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Analysis of the spatial characteristics of disasters is a critical component of accurate disaster prevention planning and management. Reports from the Tainan City Fire Department were analysed to explore the spatial distribution of incident locations via address matching, spatial coordination transformation and GIS technologies. The characteristics of these locations were further investigated using spatial autocorrelation analysis in order to explore potential future demand for emergency rescue services. The performance levels of existing and newly added emergency rescue facilities were analysed using maximal covering location problem tests and Lagrangian heuristic calculations. These methods are able to simulate and analyse rescue performance after new facilities have been added to a system and the results can also be used to guide the future locations of rescue facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As open education is the future education mainstream, Joint Classrooms are found in new schools or rebuilt old schoolhouses in Taiwan. However, there have been serious problems in acoustic environment in the Joint Classrooms in the 6 years since the first appearance in 1999. There are no substantial evaluations or improvement suggestions available now. As a result, the acoustic environments of Joint Classrooms in Taiwan were analyzed, via on-site measurements and questionnaires, to understand the current situation of acoustic environment and compare the differences between traditional and Joint Classrooms. This study proposed an Evaluation Model of Acoustic Environment in Classrooms to evaluate the environmental quality of elementary schools with actual measurements and questionnaires. It was found that the acoustic environment of these elementary schools is not adequate. With open windows, the noise levels at both Joint Classrooms and traditional classrooms are 20dB (A) above the standard. The reverberation time in traditional classrooms is better, while in Joint Classrooms it tends to be longer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Due to the widespread aquaculture at coastal area in Taiwan and high wind power potential in the sites, it is worthy to carry out the technical potential assessments of small-scale wind power system used for aquaculture in Taiwan. The present work analyzed wind power potential, described the practical installation, measured the actual energy output, verified the reliability of the energy output estimation method and elucidated important considerations associated with the use of this estimation method. The relationship between the actual energy generated and the wind speed characteristics were thus introduced. The power quality produced by a small-scale wind power generator was also evaluated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A shear tab and high-strength bolts are often used to connect a steel H-beam to a column. The design demand and capacity of these elements vary from one standard to the other. To investigate the effect, this study applied a finite element method (FEM) to develop models for two steel moment connections and validated the effectiveness by test data. The connections were characteristic of bolted-web-and-welded-flange details. The FEM models were then used to study the design of shear tabs and high-strength bolts in accordance with the U.S. and Japan standards and compared to the Taiwan practice. The result showed a small difference in the peak loads of the connections. However, the U.S. direct welded flange connection had flange buckling and strength degradation at a relatively smaller drift. The connection had a thinner shear tab and fewer high-strength bolts. The other two connections had very similar design results and loading responses. The increase in shear-tab thickness reduced the stress concentration and fracture potential of the connections. It is, therefore, recommended to design a shear tab with moment capacity greater than the beam web. This will reduce the stress concentration of the base metal surrounding the beam-flange groove welds, increasing the connection ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pedestrian wind environment in a street canyon is affected by a multitude of factors, including the height and geometric shape of the surrounding buildings, the street width, the wind direction, and speed. Wind-tunnel tests were performed to determine the effects of constructing high buildings in an urban renewal project in New Taipei City, Taiwan on the pedestrian wind environments in the surrounding street canyons. The results show that replacing the original low-rise buildings with high-rise buildings could decrease the wind speed and natural ventilation potential in certain surrounding street canyons. The flow fields generated by approaching winds in various street canyons are highly complex in this practical case study. Thus, the pedestrian wind patterns in the street canyons cannot be interpreted in terms of channeling and shielding effects alone, as is typically reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), this study explores the effect of a different number of awning windows and their installation locations on the airflow patterns and air contaminant distributions in restrooms in K-12 (for kindergarten to 12th grade) public schools in Taiwan. A representative restroom configuration with dimensions of 10.65 m × 9.2 m × 3.2 m (height) was selected as the investigated object. Based on the façade design feasibility, seven possible awning window configurations were considered. The results indicate that an adequate number of windows and appropriate installation locations are required to ensure the natural ventilation effectiveness of awning windows. The recommended installation configuration is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]