Foundations of a robust social-ecological system: irrigation institutions in Taiwan

The decline of agriculture in Taiwan has adversely affected the incentives of farmers and the government to engage in irrigation management. Despite that, Taiwan's irrigation systems have shown a high degree of robustness. This study seeks to understand how institutions have contributed to the robustness of Taiwanese irrigation. Conceptualizing an irrigation system as a social-ecological system (SES), this study examines the development and design of Taiwanese irrigation institutions, and how these institutions have enabled farmers and irrigation managers to cope with the dynamics in the SES, and hence contributed to the system's robustness. The study has found that the robust systems are built upon institutions that allow effective coordination of the activities of a multitude of farmers, enhance the development and sustenance of a repertoire of ideas, and nest the problem-solving efforts of various scopes and scales in a complementary manner. The institutions enable individuals and organizations at different levels to engage in continuous learning and adaptation that, in turn, facilitates the systems' adaptation to the changing environment.published_or_final_versio

Institutional Evolution and Social-Ecological Resilience: A Study of Irrigation Institutions in Taiwan

Taiwan’s irrigation management has faced a series of challenges in the past decades. As the country’s economy developed, agriculture has ceased to be a viable economic activity; the decline of agriculture has in turn adversely affected the incentives of farmers and the government to engage in irrigation management. Despite these challenges, the evolution of Taiwan’s irrigation systems in the past decades has been characterized by a high degree of resilience. Although irrigation management is unlike that in the good old days when farmers actively engaged in meticulous management and were willing to contribute significant manual and monetary resources, farmers’ organizing abilities and social capital accumulated over the years have largely retained, and continued to sustain a vibrant management order. The general picture is that while the sector as a whole has been in flux and gone through many changes, the vibrancy of the system remains. Drawing upon the literature of complexity studies and conceptualizing an irrigation system as a social-ecological system (SES), this paper seeks to explain and understand the institutional vibrancy and resilience of Taiwanese irrigation. The major argument is that the design of Taiwan’s irrigation institutions, as a result of years of trial and error, has been able to cope with the dynamics inherent in the SES. The institutions allow various actors and organizations at different levels to engage in continuous learning and adaptation. I shall examine how disturbances of different types have impact the structure and dynamics of the Taiwanese system, how individuals and organizations at different levels have responded to the disturbances, and how these responses have constituted the systemic response to the changing environment.postprin

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B in a Chinese patient

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B syndrome is rarely reported in Chinese patients. A 25-year-old Chinese male presented with full-blown clinical features of this syndrome, including bilateral phaeochromocytomas, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and characteristic phenotypic features. One-stage surgical treatment was performed and subsequent genetic analysis confirmed a point mutation at codon 918 in exon 16 of the RET proto-oncogene. The mutation was arising de novo as there was no corresponding mutation found in both this parents or younger sister. Data published to date suggest there is no difference in the genetic and pathophysiologic basis, nor clinical characteristics of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B in Chinese patients. As the disease can be lethal, early diagnosis by prompt recognition of the characteristic phenotypic features followed by surgical treatment should improve the outcome. Family screening is essential to identify at-risk family members for prophylactic treatment.published_or_final_versio

The role of the fibreoptic bronchoscope in otorhinolaryngological practice

Flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope has been employed in the examination of the nasopharynx, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchus and intrathoracic oesophagus under local anaesthesia. It is used either for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. A total of 1690 procedures have been performed with no complication. The indications and findings in these procedures are listed. The advantages and limitations of the use of flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope as a 'panendoscopic examination' instrument are discussed.published_or_final_versio

Aqcostic quantification and colour kinesis: evaluation of left atrial and left ventricular function in real time

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Psychological predictors of Chinese Christians’ church attendance and religious steadfastness: A three-wave prospective study

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Mammography screening in general practice - a pilot study

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and performance of a mammography screening programme for female patients in general practice. Design: A cross sectional study. Setting: A general practice clinic and a resiona/ hospital in Hong Kong. Subjects: 500 Chinese women aged 45 years or older attending a university teaching general practice clinic on Hong Kong Island. Main outcome measures: The rates of uptake of screening, retakes, recall for further evaluation and fine needle aspiration (FNA), and participants' opinion on mammography. Results: The uptake rate of screening was 37%. Mammography was feasible for all participants, 12% had additional films and 7% required retakes. Sixteen percent were recalled for further evaluation, 4% had FNA, one had an excisional biopsy which revealed no cancer. Most women rated pain of mammography mild to moderate and did not find it embarrassing, 98% said that they would recommend it to their friends and 87% indicated that they would do it again. Conclusions: Mammography screening for Chinese women presenting to general practice was technically feasible. Most women found the experience of mammography screening acceptable. The uptake rate of mammography screening was much lower than what would be required to benefit the overall breast cancer mortality. There was also room for improvement in our retake and recall rates. We need to weigh the possible benefit of mammography screening against the stress and resources associated with additional films, retakes, recalls for further evaluation, FNA and excisional biopsy in individuals with false positive results.published_or_final_versio

Thyroid cancer cells boundary location by a fuzzy edge detection method

Morphometric assessment of tumor cells is important in the prediction of biological behavior of thyroid cancer. In order to automate the process, the computer-based system has to recognize the boundary of the cells. Many methods for the boundary detection have appeared in the literature and some of them applied to microscopic slice analysis. However, there is no reliable method since the gray-levels in the nuclei are uneven and are similar to the background. In the paper, a fuzzy edge detection method is used and is based on an improved generalized fuzzy operator. The method enhances the nuclei and effectively separates the cells from the background.published_or_final_versio

Automobile hybrid air conditioning technology

Author name used in this publication: Y. P. B. YeungAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengVersion of RecordPublishe