Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firm Ratings, Momentum Investing Strategy, and Market Crisis: Evidence from US and Taiwan Markets

This paper considers a link between momentum profitability and firm ratings. Credit risks for naive momentum strategies present a U-shaped pattern across momentum portfolios. Due to firms ratings containing valuable information and predicting the cross-sectional stock returns, firm ratings based momentum strategies can even earn positive profits, larger than naive momentum strategies. Specifically, a comparison of firm ratings momentum in both US and Taiwan markets suggest different risk preference where investors in US prefer stocks with higher risk while those in Taiwan prefer stocks with lower risk. Additionally, firm ratings can be used to strengthen naive momentum effects. Next, firm ratings momentum profits partially result from the predictability of macroeconomic factors and non-January months. Moreover, firm ratings may independently explain the momentum effects not captured by factors that proxy for information asymmetries. Finally, with an examination of the 2007 subprime crisis on the firm ratings momentum, we find that firm ratings momentum indeed helps increase the payoff during the period for the crisis, especially for middle investment-grade group in US market.
Oral sex practices, oral human papillomavirus and correlations between oral and cervical human papillomavirus prevalence among female sex workers in Lima, Peru

Few data exist on oral human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in female sex workers (FSWs). Information regarding oral sex practices of 185 Peruvian FSWs, 18-26 years of age, was obtained via survey and compared with HPV testing results of oral rinse samples. Oral HPV prevalence was 14/185 (7.6%); four (28.9%) HPV genotypes were carcinogenic. One hundred and eighty-two participants reported having had oral sex; 95% reported condom use during oral sex with clients and 9.5% with partners. Women who had oral sex more than three times with their partners in the past month were more likely to have oral HPV than women who had oral sex three times or less (P = 0.06). Ten (71.4%) women with oral HPV were HPV-positive at the cervix; conversely 8.3% of women with cervical HPV were HPV-positive in the oral cavity. The prevalence of oral HPV was relatively low, considering the high rates of oral sex practiced by these women.
MOTIVATIONS FOR CHOOSING TO STUDY TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT: A COMPARISON OF MAINLAND CHINESE AND TAIWANESE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

More and more students choose Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) as their subject field in the universities and colleges in both Mainland China and Taiwan. The objective of this study was to investigate motivations of undergraduate students in choosing a HTM program for both Mainland China and Taiwan. The result of a factor analysis identified five factor domains for undergraduate students in both places. A cluster analysis produced four distinc-tive clusters for undergraduate students. Differences between Mainland Chinese and Taiwan-ese students were revealed in their motivations in choosing a HTM program, behaviors and attitudes toward HTM, and a socio-demographic variable. The study results hold useful impli-cations for educational researchers and for strategies for educational administrations in both Mainland China and Taiwan.
Hematopoietic and immune recovery after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and bone marrow transplantation in a pediatric population

Abstract: To compare the hematopoietic and immune recoveries after allogeneic transplantation with different cell sources, we analyzed the recovery patterns of blood components after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) in comparison with that after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in a pediatric population. Sixteen patients received PBSCT, and 24 received BMT between January, 1995 and March, 2000. The patients had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; n = 22), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML; n = 8), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 3), or other diseases (n = 7). The median ages of patients in the PBSCT and BMT groups were 9 yr and 6 yr, respectively. Cyclosporin A (CsA) plus methotrexate or methylprednisolone was used as a graft‐vs.‐host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis regimen in the PBSCT group, whereas CsA alone or methotrexate alone was used in the BMT group. Circulating lymphocyte numbers and subpopulations determined by flow cytometric analysis were used as markers of immune recovery. In the PBSCT group, the median number of harvested CD34+ cells was 7.25 (range: 1.3–27.6) × 106/kg of the recipient's body weight, while the median number of harvested nucleated cells was 4.7 (range: 3.7–10.5) × 108/kg. All of the patients were engrafted. Myeloid engraftment occurred sooner after PBSCT than after BMT (median number of days to achieve absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) > 0.5 × 109/L; 11 and 15, respectively; p < 0.0001) and similar results were found for platelet engraftment (median number of days to achieve a platelet count of > 20 × 109/L; 12 and 21, respectively; p = 0.004). On the other hand, after PBSCT the absolute numbers of total circulating lymphocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations were not significantly different from those after BMT. The incidence of acute GvHD after PBSCT was the same as that after BMT, while chronic GvHD developed more frequently after PBSCT than after BMT (p = 0.005). In a pediatric population, the indications for PBSCT and BMT should be based on these findings in addition to regard for the donor's safety.
Effects of phase I cardiac rehabilitation on anxiety of patients hospitalized for coronary artery bypass graft in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of phase I cardiac rehabilitation intervention on anxiety of patients hospitalized for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. DESIGN Prospective, quasi-experimental, random assignment, repeated measurements. SETTING The Veterans General Hospital Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. PATIENTS Seventy patients were randomly assigned to (1) the phase I cardiac rehabilitation intervention (experimental) group and (2) the nonintervention (comparison) group. Ultimately, 60 subjects were included in the data analyses. OUTCOME MEASURES Psychological status was evaluated by the state of anxiety scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Anxiety scores were measured 3 times: (1) after admission, before the patient underwent CABG surgery; (2) the day before the patient underwent CABG surgery; and (3) the day of discharge from the hospital. INTERVENTION Individual instruction in progressive exercises and daily activities according to the phase I cardiac rehabilitation program (Chinese manual) were used during hospitalization. RESULTS Data analysis was performed with use of generalized estimating equations (GEE) to assess the between- and within-group variations. The mean anxiety for all subjects before undergoing CABG surgery was 42.6. The mean anxiety on the day before undergoing CABG surgery was 33.7 in the experimental group and 49.8 in the comparison group; there were statistical differences, with a P <. 05 level of significance between these 2 groups. The mean anxiety on the day of discharge in the experimental group was 28.6 and in the comparison group was 38.4; there were statistical differences, with a P <. 05 level of significance between these 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS These results have been supported by similar studies. This finding suggests that application of phase I cardiac rehabilitation intervention can reduce the anxiety level during hospitalization of patients undergoing CABG surgery.
Incidence and clinical manifestations of Campylobacter enteritis in central Taiwan.

BACKGROUND Campylobacter species are recognized as a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans throughout the world and are increasingly associated with the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The age distribution of persons and the seasonal patterns of Campylobacter infection are different in many developed and developing countries. The present study reports the investigation of the clinical and epidemiologic features of Campylobacter infections in central Taiwan. METHODS From January 1994 to December 1996, stool specimens from patients with diarrhea or gastroenteritis were cultured for the Campylobacter species at the China Medical College Hospital. Data collected and evaluated included the type of Campylobacter species isolated, date of report, age and sex of the person from whom the isolate came, and clinical symptoms. RESULTS Of 6,540 patients with diarrhea or gastroenteritis, 162 Campylobacter isolates were identified, yielding an isolation rate of 2.5% from the population studied. One hundred and fifty-four patients (95%) with Campylobacter infection were younger than five years old, which was significantly different from the population studied (p < 0.001). The Campylobacter infection was significantly higher in males (62.3%) than females (37.7%) (p = 0.0017). In central Taiwan, the incidence of Campylobacter enteritis is higher during the winter (35.2%) than during the spring (19.1%), summer (24.1%) or fall (21.6%) (35.2 vs 24.1%, p = 0.021). Campylobacter jejuni was found to comprise 81% (132 strains) of 162 Campylobacter isolates, and its isolation rate was significantly higher than Campylobacter lari (10%) and Campylobacter coli (9%) (p < 0.001). From 1994 to 1996, isolation rates of Campylobacter species increased from 1.9 to 2.8% of the population studied (34/1, 754 vs 57/2, 187) and the positive isolation rate ratio of Campylobacter species to Salmonella species also increased from 15.4 to 27.8% (34/221 vs 57/205). However, no significant difference was found between these results (p > 0.05). Watery diarrhea is the most characteristic manifestation of illness, and fever occurs in more than half of the patients. CONCLUSIONS In central Taiwan, the incidence of Campylobacter enteritis in patients with diarrhea or gastroenteritis is lower than those in China and Tanzania, but the highest prevalence occurs before five years of age in central Taiwan as well as these countries. The Campylobacter infection rate was significantly higher in males than females, and occurred primarily in winter. We conclude that Campylobacter cultures should be performed for fecal specimens of all diarrheal children aged up to five years.
Dietary exposure of secondary school students in Hong Kong to polybrominated diphenyl ethers from foods of animal origin

This paper reports levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a wide range of foods of animal origin and estimates their dietary exposure for secondary school students in Hong Kong, China. Dietary exposure to PBDEs was estimated using local food consumption data obtained from secondary school students in 2000 and the concentrations of PBDEs in food samples taken from local market in 2008. The PBDE levels on a fresh weight basis for fish ranged from 13 to 6600 pg g−1, for seafood and seafood products ranged from 15 to 1200 pg g−1, for meat and meat products ranged from 23 to 3500 pg g−1, for poultry ranged from 68 to 670 pg g−1, for eggs ranged from 280 to 800 pg g−1, and for dairy products ranged from 12 to 480 pg g−1. The dietary exposures of secondary school students for the average and high consumers were estimated to be 2.6 and 6.4 ng kg−1 body weight day−1, respectively. According to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), for the more toxic PBDE congeners, adverse effects would be unlikely to occur in laboratory animals at doses of less than approximately 100 µg kg−1 body weight day−1. The resulting margins of exposures (38,000 for average consumers and 16,000 for high consumers) showed that the estimated dietary exposures of secondary school students were far below any adverse effect dose observed in laboratory animals and were therefore of low concern for human health.
Regional and outward economic integration in South-East Asia

The subject of this article tackles macroeconomic integration of the South-East Asian countries South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Economically, the analysis is based on notions of stochastic long-run convergence and business cycle synchrony in the Gross Domestic Products (GDPs). Relevant tests for cointegration and common serial correlation features reveal a high degree of coherence in long-run growth and medium-run fluctuations. This allows extracting a common stochastic growth trend and a common business cycle. Further analysis shows that both these components are subject to stronger influences from the US than from Japan. Convergence towards these matured economies conspicuously appears since the 1990s.
LSMS Data Quality in Maoist Influenced Areas of Nepal

The first round of the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS1) is a high quality data source that has been applied for a number of empirical studies. Data were collected in 1995/96, prior to the civil war in Nepal. The Maoist party of Nepal started the so called People's war in 1996, and gradually extended their influence in the rural areas. Eight years into the war, in 2003/04, the Central Bureau of Statistics, in collaboration with the World Bank, conducted the second round of the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS2). We investigate to what extent the quality of the NLSS2 data has been affected by the Maoists. We find, if any, only minor support for the hypothesis. Furthermore, the Maoists have less control in the plains (terai), where a majority of the population lives, so data from the terai sub-sample of NLSS2 is, in particular, not likely to be biased by the Maoists.
The accuracy of interest rate forecasts in the Asia-Pacific region: opportunities for portfolio management

ABSTRACT We analysed interest rate forecasts from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. We assessed 532 forecast time series with a total of 85,264 individual interest rate forecasts. To do so, we carried out a comparison to naïve forecasts and investigated the forecast time series for topically orientated trend adjustments. In addition, we deployed the sign accuracy test and the unbiasedness test. The results are very sobering in part: 95.9% of all forecast time series are characterized by the phenomenon of topically orientated trend adjustments, and 99.4% of all forecast time series proved to be biased. Only a small proportion of the forecast time series (3.6%) reflected the future interest rate trend significantly more precisely than a naïve forecast. However, at the same time some of the results of the study are surprisingly positive. The sign accuracy test revealed that 48.3% of all forecast time series predict the interest rate trend significantly better than a random walk forecast.
A taxonomic study of the Rana narina complex, with description of three new species (Amphibia : Ranidae)

Abstract A morphometric and electrophoretic survey was conducted to examine taxonomic relationships among eight population samples of the Rana narina complex from the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and Taiwan. Five discrete morphotypes are differentiated, and these showed considerable genetic differentiation from each other. From the available information, each of the five morphotypes is judged to represent a species, and three are described as new. Rana utsunomiyaorum sip. nov. and R. supranarina sp. nov. are sympatric in Ishigakijima and Iriomotejima islands of the Yaeyama Group, and differ from the other members by having a shorter hindlimb. Rana utsunomiyaorum is the smallest in the complex, while R. supranarina is the largest. Rana amamiensis sip. nov. occurs on Amamioshima and Tokunoshima islands of the Amami Group and, like R. narina from Okinawajima of the Okinawa Group, has a long hindlimb; it differs from the latter species by having a larger body and relatively small tympanum. These two species differ from R. swinhoana from Taiwan by having a narrower disk on the third finger. A key to known species of the complex is given. Further, systematics of the R. narina complex within Rana , body size in the two sympatric species, and sexual dimorphism found in this complex are discussed.
Capital Market Integration in the Pacific Basin Region : An Analysis of Real Interest Rate Linkages

This paper investigates the extent to which financial markets in the Pacific Basin Region have become more integrated, by analyzing the comovements of real interest rates. The paper uses cointegration and error correction models and draws inferences on the degree of capital market integration by looking at the speed of adjustment of real interest rates following a shock. The results show that there has been an increase in capital market integration with both U.S. and Japan during the 1980s. Japan has not, however, overtaken U.S. in dominating the financial markets of these countries, except possibly in the case of Malaysia. Capital market integration is found to be greater in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province of China. On the other hand, Japan is the least integrated country with the United States.
A path model of smoking behaviour among senior high school students in Taiwan

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which social smoking expectations mediate the relationship between adolescent smoking behaviour and the smoking behaviour of family and peers. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Setting: Taiwan, Republic of China. Method: The participants were 921 senior high school students who completed a questionnaire to measure smoking status, family and peer smoking and social smoking expectations. The survey was conducted from November to December in 2009. Structural equation modelling was performed to test a mediation model. Analysis was performed using PRELIS 2 and LISREL 8.7 software. Results: After adjusting for students’ gender, age and school type, it is clear that social expectations mediate the relationship between sibling smoking, peer smoking and adolescent smoking. The path coefficients of sibling and peer smoking on social expectations in the mediator model were moderate, β = . 15–. 41, p < . 05, but the coefficient of social expectations on adolescent smoking was strong, β = . 95, p < . 001. The total indirect effects between exogenous latent variables and adolescent smoking were . 54, indicating a strong association that, in this model, is explained by the mediation of social expectations. Conclusion: Determining the mechanisms that influence adolescent smoking is of scientific interest because knowledge of these mechanisms is a prerequisite for the development of recommendations aimed at prevention. With this knowledge, health professionals can develop smoking-prevention policies and education programmes based on reducing the mediating effect of social smoking expectations on the relationship of family smoking and peer smoking with adolescent smoking.
Risk of new-onset autoimmune diseases in primary aldosteronism: a nation-wide population-based study.

OBJECTIVE The association between hyperaldosteronism and autoimmune disorders has been postulated. However, long-term incidence of a variety of new-onset autoimmune diseases (NOAD) among patients with primary aldosteronism has not been well investigated. METHODS From Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database with a 23-million population insurance registry, the identification of primary aldosteronism, essential hypertension and NOAD as well as all-cause mortality were ascertained by a validated algorithm. RESULTS From 1997 to 2009, 2319 primary aldosteronism patients without previously autoimmune disease were identified and propensity score-matched with 9276 patients with essential hypertension. Among those primary aldosteronism patients, 806 patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) were identified and matched with 3224 essential hypertension controls. NOAD incidence is augmented in primary aldosteronism patients compared with its matched essential hypertension (hazard ratio 3.82, P < 0.001, versus essential hypertension). Furthermore, NOAD incidence is also higher in APA patients compared with its matched essential hypertension (hazard ratio = 2.96, P < 0.001, versus essential hypertension). However, after a mean 8.9 years of follow-up, primary aldosteronism patients who underwent adrenalectomy (hazard ratio = 3.10, P < 0.001, versus essential hypertension) and took mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) still had increased NOAD incidence (hazard ratio = 4.04, P < 0.001, versus essential hypertension). CONCLUSION Primary aldosteronism patients had an augmented risk for a variety of incident NOAD and all-cause of mortality, compared with matched essential hypertension controls. Notably, the risk of incident NOAD remained increased in patients treated by adrenalectomy or MRA compared with matched essential hypertension controls. This observation supports the theory of primary aldosteronism being associated with a higher risk of multiple autoimmune diseases.
The seroconversion rate of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test in psoriatic patients receiving secukinumab and ixekizumab, the anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibodies

Background For psoriatic patients receiving biologics, the concern of tuberculosis (TB) infection exists. Although the TB risk of anti-interleukin (IL)-17A agents is generally considered very low, more real-world data are needed to support the safety. Objectives This study aims to provide the real-world experience of using serial QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test among patients treated with secukinumab or ixekizumab in Taiwan, an intermediate TB burden country, for the detection of latent TB infection (LTBI) reactivation or newly acquired TB infection. Methods This retrospective review evaluated 100 consecutive patients with psoriasis receiving anti-IL-17A therapies who were checked with at least twice QFT-GIT between 2016 and 2019 in National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei and Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. Results Among the 100 patients, the baseline QFT-GIT results were negative in 81.0% (81/100), positive in 18.0% (18/100), and indeterminate in 1.0% (1/100) of patients. The overall outcomes in patients receiving at least 6 months of cumulative exposure to anti-IL-17A agents were persistently seronegative in 80 patients (80.0%), persistently seropositive in 14 patients (14.0%), seroconversion in 1 patient (1.0%), seroreversion in 3 patients (3.0%), and others in 2 patients (2.0%). In patients with at least 11 months of cumulative exposure, the seroconversion rate was 1.3% (1/79). The only case with seroconversion had a positive QFT-GIT result previously. No case of TB reactivation or newly acquired TB infection was identified during the follow-up. Conclusions In patients treated with anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibodies for psoriasis, routine serial repeat QFT-GIT testing was associated with lower seroconversion rate compared to real-world data of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors and anti-IL-12/23 antibody in Taiwan and in pivotal studies. Because clinical TB symptoms and signs are often preceded by QFT-GIF seroconversion, this result further supports the safety of anti-IL-17A agents in patients with psoriasis for LTBI.