Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterizing early embryonic development of Brown Tsaiya Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in comparison with Taiwan Country Chicken (Gallus gallus domestics)

Avian embryos are among the most convenient and the primary representatives for the study of classical embryology. It is well-known that the hatching time of duck embryos is approximately one week longer than that of chicken embryos. However, the key features associated with the slower embryonic development in ducks have not been adequately described. This study aimed to characterize the pattern and the speed of early embryogenesis in Brown Tsaiya Ducks (BTD) compared with those in Taiwan Country Chicken (TCC) by using growth parameters including embryonic crown-tail length (ECTL), primitive streak formation, somitogenesis, and other development-related parameters, during the first 72 h of incubation. Three hundred and sixty eggs from BTD and TCC, respectively, were incubated at 37.2°C, and were then dissected hourly to evaluate their developmental stages. We found that morphological changes of TCC embryos shared a major similarity with that of the Hamburger and Hamilton staging system during early chick embryogenesis. The initial primitive streak in TCC emerged between 6 and 7 h post-incubation, but its emergence was delayed until 10 to 13 h post-incubation in BTD. Similarly, the limb primordia (wing and limb buds) were observed at 51 h post-incubation in TCC embryos compared to 64 h post-incubation in BTD embryos. The allantois first appeared around 65 to 68 h in TCC embryos, but it was not observed in BTD embryos. At the 72 h post-incubation, 40 somites were clearly formed in TCC embryos while only 32 somites in BTD embryos. Overall, the BTD embryos developed approximately 16 h slower than the chicken embryo during the first 72 h of development. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to describe two distinct developmental time courses between TCC and BTD, which would facilitate future embryogenesis-related studies of the two important avian species in Taiwan.
National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade . By Albert O. Hirschman. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981. Pp. xxii + 172. $16.50.)

Straits crisis to counter a perceived external threat. American anti-Chinese activities in Asia coupled with the dispatch of American troops to Lebanon convinced Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders of an increasing American threat. To counter this, the Chinese adopted a low-risk preemptive policy of shelling the offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu in hopes of deflecting the confrontation from the military to the diplomatic arena. In this they succeeded but only after initial American overreaction. The Sino-lndian border crisis further substantiates the existence of linkages between domestic developments and foreign policy behavior, which was true in this instance for both participants. As in Korea, the Chinese first sought diplomatic means to resolve the apparent crisis, but when that failed, they again resorted to military force. In this case the nature of the response was closely linked to domestic considerations. The Vietnam study is somewhat different from the others since it is an analysis of the 1965 purge of Luo Ruiqing, head of the Chinese armed forces. Gurtov and Hwang argue that Luo's purge had less to do with the escalating conflict in Vietnam than it did with the implications of China's strategic military doctrine for domestic policies. A Soviet military buildup along China's border and other Soviet incidents, combined with the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, raised fears in the minds of China's leaders of a possible Soviet attack. Domestic weakness resulting from the Cultural Revolution, coupled with this new threat, resulted in another instance in which China used limited military force to preempt the situation and thereby prevent it from escalating into a major confrontation. Although there was substantial internal debate over the specific foreign policies adopted in each of these cases, they all illustrate a consistent pattern of behavior with both prior and subsequent linkages between domestic politics and foreign policy initiatives. One weakness of this study is its failure to link each case study explicitly with the propositions developed in the introduction. Nor are such links made explicit in the conclusion. The case studies are excellent analyses, but the theoretical framework is not fully developed nor consistently used. It appears to be an after-the-fact effort to join the cases together. With that reservation aside, the analyses convincingly buttress the argument that China's foreign policy is not as irrational, ideological or as deterministic as some have argued. This study complements Whiting's The Chinese Calculus of Deterrence (1975) and Kim's China, the United Nations and World Order (1979) which similarly conclude that although Chinese foreign policy has some unique features, it is influenced by some of the same variables and developments that influence other nations.
Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes, Concerns and Sentiments about Inclusive Education: An International Comparison of Novice Pre-Service Teachers.

This study investigates the nature of concerns and attitudes held by preservice teachers regarding inclusive education and their degree of comfort on interaction with people with disabilities. Pre-service training may be the optimal time to address educators’ concerns and alter any negative attitudes about inclusive education. This paper reports the perceptions of pre-service teachers prior to their involvement in units of work focusing specifically on inclusive education in universities located in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Results indicate significant differences exist between the students in the eastern countries of Singapore and Hong Kong, and those in the western countries of Canada and Australia. Participants in the Western countries tended to have more positive sentiments and attitudes towards students with disabilities, and more concerns than their Eastern counterparts. The study also suggests that in most instances pre-service teachers have more positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and inclusion, and more confidence in implementing inclusive practice when they have had additional training and / or experience with people with disabilities.
Monogamy's Law: Compulsory Monogamy and Polyamorous Existence

Marriage and monogamy feature prominently on the public stage, but not all romantic relationships come in pairs. While people across the political spectrum debate the different-sex requirement of civil marriage, this article focuses on another limiting principle of monogamy's core institution: the twoness requirement. In particular, the article elaborates the practice and ethical principles of contemporary relationships of more than two people, called polyamory. Such relationships take many forms and aspire to several identifiable values, including radical honesty, consent, and the privileging of more sexual and loving experiences over other activities and emotions such as jealousy. The article asks why polyamorous relationships face such severe normative censure. After considering various objections, the article concludes that one key component of the censure is, paradoxically, the ability of most people to imagine themselves having sex with someone other than a primary partner - in other words, a paradox of prevalence. Despite the widespread desire for more than one sexual partner, however, and despite relatively widespread nonmonogamy, most people do not engage in polyamorous relationships. But neither do most people affirmatively choose monogamy: Laws and norms exert strong pressure on people to promise monogamy, and most people simply succumb to this pressure. The article argues that although monogamy is a sound choice for many, polyamory is a sound choice for others. Building on this premise, the article considers some ways that information-forcing principles of contract law might be used to help encourage people to make active, reflective choices about monogamy.
Mobilizing business for low-carbon economy: Taiwan's vision, pathway, and challenge

In order to essentially tackle climate change issues and achieve sustainable development in both developed and developing countries, the overwhelming triple-win solution for energy, environment and economy is to coordinate both low-carbon technology and economic growth. Public fund investment plays an important role as a financial instrument for developing countries in achieving such a goal. However, an effective system should be introduced to steer private capital efficiently and promote closer cooperation among private and public sectors under limited resources and funds. This article provides a rational overview for Taiwan's nationally appropriate mitigation actions and supplementary GHGs emission reduction actions, along with a vision discussion and policy thinking in developing Taiwan's low-carbon financial and economic instruments, and presents the perspectives and experiences of the low-carbon financing scheme in accelerating the Green New Deal, developing cleaner energy technologies, and creating green business and jobs.
Equity ownership and management control in Sino-foreign joint venture hotels

This article investigates the ownership-control relationship among China international joint ventures in the hotel industry. The findings indicate that equity ownership by foreign partners strongly affects their control over staffing and strategic management activities. This relationship is robust among hotels of different size and star ratings. However, these relationships, though they are not as strong as suggested, can be mediated by country effect. Foreign partners from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan tend to acquire higher level of ownership and control on joint venture hotels in China, whereas foreign partners from the United States, Canada, and Europe are not.
Media representation of gender patterns of suicide in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND Extensive media reporting of suicide events has been indicated as a contributing factor to the upsurge in suicide rates in Taiwan in the past decade. AIMS The study compares gender differences in sociodemographic profiles and method of suicide selectively reported in the newspapers and all suicide cases registered in official death records. It also identifies gender differences in media reports of suicides. METHODS Articles reporting suicide news from four major newspapers in Taiwan (China Times, United Daily, Liberty Times, and Apple Daily) in 2009 were retrieved and analyzed. Gender differences in sociodemographic profiles of suicides reported in the newspapers and official records of all suicide deaths were compared. Any gender differences in newspaper depictions of contributing factors of suicide and situations surrounding the suicidal acts were compared. RESULTS Newspapers in Taiwan tended to overreport unusual methods of suicide among men and extended suicide among women. The reasons for suicide in men were more frequently portrayed as work-related or after legal problems, whereas in women suicide was more frequently framed as due to mental illness or relationship problems. The news media tended to underreport mental illness as a reason for suicide in men. LIMITATION The analysis was based solely on news reporting in the four major newspapers during the year 2009. CONCLUSIONS Media representation of suicide generally follow societal-gendered assumptions of acceptable/unacceptable behaviors. Media professionals should be more careful and responsible in reporting suicide news and avoid any gender bias in their framing of suicide stories. Sensitive rather than sensational reporting should be promoted in order not to reinforce the myths of suicides in the community.
Political Economy of Industrial Transformation: The LCD and Footwear Industries in South Korea and Taiwan

This paper compares the industrial transformation processes of the LCD (liquid-crystal display) and footwear industries in South Korea and Taiwan by situating the state, local capital, and transnational capital on an equal footing and examining the relative strength of these actors across time. To understand the interplay of the three actors and their shifting balance of power, we follow the commodity chain perspective and define industrial transformation as a process of moving to a higher value-added chain in the global production network. The paper argues that statist arguments that privilege the role of the state vis-a-vis transnational and local capital in the process of industrial transformation need to be modified in order to incorporate a dynamic and changing power balance among the three actors, especially in the current context of globalization and liberalization in world economic activities.
A Comparative View of Censored and Uncensored Political Discussion: The Case of Chinese Social Media Users

Through a content analysis on Chinese online dissidents’ social media discourses, this study examines the impact of Internet censorship on Chinese dissidents’ political discourse in two social media platforms: Weibo and Twitter. Data was collected during a time period when China’s Internet censorship was tightened. Results revealed that Chinese online dissidents are more likely to post critical opinions and direct criticism towards the Chinese government on Twitter. In addition, dissidents on Twitter are more likely to engage in discussing with others, while Weibo dissidents tend to adopt linguistic skills more often to bypass censorship. No difference was found in terms of dissidents’ civility and rationality across the two platforms. Implications and future research are discussed in detail.
East Asia in transition: re-examining the East Asian welfare model using fuzzy sets

ABSTRACT East Asia’s economic and social structures came under pressure in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the productivist welfare capitalism (PWC) thesis faced a fundamental challenge. This paper explores the veracity of the PWC thesis by exploring six social policy fields, including education, health care services, family, old-age pensions, housing and protective labour market policy, in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan using fuzzy-set ideal type analysis (FsITA). The findings suggest that it is inaccurate to talk about one single, homogeneous welfare model in East Asia. Despite persistent similarities in regard to their cultural foundations, cases in Greater China and East Asia have distinctive social policy development trajectories often combining ‘productive’ and ‘protective’ policies in unique ways.
Partner-specific sexual behaviors among persons with both main and other partners.

CONTEXT If men and women engage in different sexual behavior with main partners than with other types of partners, then programs aimed at preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may need to address individuals' differential risk with each partner type. METHODS Relationship characteristics, partner risk behaviors and sexual behaviors are examined among 123 male and 106 female STD clinic patients who had both main and other partners. Individual-level comparisons are made for two types of partner pairs: main vs. other frequent (side) partners and main vs. casual partners. RESULTS Among men and women with both main and side partners, the proportion who had known only their main partner for at least a year (48% of men and 41% of women) was significantly higher than the proportion who had known only their side partner for that long (2% and 9%, respectively); no other variable differed significantly by partner type. Among those with main and casual partners, both men and women were more likely to use alcohol or drugs before or during sex with main partners only (15%) than with casual partners only (1-3%). Women with main and casual partners were more likely to have oral sex only with main partners than only with casual partners (37% vs. 3%), and were more likely to use condoms only with casual partners than only with main partners (33% vs. 4%). CONCLUSIONS Providers need to ask individuals about their sexual behaviors with different partner types, and should tailor prevention messages to an individual's risks and reproductive intentions with each partner.
University transition: major and minor life stressors, personality characteristics and mental health

Synopsis One hundred and two first-year students at an independent college in Taiwan participated in a questionnaire study. Measurements of stressors (major life events, minor daily hassles and perceived university stress), personality (locus of control, extraversion and neuroticism) and mental health (depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms) were taken. Using multivariate analyses, we found that: (1) life events predicted anxiety, while daily hassles predicted depression; (2) locus of control and extraversion correlated negatively, while neuroticism correlated positively with university stress; and (3) neuroticism had a main effect on symptom reportings across the board, while extraversion had a vulnerability effect on somatic symptoms. Relationships between life events and daily hassles, and the roles of personality in the stress process, are discussed.
Sexual harm reduction practices of HIV-seropositive gay and bisexual men: serosorting, strategic positioning, and withdrawal before ejaculation

Objective:This study assessed unprotected anal and oral sex behaviors of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in New York City and San Francisco with their main and non-main sexual partners. Here we focus on the use of three harm reduction strategies (serosorting, strategic positioning, and withdrawal before ejaculation) in order to decrease transmission risk. Method:The data from a baseline assessment of 1168 HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in the two cities were utilized. Men were recruited from a variety of community-based venues, through advertising and other techniques. Results:City differences were identified, with more men in San Francisco reporting sexual risk behaviors across all partner types compared with men in New York City. Serosorting was identified, with men reporting significantly more oral and anal sex acts with other HIV-positive partners than with HIV-negative partners. However, men also reported more unprotected sex with partners of unknown status compared with their other partners. Some evidence of strategic positioning was identified, although differences were noted across cities and across different types of partners. Men in both cities reported more acts of oral sex without ejaculation than with ejaculation, but the use of withdrawal as a harm reduction strategy for anal sex was more common among men from San Francisco. Conclusion:Overall, evidence for harm reduction was identified; however, significant differences across the two cities were found. The complicated nature of the sexual practices of gay and bisexual men are discussed, and the findings have important implications for prevention efforts and future research studies.
Information Search Behavior of Independent Travelers: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Chinese, Japanese, and American Travelers

This study examines international travelers’ information search behavior utilizing data collected from Japanese, Chinese, and American independent travelers to Taiwan. One-way ANOVA tests reveal that Internet is the most important external information source for independent travelers from those three nations followed by newspapers, magazines, and books. Chinese travelers are found to use underground (subway) advertisement boxes, advertisement on buses, TV, radio, international travel exhibitions, outdoor advertisements, or billboards more frequently than both Japanese and American travelers. The results also show that both Japanese and Chinese travelers are likely to use tourism leaflets from a travel agency more frequently than U.S. travelers. Japanese female travelers appeared to utilize newspapers, magazines, books, and ads on subways and buses more frequently than Japanese male travelers.
Serial Adjustments in Allocation to Reproduction: Effects of Photosynthetic Genotype

Life history theory predicts that trade‐offs between size and reproductive traits should increase when resources are more limited. This prediction is commonly tested by using plant size as a surrogate for resource status or by comparing trade‐offs across treatments that experimentally manipulate size or environmental resources. In this study, we take a novel and potentially effective approach and compare two well‐characterized genotypes of Amaranthus hybridus that differ in photosynthate availability. We consider these genotypes a valuable proxy for inherent genetic variation in resource status because photosynthate is a resource base that will most likely underlie many allocation‐based trade‐offs. We examine a series of hierarchical stages in which adjustments in allocation are predicted to affect seed production, and we test whether these adjustments are more dramatic in the genotype with less available photosynthate. We find that the response to resource limitation was not to decrease allocation to reproduction, alter floral sex ratio, or abort more seed. Rather, the resource limitation increased the trade‐off between seed number and size. By delaying resource‐based adjustments in allocation until the seed maturation stage, this species has a strategy that places priority on maximizing the quantity rather than the quality of offspring. Genetically based differences in photosynthate availability can affect the relationships between size and reproduction and therefore affect fitness.
How the Innovation Diffusion of Facebook Changed Internet Usage and Expression of Public Opinion in Taiwan: Using Voters' Internet and Facebook Usage during the 2016 Taiwanese Presidential Election as an Example

Taiwan is a country with fairly high internet and smart phone penetration. By 2014, more than 70% of Taiwanese over the age of 15 owned a smart phone. Using Facebook online or via mobile internet has gradually become an accepted innovation for most Taiwanese, especially for the new generation. Among Taiwan's population of 23 million populations, there are 18 million Facebook (FB) users. Some Taiwanese have more than one FB account. This study aims to discover whether the innovation diffusion theory and spiral of silence phenomenon work on Facebook usage and adoption during the 2016 Taiwanese Presidential Election. In this study, the researcher launched an in-depth interview to get qualitative data from 9 interviewees who are enthusiastic voters and political party supporters. Furthermore, the researcher launched an internet survey obtaining a sample of 485 respondents. The research results showed us that social media, such as Facebook, had already replaced traditional media during the 2016 presidential election in Taiwan and changed voters' media usage and expression of public opinion. Facebook users or adopters can use their quasi-statistical organ to gain an impression of the public opinion climate on Facebook, and these factors affected or changed their public opinions expression on FB. The 2016 Presidential Election in Taiwan was an important social or political movement for Taiwanese. The research results showed the innovation diffusion or adoption of Facebook changed the Internet Usage and Public Opinions Expression in Taiwan, and it also partially provided support that the Spiral of Silence theory could be applied to the new social media in Taiwan.