Taiwan\u27s Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Taiwan has constructed a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that not only has largely protected its citizens from the rapid community spread that has devastated larger countries around the world, but has also, commanded acclaim from the World Health Organization (WHO). Ironically, the WHO has refused to allow Taiwan entry into the organization because of the island’s tenuous relationship with China. The tensions between Taiwan and China are rooted in a post-World War II history that is predicated on Taiwan’s self-governing assertions despite China’s desire to consider it as part of the mainland. Such geopolitical and economic tensions have continued to the present. Understanding Taiwan’s approach to managing the pandemic may provide insights into what has worked in terms of a practical nation-wide response model and how important readiness was for the island after it dealt with the 2003 SARS outbreak. Moreover, despite continued tensions between Taiwan and China, the assistance that Taiwan has provided – and is continuing to offer – to the world community concerning the outbreak has shifted perspectives on the international status of the island as a regional and world power. From possible membership into the WHO to establishing partnerships with various nations to fight the pandemic, Taiwan’s response has made it a viable player on the international stage

Effects of Organic Acids on Alleviation of Aluminum Toxicity in Alfalfa

On a global scale, acidic soils cover an estimated 37.8 million km2 of the earth\u27s surface, and up to 50% of the world’s potentially arable soils are acidic. Aluminum (Al) is highly abundant in acid soil conditions. At low (\u3c 5.5) pH, a toxic form of aluminum, Al3+, is solubilized from aluminosilicate clay minerals into soil solutions. High concentrations of Al3+ in soil solutions caused seriously damage to plants by enhancing lipid per-oxidation, limiting root elongation and nutrient uptake, as well as decreasing plant growth (Kochian et al. 2005). Al toxicity represents one of the most important constraints for agricultural production in areas with acidic soils. Organic acid exudation or accumulation in roots could alleviate plant Al toxicity in acidic soils. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important legume used as a forage crop worldwide. Al toxicity is a major factor limiting alfalfa production in soils with low pH. However, limited information is available on the effects of different organic acids on Al tolerance in alfalfa. The purpose of this study was to confirm that different organic acids may assume different function in Al tolerance of alfalfa via Al exclusion or internal detoxification

Histological responses of azalea to Off-shoot-O and Dikegulac as chemical pinching agents

Histological responses to chemical pinching agents, Off-Shoot-0 and Dikegulac, applied as foliar sprays, were observed in shoot apices of Rhododendron obtusum \u27Hinodegiri.\u27 Tissues for paraffin and plastic embedding were fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde, and for plastic were further fixed in osmium tetroxide. The non-treated control shoot tips were characterized by large populations of cytoplasmic globules in a great range of sizes, some larger than nuclei. These globules were especially prominent in the trichomes of the differentiating primordial leaves, but were also present in the differentiating young stem tissue. The observation of these unique cellular inclusions was apparently the result of non-coagulant fixation, since they have not been reported from other studies in which coagulant fixation was employed. The large number of globules suggests that they may have an im-portant role in actively growing tissues. The composition of the glob-ules has not been identified. In this experiment, however, their color reaction with methylene blue-azure A in plastic sections suggests a phenolic composition, possibly a precursor to lignin In the globules. In the treatment with Off-Shoot-0, the globules in the trichomes disappeared three minutes after spraying. Dikegulac did not destroy the globules or other cellular inclusions, but the cells in the young primordial leaves and apical meristems of the shoot tips taken two weeks after treatment showed some changes compared with the non-treated shoot tips. Changes were observed in the color of the stained cel ls and there was increased vacuolization. Therefore, Dikegulac could interfere with the activities of plant hormones, especial ly auxin and cytokinin, in relation to apical dominance and side branching

Replica wormhole as a vacuum-to-vacuum transition

The recent developments related to the black hole information paradox have brought us a confusing object: the replica wormhole. We are trying to better understand the object from the viewpoint of the thermo-mixed double and spontaneous symmetry breaking. It was shown that the replica wormhole can be regarded as a transition between different degenerate vacua, and the corresponding gravitational partition function should be controlled by the manifold of the degenerate vacua. We also check the wormhole partition function in 2-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity and show that the wormhole saddle is indeed controlled by the dimension of the degenerate vacua. Moreover, it is suggested that the replica wormhole geometries connecting different vacua can be related to the measurement process of soft hair that compares different vacuum configurations.Comment: 22 pages, to appear in EPJ