Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Lots of Rumor about Nuke by KMT+TPP

Just after happily celebrating Taiwan finally achieving a nuclear-free homeland with zero nuclear power, KMT and TPP legislators on May 20, 2025, immediately passed a referendum proposed by the TPP caucus: "Do you agree that the Third Nuclear Power Plant should continue operating after the competent authority confirms there are no safety concerns?" The vote is scheduled for August 23, 2025. (https://e-info.org.tw/node/241324)

Beyond this, pro-nuclear KMT and TPP parties and their supporters are spreading rumors everywhere, claiming that after the Third Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 stops operating, thermal power generation will run at full capacity and Taiwan's air quality will immediately become terrible. This is utter nonsense. The Air quality monitoring by Taiwan Ministry of Environment clearly shows good air quality, and the photos I take every morning from a high floor of my building, showing the visibly clear air, haven't gotten worse. Furthermore, thermal power generation is primarily gas-fired, supplemented by coal. After the Third Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 stops operating, these thermal power plants don't even need to run at full capacity because there's still enough electricity supply and sufficient reserve capacity. With the addition of renewable energy, Taiwan now (as of 2025) doesn't need to rely on thermal power to meet its electricity demands as much as it did years ago (e.g., 2016), when nuclear power plants were still operating and renewable energy accounted for a much smaller share. Many thermal power plants no longer need to run at full tilt. You can verify all of this yourself by checking Taipower's real-time electricity information (https://www.taipower.com.tw/2289/2363/2367/2368/10266/normalPost). Don't just believe baseless rumors. The Third Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 only accounted for 3% of power generation before its shutdown, not 20% as some mistakenly believe.

Natural gas is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium. When burned for heat or electricity, natural gas emits fewer toxic air pollutants, less CO2, and almost no PM (particulate matter) than other fossil fuels.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas)

才剛剛很開心的慶祝臺灣終於核電歸零,實現非核家園,然後藍白立委就馬上於5/20/2025通過一個民眾黨團提案的「您是否同意第三核能發電廠經主管機關同意確認無安全疑慮後,繼續運轉?」公投法案,預計將在8/23/2025投票。(https://e-info.org.tw/node/241324)

除此之外,擁核的藍白政黨及其支持群眾開始到處造謠,說核三2號機停止運轉後,火力發電全開,臺灣空氣馬上變得很糟糕。根本就是胡說八道,明明空氣品質監測顯示空氣良好,而我每天早上出門前從大樓高層往遠處拍照、用來顯示視覺看到的空氣品質的照片也沒有變差。而火力發電也是以燃氣為主,燃煤為輔,在核三2號機停止運作後,由於發電量還夠用,也還有足夠備載用電,這些火力發電廠也不需要全力運轉。再加上再生能源的投入,現在(如2025)已經比幾年前核電廠還在運轉、再生能源佔比很少時(如2016年)還不需要靠火力發電來維持電力所需了,火力發電廠已經有許多不需要全力運轉。這些都可以自己去看台電的今日電力資訊(https://www.taipower.com.tw/2289/2363/2367/2368/10266/normalPost),不要一天到晚相信造謠的言論。核三2號機在停機 前只佔了3%的發電量,不要自以為是20%好不好。

天然氣的主要成分是甲烷(CH4),也可能含有一些較重的烴分子(如乙烷(C2H6)、丙烷(C3H8)和丁烷(C4H10)),以及一些酸性氣體(如二氧化碳和硫化氫),部分氣田所產的天然氣還含有二硫化碳和羰基硫等有機硫。有機硫化物和硫化氫(H2S)這類常見的微量雜質,在大多數需要利用天然氣的情況下都要事先將其除去。看到分子式,就知道其燃燒排放主要是H2O及CO2,只要前端有確實做好脫硫,燃燒後的PM、NOx、SOx等污染排放會比燃煤或燃油減少非常多。

Read more!

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Discussion or not for a cross-disciplinary team

Since returning to work in my country, one of the most perplexing things is the prohibition of discussion, or being treated as a villain when the person tries to share her/his thoughts or discuss ideas with the team. When a team is formed to accomplish something together, especially a cross-disciplinary one, the essence should be discussion, communication of ideas, offering suggestions, converging diverging thoughts, and ultimately finding a common solution or working model from members with diverse backgrounds to develop the desired product or launch a research topic.

However, this approach has consistently been forbidden or scorned. The person is either accused of prying into secrets, criticized for overstepping boundaries, or told to keep things confidential and not let other members know. Even obvious mistakes shouldn't be pointed out; doing so is blamed as disrupting team harmony and gets you blacklisted.


回來工作後最令我困惑的事情之一,就是禁止討論,或是提出看法要和團隊討論的時候會被當作壞人。當組成一個團隊要一起做一件事情,特別是跨領域團隊,討論、溝通彼此想法、提出建議、收斂發散的不同想法,最後找到一個來自不同領域的共事成員的共同解決方案或做事模式, 一起將想要開發的產品做出來或開展一個研究主題。但是這樣的方式一直被禁止或嫌棄,要嘛被戴上窺探機密的帽子,或是被指責踩線,不然就是被要求要保密而不應該讓其他成員知道,甚至連明顯的錯誤都不應該提出,講了就是破壞團隊和諧,然後成為黑名單成員。
Read more!

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Nuclear-Free Taiwan starts from 20250517 22:10

After 40 years of effort, the nuclear-free country was finally achieved on May 17, 2025, at 10:10 PM in Taiwan, and my heart is filled with joy. Coming from the era when anti-nuclear power was synonymous with anti-dictatorship, I recall the fear of standing in the front row facing riot police with other students in front of Taipower on the day before the anti-nuclear demonstration (May 5, 1991). The sights and sounds I witnessed day and night at the entrance of Taipower shattered the perfect facade of the KMT's party-state rule that had been built in my mind. Yes, it was that day that I, who had been very obedient and trusting of the government, finally woke up.

努力了超過40年的非核家園終於在20250517 22:10達成,從反核就是反獨裁的年代一路走來,我內心喜悅。在反核示威遊行的前一天(19910504),和其他學生在台電門口站在第一排面對鎮暴警察的害怕,那一夜夜宿台電門口的抗議活動中的所見所聞,戳破了國民黨黨國統治在我心中塑造的完美假象。是的,就是那一天,很乖很聽話相信政府的我醒了。

https://www.reccessary.com/en/research/taiwan-nuclear-free-moment-milestone-in-energy-transition

Read more!

Sunday, March 23, 2025

OKR vs. KPI

今天聽 podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/id1586296758?i=1000682466626),在介紹這本書 "主管必看!最強KPI管理術:活用10大步驟、53張圖表,績效輕鬆達標" (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0011003639),裡面提到 OKR (Objectives and Key Results)及 KPI (Key Performance Indicators),也提到該擺脫「不明所以的KPI」。

KPI管理指的是,所有相關人士都持續分享、實施並改善以下3點:
  ①明確目前事業最重要的步驟(Critical Success Factor, CSF)
  ②這項步驟該執行到什麼程度(Key Performance Indicator, KPI)
  ③事業計畫能夠達成嗎?(Key Goal Indicator, KGI)

或許有空該來閱讀看看,不一定是用在工作,或許自己的人生也應該要想一下自己的 OKR 及 KPI 為何。

I listened to a podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/id1586296758?i=1000682466626) today, which introduced the book "A Must-Read for Managers! The Most Powerful KPI Management Technique: Use 10 Steps and 53 Charts to Easily Achieve Performance Targets" (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0011003639). It mentioned how to manage a company with OKR (Objectives and Key Results) and KPI (Key Performance Indicators), and that we should get rid of "unclear KPIs."

KPI management means that all stakeholders continuously share, implement and improve the following three points:
① Identify the most important steps in your current career (Critical Success Factor, CSF)
②To what extent should this step be executed (Key Performance Indicator, KPI)
③Can the business plan be achieved? (Key Goal Indicator, KGI)

Maybe I should read it sometime. I think that I don't need to limit the application of OKR and KPI to work only, I might set up my own OKR and KPI for my life.

----------------------
When I searched OKR vs. KPI in google, AI overview provided following information: 
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a goal-setting framework, while KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are metrics used to track progress towards those goals. OKRs focus on defining ambitious goals and then measuring progress towards them, while KPIs are focused on specific, quantifiable measures of success.

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs):
What they are: OKRs are a goal-setting framework that helps organizations define ambitious targets and track their progress towards achieving them.

Structure: OKRs consist of two parts:Objective: A qualitative, aspirational goal that describes what you want to achieve.

Key Results: A set of quantifiable metrics that measure progress towards the objective.

Purpose: OKRs are used to: 
Set ambitious, measurable, and time-bound goals.
Align teams and individuals around shared goals.
Track progress and make adjustments as needed.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
What they are: KPIs are specific, quantifiable measures of success that allow you to track organizational performance.

Purpose: KPIs are used to:
Track progress towards specific goals.
Identify areas for improvement.
Make data-driven decisions.

Key Differences:



Read more!

Thursday, January 9, 2025

About SIF (Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence)

"What is SIF?  SIF (Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence) is an electromagnetic signal emitted by the chlorophyll a of assimilating plants: part of the energy absorbed by chlorophyll a is not used for photosynthesis, but emitted at longer wavelengths as a two-peak spectrum roughly covering the 650–850 nm spectral range." (SENTINEL-5P+ INNOVATION)

650-850nm is the spectral range of SIF.  People collect the data of 687nm, 730-780nm, 760nm, etc.. Some papers mentioned that the emission peaks are 685nm and 740nm. TROPOMI on Sentinel-5P+ collects SIF data emitted from two fitting windows: 743-758 nm window (baseline product) and 735-758 nm.

1. Ground far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and vegetation indices in the US Midwestern agroecosystems (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-024-03004-w)
This paper should be a good reference of SIF.

2. Phenotyping Plant Responses to Biotic Stress by Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging
(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01135/full)

3. SIF Learn a New Approach to Remote Sensing of Vegetation (NASA, March 3, 2021)
(https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/our-impact/news/solar-induced-fluorescence-learn-new-approach-remote-sensing-vegetation)

Training:
ARSET - Use of Solar Induced Fluorescence and LIDAR to Assess Vegetation Change and Vulnerability (NASA, March 16, 18, 23, & 25, 2021)
(https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/get-involved/training/english/arset-use-solar-induced-fluorescence-and-lidar-assess-vegetation)

4. Sentinel-5P+ Innovation SIF (https://eo4society.esa.int/projects/sentinel-5p-innovation-solar-induced-chlorophyll-fluorescence-sif/)

Scientific Papers
(1) The influence of plant water stress on vegetation-atmosphere exchanges: Implications for ozone modelling (Emmerichs T.; Lu Y.-S.; Taraborrelli D., Biogeosciences (2024))
(2) An Operational Downscaling Method of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) for Regional Drought Monitoring (Hong Z., Hu Y., Cui C., Yang X., Tao C., Luo W., Zhang W., Li L., Meng L., Agriculture (Switzerland) (2022))
(3) TROPOMI SIF reveals large uncertainty in estimating the end of plant growing season from vegetation indices data in the Tibetan Plateau (Yang J., Xiao X., Doughty R., Zhao M., Zhang Y., Köhler P., Wu X., Frankenberg C., Dong J., Remote Sensing of Environment (2022))

5. Google AI Overview





Read more!

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient 'ammonia' from thin air

Today I unexpectedly came across a study: At room temperature and normal atmospheric conditions, ammonia is produced by driving air and water vapor through a catalyst-coated mesh using wind energy. It seems quite interesting, I should read the paper.
今天意外看到一個研究:在室溫及一般大氣的環境下,藉由風能驅動空氣及水氣通過塗有催化劑的網(catalyst-coated-mesh)來產生氨。好像蠻有趣的,應該要來讀paper一下。
New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient from thin air, cutting carbon emissions (https://news.stanford.edu/.../new-device-produces...)
Onsite ammonia synthesis from water vapor and nitrogen in the air (https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.ads4443?af=R)
(Song, X., Basheer, C., Xu, J., & Zare, R. N. (2024). Onsite ammonia synthesis from water vapor and nitrogen in the air. Science Advances. https://doi.org/ads4443)

(Fig. 1. Diagram of the onsite preparation of green ammonia.)



Read more!

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Ordinary daily life is a very important treasure

"Ordinary daily life is a very important treasure. Once you lose it, you can never get it back... Once you are no longer around, you will never see it again." (Jobless Reincarnation ~ Use your true skills when you arrive in another world, Volume 14, Chapter 4)

We might think a lot of daily life is just a dull past without anything special. We also take it for granted and think that this is not worth remembering or paying attention to because it will exist naturally. It seems that only those wonderful experiences, special things, or beautiful scenery should remain in memory. However, what we think of as ordinary daily life is an important unit of our existence, and the people and things we come into contact with are the foundation of it. No matter how wonderful your life is, without the support of these ordinary daily lives, it will collapse to the ground like gravel and scatter into unconnected gems.

"平淡無奇的日常生活,是非常重要的寶物。一旦失去,就再也回不來……一旦不在身邊,就再也見不到。"(無職轉生~到了異世界就拿出真本事,第十四卷第四話)

很多的日常生活就只是平淡的過去,沒有任何特殊之處,我們也理所當然的以為這一點都不值得紀念或是重視的,是自然而然地就會存在的,彷彿只有那些精彩的經歷或是特殊的美景才應該留在記憶中。但是啊,我們認為平淡無奇的日常生活,卻是構成我們活著存在的重要單元,在這中間所接觸的人事物,更是其中的基礎。再精采的生活如果沒有這些平淡日常生活的支撐,將如碎石般崩塌於地,散落成無法相連的寶石。

Read more!

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Chinese fishing boats have intruded into Taiwan waters to illegally trawl and quarry sand and gravel repeatedly

Chinese fishing boats have long been crossing the Taiwan Strait border and intruding into Taiwan waters to illegally trawl and quarry sand and gravel. I am furious.

According to a 2017 report by CommonWealth Magazine: Chinese fishing boats are large in tonnage and use the "fast trawl" fishing method, which directly uproots fish and habitats, causing great damage to the ocean.

Based on the principles of ecological conservation and marine protection, the Taiwan government stipulates that Taiwanese fishermen are not allowed to engage in fishing and trawling operations within a certain range, and are not allowed to illegally quarry sand and gravel. However, Chinese fishermen have repeatedly carried out such practices that endanger the marine ecology. Why is the legitimacy of the Taiwanese government's Coast Guard evicting them constantly questioned?

中國漁船長期越界侵入台灣海域進行非法拖網漁船捕撈及盜採砂石,我覺得非常憤怒。

根據天下雜誌2017年的報導:中國漁船的噸位大,用的是「快速拖網」漁法,直接把魚和棲息地連根拔起,對海洋的破壞性大。(https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5082471)

臺灣政府基於生態保育及海洋保護的原則,規範台灣漁民在一定範圍內不准進行捕撈及拖網作業,也不准盜採砂石。但是中國漁民卻屢屢進行這種危害海洋生態的做法,為什麼台灣政府海巡署對其進行驅離時,卻還要被一直質疑其正當性。

https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202402150214.aspx

Read more!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Paper: Light stimulation of mitochondria reduces blood glucose levels

This is the abstract of paper published on Feb. 20, 2024 on Journal of Biophotonics: Light stimulation of mitochondria reduces blood glucose levels

Is it true that we could reduce blood sugar level by exposure to 670 nm red light?

<Abstract>
Mitochondria regulate metabolism, but solar light influences its rate. Photobiomodulation (PBM) with red light (670 nm) increases mitochondrial membrane potentials and adenosine triphosphate production and may increase glucose demand. Here we show, with a glucose tolerance test, that PBM of normal subjects significantly reduces blood sugar levels. A 15 min exposure to 670 nm light reduced the degree of blood glucose elevation following glucose intake by 27.7%, integrated over 2 h after the glucose challenge. Maximum glucose spiking was reduced by 7.5%. Consequently, PBM with 670 nm light can be used to reduce blood glucose spikes following meals. This intervention may reduce damaging fluctuations of blood glucose on the body.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202300521

Read more!

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Smelly air in Tainan

The air in Tainan is terrible. The north-facing windows smelled like burning things, so we had to close them about 5 minutes ago. The smell of oily smoke from downstairs came from the south-facing window just now, so we had to close it about 1 minute ago.

This has almost become our daily life, a life that is disturbed by unpleasant or unhealthy smells.

台南的空氣真糟糕,5分鐘前,朝北的窗戶傳來陣陣燃燒東西的味道,只好關了。剛剛朝南的窗戶傳來樓下的油煙味,也只好關了。

這幾乎成了我們的日常生活,被臭味薰擾的生活。

Read more!