Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an Auditory Assessment Protocol for Chinese Infants with Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Objective To objectively investigate the auditory status of mainland Chinese infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate and to evaluate an auditory assessment protocol for this group. Design Prospective cohort case review. Patients or other Participants A total of 42 Chinese infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate aged 6 to 24 months. Intervention The hearing profiles of participants were acquired using otoscopy, tympanometry, transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, and auditory brainstem response estimated hearing threshold. The efficiency of the current audiological test battery was analyzed also. Results Sixty-four (64.2) percent of infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (55.9% of ears) were suspected to have middle ear disorder, and 85.7% of all subjects (83.3% of ears) were found to have hearing loss. Of those with confirmed loss, the overall mean auditory brainstem response estimated air-conduction hearing threshold was 53.5 ± 13.6 decibel normal hearing level [db nHL]. Using auditory brainstem response thresholds as a reference standard, the diagnostic agreement with the other assessment tools for normal/abnormal results was otoscopy, 69% (κ = .57); tympanometry, 66.7% (κ = .53); and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, 80% (κ = .64). Conclusion The high prevalence of middle ear disease and hearing loss in mainland Chinese infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate in this study was in contrast to previous studies of older age groups of Chinese children conducted in Hong Kong and Singapore. The audiological assessment protocol used in our study could provide useful information; although, modifications may be necessary to ensure a complete diagnostic overview for children with craniofacial clefts.
An Alternative View on Law, Institutions, Finance and Growth

The spectacular economic growth in East Asian economies such as China, South Korea and Taiwan over the past five decades contradicts most of the existing research on law, institutions, finance, and growth. We propose an alternative view based on the comparison of legal institutions and alternative institutions outside the legal system. Despite well-known advantages, the legal system, as a monopolist institution, can be captured by interest groups and become a barrier to innovations. Moreover, in a dynamic environment alternative institutions can adapt and change much more quickly than when the law is used, as this process does not require persuading the legislature and the electorate to revise the law. We argue that in fast-growing economies and during early stages of economic growth, efficient alternative institutions are the main driver for finance, commerce and growth. In static environments with low and predictable growth, legal institutions can play a more important role in supporting finance and commerce. In these environments, however, viable alternative institutions and competition among different types of institutions remain keys to ensuring that the most efficient mechanism prevails and sustains long-term growth.
Non-Gaussian score-driven conditionally heteroskedastic models with a macroeconomic application

We contribute to the literature on empirical macroeconomic models with time-varying conditional moments, by introducing a heteroskedastic score-driven model with Student’s t-distributed innovations, named the heteroskedastic score-driven $t$ -QVAR (quasi-vector autoregressive) model. The $t$ -QVAR model is a robust nonlinear extension of the VARMA (VAR moving average) model. As an illustration, we apply the heteroskedastic $t$ -QVAR model to a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model, for which we estimate Gaussian-ABCD and $t$ -ABCD representations. We use data on economic output, inflation, interest rate, government spending, aggregate productivity, and consumption of the USA for the period of 1954 Q3 to 2022 Q1. Due to the robustness of the heteroskedastic $t$ -QVAR model, even including the period of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we find a superior statistical performance, lower policy-relevant dynamic effects, and a higher estimation precision of the impulse response function for US gross domestic product growth and US inflation rate, for the heteroskedastic score-driven $t$ -ABCD representation rather than for the homoskedastic Gaussian-ABCD representation.
VAR modelling in the presence of China’s rise : an application to the Taiwanese economy

This paper uses the impulse responses of a structural VECM to compare the effect of output shocks originating from the US and China on the Taiwanese economy. From 1980 to 2011 the impact of a US output shock on Taiwan is seven times greater than one originating in China, yet from 2000 to 2011 the impact from either country is the same. Exposure to China has grown more rapidly than exposure to the US, reflecting the rapid growth in cross-strait trade intensity between China and Taiwan this century. Other East Asian economies that have booming trade with China are likely to exhibit similar results, questioning the common practice of using the US as a proxy for foreign effects in the region. We provide two examples motivating the need to include both US and Chinese foreign effects in modelling Taiwan; one based on the evolving economic openness of Taiwan and the second from the East Asia monetary union literature.
THE CARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE OF THE MONYASH-WIRKSWORTH AREA, DERBYSHIRE

The area described comprises the south-eastern portion of the Derbyshire limestone massif. A local stratigraphical succession, of Via Gellia Limestones (D1), Lathkill Limestones (D2) and Cawdor Limestones (P2), is established. The subdivisions of the Carboniferous Limestone have unconformable relations with one another. The representatives of the D1 zone are overlain by the Lathkill Limestones of Upper D2 age. There are no representatives of the Station Quarry and Priestcliffe Limestones of the Miller’s Dale area. The upper division of the Lathkill Limestones overlaps the lower in the neighbourhood of Matlock. The Cawdor Limestones, of proved P2 age at Cawdor Quarry, lie unconformably on the lower formations, cutting out the whole of the Lathkill Limestones and resting on Via Gellia Limestones at Wirksworth. Contemporaneous basalts and tuffs occur at several horizons although there is a concentration at certain levels. Dolomitization has affected much of the limestone. The lead-zinc ores are generally concentrated in the anticlinal structures, with the notable and still unexplained exception of Millclose Mine in the Stanton syncline. The main anticlines and synclines were already in existence during D2 times. They were accentuated by post-D2 movements causing rapid facies changes in the Cawdor Limestones and persisted at least to the base of the Millstone Grit. Late faults which are not mineralized have affected the area and of these the Bonsall fault separates areas of different tectonic pattern.
Economic Growth And Structural Change In Taiwan The Postwar Experience Of The Republic Of China

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Detecting deep tectonic tremor in Taiwan using dense arrays

and EAS for their support and encouragement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank many people in several institutes in Taiwan and Japan for helping with the field deployment and providing valuable data used in this study: for the earthquake swarm catalog. I also wish to thank the Ministry of Education of Taiwan for proving the government scholarship to support my study at Georgia Tech. Last and not least, I would like to acknowledge the support provided by my dear family and my former mentors: Dr.
PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS REVEALING THE UKRAINIAN WAR CRISIS IN PUBLIC SPEECHES: A CONTRASTIVE STUDY

The given article studies phraseological units revealing the Ukrainian war crisis in Boris Johnson’s, Joseph Biden’s, Andrzej Duda’s and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public speeches during the first 100 days of the war. During that time the heads of the states made 291 public speeches. We have singled out 793 phraseological unit usages in the analyzed public speeches. The study relies on application of contextual-interpretation, descriptive and contrastive methods. The phraseological unit is defined as a stable, cohesive combination of words with a fully or partially figurative meaning. We use ‘phraseological unit’ as an umbrella term including stable word combinations as well as proverbs, sayings, aphorisms etc. Basing on the works by Anita Naciscione we have proved that in all studied public speeches the speakers rely on using phraseological units in their base form, core form and instantial stylistic use. The article states that expressing personal vision of the war crisis, persuading the listeners, all four leaders often rely on instantial stylistic use of the phraseological unit represented by replacements, insertions, inversions and additions of the phraseological unit constituents and phraseological allusion. We have singled out the following common messages represented by the analyzed phraseological units for all four leaders, namely, the crimes of the Russian war machine, bravery of the Ukrainians, solidarity with Ukraine and the opposition of the good and the evil. Thus, one of the common messages, bravery of the Ukrainians who resist the invasion giving their lives, is highlighted in the given article. The following phraseological units have been singled out in public speeches of four speakers representing this message – on the frontlines, mount resistance, take a stand, take up fight, pay the price, give/lose one’s life,
Utilization of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine Services by Physicians and Their Relatives: The Role of Training Background

Despite extensive efforts to improve the attitude and practice of physicians with respect to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the role of training background on physician's own utilization of mainstream Western medicine (WM) and CAM remains unclear. We aimed to compare personal utilizations of WM and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among doctors trained in WM only, TCM only or both. A retrospective population-based study was conducted using the 2004 Taiwan's National Health Insurance data. A total of 103 879 doctors and their relatives and 2 623 658 other adults with equivalent socioeconomic status were analyzed. Ambulatory care utilization of WM and TCM services was compared using the following three measures: probability of any use, number of visits and total annual expenditure. Doctors who were trained in Western medicine only (WMDs) had the highest WM use, followed by doctors who were trained in both (WMD-CMDs), while Chinese medicine-trained doctors (CMDs) had the lowest use. For TCM use, a reverse pattern was observed. Similar patterns were found among doctors' relatives. Compared with other adults with equivalent socioeconomic status, both the CMDs and WMD-CMDs had a greater use of TCM services. For WM, although the WMDs' probability and frequency of usage were similar to other adults, they incurred considerably higher expenditure. The use of WM and TCM by doctors and their relatives was significantly associated with the training background of the doctors. This highlights the importance of how increasing knowledge and understanding of other medical discipline may influence a practitioner's care-providing behaviors.
An Examination of Herd Behavior in Equity Markets: An International Perspective

We examine the investment behavior of market participants within diAerent international markets (i.e., US, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), specifically with regard to their tendency to exhibit herd behavior. We find no evidence of herding on the part of market participants in the US and Hong Kong and partial evidence of herding in Japan. However, for South Korea and Taiwan, the two emerging markets in our sample, we document significant evidence of herding. The results are robust across various size-based portfolios and over time. Furthermore, macroeconomic information rather than firm-specific information tends to have a more significant impact on investor behavior in markets which exhibit herding. In all five markets, the rate of increase in security return dispersion as a function of the aggregate market return is higher in up market, relative to down market days. This is consistent with the directional asymmetry documented by McQueen et al. (1996) (McQueen, G. , Pinegar, M.A., Thorley, S. , 1996.
Description of a New Species for Asian Populations of the “Cosmopolitan” Perinereis cultrifera (Annelida: Nereididae)

An Asian species of Perinereis, which has been regarded as a local population of a cosmopolitan species P. cultrifera (Grube, 1840) (type locality: Italy), is described as a new species, P. euiini. , based on Korean specimens. This new species is distinguishable from P. cultrifera and other similar species such as P. floridana (Ehlers, 1868) (type locality: USA), P. anderssoni Kinberg, 1866 (type locality: Brazil), and P. helleri (Grube, 1878) (type locality: Philippines) by the character combination of the absence of lateral group of paragnaths in area III on the proboscis, the presence of small notopodial prechaetal lobe in anterior parapodia, and the greatly expanded dorsal ligule in posterior parapodia. All previous records of “P. cultrifera” from eastern Asia (Taiwan, China, Japan, and Korea) are judged to belong to P. euiini sp. nov., leading to the conclusion that P. cultrifera is not a cosmopolitan species. Specimens previously identified as P. cultrifera var. floridana (or P. cultrifera floridana) in eastern Asia are also judged to belong to P. euiini sp. nov., although they have different paragnath number in area V (one instead of three). Their aberrant paragnath number was regarded as an intraspecific variation of P. euiini sp. nov. The comparison of DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) between P. euiini sp. nov. and “P. cultrifera” from China and Portugal also supports the erection of the new species.
Quorum sensing in Vibrio anguillarum: characterization of the vanI/vanR locus and identification of the autoinducer N-(3-oxodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone

Certain gram-negative pathogens are known to control virulence gene expression through cell-cell communication via small diffusible signal molecules termed autoinducers. This intercellular signal transduction mechanism termed quorum sensing depends on the interaction of an N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) auto-inducer molecule with a receptor protein belonging to the LuxR family of positive transcriptional activators. Vibrio anguillarum is a gram-negative pathogen capable of causing a terminal hemorrhagic septicemia known as vibriosis in fish such as rainbow trout. In this study, we sought to determine whether V. anguillarum employs AHLs to regulate virulence gene expression. Spent V. anguillarum culture supernatants stimulated bioluminescence in a recombinant lux-based Escherichia coli AHL biosensor strain, whereas they both stimulated and inhibited AHL-mediated violacein pigment production in Chromobacterium violaceum. This finding suggested that V. anguillarum may produce multiple AHL signal molecules. Using high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry, we identified the major V. anguillarum AHL as N-(3-oxodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (ODHL), a structure which was unequivocally confirmed by chemical synthesis. The gene (vanI) responsible for ODHL synthesis was cloned and sequenced and shown to belong to the LuxI family of putative AHL synthases. Further sequencing downstream of vanI revealed a second gene (vanR) related to the LuxR family of transcriptional activators. Although deletion of vanI abolished ODHL synthesis, no reduction of either metalloprotease production or virulence in a fish infection model was observed. However, the vanI mutant remained capable of weakly activating both bioluminescence and violacein in the E. coli and C. violaceum biosensors, respectively, indicating the existence of additional layers of AHL-mediated regulatory complexity.
Oseltamivir-Resistant Influenza A Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus, Hong Kong, China

Resistance to oseltamivir was observed in influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus isolated from an untreated person in Hong Kong, China. Investigations showed a resistant virus with the neuraminidase (NA) 274Y genotype in quasi-species from a nasopharyngeal aspirate. Monitoring for the naturally occurring NA 274Y mutation in this virus is necessary.
Oral HPV Infection and Sexuality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Women

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for cervical cancers and is associated with close to 36% of oropharyngeal cancers. There is increasing evidence that oral HPV transmission is related to sexual behavior but to our knowledge studies that involve women who have sex with women have not been performed. We examined the prevalence of oral HPV according to sexual behavior among a population-based sample of 118 women and have made some inferences of possible predictors of oral HPV infection. Women were categorized as heterosexual (history of vaginal sex and/or oral sex with males only, n = 75), bisexual (history of vaginal sex and oral sex with females, n = 32) and other (no history of vaginal sex but oral sex with females [homosexuals], virgins and women with incomplete sexual exposure data, n = 11) The prevalence of oral HPV infection was 12/118 (10.2%) for the overall study population and was not significantly different between heterosexual and bisexual women (10.7% (8/75) vs. 12.5% (4/32), p = 0.784). There was no oral HPV detected among homosexual women, virgins or among women where sexual exposure was unknown. Never smokers were more likely to be oral HPV+ compared to former smokers (Adjusted Odds Ratio (Adj OR) = 0.1, 95% CI, 0.0–1.1) and there was no difference in risk between never smokers and current smokers (Adj OR = 0.7, 95% CI, 0.1–4.6). Twenty-five percent (3/12) of oral HPV+ women had a history of HPV and/or genital warts compared to 9% (10/106) of oral HPV-women (p = 0.104). For the women with a history of vaginal sex (n = 110), oral HPV status was statistically significantly different according to oral sex exposure (p = 0.039). A higher proportion of oral HPV-positive women reported that they had no history of oral sex exposure compared to oral HPV-negative women (4/12, 33% vs. 7/98, 8%). The prevalence of cervical HPV infection did not vary between heterosexuals and bisexuals (35.7% (25/70) vs. 35.5% (11/31), p-value 0.411) and for all other women the cervical HPV prevalence was significantly lower (11.1%, 1/9). Our study suggests that smoking and sexual behavior involving males rather than female partners may be possible predictors of oral HPV infection in women. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings.
Uncovering exposures responsible for birth season – disease effects: a global study

Abstract Objective Birth month and climate impact lifetime disease risk, while the underlying exposures remain largely elusive. We seek to uncover distal risk factors underlying these relationships by probing the relationship between global exposure variance and disease risk variance by birth season. Material and Methods This study utilizes electronic health record data from 6 sites representing 10.5 million individuals in 3 countries (United States, South Korea, and Taiwan). We obtained birth month–disease risk curves from each site in a case-control manner. Next, we correlated each birth month–disease risk curve with each exposure. A meta-analysis was then performed of correlations across sites. This allowed us to identify the most significant birth month–exposure relationships supported by all 6 sites while adjusting for multiplicity. We also successfully distinguish relative age effects (a cultural effect) from environmental exposures. Results Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was the only identified relative age association. Our methods identified several culprit exposures that correspond well with the literature in the field. These include a link between first-trimester exposure to carbon monoxide and increased risk of depressive disorder (R = 0.725, confidence interval [95% CI], 0.529-0.847), first-trimester exposure to fine air particulates and increased risk of atrial fibrillation (R = 0.564, 95% CI, 0.363-0.715), and decreased exposure to sunlight during the third trimester and increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (R = −0.816, 95% CI, −0.5767, −0.929). Conclusion A global study of birth month–disease relationships reveals distal risk factors involved in causal biological pathways that underlie them.
Breast implant infections after surgical reconstruction in patients with breast cancer: assessment of risk factors and pathogens over extended post-operative observation.

BACKGROUND Infection is a severe potential complication of breast implant positioning in women with cancer. There still is some degree of uncertainty regarding optimal antibiotic prophylaxis regimens, infecting pathogens, and risk factors associated with infection during long-term followup of these patients. METHODS We performed a systematic clinical review to assess infecting microorganisms and risk factors among patients undergoing reconstructive procedures for breast cancer between January 2005 and February 2007. A randomly selected group of infection-free patients treated over the same time span was considered as a control. RESULTS Among 240 women undergoing implant procedures performed and followed up as outpatients, 16 patients with prosthetic infections were observed (infection rate 6.7%). Infection was recorded within six months from surgery in 94% of the cases, with an overall mean time to infection of 95 days. The time interval between surgery and infection did not support a diagnosis of hospital-acquired infection in most cases. Gram-negative microorganisms were identified in seven cases. A higher proportion of patients with implant infection underwent radiotherapy or chemotherapy after surgery for advanced tumors compared with the control patients without infection. CONCLUSIONS Extended post-operative surveillance is indicated, at least for the first six months after breast implant placement, particularly for women who need radiotherapy or chemotherapy after implant surgery. Gram-negative bacilli may be involved more often in late infections than otherwise expected. This finding may influence initial empiric antibiotic treatment.