicating problem posing performance. To evaluate students' problems as objectively as possible, a Problem-Level-Taxonomy was developed in this study. By the independent sample t-test analysis, the results showed that integrating worked examples into problem posing has a significant skills development effect on posing more orientated and complex problems, particularly for analytical problems referring to a learning concept or a formula. Besides, novice students with none experience in problem posing may benefit from the support of worked examples to improve their problem posing skills. The implications and limitations of this study were also discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this paper is to develop different guided writing strategies based on media richness theory and further evaluate the effects of these writing strategies on younger students' writing attitudes in terms of motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. A total of 66 sixth-grade elementary students with an average age of twelve were invited to join the experiment for a period of twelve weeks. A repeated-measure one-way ANOVA analysis was utilized to examine the differences among the three strategies including a rich media guided writing strategy, lean media guided writing strategy, and pen-and-paper guided writing strategy. The findings of this study showed the rich media guided writing strategy had higher significant differences than the pen-and-paper guided writing strategy in terms of writing attitudes toward motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. However, there were no significant differences between the rich media guided writing strategy and lean media guided writing strategy in terms of motivation and anxiety. The findings imply that providing a web-based learning environment with high richness media could guide students to write and achieve more positive writing attitudes in terms of motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. (Contains 5 figures and 5 tables.)

This study developed a mobile-memo system that supports the knowledge acquisition and posting-question to assist learners' learning in a ML (mobile learning) environment. To understand the effectiveness of our proposed system, the data were collected from the system logs, such as the elements of multimedia used in posting-question and a questionnaire regarding the students' learning attitude as well as satisfaction towards the use of the mobile-memo system. The experimental result showed that the mobile-memo was effective for learners to gather information in construction and reflection during the learning activities. In other words, the mobile-memo system can effectively support learners to acquire knowledge and post question relating to the learning course contents during learning activities. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

This current study aimed at creating a 3D virtual environment on Second Life particularly for special education students to enhance their first language, Mandarin, learning in vocabulary and sentence structures. Four students aged between 8 and 9 participated in this research. In addition to their inherent disabilities (mild autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or mild mental retardation), all the four participants suffer from delayed language development. The purpose of the 3- month study was therefore to establish a platform enhancing their learning of Mandarin Chinese. A design-based qualitative design was adopted in this study. The collected data included in-class observation, video clips of learning process, and post-study interviews with the four disabled children. Additionally, parents' comments on their children's oral expression skills at home were also collected. Through a two-cycle investigation, this research proposed six categories of Human-computer interface (HCI) design principles for using virtual worlds to enhance special education students' Mandarin learning. In addition, both the interview results and the parents' comments confirmed the effects of using this platform for special education students' learning.

The study aimed at enhancing Chinese as a second language (CSL) students' listening comprehension by using authentic contexts in Second Life (SL). Twenty-seven CSL students from 4 countries participated in the 6-week study. A within-subject design was adopted to confirm the effects of 3D immersive experiences on CSL students' listening comprehension. All the participants sequentially experienced the two kinds of CSL listening support used in this study, both the traditional approach and 3D virtual immersion. The results of listening performance tests, questionnaires, and interview data were collected and analyzed during the study. The analysis results show that CSL students' listening comprehension benefited from 3D immersion. The participants also expressed their preference for taking CSL listening lessons in 3D immersive contexts.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different types of language tasks performed in Second Life (SL) on the oral performance of beginners of Chinese as a Second Language (CSL), focusing on oral accuracy. The 30 CSL beginners who participated in this study were randomly divided into two groups (n = 15 per group), required to perform two different types of language tasks: information-gap and reasoning-gap. During the study, both the Mandarin oral accuracy and the learning motivation of both groups were measured and analyzed to determine to what extent performing the two different task types could contribute to the two dependent variables (i.e., accuracy and motivation). All the learners improved significantly in oral communication competence, with those performing the reasoning-gap task improving significantly more than those performing the information-gap task. It was also found that almost all the learners exhibited positive learning motivation and appreciated the task-based learning activities designed in SL. Both groups made significant improvement in the affective dimension. Furthermore, the reasoning-gap group received significantly higher scores in the educational-context-related dimension (attitude toward SL as the Mandarin Chinese learning environment) than the information-gap group did.

This study reports on the differences in motivation, vocabulary gain, and perceptions on using or the Google Docs between individual and collaborative learning at a tertiary level. Two classes of English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) students were recruited and each class was randomly assigned into one of the two groups--individuals or collaborators. The results of the study are in line with those of previous studies in that the collaborators performed better than the individuals regarding vocabulary gain. The former was more likely than the latter to be motivated to acquire knowledge and to perceive the learning experience more positively. However, the results of this study suggest that, like many other Web 2.0 applications in support of peer scaffolding and knowledge co-construction, Google Docs plays a pivotal role in enhancing students' motivation and involvement.

The purposes of the current study are to develop virtually immersive EFL learning contexts for EFL learners in Taiwan to pre- and review English materials beyond the regular English class schedule. A 2-iteration action research lasting for one semester was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual contexts on learners' EFL learning. 132 elementary school students participated in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data, including observation and English learning performances, were collected and analyzed. The positive results obtained from the study approved that the usage of virtual contexts in EFL learning could (1) provide students with learning opportunities without the time and space limits, (2) provide students with a game-liked scenario for English learning, and (3) enhance learners' EFL performances. The learning mode proposed and experiences gained in the current study not only serve as a practical reference to diverse foreign language educational occasions but also add to the knowledge pool of foreign language learning and teaching in virtual worlds.

The current study investigated the effects of different computer-supported cooperative prewriting strategies (text-based brainstorming, drawing, and mind mapping) on the writing performance of elementary-school EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in Taiwan. Three intact classes of fifth graders (N = 81 students; 27 per prewriting strategy group) participated in this study. These subjects in different classes used different prewriting strategies at the prewriting stage. A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study to collect experimental data, including the scores of English composition (two writing works), the level of grammar knowledge, and the level of English writing motivation. The analytical results indicated that in both the mind mapping group and the drawing group, the participants' English grammar knowledge had increased significantly after the treatment. It was also found that different computer-supported cooperative prewriting strategies benefited young EFL writers in different dimensions of English composition. The influence of using the mind mapping strategy seems most powerful on young EFL writers, followed by the drawing strategy and the text-based brainstorming strategy. As to English composition motivation, almost all of the participants appreciated the computer-supported cooperative prewriting activities and were also aware of how these activities benefited their English writing.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Second Life (SL) for improving the oral output of overseas Chinese students learning Mandarin Chinese (hereafter referred to as Mandarin). More than 1000 overseas Chinese students attend a university in northern Taiwan every year to learn Mandarin as a heritage language after graduating from high school in their own countries. These students strive to learn academically, but rarely actively speak Mandarin either inside or outside the classroom. This two-stage study evaluated the use of SL in improving their oral output. The focus of stage 1 was to confirm the potential of SL for promoting the oral output of overseas Chinese students in Mandarin language classes. Twenty overseas Chinese students learning Mandarin participated in this stage. In stage 2, 24 overseas Chinese students were taught 3 learning units in Mandarin in SL. Analysis of the results showed that learning Mandarin in an SL environment significantly increased the in-class oral output of those students. They also made significant improvements in oral performance and learning attitudes toward Mandarin.

Collaborative learning has placed an emphasis on co-constructing knowledge by sharing and negotiating meaning for problem-solving activities, and this cannot be accomplished without governing the self-regulatory processes of students. This study employed a Web-based tool, Google Docs, to determine the effects of Web-based collaboration on vocabulary improvements among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The work performed in this study represents a further step toward identifying the factors that influence self-regulated vocabulary strategy use and perceptions of Web-based collaboration (SRvsWBC). In total, 210 undergraduate students participated in this study and undertook the designed tasks, such as vocabulary pre-/posttests and a self-report questionnaire survey of SRvsWBC. The findings of the study suggest that collaboration using a Web-based tool affects knowledge development, and provide insights into the integrated spectrum of self-regulation, L2/FL learning, and Web-based technology that will be useful for pedagogy.

This paper reports the results of an action research-based study that adapted a mobile-supported cooperative reading system into regular English as a foreign language (EFL) classes at one Taiwanese elementary school. The current study was comprised of two stages: adaptation and evaluation. During the adaptation stage, a mobile-supported cooperative EFL reading (MCER) system--chosen because of a report about its effects on enhancing the development of young EFL learners' reading abilities (Lan, Sung, & Chang, 2009)--was tailored to be integrated into a regular elementary EFL curriculum based on the suggestions of experienced elementary EFL teachers. During the evaluation stage, an EFL class learned reading via the support given by the MCER system; quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the effects of the adapted reading system on young EFL learners' reading abilities. The results revealed that the adaptation and use of the MCER system was successful and that it might facilitate the acquisition of reading abilities by young learners if used within EFL classes around the entire school.

Since the introduction of personal response systems (PRS) (also referred to as "clickers") nearly a decade ago, their use has been extensively adopted on college campuses, and they are particularly popular with lecturers of large classes. Available evidence supports that PRS offers a promising avenue for future developments in pedagogy, although findings on the advantages of its effective use related to improving or enhancing student learning remain inconclusive. This study examines the degree to which students perceive that using PRS in class as an assessment tool effects their understanding of course content, engagement in classroom learning, and test preparation. Multiple, student-performance evaluation data was used to explore correlations between student perceptions of PRS and their actual learning outcomes. This paper presents the learning experiences of 151 undergraduate students taking basic chemistry classes and incorporating PRS as an in-class assessment tool at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. While the research revealed positive student perceived benefits and effectiveness of PRS use, it also indicated the need for further studies to discover what specific contribution PRS can make to certain learning outcomes of a large chemistry class in higher education. (Contains 3 tables.)

Strategies play an important role in learning a second or foreign language (L2). The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate a co-sharing-based strategy learning system for L2 vocabulary learning known as "Mywordtools." Mywordtools is designed specifically for lexical learning, enabling learners to use the currently available vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) as well as e-tools provided within this system to learn L2 vocabulary for both indoor and outdoor settings during learners' free time. The effects of Mywordtools on L2 learners' word learning were evaluated over a 5-week period. Sixty-one sixth-grade learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in this study. The results of this study demonstrate that students using Mywordtools to practice and share VLSs outperformed both those who did not use Mywordtools and those who used the platform but without sharing. It was also found that strategy sharing helped L2 learners to construct more VLSs, and they consequently performed significantly better than those who did not implement strategy sharing. The overall results indicate that the use of co-sharing with Mywordtools not only benefits the development of VLSs by EFL students but also helps them to gain more in L2 vocabulary learning. (Contains 6 tables and 6 figures.)

The aims of this research were to develop guidelines for designing interaction tasks for learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) and to investigate the attitudes of CFL learners toward a full CFL class in Second Life (SL). Three research questions were addressed in this research: (1) what are the attitudes of CFL learners toward the language learning tasks in SL? (2) what kinds of social interactions emerge from learning activities in a CFL class in SL? (3) how do those activities benefit CFL learners in the learning of Chinese in SL? Two studies were conducted to tackle these questions. The cognition, usage, and expansion (CUE) model was proposed based on the findings obtained from study 1 and then implemented and evaluated in study 2. The findings of study 2 indicated that the activities run in the CUE model were effective at motivating CFL beginners and improving their oral communication and social interactions. Based on the video data analysis, three criteria were proposed for designing learning activities. Suggestions are also made for future research on CFL teaching/learning in SL. (Contains 2 tables and 9 figures.)

The current research comprises two samples that investigated the psychometric properties of the Problem-Focused Style of Coping (PF-SOC; Heppner, Cook, Wright, & Johnson) scale using two Taiwanese samples. In Sample 1 (N = 809), we investigated the structural dimensions of the PF-SOC using a principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmed three similar components of Taiwanese coping styles: Reflective, Suppressive, and Reactive. We also examined its psychometric properties and reported that the Taiwanese PF-SOC revealed acceptable estimates of internal reliability and construct validity. In Sample 2 (N = 402), a confirmatory factor analysis on the Taiwanese PF-SOC provided strong support for the revised three-factor structure. It was concluded that the Taiwanese PF-SOC is a reliable measure to assess an individual's dispositional coping style. Implications and future directions are discussed. (Contains 1 note and 2 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to integrate mobile communication technologies and a global positioning system (GPS) to construct an instant, convenient report of the mobile network service system named the Mobile Traffic Violation Reporting System (MTVRS), to improve learners' traffic violation reflection level. Data were collected using a "usefulness of mobile learning systems" questionnaire and traffic violation reflection questions from a sample consisting of 32 learners in Taiwan. Learners voluntarily participated in a four-week program using mobile devices to transmit photographs of local traffic violations and exchange pictures and observations. The experimental results revealed by the questionnaire were satisfactory and encouraging in terms of the effectiveness of the supported mobile learning environment. Moreover, the responses to the questionnaire showed significant differences in regard to both gender and age. The study also found a positive improvement in reflection levels toward traffic violations among groups following the experiment. (Contains 7 tables and 5 figures.)

To maximize the contributions of nanotechnology to this society, at least 60 countries have put efforts into this field. In Taiwan, a government-funded K-12 Nanotechnology Programme was established to train K-12 teachers with adequate nanotechnology literacy to foster the next generation of Taiwanese people with sufficient knowledge in nanotechnology. In the present study, the Nanotechnology Attitude Scale for K-12 teachers (NAS-T) was developed to assess K-12 teachers' attitudes toward nanotechnology. The NAS-T included 23 Likert-scale items that can be grouped into three components: importance of nanotechnology, affective tendencies in science teaching, and behavioural tendencies to teach nanotechnology. A sample of 233 K-12 teachers who have participated in the K-12 Nanotechnology Programme was included in the present study to investigate the psychometric properties of the NAS-T. The exploratory factor analysis of this teacher sample suggested that the NAS-T was a three-factor model that explained 64.11% of the total variances. This model was also confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis to validate the factor structure of the NAS-T. The Cronbach's alpha values of three NAS-T subscales ranged from 0.89 to 0.95. Moderate to strong correlations among teachers' NAS-T domain scores, self-perception of own nanoscience knowledge, and their science-teaching efficacy demonstrated good convergent validity of the NAS-T. As a whole, psychometric properties of the NAS-T indicated that this instrument is an effective instrument for assessing K-12 teachers' attitudes toward nanotechnology. The NAS-T will serve as a valuable tool to evaluate teachers' attitude changes after participating in the K-12 Nanotechnology Programme. (Contains 4 tables, 2 figures and 2 notes.)

Although previous research has demonstrated learning benefits for both instructors and students in the web-based collaborative learning environments, one of them major difficulties is the lack of a practical approach to assist teachers in evaluating the knowledge contribution of learners. A novel method of merging multi-modes of assessment and reward mechanism in a collaborative learning system was examined in this study. The developed system has been applied to a learning activity of a web programming and design course and 102 2nd-year college students from two classes were invited to participate in this research. The system logs and assessment results were analyzed through system use over 6 weeks. The experimental results showed not only could the proposed approach provide instructors with feedback, it could also evaluate and improve learning. In addition, learners could easily and efficiently manage their learning outcomes, share knowledge with one another, reflect on and notify others of learning outcomes and learning status, and engage in high-level reflective practices. (Contains 7 figures and 5 tables.)

The work described in this paper explores the feasibility of using of a wireless handheld system (WHS) that supports the individual and co-operative reading activities of students and helps teachers implement reading strategy instruction in Chinese language classes. The experimental findings demonstrate that the WHS benefits students applying reading strategies and improves co-operative learning in relation to small reading groups. (Contains 5 tables and 7 figures.)

This study implemented a three-stage problem-based estimation instruction scenario and combined it with mobile technology to provide elementary teachers with an effective e-tool for observing student estimation and leading effective class or group discussions on the selection and assessment of appropriate strategies for solving daily estimation problems. Twenty-eight fourth graders were randomly sampled and assigned to two groups: the experimental group (problem-based estimation instruction using mobile devices) and the control group (problem-based estimation instruction without mobile devices). The analytical results demonstrated that problem-based estimation instruction could effectively help students learn computational estimation skills. Moreover, using mobile devices for problem-based computational estimation instruction appeared to help students discuss and cooperate with others, and moreover the mobile-device-supported problem-based estimation scenario helped students develop metacognition knowledge of estimation strategies. (Contains 1 table and 9 figures.)

Collaborative learning methods which emphasize peer interaction have been widely applied to increase the intensity and effectiveness of EFL reading programs. However, simply grouping students heterogeneously and assigning them group goals does not guarantee that effective collaborative learning will ensue. The present research includes two studies. In Study One, the weaknesses of collaborative learning in a traditional EFL setting were observed. Then, in Study Two, a mobile-device-supported peer-assisted learning (MPAL) system was developed for the purpose of addressing the identified weaknesses. Two classes of twenty-six third grade students participated in the present research to examine the unique contribution of MPAL to collaborative EFL reading activities. The collaborative behavior of elementary EFL learners was videotaped and analyzed. Detailed analysis of the videotaped behavior indicated that MPAL helped improve collaboration in elementary school level EFL learners and promotes their reading motivation. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

This study selected three heavy-rainfall events of different types in Taiwan's Mei-yu season for high-resolution simulations at a grid size of 1 km and assessed the model's capability to reproduce their morphology and characteristics. The three cases include a pre-frontal squall line, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) embedded in southwesterly flow, and a local convection near the front in southern Taiwan during the South-West Monsoon Experiment (SoWMEX) in 2008, chosen mainly because of the availability of the S-band polarimetric (S-Pol) radar observations, and especially the particle identification results. The simulations using the Cloud-Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS) could reproduce all three corresponding rainfall systems at roughly the correct time and location, including their kinematic structures such as system-relative flows with minor differences, although the cells appeared to be coarser and wider than the S-Pol observations. The double-moment cold-rain microphysics scheme of the model could also capture the general distributions of hydrometeors, such as heavy rainfall below the updraft core with lighter rainfall farther away below the melting level, and graupel and mixed-phase particles in the upper part of the updraft with snow and ice crystals in stratiform areas between updrafts above the melting level. Near the melting level, the coexistence of rain and snow corresponds to wet snow in the observations. Differences in cloud characteristics in the events are also reflected in the model results to some extent. Overall, the model's performance in the simulation of hydrometeors exhibits good agreement with the observation and appears reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) that emerged and spread throughout Taiwan in 2014 triggered significant concern in the country’s swine industry. Acknowledging the absence of a thorough investigation at the geographic level, we used 2014 outbreak sequence information from the Taiwan government’s open access databases plus GenBank records to analyze PEDV dissemination among Taiwanese pig farms. Genetic sequences, locations, and dates of identified PEDV-positive cases were used to assess spatial, temporal, clustering, GIS, and phylogeographic factors affecting PEDV dissemination. Our conclusion is that S gene sequences from 2014 PEDV-positive clinical samples collected in Taiwan were part of the same Genogroup 2 identified in the US in 2013. According to phylogenetic and phylogeographic data, viral strains collected in different areas were generally independent of each other, with certain clusters identified across different communities. Data from GIS and multiple potential infection factors were used to pinpoint cluster dissemination in areas with large numbers of swine farms in southern Taiwan. The data indicate that the 2014 Taiwan PEDV epidemic resulted from the spread of multiple strains, with strong correlations identified with pig farm numbers and sizes (measured as animal concentrations), feed mill numbers, and the number of slaughterhouses in a specifically defined geographic area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been observed that, historically, strains of pandemic influenza led to succeeding seasonal waves, albeit with decidedly different patterns. Recent studies suggest that the 2009 A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic has had an impact on the circulation patterns of seasonal influenza strains in the post-pandemic years. In this work we aim to investigate this issue and also to compare the relative transmissibility of these waves of differing strains using Taiwan influenza surveillance data before, during and after the pandemic. Methods: We make use of the Taiwan Center for Disease Control and Prevention influenza surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed subtyping of samples and a mathematical model to determine the waves of circulating (and co-circulating) H1, H3 and B virus strains in Taiwan during 2008–2014; or namely, short before, during and after the 2009 pandemic. We further pinpoint the turning points and relative transmissibility of each wave, in order to ascertain whether any temporal pattern exists. Results/Findings: For two consecutive years following the 2009 pandemic, A(H1N1)pdm09 circulated in Taiwan (as in most of Northern Hemisphere), sometimes co-circulating with AH3. From the evolution point of view, A(H1N1)pdm09 and AH3 were able to sustain their circulation patterns to the end of 2010. In fact, A(H1N1)pdm09 virus circulated in six separate waves in Taiwan between summer of 2009 and spring of 2014. Since 2009, a wave of A(H1N1)pmd09 occurred every fall/winter influenza season during our study period except 2011–2012 season, when mainly influenza strain B circulated. In comparing transmissibility, while the estimated per capita weekly growth rates for cumulative case numbers (and the reproduction number) seem to be lower for most of the influenza B waves (0.06~0.26; range of 95% CIs: 0.05~0.32) when compared to those of influenza A, the wave of influenza B from week 8 to week 38 of 2010 immediately following the fall/winter wave of 2009 A(H1N1) pdm09 was substantially higher at r = 0.89 (95% CI: 0.49, 1.28), in fact highest among all the waves detected in this study. Moreover, when AH3 or A(H1N1)pdm09 exhibit high incidence, reported cases of subtype B decreases and vice versa. Further modeling analysis indicated that during the study period, Taiwan nearly experienced at least one wave of influenza epidemic of some strain every summer except in 2012. Discussion: Estimates of R for seasonal influenza are consistent with that of temperate and tropical-subtropical regions, while estimate of R for A(H1N1)pdm09 is comparatively less than countries in Europe and North America, but similar to that of tropical-subtropical regions. This offers indication of regional differences in transmissibility of influenza virus that exists only for pandemic influenza. Despite obvious limitations in the data used, this study, designed to qualitatively compare the temporal patterns and transmissibility of the waves of different strains, illustrates how influenza subtyping data can be utilized to explore the mechanism for various influenza strains to compete or to circulate, to possibly provide predictors of future trends in the evolution of influenza viruses of various subtypes, and perhaps more importantly, to be of use to future annual seasonal influenza vaccine design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Taiwan experienced a large number of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) viral infections between March and July 2003; by September of that year, 346 SARS cases were confirmed by RT-PCR or serological tests. In order to better understand evolutionary relationships among SARS coronaviruses (SCoVs) from different international regions, we performed phylogenetic comparisons of full-length genomic and protein sequences from 45 human SCoVs (including 12 from Taiwan) and two civet SCoVs. All the Taiwanese SARS-CoV strains which associated with nosocomial infection formed a monophyletic clade within the late phase of the SARS epidemic. This Taiwanese clade could be further divided into two epidemic waves. Taiwan SCoVs in the first wave clustered with three isolates from the Amoy Gardens housing complex in Hong Kong indicating their possible origin. Of the 45 human SCoVs, one isolate from Guangdong province, China, exhibited an extra 29-nucleotide fragment between Orf 10 and Orf 11—similar to the civet SCoV genome. Nucleotide and protein sequence comparisons suggested that all SCoVs of late epidemic came from human-to-human transmission, while certain SCoVs of early epidemic might have originated in animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since 2010, a new variant of PEDV belonging to Genogroup 2 has been transmitting in China and further spreading to the Unites States and other Asian countries including Taiwan. In order to characterize in detail the temporal and geographic relationships among PEDV strains, the present study systematically evaluated the evolutionary patterns and phylogenetic resolution in each gene of the whole PEDV genome in order to determine which regions provided the maximal interpretative power. The result was further applied to identify the origin of PEDV that caused the 2014 epidemic in Taiwan. Thirty-four full genome sequences were downloaded from GenBank and divided into three non-mutually exclusive groups, namely, worldwide, Genogroup 2 and China, to cover different ranges of secular and spatial trends. Each dataset was then divided into different alignments by different genes for likelihood mapping and phylogenetic analysis. Our study suggested that both nsp3 and S genes contained the highest phylogenetic signal with substitution rate and phylogenetic topology similar to those obtained from the complete genome. Furthermore, the proportion of nodes with high posterior support (posterior probability > 0.8) was similar between nsp3 and S genes. The nsp3 gene sequences from three clinical samples of swine with PEDV infections were aligned with other strains available from GenBank and the results suggested that the virus responsible for the 2014 PEDV outbreak in Taiwan clustered together with Clade I from the US within Genogroup 2. In conclusion, the current study identified the nsp3 gene as an alternative marker for a rapid and unequivocal classification of the circulating PEDV strains which provides complementary information to the S gene in identifying the emergence of epidemic strain resulting from recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]